Cousin Andy's Coffee House

Coming soon to Cousin Andy's

February 2 Curtis and Loretta
Acoustic folk music duo Curtis & Loretta have been acclaimed across the country for their exquisite harmonies, incisive songwriting, and skill on an array of stringed instruments, including Celtic harp, mandocello, mandolin, guitar, clawhammer banjo, and ukulele. At Philadelphia Folksong Society, Focal Point in St. Louis, Bound For Glory in New York, the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, Espresso Garden in San Jose, and countless venues in between, they've delighted audiences with their unique blend of original songs, traditional Celtic tunes, and occasional American folk and old-time songs, all underscored by their winning stage presence. An evening with Curtis & Loretta is a captivating experience. It runs the gamut of rolling with laughter, to holding back tears, with plenty of sidetrips in between. Their timeless traditional songs and thought-provoking originals are seamlessly woven together by their ever-growing array of instruments and their tight harmonies. And their years of performing and touring together have honed their comfortable stage presence to a delightful edge.

 

February 9 Wishing Chair
Wishing Chair is the folk-roots partnership of multi-instrumentalist Miriam Davidson and songwriter Kiya Heartwood. "...a songwriting, accordion playing, harmony singing, storytelling, hand drumming, banjo strumming, soul stirring, two woman tour-de-force."

 

February 16 Ken Gaines and Karen Mal
Houston area singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer Ken Gaines has the goal of writing great songs in just about every genre and style. You won't be able to put a finger on what he does from sweet lyrical ballads, to double entendre blues, to swingin' jazz, and redneck rock. "For all of the great songs that have been written I belong to a wonderful group of people who believe there are at least as many great ones still to be written." His voice has the range to cover all of these styles and his supple guitar work lays down arrangements instead of just chords. His lyrics are both powerful and poetic and highlight his skills as a story teller and observer of life.
In three short years, Karen Mal has gone from a virtual unknown on the Austin acoustic music scene to one of the most sought-after performers around, both as a solo artist and as a sideman for others on mandolin, guitar, and harmony vocals. Karen has opened for and/or appeared onstage with performers such as Tom Paxton, Slaid Cleaves, Tom Prasada-Rao, Gail Davies, Buddy Mondlock, and Tom Kimmel. Originally from New England, more recently from Wisconsin, Karen worked in regional theatre for several years as an actor and musical director/composer before settling in Austin, Texas to play music full-time. She has lived and worked in places from Manhattan to Memphis, from Wisconsin to California, and toured in 40 states.

 

March 2 Joe Jencks
Joe Jencks is an international touring performer and award-winning songwriter. His career is based as much in ministering to the human spirit as it is in the performance of music. “A Joe Jencks concert is definitely not a visit to the inner world of some guy with a guitar who would like us all to sit still and listen politely. It's an occasion for singing, a contagious rising up of voices, an act of joy and defiance! …Tapping into the latent, nearly mystical beauty that a roomful of people can unleash by singing together.” – Seattle Folklore Society

 

March 23 David LaMotte
It's been sixteen years since David LaMotte has had a real job or a real haircut. No one could accuse him of being a slacker, though. In that same time he has released 10 CDs and performed 2000 shows in 45 states and on four continents. The Boston Globe says he "pushes the envelope with challenging lyrics and unusual tunings, but he also pays homage to folk tradition." The Washington Times describes LaMotte's music as "guitar spanking open-tuning grooves as well as gentle folk-tinged pop," and folk music magazine Dirty Linen calls him “a folk poet of elegant simplicity.” His latest release, Change, hit #11 on the Folk-DJ chart and took four awards in the SAW Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, including Silver in Instrumental and Gold in Folk.

 

March 30 Wil Maring
NOTE: Tim Harrison, originally scheduled, had to cancel due to a family emergency.

 

With "The Calling" she has established herself as one of the genre's premier songwriters. Her songs are always thoughtful, tastefully arranged, arrestingly executed, melodically interesting and pack a 20-megaton emotional wallop. And, as though that wasn't enough to send everyone into perpetual euphoria, she has developed an original sound as well--propelled by her beautiful, one-of-a-kind voice that is lilting and gorgeous yet tempered with a tough-edginess that makes for a simply exquisite combination. I especially enjoyed the ominous "Black Snake of the Sky," the inspiring "Keeper of the Farm," the hauntingly poetic "Going Down," the introspectful "Window Seat" and the killer cover of "Back in the Highlife Again."
Dave Higgs, syndicated Bluegrass Breakdown, WPLN Nashville, TN wood).

 

April 13 SONiA & Disappear Fear
Perhaps in a past life, SONiA was one of the original troubadours, a poet-musician roaming Europe in the 11th-13th centuries, singing songs of courtly love. She certainly is a contemporary troubadour, crooning folk songs about romantic love, often forbidden.

Whether in the bomb shelters "Miklats" in Israel or summer camps in Palestine, colleges, festivals or venues around the world SONiA is always striving to disappear fear and spread her message of Peace.

In 2007, the Grammy nominee, will release a brand new CD to el mundo (the world). 'La Tormenta Santa" will feature 13 songs: 7 sung in Spanish, 3 in Hebrew and 3 in Arabic and English. The music will match the words in poetry about Love, Peace and Equality; themes familiar to SONiA's writing since the creation of her band, "disappear fear".

 

April 20 Annie & Rod Capps
With her sweet, wry, perspective on things, Annie puts herself – and a host of other subjects – on a laboratory slide, peers in close, and makes discoveries that ring satisfyingly true. Drawing on three decades of wide ranging influences, Annie offers a little bit of something for everyone. Complimented always by the artful musicianship of her husband, Rod Capps, they create contemporary folk music that is as sophisticated as it is disarming. With instrumentation that includes acoustic guitars, tenor banjo, mandolin, and fiddle, they continue to defy classification, incorporating hints of country, a dusting of old time bluegrass and a pinch of jazz, offering thoughtful, exuberant songs that have at their core a warm, funky groove and a soulful glow.

 

April 27-29 Southern Illinois Irish Festival
No Cousin Andy's, so enjoy the Irish Festival events!

 

May 4 Bernice Lewis
"I guess what I want people to know is that, for me, it's about the songs, each different, each a well-thought-out message, each a labor of love," says Bernice Lewis. It has been said that she elevates the experiences of everyday life to an art form.  She sings from a woman's perspective with wit and eloquence in distinctive, powerful vocals...  With attention equally divided among matters of the earth, matters of the soul and matters of the heart, Lewis has staked out as her territory the sum of contemporary existence, and by giving so generously of herself she helps illuminate the lives of others."

 

May 11 Happenstance
We came together purely by HAPPENSTANCE after Dan Clanton and Doug Coppock began talking about songwriting, performing, and collaborating on a project while they were at the Kerrville Folk Festival.  Both Dan and Doug are singer-songwriters who were looking for a new format that would allow them to move beyond the limitations of solo performance while maintaining the intimacy and emotion of acoustic coffeehouses.  When they returned home to Conway, Arkansas, purely by HAPPENSTANCE, bassist Brooks Walthall was looking for a new way to channel his talent, experience, and interest in acoustic music and HAPPENSTANCE was born.  We perform original songs that mirror the varied backgrounds and influences of its members.  From West Texas twang to Delta Blues and everything in-between, HAPPENSTANCE sings songs of everyday people and extraordinary circumstances.

 

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