Introducing... The Cabot Folk Club

A new concert series is born!

In a rural village on the southern edge of the North East Kingdom in Vermont, a new concert series is born. Introducing…. (drum roll please) The Cabot Folk Club! Beginning January 26th, the Cabot Folk Club will be a listening-room where people can enjoy some of Vermont’s best acoustic music. The series will take up residence in the Willey Building (town hall) auditorium with chairs and tables set up cabaret-style. In addition to the concerts, there will be opportunities for aspiring musicians to get up in front of an audience as well. The format is inspired by New England “Coffeehouse” and English “Folk Club” models.

Winter-Spring ‘23 artists: (clockwise from upper left) Sara Grace, Mikahely, Richard Ruane and Beth Duquette, Cricket Blue, Phil Henry.

In New England, Coffeehouses set up shop in church basements and sanctuaries. Concerts are usually held on a Friday or Saturday night, typically with an opening act. Coffee, tea and baked goods are offered during the intermission to raise a little money for the organization. The atmosphere is warm and people are gracious. There’s a New England’y sense of formality to these shows. Likely, since the venue is a church, folks are inclined to be on their best behavior.

By contrast, Folk Clubs in the UK take up residence in a function room of a pub. Concerts are held all nights of the week. Beer and cider are on tap, and potato chips (or crisps, as they say) are on offer from behind the bar. As a warm-up to the guest artist sets, Folk Clubs put on what they call “floor spots,” which are amateur or semi-professional musicians from the community to play a song or two. Admission costs are kept on the low side, but income for the club is made up for by a raffle which folks enthusiastically purchase for a bottle of wine, chocolates, or something silly and fun. There is an informality to the event, and folks typically sing along, whether they're encouraged to or not!

Mostly, I just like the sound of “Folk Club,” so we’ll go with that. Hopefully, we’ll get the best of both worlds!

The goal of launching the Cabot Folk Club, ultimately, is to support Vermont musicians, and bring a little life to Cabot Village on a weeknight. As consumers of music, I believe the best way to express our values is with our pocketbooks. With the music industry being monopolized by huge companies like Ticketmaster, Spotify, and all the corporate music “services,” the Cabot Folk Club is a great example of how we can keep it local, and get to know the music that speaks to who we are, where we are.  It’s a lot like eating consciously by supporting local farms. Perhaps we might even answer the perennial question, “what is Vermont music?”

I hope you will come by and see us sometime!

You can find the Winter / Spring Schedule at www.cabotarts.org

D.R