2006 Season

Opening Act: Friction Farm
Friction Farm photo

While the singer-songwriters are often described as contemporary folk, Friction Farm’s got some rock and roll roots. They’re a dynamic duo on stage, they might tell you story that invites you into the depths of a meaningful song and then stomp their feet on the stage until you want to jump up and dance and forget it all.

Opening Act: Leon Nelson
Originally a drummer, Leon brings a percussive approach to his guitar style, and blends in a distinctive flat-picking style.

Cooper's ingenious guitar work and gutsy harmonica continue to augment his passionate voice and insightful lyrics. Cooper has been named Best Songwriter in Houston, was nominated Best Male Vocalist by the Kerrville Music Foundation and was nominated their Hall of Fame. His songs have been recorded by top-notch artists Mauro O'Connell, Jonell Mosser, Susan Werner, Jen Cohen, Christine Albert, Trout Fishing in America, Pierce Pettis, Johnsmith and Shake Russell.

December 10th:
Dave Potts
From the time he first stepped foot in the picturesque town of Auburn, Alabama, he knew he had found his place. Dave’s hometown newspaper, the OA News, describes his music well by saying, “Potts is at the top of his game when singing about the mundane splendor of small-town life; those stolen moments we so often overlook.” Though his songwriting style has taken on a regional feel, it has brought his music national attention. Dave was a finalist at the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Contest in both 2003 and 2004, as well as being named a finalist at the Telluride Troubador contest in 2003, and the South Florida Folk Festival in 2004.

December 31st:
3rd Annual New Year's Celebration with
Jack Williams and The Winterline Band
Join us for this new Columbia New Year's Eve tradition! Among acoustic guitarists, South Carolinian Jack Williams is near-legendary. Having avoided the compromises of the commercial music industry during his 40+-year professional career, he prefers working the road, playing coffeehouses, concerts, festivals and house concerts week in, week out, from the sheer love of music and performing. In recent years, Jack has emerged from self-imposed obscurity to become firmly established in the contemporary acoustic - or "folk" - music world. This has led him to acclaimed appearances at the Newport and Boston Folk Festivals, as well as at recent Kerrville and Philadelphia Festivals, where his guitar-playing, songs, and commanding personal presence always caused a considerable buzz.

January 21st:
John William Davis
Excerpted from his website: "I grew up on a small creek that flows into the St. Marys River, just east of the great Okeefenokee swamp. In between jobs that ranged from being a dock worker in a paper mill to being a craps and 21 dealer in Reno to being a university professor of language and literature, I found time to learn guitar. Amidst all this fun, one day I left, went back to Georgia, put the guitar under the bed for 10 years, and studied Shakespeare. I thought Id found my niche in life. But grading one too many freshmen essays convinced me otherwise."

February 4th:
Eric Taylor
Taylor learned intricate blues guitar stylings from music legends Lightnin' Hopkins, Mance Lipscomb and Mississippi Fred McDowell while working at the Family Hand club. Later, he developed his own unique guitar picking style, that would be imitated by many of his contemporaries from the early Houston days, such as Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, and Nanci Griffith. "There were no lines drawn in the sand between musical genres in Houston back in those days," Taylor remembers. "You were just a musician. I believe so many great writers came out of that scene because you could learn from others. Isn't that the point of this whole thing?"

Opening Act: Fayssoux McLean
With a voice that warms you, and with a keen sense of harmony, the listeners are drawn into her music. Then she captures you with her stories, her smile, and her kind humor. You're going to want to hear her again and again.

Legends of West Africa encompasses some of the World’s most notable curators of West African traditional musical arts. The ensemble displays a dynamic and exhilarating celebration of the region’s ethnic heritage through song, music and dance. Legends of West Africa showcases their mastery of some of the world’s most obscure and fascinating instruments including the balafon, krin, bolon, n’goni, gongomah, along with a variety of drums. Accompanying the music is a daunting exhibition of acrobatic dance and powerful vocals. During the performance Legends of West Africa dives into a breathtaking display of music, singing and dance. The artists spin, flip and twirl about the stage in costumes of traditional design that accentuate their dramatic movements. The performance makes the audience, no matter how young or old, want to leap out of their seats and dance in the aisles!

Opening Act: Phyllis Tannerfrye
Her music is southern, but it comes from somewhere way beyond the creeks & marshes of her Georgetown County home. The songs tell us stories about people and places.

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Columbia Coffeehouse 2005-2006 SEASON
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	All shows start at 8:00 PM Doors open at 7:30
	September 10th: Mike Strauss "His bloozy alt-country is lyrical and emotional, and his raggedy burr falls somewhere between Billy Joe Shaver and Mark Knopfler." The Charlotte Observer Opening Act: Friction Farm While the singer-songwriters are often described as contemporary folk, Friction Farm’s got some rock and roll roots. They’re a dynamic duo on stage, they might tell you story that invites you into the depths of a meaningful song and then stomp their feet on the stage until you want to jump up and dance and forget it all. October 1st: Cindy Mangsen and Steve Gillette This renowned husband and wife team bring their traditional folk music to the Coffeehouse stage! Cindy is a master interpreter of traditional ballads, rich in myth and legend. She plays guitar, concertina, and banjo, and is renowned for her compelling voice, described by one critic as a voice that can warm a New England winter. Steve Gillette is best known as a songwriter, with songs recorded by artists from Ian & Sylvia to Garth Brooks, from Jiminy Cricket to John Denver. His song Darcy Farrow alone has been recorded by more than one hundred artists since 1966. Steve sings in a rich baritone and is a virtuoso on guitar, using a unique fingerpicking style with a flat-pick and two fingers. October 22nd: Chuck Pyle His music mixes western themes, folk, rock, cowboy poetry and new age humor into his own unique "Southwestern Acoustic" sound. The songs are at once complex and enchantingly funny. He compresses a story to its very essence, quoting bumper stickers, proverbs, world leaders and old cowboys then mixing in his own philosophical blend of Cowboy Zen. Opening Act: Leon Nelson Originally a drummer, Leon brings a percussive approach to his guitar style, and blends in a distinctive flat-picking style. November 5th: Vollie McKenzie and Friends Versatile musician, songwriter, and gifted singer, Vollie McKenzie is as comfortable with traditional old time and swing-based dance music as he is with rootsy gospel and country-folk harmonies. With his feet firmly planted in traditional American music, he feels the same kinship with the music of Hank Williams and Ray Charles as he does with Appalachian string band tunes and the gospel songs of his youth. November 12th: Dana Cooper Cooper's ingenious guitar work and gutsy harmonica continue to augment his passionate voice and insightful lyrics. Cooper has been named Best Songwriter in Houston, was nominated Best Male Vocalist by the Kerrville Music Foundation and was nominated their Hall of Fame. His songs have been recorded by top-notch artists Mauro O'Connell, Jonell Mosser, Susan Werner, Jen Cohen, Christine Albert, Trout Fishing in America, Pierce Pettis, Johnsmith and Shake Russell. Opening Act: Ars Prima December 10th: Dave Potts From the time he first stepped foot in the picturesque town of Auburn, Alabama, he knew he had found his place. Dave’s hometown newspaper, the OA News, describes his music well by saying, “Potts is at the top of his game when singing about the mundane splendor of small-town life; those stolen moments we so often overlook.” Though his songwriting style has taken on a regional feel, it has brought his music national attention. Dave was a finalist at the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Contest in both 2003 and 2004, as well as being named a finalist at the Telluride Troubador contest in 2003, and the South Florida Folk Festival in 2004. Opening Act: Ernie Franks December 31st: 3rd Annual New Year's Celebration with Jack Williams and The Winterline Band Join us for this new Columbia New Year's Eve tradition! Among acoustic guitarists, South Carolinian Jack Williams is near-legendary. Having avoided the compromises of the commercial music industry during his 40+-year professional career, he prefers working the road, playing coffeehouses, concerts, festivals and house concerts week in, week out, from the sheer love of music and performing. In recent years, Jack has emerged from self-imposed obscurity to become firmly established in the contemporary acoustic - or "folk" - music world. This has led him to acclaimed appearances at the Newport and Boston Folk Festivals, as well as at recent Kerrville and Philadelphia Festivals, where his guitar-playing, songs, and commanding personal presence always caused a considerable buzz. Joining Jack this year will be percussionist Steve Klinck *Click here for a flyer* (Word document) January 21st: John William Davis Excerpted from his website: "I grew up on a small creek that flows into the St. Marys River, just east of the great Okeefenokee swamp. In between jobs that ranged from being a dock worker in a paper mill to being a craps and 21 dealer in Reno to being a university professor of language and literature, I found time to learn guitar. Amidst all this fun, one day I left, went back to Georgia, put the guitar under the bed for 10 years, and studied Shakespeare. I thought Id found my niche in life. But grading one too many freshmen essays convinced me otherwise." February 4th: Eric Taylor Taylor learned intricate blues guitar stylings from music legends Lightnin' Hopkins, Mance Lipscomb and Mississippi Fred McDowell while working at the Family Hand club. Later, he developed his own unique guitar picking style, that would be imitated by many of his contemporaries from the early Houston days, such as Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, and Nanci Griffith. "There were no lines drawn in the sand between musical genres in Houston back in those days," Taylor remembers. "You were just a musician. I believe so many great writers came out of that scene because you could learn from others. Isn't that the point of this whole thing?" Opening Act: Fayssoux McLean With a voice that warms you, and with a keen sense of harmony, the listeners are drawn into her music. Then she captures you with her stories, her smile, and her kind humor. You're going to want to hear her again and again. February 25th: Jonathan Byrd Jonathan's career started with a contest. In the year 2000, Byrd took grand prize in the North Carolina Songwriter's Coop Song contest in his hometown of Carrboro, NC. Inspired, he began to tour and recorded his first CD, Wildflowers. With spare production, these simple tales of love and death made a surprising impact. Folk legend Tom Paxton discovered Byrd's music online and sent Byrd an email saying, "What a treat to hear someone so deeply rooted in tradition, yet growing in his own beautiful way." In a more recent contest, Jonathan Byrd was one of six winners of the 2003 New Folk competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival. March 18th: Chris Rosser with Ron Fetner Growing up in the tiny town of Casar, NC, Rosser's musical journey began with classical piano lessons from his mother and a fascination with the large record collection of his parents. Raised in a Baha'i family, he was exposed at a young age to a diversity of cultures, and many musical seeds were planted. Rosser was particularly attracted to the haunting music and chanting of the Iranian Baha'is at religious gatherings. In high school, he played French horn in the orchestra, piano in the jazz band, and electric bass in numerous garage bands, while secretly beginning to write songs of his own. During his last year in college, he taught himself to play acoustic guitar and began to seriously focus on songwriting after discovering the music of contemporary folk musicians like Shawn Colvin, Nanci Griffith, David Wilcox and Patty Larkin. Born in the farm belt of western New York and raised in the small towns of northern Virginia. Ron attended Boston's Berklee School of Music as an arranging and composition major before heading off on his musical travels. These travels included stints with several roots and acoustic bands, often opening or sharing stages with acts like The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Nighthawks and Dire Straits. Feeling he had paid his dues as a band member, Ron started to concentrate more on songwriting and soon launched a solo performing songwriter career. Incorporating elements of Folk, Southern Appalachian, Roots and Jazz, Ron soon found his voice in pure American music. April 1st: Legends of West Africa Legends of West Africa encompasses some of the World’s most notable curators of West African traditional musical arts. The ensemble displays a dynamic and exhilarating celebration of the region’s ethnic heritage through song, music and dance. Legends of West Africa showcases their mastery of some of the world’s most obscure and fascinating instruments including the balafon, krin, bolon, n’goni, gongomah, along with a variety of drums. Accompanying the music is a daunting exhibition of acrobatic dance and powerful vocals. During the performance Legends of West Africa dives into a breathtaking display of music, singing and dance. The artists spin, flip and twirl about the stage in costumes of traditional design that accentuate their dramatic movements. The performance makes the audience, no matter how young or old, want to leap out of their seats and dance in the aisles! April 8th: Storyhill This duo delighted the Coffeehouse audience at their 2005 show, and we're glad to have them back! Acclaimed for their tight harmonies and soulful lyrics, Storyhill has performed and recorded their distinctive brand of acoustic music for over 15 years. Natives of Montana and alumni of St. Olaf College in Minnesota Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson released their first recording in 1989 titled "Chris & Johnny". Since then they have gone on to produce 11 CD's, tour the country from coast to coast, while amassing a loyal following and building a mailing list of over 10,000 members. They continue to sell out shows in the West and Midwest. April 29th: Annie Gallup Beat Poet Songwriter and "spoke folk" artist Annie Gallup's writing is unabashedly imaginative and richly sensual. She is a teller of short, elaborate tales — song-length works of fiction that sparkle with the complexity and polish of poetry; tightly packed lyrical strands that crackle with intelligence and spry wordplay, and pulse with insistent rhythm. Annie is a gifted, inventive instrumentalist. Her guitar work is a fresh, welcome interplay of short lead runs and complex picking patterns. Opening Act: Phyllis Tannerfrye Her music is southern, but it comes from somewhere way beyond the creeks & marshes of her Georgetown County home. The songs tell us stories about people and places. May 13th: Barrett Smith and Friends Back for his third appearance at the Coffeehouse, Columbia's Barret Smith now lives in Asheville and will bring some of his friends with him for this final concert of the 2005-2006 series.

Shows start at 8 PM Doors open at 7:30 PM

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