anyone remember the "coffeehouse"?

[headsup]

I cut my acoustic guitar songwriting teeth back in the early seventies in Montreal at the Yellow Door coffee house.
every city in North America had similar places where acoustic artists played their tunes, people came, paid a cover charge, drank coffee, maybe had a piece of pie or cake, and actually listened to the music.

After  five decades of showbiz, tours, bars, concerts etc, tonight I got to play an old fashioned coffee house.
A concert, church basement, ticketed event with...coffee and pie, and a listening audience.

I was part of a trio I have been playing shows with for several years, but the old style venue, the food they gave us at sound check, the kindness and attentiveness of the audience brought back a LOT of memories about how some of us got our start so very long ago.

I hope, like House concerts, this can/ could be a revisited way for folks to play acoustic music to a listening/appreciative audience, who pay a fair cover, for a great night of music, and the musicians are loved, listened to, and paid!.

oh, and better.... NO DRUNKS!!!
PLUS home early!

[ducktrapper]

Boy howdy!  

... I might sneak in my flask though.  

[flatlander]

Did they snap their fingers to applaud? A lot of the places, not all, we play people actually listen. Nice especially when you do a lot of originals.

[ducktrapper]

Times have changed. Listening is sooo passé! 

[unclrob]

I remember playing a gig inside of a club called the Down Under,they serve wine,beer and coffee fun gig,I also played the bloody Sunday gig bagle's and bloody mary's.Use to home with leftovers.

[lkjjr]

Coffee House music, oh yeah... that's where I first heard live music in an intimate setting, 1968 in Atlanta at a place called The 12th Gate. Following may be overboard, so read on at your own risk  (links included for the curious/nostalgic)—TLR.

In '68 some of the counter-culture was reaching us in the Bible belt that had moved through other parts of the country before.  On the north end of what was then considered downtown was an area called "The Strip" where "hippies" hawked a local paper called "The Great Speckled Bird"." "Headshops" could be found nearby (i.e., "The Middle Earth" among others). And close to all the action a local Methodist church opened a coffee shop in an old house- the 12th Gate.

At 17 y.o. there were many venues I couldn't get into, but the 12th Gate only served coffee, tea, snacks, etc. Not many folks my age were drawn to it, but I was.  The first performer I saw there made a real impression on me- Flo Warner.  She was a fine looking lady, a few years older than me, with a nice acoustic style and the voice of an angel.  I was hooked.

She related a story about a young singer/songwriter she'd met with the "saddest eyes" she'd ever seen.  Turned out it was a guy I had recently gotten into- John Hartford.  Later she played a song by Fred Neil, first time I ever heard "The Dolphins."  Flo was a local lady who later went on to some success working with folks like Dan Fogelberg and another local made good, Pat Alger.

The 12th Gate lasted for a few more years and became a more robust venue hosting acts like Little Feat, Weather Report, Townes Van Zandt, Mose Allison, and on and on.  It helped set the stage for the also storied Great Southeastern Music Hall, another amazing Atlanta venue that hosted the likes of Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffet, John Hartford, John Stewart, Emmylou Harris.... before they started filling concert halls.

OK, I'll quit now. Just had an extended nostalgia attack prompted by thinking back to the coffee house.

[flatlander]

Some version of The Great Speckled Bird was still around in the 80's. An older guy. (to me at the time) With bleach blonde hair used to sell it  (or give it away?) in Little Five Points and down on Piedmont on the street. I talked to him a couple times and he'd usually go off on CIA/FBI conspiracy stuff. So I thought he might be a little nuts. But in talking to people they said, no that stuffs true. They were after him in the 60's and early 70's. But back to music, there was a lot of good music in town then. And places that had music every night giving room for plenty of original music. About 3/4 of what we did was original stuff. A couple of the highlights was Col. Hampton playing a lot in small local places which ended up evolving into Aquarium Rescue Unit. And Thumbs Carlille playing in small places. The Track Side in Decatur had a coffee house feel and Thumbs played there every week. I recorded a good chunk of him, with his permission, and put on the net with his families permission. Very top shelf if not familier with him. (google) Not exactly coffee houses but small intimate places where people were definitely focused on the music. A very young Russell Malone is on some of the recordings down a bit. Listen for the fat Hollow Body Gibson.   https://www.soundclick.com/bands3/?bandID=1424178

[ducktrapper]

I'd guess that every little town everywhere had a coffee house kind of thing or two going way back then. Up here in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada we had several including a little place where Neil Young came of age. Those were the days my friends, we'd thought they'd never end ...   

[headsup]

maybe you played at the famous Yellow Door? 3625 Aylmer st? back in your Montreal days?

[ducktrapper]

maybe you played at the famous Yellow Door? 3625 Aylmer st? back in your Montreal days?

Often. With my former partner and multiple Juno Award winner who shall go unnamed as I'm not a name dropper.    

[lkjjr]

Flatlander,

Cool, cool recordings, thanks for linking.  Lived in Atlanta/north Georgia all my life except for a few years in the mid to late 80's when I took a "sabbatical" to Colorado.  Sorry to have missed Thumbs in those days.

As to Trackside...
Shortly after my return a bud and I decided to drop into to Trackside for some pool and brew.
Had the pleasure of shooting a game with Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls).  What a sweet, down to earth human being.  The place just had that sorta' vibe.

[ST]

A long long time ago (early 70s)

On Bloor Street in TO (Canadians will get the reference), Boston Pizza used to close up shop at around 1:00 AM and open the doors again as an after-hours coffee house. Lots of the local and visiting players would come by after their gigs.  Had one of my best sets ever there one night.

The older I get, the better I used to be.

There's a local group that has been meeting every Thursday for over 40 years in kids camps, living rooms, backyards, legions, and community centres.  For all that time it's been known as Coffee House.

[ducktrapper]

The older I get, the better I used to be.

Funny. Not me though. I used to craptacular. Now I'm merely not that bad. 

[B0WIE]

Coffee houses made a BIG resurgence in the 90's and when I was becoming a young adult, that was one of the things to do. Then, the internet came about and people didn't need to spend much time interacting face to face anymore so people don't actually hang out at coffee houses, and if they do they are silent, staring at their digital devices. I can't imagine the looks I'd get if I brought an acoustic into any of the coffee houses around here.

[Danny]

My wife, who left me three and a half years ago told me she really wanted to see me play live.

I guess she should have paid attention while we were still together. 😎

[ducktrapper]

My wife, who left me three and a half years ago told me she really wanted to see me play live.

I guess she should have paid attention while we were style together. 😎

Hey Danny. Good to hear from you. As the Molson beer commercial goes, "Ex says it all!"   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA4XLT9vUWc

[Queequeg]

My wife, who left me three and a half years ago told me she really wanted to see me play live.

I guess she should have paid attention while we were still together. 😎

So she told you that just recently?
Are you playing out these days, Danny?

[eded]

My wife, who left me three and a half years ago told me she really wanted to see me play live.

I guess she should have paid attention while we were still together. 😎

One joy of having a musical spouse is that every day...  at the drop of a hat...  there is potential music, be it something known or something organic.  It might not happen every day, but when it does...

Ed

[Danny]

So she told you that just recently?
Are you playing out these days, Danny?

She said that several months ago. This thread just reminded me of it. I was playing with a group of musicians every Friday and once a month with another group. Also did open mics, but she never came to Any of them.
Lately just getting a guitar off the wall and playing a few songs is about all I'm doing.
My work picks up this time of year, so I'm not as free with my time. For sure I'd like to start practicing again and if a melody and lyrics came out I'd be ecstatic.

[Danny]

One joy of having a musical spouse is that every day...  at the drop of a hat...  there is potential music, be it something known or something organic.  It might not happen every day, but when it does...

Ed

My wife did help me with lyrics and encouragement. Bonnie is a fine lady.