Ah, the glorious, majestic coffee house. Perhaps it's the soft sound of milk frothing in the background, or that wonderful aroma enhancing the heady music emanating from the front of the room...whatever it is, it's hard to deny that live music in a coffee house just feels right (and I don't even drink coffee!).
Fortunately, we are blessed with three great coffee shops in Lowell, but unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of live music at them...at least not at the moment. But if you're willing to hop in the car for a drive this weekend, there are some good shows at some of our area coffee houses.
At the Java Room in Chelmsford, there's ALWAYS weekend music on tap. On Friday, May 16, Boston musician Sam Bayer will spin his unique stories of "housewives winning the Nobel Prize in physics, poker-playing children gambling over their bedtimes, and metaphorical elephants pirouetting in the den." That's at 8 p.m.
On Saturday afternoon in Acton, Boston singer/songwriter Susan Levine will be the featured artist at this week's Tunes in the Afternoon Series at Cafe Ziba. Levine's songs, inspired by her extensive travels, are laced with evocative images and suffused with poetic vision. Her powerful, warm voice has been compared to Emmylou Harris and Nanci Griffith. Cafe Ziba's Tunes in the Afternoon series is held every Saturday from 3 - 5:30 p.m.
Later that night, the New Moon Coffeehouse in Haverhill will host David Olney and Sergio Webb, with opening act Danielle Miraglia. A dramatist at heart, Olney writes songs that explore the lives and psyches of strangers from all historic times and geographic locations in a sometimes brooding and almost cynical tone. The fun starts at 8 p.m.
Back at the Java Room on Saturday night, also at 8 p.m., the Mill City Trio will drop some of their hip jazz tunes. With their unique combination of two guitars and drums, these guys put a fresh spin on traditional jazz standards.
And finally, on Sunday, May 18, the Union Hall Coffee House in Carlisle will host Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser and American cellist Natalie Haas in what is sure to be a magical combination. The duo have released a couple of albums together, and have played together in numerous venues throughout New England. That show starts at 7:30 p.m.
If you've got deets on any other coffee house happenings, drop me a line.
