tom’s place Archive

Tom’s Place to host the Flying Mangos

Tom’s Place to host the Flying Mangos

Friday May 8

(always the 2nd Friday, Sept-June)

This Month’s Featured Performer is The Flying Mangos (See description below.)

7:30-10:30pm,

Free admission (donation collected for artist’s appreciation)

Held in the TPUUF Sanctuary.

Flyers are available in the TPUUF lobby.

Schedule:

7:30-8:40 Open circle sing (songbooks provided or bring your own song sheets to share)

9:00-9:45 Featured performer

9:45-10:30 Open Stage

ABOUT OUR FEATURED ARTIST:

THE FLYING MANGOS is a Latin-Caribbean fusion trio that plays popular and traditional folk songs from Cuba, Mexico and the Caribbean, intermixed with Latin-Caribbean style covers of popular American tunes from Ray Charles and the Beatles, to Bob Marley and Shakira. They perform on a variety of traditional acoustic stringed instruments, hand drums, and bass.
Lead singer Jake Michael plays ukulele, jarana, tres and eight-string Cuban armonica guitar.

Drummer Pam Graboyes is the rhythmic backbone for the Flying Mangos, with her collection of over 70 percussion instruments.

Bassist Hugh Sutherland tells us his favorite instrument is the fretless bass, which he says is easier to make than a fretted bass, and sounds more interesting, but is harder to play.

The Flying Mangos have spread their musical joy in a broad range of area venues, private and public, including UU locales in West Chester and Germantown. We hope you’ll come out to welcome them to Tom’s Place.

You can find out more and get a taste of their music at www. myspace.com/theflyingmangos.

Drew Calvin coming to Tom’s Place

Drew Calvin coming to Tom’s Place

Drew Calvin

Drew Calvin

Friday March 13, 2009

(always the 2nd Friday, Sept-June)

This Month’s Featured Performer is Drew Calvin (See description below.)

7:30-10:30 pm

Free admission (donation collected for artist’s appreciation)

Held in the TPUUF Sanctuary.

Flyers are available in the TPUUF lobby.

Schedule:

7:30-8:40 Open circle sing (songbooks provided or bring your own song sheets to share)

9:00-9:45 Featured performer

9:45-10:30 Open Stage

ABOUT OUR FEATURE:

DREW CALVIN has graced the Philadelphia-area folk music scene ever since 1995. He brings to his listeners the experience of a life lived around the world in practically every life condition except rich and famous. Prior to Philadelphia, he lived for four years in Taipei, Taiwan, where he earned the majority of his income as a street busker.

Calvin’s original songs are rooted in the music that most closely mirrors the American soul: country, bluegrass and the blues – with a strong dash of Woody Guthrie populism and Bob Dylanesque poetry. His lyrics are fresh and clear, avoiding clichés, reflecting a continual search for the core of life beneath surface appearances. He is capable of both great tenderness and acerbic wit, sometimes in the same song. Whatever the tone and theme, his songs share a mood of celebration of the human spirit and anger at all that would diminish it. He sings in a rich baritone, sensitive to emotional nuance, and accompanies himself with virtuoso guitar fingerpicking honed over more than three decades of playing.

Over the years, his music has garnered praise from artists such as Robin & Linda Williams, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. He won first prize in the 1988 Florida Original Folksong Competition and in the 2003 Performing Songwriter’s Contest at the Wildflower Music Festival in Texas. Come hear him!

Winchester Perry at coffeehouse on Feb. 13

Winchester Perry at coffeehouse on Feb. 13
Christine and David Perry

Christine and David Perry

Tom’s Place Coffeehouse –

Friday Feb 13, 2009

(always the 2nd Friday, Sept-June)

This Month’s Featured Performer is Winchester Perry (See description below.)

7:30-10:30pm,

Free admission (donation collected for artist’s appreciation)

Held in the TPUUF Sanctuary.

Flyers are available in the TPUUF lobby.

Schedule:

7:30-8:40 Open circle sing (songbooks provided or bring your own song sheets to share)

9-9:45 Featured performer

9:45-10:30 Open Stage

ABOUT OUR FEATURE:

Christine Winchester and David C. Perry first met in 1991 while playing at the Folk Factory Coffeehouse in Mt. Airy. They both went on to become repeat winners of the Folk Factory’s “People’s Choice” Award – and later became each other’s personal choice as marriage partners and musical partners in the duo Winchester Perry. They have performed at a wide variety of area venues and have received airplay on several radio stations.

With the birth of their daughter in early 2003, the musical nature of their partnership took a backseat to family matters. Now, they’re back in action, and don’t be suprised if 6-year-old Allison joins them on stage for a song or two.

Christine plays guitar and keyboards and sings her songs with beauty, power and expression reflective of her musical theater background. She has kept her hand in the music community by running and booking acts for Tom’s Place since 2006, and helping to organize activities of the Philadelphia Area Songwriters Alliance, which she has done since the early ’90s. As a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, she currently enjoys serving Thomas Paine UU Fellowship as board secretary.

David has been a full-time children’s entertainer for 10 years, doing what he calls “Drawings, Songs & Silliness.” His grownup music is a potent blend of wistfulness and satiric wit.

Both Christine and David provide special music for the TPUUF Sunday morning services several times a year.

Artese ‘n Toad at Tom’s Place Jan. 9

Artese ‘n Toad at Tom’s Place Jan. 9

Artese 'n' Toad

Artese 'n' Toad

Tom’s Place Coffeehouse –

Friday Jan 9, 2009

(always the 2nd Friday, Sept-June)

This Month’s Featured Performer is Artese ‘n Toad (See description below.)

7:30-10pm,

Free admission (donation collected for artist’s appreciation)

Held in the TPUUF Sanctuary.

Flyers are available in the TPUUF lobby.

Schedule:

7:30-8:40 Open circle sing (songbooks provided or bring your own song sheets to share)

9:00-9:30 Featured performer

9:30-10:15 Open Stage

ABOUT OUR FEATURE:

Artese ‘n’ Toad is the male acoustic duo of Perry Artese and Tom (Toad) Dimeo. They have been covering ’70s singer/songwriters and playing their original songs together in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area for many years. Their latest CD, “They Don’t Write Songs About Trains Anymore” has been widely acclaimed and well reviewed. Listen to them at www.artesentoad.com.

Tom’s Place Coffeehouse offers different strokes for different folks. Come for the whole evening or pick and choose the portions that interest you the most. First, we start with an informal “sing-a-long” circle where we choose selections from our customized songbook (available to everyone there). After a short break where you can socialize and get a snack, we move onto a short set of music presented by the Featured Act. Our Features are extremely talented local and regional musicians of a professional or semi professional level. Finally, you have a chance to perform and show off your inner talents in the Open Stage portion of the evening. We encourage all ages and artistic styles. Surprise us with your poetry, dramatic piece or dance. Of course, musicians are more than welcome, too. For more information contact Christine at 484-686-8521.

Tom’s Place Friday

Tom’s Place Friday

Tom’s Place Coffeehouse – Join us Friday 12/14/07

(always the 2nd Friday)

Featured Performer is Heidi Wolfson (See description below.)

7:30-10pm, Free admission

Schedule:

7:15 gather and socialize
7:30-8:30 Open circle sing (songbooks provided or bring your own song sheets to share)
8:45-9:15 Featured performer
9:15-10:00 Open Stage

ABOUT OUR FEATURE: Heidi Wolfson is a singer-songwriter whose music incorporates a range of genres including folk, rock, country, punk and spoken word. Her songs are characterized by a literary bent and rock and roll spirit. Her musical debut was a live radio broadcast on WXPN in 1976. She wandered in, guitar in hand, and said “I write music.” They interviewed her, recorded twelve of her songs and gave her an hour of airtime! From there, Heidi moved to the Greenwich Village in NY where she played in open mics and coffeehouses, before moving back to Philly in the early ‘80’s and playing such venues such as the London and the Painted Bride Arts Center. She soon formed Heidi and the Wolf, a hard-hitting 6-pc rock band that appeared at all of the city’s hot spots for rock music. Her biggest musical influences are Mick Jagger, Patti Smith and Bob Dylan. Although these days she is playing an acoustic guitar (often 12-string) her performances have a gutsy undertone of rock and a hint of spoken word. She makes you simultaneously bob your head and think. Heidi is also a middle school teacher, mother of four, and published author of many poems, short stories and plays.

Tom’s Place Coffeehouse offers different strokes for different folks. Come for the whole evening or pick and choose the portions that interest you the most.

Flyers are available in the TPUUF lobby.

First, we start with an informal “sing-a-long” circle where we choose selections from our customized songbook (available to everyone there). After a short break where you can socialize and get a snack, we move onto an short set of music presented by the Featured Act. Our Features are extremely talented local and regional musicians of a professional or semi professional level. Finally, you have a chance to perform and show off your inner talents in the Open Stage portion of the evening. We encourage all ages and artistic styles. Surprise us with your poetry, dramatic piece or dance. Of course, musicians are more than welcome, too. For more information contact Christine at 610-239-8177.

In future months look for these featured acts:

Jan 11 — Tony DeSantis
Feb 8 — Jim Cohen from Beats Walkin’

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