The Sounding Board Coffeehouse

05/18/2024

We’re excited that West Hartford Community Interactive TV is going to live-stream our tonight, featuring the Portable Folk Music Festival!
The show starts at 7:30 p.m.!
Click below to tune in.

The Sounding Board welcomes back The Portables to our stage - celebrating their 50th year as a band! Proceeds from this concert will benefit the Connecticut...

05/16/2024

This Saturday, 5/18!
The Portable Folk Music Festival - our "house band" - has been performing together for 50 years!
Please come and see this wonderful traditional folk music group close out the Spring season at the Sounding Board.
Proceeds from The Portables concert will benefit the Connecticut Sea Music Festival.
Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30.

Portable Folk Festival 2019 Part 1

05/08/2024

This Saturday! Sally Rogers and Howie Bursen will take the stage at The Sounding Board Coffeehouse at 7:30 p.m. Widely known for her crystal clear voice, Sally accompanies herself with guitar, banjo and mountain dulcimer. Howie is known for his clawhammer banjo, guitar playing, and rich baritone singing.
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.

Inspired by John Lewis, Claudia Schmidt wrote this song for the 50th anniversary of Selma Bloody Sunday, the day when Alabama State Troopers violently attack...

05/02/2024

This Saturday! Vance Gilbert will take the stage at The Sounding Board Coffeehouse.
"The voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god...” - Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30.

This is my 2021 Tiny Desk entry! Enjoy!

04/09/2024

This Saturday - Ellis Paul and Danni Nicholls will take the stage at The Sounding Board Coffeehouse. Tickets are still available. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the music starts at 7:30!

Recorded at The Blue Door in Oklahoma City on Nov. 10, 2018

04/05/2024

This Saturday - tickets are still available for John Gorka at The Sounding Board! Don't miss this one. Doors open at 7 p.m. and a memorable night of music begins at 7:30.

Home Video #35 is a traditional song, The Water is Wide, with an additional verse by Pete Seeger. I hope you like it!To support John Gorka, hit the Donate bu...

03/30/2024

Coming on Saturday, April 6! Join us for a wonderful evening of folk music with renowned singer-songwriter John Gorka. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30.

One Song Concert Love is a song suggested by my friend Jos Van Vliet in The Netherlands. It is a Kate Wolf that I sang on a tribute CD to Kate relea...

03/20/2024

This Saturday, 3/23, The Jolly Beggars will take the stage at The Sounding Board Coffeehouse bringing their lively and delightful Celtic folk music and storytelling to our audience. Tickets are still available - enjoy our accessible listening room environment. Hot and cold drinks and sweet treats will be available.
Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30!

The Jolly Beggars perform their newest instrumental piece at J.Rene Coffe Roasters in West Hartford, CT. http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-jolly-beggars/...

03/05/2024

This Saturday night at The Sounding Board Coffeehouse: Goodnight Moonshine is a guitar and vocal duet, and a musical marriage in all senses. The Duo combines the evocative voice and songwriting of Molly Venter, with Eben Pariser’s adventurous guitar playing. The result is folk music with a depth of improvisation and tonal subtlety. Molly is well known from he prominent female-vocal-group Red Molly, while Eben cut his teeth as a street performer in New York City, playing guttural music of New Orleans with his band Roosevelt Dime.
Collinsville, CT's songstress Melanie Champagne will open this great evening of acoustic music.

This is a free preview of our show today. For 200+ Caffe Lena live streams per year plus an extensive library of archives, check out https://caffelena.tv/Goo...

10/30/2023

Coming this Saturday to The Sounding Board!
Here's Corner House, playing their song, "South of the City," from their album titled "How Beautiful Its Been."

𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 is the second single from the upcoming record 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗻. Preorder here! https://distrokid.co...

10/18/2023

Here's a live performance of an instrumental tune by Corner House, written by member Casey Murray. The group will play at The Sounding Board Coffeehouse on Saturday, 11/4.

Casey Murray's beautiful banjo tune Wilbur's First Trip off our new record How Beautiful It's Been, in Galway NY. Purchase our record: https://cornerhouse1.b...

09/25/2023

Coming to The Sounding Board Coffeehouse this Saturday, 9/30. Here's a sample of the distinctive style and sound of The Nields.

Nerissa and Katrina Nields got their start by singing around the family dinner table and perfecting their harmonies in the back seat of their Dad's car when ...

09/16/2023

Please note: The vendor for our online ticketing is experiencing intermittent processing issues today, Saturday 9/16.
If you would like to purchase a ticket for tonight’s concert, The Clement Brothers, please try again later or purchase tickets at the door!

09/14/2023

Here's a sample of The Clements Brothers performing live.
See them this Saturday at The Sounding Board Coffeehouse!

Here's a live version of our song "Help Myself" from The Waldo Theatre in Maine -- 5/13/21

04/27/2023

Friends of Sounding Board, you don’t want to miss our concert this Saturday. The Oshima Brothers take the stage at 7:30pm, 4/29. Support new and fresh music. As a special perk for members and students, we are offering $10 tickets for this show only!

"Dance With Me" is available now!Stream/download: https://ffm.to/oshimabrothersdancewithmeSUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/3544ZqaSEE our tour schedule: https://www....

04/19/2023

Come on down to The Sounding Board Coffeehouseon May 13th to help close out the season. This concert will be a benefit and most of the monies raised will be donated to the Essex Sea Music Festival in Don Sineti's memory. The more people in the audience - the more money we can donate to the Festival! So bring your grandma, grandpa, kids, neighbors and the whole family!

The Portable Folk Music Festival (The Portables) - Benefit for Don Sineti

The Portable Folk Music Festival (affectionately known as "The Portables") represent the "house band" of the Sounding Board Coffeehouse. Brace yourself for a stage full of talented singers and instrumentalists who present traditional folk and acoustic music from the American songbook.

03/16/2023

Kala Farnham opens the show this Saturday evening. She's the current Connecticut State Troubadour and she also wrote the song in this video. See Kala and House of Hamill at The Sounding Board Coffeehouse. Tickets are still available and it's going to be an amazing evening!

CREDITS:Music & lyrics by Kala FarnhamGuitar & vocal performance by Kala FarnhamVideo & audio recorded by Tracy Walton at On Deck Sound StudioFOLLOW:WEBSITE ...

03/10/2023

House of Hamill is coming to The Sounding Board on Saturday, March 18! Kala Farnham opens the show.

Song: The Bully of Skidmore TownAlbum: Folk Hero (2021)This song tells the story of Ken Rex McElroy, who terrorized the town of Skidmore, MO for three decade...

01/06/2023

I have just heard from Mary and it's with a heavy heart to have to report the passing of our dear friend, Don Sineti. There are not enough words that can come to mind in this moment to describe the sadness that we will all feel now and in the future by his loss.
The important part is that he is no longer suffering and that Mary was his true love throughout their brief time together to the end. He was blessed in so many ways, as were we.
Fair winds,
Bonnie

01/05/2023

The family of Don Sineti would like to thank all the people for all their well wishes and visits. Early November Don went septic and with his underlying health issues and a mild case of Covid Don has declined steadily.
We are losing our Don.

01/03/2023

Just a reminder that if you are sending in any contributions to The Sounding Board Coffeehouse, please use the following address only:
If mailing, send with payment to: The Sounding Board, P.O. Box 270867, West Hartford, CT 06127

12/11/2022

Rani and the Boys were SO GOOD tonight at the Sounding Board hosted at Winding Trails! What a way to wrap our 2022 concert year. Thank you Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, and all our enthusiastic audiences and great volunteers who made the show possible. Big ❤️!
Happy Holidays to all and stay tuned for the lineup of our Spring 2023 Season!

11/25/2022

Kerri Powers will play at The Sounding Board this Saturday, 11/26.
Here she is playing her song, "Mine the River."
https://vimeo.com/272787662
Tickets are still available here: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5559023
It should be an amazing night at The Sounding Board Coffeehouse!

New England songwriter, Kerri Powers Live @ Infinity Hall "Mine the River" c. Kerripowerssongs, BMI Credit: Ron Janovsky

11/03/2022

Here's sample of Tony Trischka doing what he does best. He'll play at The Sounding Board Coffeehouse on Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. - we can't wait!
Get tickets here: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5591581!

Tony Trischka - John Henry / Bonaparte’s Retreat / The Cutting Room BreakdownRecorded Live - The Cutting Room - New York NYMore Tony Trischka: https://www.p...

06/02/2022

A Farewell from Janet Domler Steucek

When you hear the names Domler and Paton, you think of the Sounding Board. My brother, Bill Domler and my parents, Len and Fran Domler, started the Sounding Board in December of 1973 with the help of Sandy and Caroline Paton.

As the last surviving Domler, it was my privilege to continue on with their legacy for many years. I held the positions of Artistic Director and Treasurer for many years. I even baked some of the Sounding Board sweets (remember those Irresistible Brownies?).

But with most things in life, time brings changes. As of May of 2022, I have relinquished all my responsibilities with the Sounding Board. There is a younger Board of Directors and they have different, but good, ideas about the future. I can only hope that they continue to preserve what the Sounding Board has meant to the folk music community for the last 49 years.

I am fine – no health issues to speak of. It was just the right time in my life to let go and let the younger generation take over. (I know that my dad is smiling down on me right now.) I am engaged to a wonderful man and we plan to be married this year. As we start a new life together, I will never forget all of you and the many friendships I have made over the last 49 years.

Hope to see you sometime in the future at a Sounding Board concert!!!

Janet Domler Steucek (soon to be become Janet Cole)

05/12/2022

We are sad to announce that we must reschedule the 5/21/22 performance by The Portables to a later date TBA. Ticket holders can get a refund by contacting Brown Paper Tickets and saying the concert was cancelled due to a COVID outbreak. For more information, contact us at [email protected]