Now into its fifth year and after some 40 shows, Voices Café remains as strong, if not stronger than ever — as both a respected monthly music series supporting local and nationally touring musicians, and as a community-based gathering raising funds for worthwhile nonprofit organizations.
“Voices Café’s intention from the start was to support musicians, raise funds for social justice, and to create a community gathering space for music that’s powerful, provocative, fun, and uplifting. That’s what we started talking about when we were conceiving Voices Café,” said David Vita. “Little did we know that it would actually turn out that way.”
And turn out that way, it has. This season alone, the series has presented remarkable singer-songwriting talent, like Abbie Gardner and Molly Venter, two members of the celebrated folk trio Red Molly, in separate shows with their own bands. And Susan Werner comes in next month. This weekend, gracing the stage and returning — by popular demand, no doubt — are country hit-makers Don Henry and Craig Bickhardt performing at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 8.
The series also has an important fundraising component. “Voices Café is part of the Social Justice Program at The Unitarian Church in Westport,” explained Vita. “The ticket sales first go to pay the musicians, and supporting artists is part of our mission. Then the money goes back into the community.”
Vita related a perfect example of the latter. “I was recently speaking with Claudia Connor, the president and CEO of IICONN in Bridgeport, the International Institute of Connecticut, which has been settling refugees here for 99 years. I asked her, ‘If $1,500 dropped from the sky tomorrow, what would IICONN do with it?’ She said that they would buy a trailer to move furniture. IICONN sets up on average an apartment a week for an arriving refugee family. They have donated furniture to pick up and store, and furniture in storage that needs to be delivered to the apartments. They were always looking for volunteers with a truck or a van, but if they had a trailer to hitch to a car they could do it themselves. I said, ‘Done!’ And we raised the money to purchase the trailer, between Voices Café and our Sunday Share the Plate Offering. That’s what Voices Café is all about.”
Pretty amazing stuff. As is the music itself, like this weekend’s headliners. Don Henry is as polished a performer, as he is hilarious. Plus, he’s an award-winning songwriter. His song, “Where've You Been,” won a Grammy and Song of the Year honors by the Academy of Country Music Song, Country Music Association, and Nashville Songwriters Association International, all four accolades in the same year.
Craig Bickhardt’s songs found their way onto platinum and Grammy-winning recordings by legends such as Johnny Cash, Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Jonathan Edwards, David Wilcox, Kathy Mattea and Alison Krauss. He’s got nearly 1,000 songs in a catalog that includes four No. 1 country hits, “Turn It Loose” and “I Know Where I’m Going” recorded by The Judds, “In Between Dances” by Pam Tillis, and “It Must Be Love” recorded by Ty Herndon.
As to the superb talent that Voices Café attracts to the stage, Vita explained: “We have people on our committee who are so knowledgeable about the music and visit other venues and hear new sounds that there are so many more musicians that we’d love to have at Voices that we just can’t squeeze in. And Tim Wilson does our booking, and he has a great ear for talent.”
And the crowds seem to appreciate the efforts. “Our audience base is solid and continues to grow,” said Vita. “At practically every performance, someone will come up to me and say that it’s the first time that they’ve been to Voices Café, how could they have not heard about us before, and that they’ll be back! And then they do come back. First-timers become regulars, strangers meet new people, and then it has a large family gathering kind of feeling.”
Voices Café is located at The Unitarian Church in Westport, 10 Lyons Plains Road, Westport. Seating is cabaret style. Call 203-227-7205, ext. 14 or visit www.voicescafe.org. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Concert update: The Zombies show at the Ridgefield Playhouse, which was postponed last month due to a band member’s illness, has been rescheduled for Monday, May 8.
Mike Horyczun’s Sound Surfing column appears every Saturday in The Hour. Mike can be reached at news2mh@gmail.com
“Voices Café’s intention from the start was to support musicians, raise funds for social justice, and to create a community gathering space for music that’s powerful, provocative, fun, and uplifting. That’s what we started talking about when we were conceiving Voices Café,” said David Vita. “Little did we know that it would actually turn out that way.”
And turn out that way, it has. This season alone, the series has presented remarkable singer-songwriting talent, like Abbie Gardner and Molly Venter, two members of the celebrated folk trio Red Molly, in separate shows with their own bands. And Susan Werner comes in next month. This weekend, gracing the stage and returning — by popular demand, no doubt — are country hit-makers Don Henry and Craig Bickhardt performing at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 8.
The series also has an important fundraising component. “Voices Café is part of the Social Justice Program at The Unitarian Church in Westport,” explained Vita. “The ticket sales first go to pay the musicians, and supporting artists is part of our mission. Then the money goes back into the community.”
Vita related a perfect example of the latter. “I was recently speaking with Claudia Connor, the president and CEO of IICONN in Bridgeport, the International Institute of Connecticut, which has been settling refugees here for 99 years. I asked her, ‘If $1,500 dropped from the sky tomorrow, what would IICONN do with it?’ She said that they would buy a trailer to move furniture. IICONN sets up on average an apartment a week for an arriving refugee family. They have donated furniture to pick up and store, and furniture in storage that needs to be delivered to the apartments. They were always looking for volunteers with a truck or a van, but if they had a trailer to hitch to a car they could do it themselves. I said, ‘Done!’ And we raised the money to purchase the trailer, between Voices Café and our Sunday Share the Plate Offering. That’s what Voices Café is all about.”
Pretty amazing stuff. As is the music itself, like this weekend’s headliners. Don Henry is as polished a performer, as he is hilarious. Plus, he’s an award-winning songwriter. His song, “Where've You Been,” won a Grammy and Song of the Year honors by the Academy of Country Music Song, Country Music Association, and Nashville Songwriters Association International, all four accolades in the same year.
Craig Bickhardt’s songs found their way onto platinum and Grammy-winning recordings by legends such as Johnny Cash, Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Jonathan Edwards, David Wilcox, Kathy Mattea and Alison Krauss. He’s got nearly 1,000 songs in a catalog that includes four No. 1 country hits, “Turn It Loose” and “I Know Where I’m Going” recorded by The Judds, “In Between Dances” by Pam Tillis, and “It Must Be Love” recorded by Ty Herndon.
As to the superb talent that Voices Café attracts to the stage, Vita explained: “We have people on our committee who are so knowledgeable about the music and visit other venues and hear new sounds that there are so many more musicians that we’d love to have at Voices that we just can’t squeeze in. And Tim Wilson does our booking, and he has a great ear for talent.”
And the crowds seem to appreciate the efforts. “Our audience base is solid and continues to grow,” said Vita. “At practically every performance, someone will come up to me and say that it’s the first time that they’ve been to Voices Café, how could they have not heard about us before, and that they’ll be back! And then they do come back. First-timers become regulars, strangers meet new people, and then it has a large family gathering kind of feeling.”
Voices Café is located at The Unitarian Church in Westport, 10 Lyons Plains Road, Westport. Seating is cabaret style. Call 203-227-7205, ext. 14 or visit www.voicescafe.org. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Concert update: The Zombies show at the Ridgefield Playhouse, which was postponed last month due to a band member’s illness, has been rescheduled for Monday, May 8.
Mike Horyczun’s Sound Surfing column appears every Saturday in The Hour. Mike can be reached at news2mh@gmail.com
Resource :http://www.thehour.com/news/article/Voices-Caf-builds-community-through-music-11055972.php
