Cafe Carpe

Night one!! MIKE DOWLING virtuoso guitar player:  "engaging voice, self-deprecating wit and an arsenal of elegant interpretations of old blues, swing, ragtime, and original tunes” "Dowling is one of the most relaxed and highly skilled acoustic guitar players of his generation that I have ever heard. Everything he performs appears natural and deceptively effortless and […]

Night two! MIKE DOWLING virtuoso guitar player:  "engaging voice, self-deprecating wit and an arsenal of elegant interpretations of old blues, swing, ragtime, and original tunes” "Dowling is one of the most relaxed and highly skilled acoustic guitar players of his generation that I have ever heard. Everything he performs appears natural and deceptively effortless and […]

Expect a desert-island helping of classic & deep-cut SIMON & GARFUNKEL songs spanning their recorded career. Angotti & Zender morph seamlessly, blending their beautiful vocals; in other words no one guy has to be Garfunkel the whole time. The two are seasoned guitarists, which helps bring in original-recording elements into their live arrangements. The two […]

“….consummate guitar, voice, and lyrics, and with a mix of folk and rock-influenced tunes. And an awesome sense of humor.”

From start to Finnish, a class act. May be joined by a fiddle player this time. Ticket link follows bio. ERIK KOSKINEN is an American singer-songwriter,  multi-instrumentalist and producer, whose music is not categorized by sub-genres.  Stylistically he is on his own while heavily influenced by American roots music. The rhythmic integrity and musical tone […]

Note that ticket price will change to $20 the day of the show. Ticket link follows bio. Hailed by Downbeat for its “deft analysis of choice repertoire,” and by the Chicago Reader for its “diversity of approaches to all kinds of source material,” the JOE POLICASTRO TRIO is a forward-thinking, Chicago-based jazz trio led by […]

Bill sheds his lonesomeness, sharing the evening with nephew STEVE CAMPLIN and son SATCHEL PAIGE. Rip-roaring fun as always. More details to come if I can find them.  

Round robin led by TRICIA ALEXANDER– (performer, poet, healer, “with a voice, music and lyrics that resonate the heart”) done informally, not from the stage, no microphones. This is a lovely gathering of singers, songwriters, musicians and music appreciators, poets, and storytellers held somewhat regularly on the last Wednesday (formerly Thursday) of each month. Traditional Round Robin […]

Reed just asked to play here because he is in the area as an opening act for Sierra Hull. Bio follows ticket link. Grammy-nominated songwriter REED FOEHL was raised in a small New England town whose folk/Americana music tells stories with a voice that pushes boundaries while paying homage to tradition. Foehl released his sixth studio album […]

In a genre full of tall tales and marketable lies, CHRIS ACKER crafts candid songs – weaving his wit and woes into a body of work that exposes the stale plight of the American Songster to the honest, and sometimes hilarious, light of day. In the tradition of Guthrie and Prine, Chris lends a quavering voice […]

The son of a small town farming community, CODY DIEKHOFF logged plenty of highway and stage time under the name CHICAGO FARMER before settling in the city in 2003. Profoundly inspired by fellow midwesterner John Prine, he’s a working-class folk musician to his core. His small town roots, tilled with city streets mentality, are turning heads North and South […]

Texas Female Artist of the Decade and reigning Female Vocalist of the Year, BRI BAGWELL, is a force to be reckoned with on the Texas Country scene. From her first full-length release, Banned from Santa Fe in 2011, to her 2022 release Corazón y Cabeza (Heart and Head) Bri has masterfully commanded the stage for […]