Real News
Jim returns to the Naked City!
Tuesday, February 25, 2003
Jim Infantino of Jim?s Big Ego headlines at Naked City Coffeehouse March 6 Zeitgeist Gallery is reviving longtime Cambridge folk clubThe Naked City Coffeehouse, a longtime Cambridge folk music haven, will celebrate its "relaunch" with a special evening on March 6. Renowned singer-songwriter Jim Infantino (of Jim?s Big Ego) will play a solo acoustic feature set at 9:30 p.m., with folksinger-comedian Howie Newman opening the show at 8:30 Proceeds will benefit local nonprofit On-the-Rise, a women?s shelter (www.ontherise.org).
The Naked City Coffeehouse is located at the Zeitgeist Gallery, 1353 Cambridge St., in Inman Square, Cambridge. Admission is $6, which includes a kickoff reception at 8 p.m. For further information, call the Zeitgeist Gallery at 617-876-6060.The Naked City Coffeehouse will run every Thursday, with three featured performers plus an open mic. Two local songwriters, folk-pop songstress Sandi Hammond and rocker-girl Emily Grogan, are handling the booking. They plan to mix up the features ? rockers, folk, experimental, jazz, poetry and theatre. "We want to bring diverse audiences together and see what happens," says Hammond. "We want to cut across ages, mediums, ethnic groups and styles."The original Naked City Coffeehouse, which operated out of a Harvard Square church, launched the careers of songwriters such as Ellis Paul, Dar Williams, Jim Infantino and others. "You never knew week to week what might happen at Naked City," recalls Alan Nidle, Director of the Zeitgeist Gallery. "We want to recreate that experience at our new location."JIM INFANTINO of Jim?s Big EgoInfantino, a veteran of the original Naked City series, began his songwriter career in part at The Naked City open mike. He has since gone on to form Jim?s Big Ego, release multiple albums and tour extensively."When I first started going to the Naked City, it was guerrilla art in a pure form," says Infantino. "It felt like we were Ginsbergs and Kerouacs and Ferlinghettis up there by the Primal Scream bookshop. What I loved about it was the utter lack of structure. People would show up in the hallway and just start playing, taking turns, reading poetry or sharing songs." HOWIE NEWMANComical singer-songwriter Howie Newman returned to the folk scene in 2001 after an 18-year hiatus. He specializes in up-tempo, humorous original songs interspersed with comedy bits and audience participation. Newman will be backed on guitar (and occasional bass) by Bill Morris, one of the top instrumentalists in the area. Performers interested in playing a feature at the Thursday night series can e-mail Hammond at shammo@rocketmail.com or Grogan at emmajericho@hotmail.com. The Zeitgeist Gallery Is open daily from 2-7p.m. with a diverse selection of shows every night of the week. See www.zeitgeist-gallery.org for upcoming events.
The Naked City Coffeehouse is located at the Zeitgeist Gallery, 1353 Cambridge St., in Inman Square, Cambridge. Admission is $6, which includes a kickoff reception at 8 p.m. For further information, call the Zeitgeist Gallery at 617-876-6060.The Naked City Coffeehouse will run every Thursday, with three featured performers plus an open mic. Two local songwriters, folk-pop songstress Sandi Hammond and rocker-girl Emily Grogan, are handling the booking. They plan to mix up the features ? rockers, folk, experimental, jazz, poetry and theatre. "We want to bring diverse audiences together and see what happens," says Hammond. "We want to cut across ages, mediums, ethnic groups and styles."The original Naked City Coffeehouse, which operated out of a Harvard Square church, launched the careers of songwriters such as Ellis Paul, Dar Williams, Jim Infantino and others. "You never knew week to week what might happen at Naked City," recalls Alan Nidle, Director of the Zeitgeist Gallery. "We want to recreate that experience at our new location."JIM INFANTINO of Jim?s Big EgoInfantino, a veteran of the original Naked City series, began his songwriter career in part at The Naked City open mike. He has since gone on to form Jim?s Big Ego, release multiple albums and tour extensively."When I first started going to the Naked City, it was guerrilla art in a pure form," says Infantino. "It felt like we were Ginsbergs and Kerouacs and Ferlinghettis up there by the Primal Scream bookshop. What I loved about it was the utter lack of structure. People would show up in the hallway and just start playing, taking turns, reading poetry or sharing songs." HOWIE NEWMANComical singer-songwriter Howie Newman returned to the folk scene in 2001 after an 18-year hiatus. He specializes in up-tempo, humorous original songs interspersed with comedy bits and audience participation. Newman will be backed on guitar (and occasional bass) by Bill Morris, one of the top instrumentalists in the area. Performers interested in playing a feature at the Thursday night series can e-mail Hammond at shammo@rocketmail.com or Grogan at emmajericho@hotmail.com. The Zeitgeist Gallery Is open daily from 2-7p.m. with a diverse selection of shows every night of the week. See www.zeitgeist-gallery.org for upcoming events.
