They had no idea how their idea for a cozy performance space would work leading up to the inaugural Coho, but it was a hit from the first night.
The Stephen Barry Band are celebrating their 45th anniversary. The perform at the Sainte-Anne Blues Café, Oct. 25. jpg
Twenty-five years ago, a musician playing the live-music circuit of bars and cafés was expected to battle air thick with cigarette smoke and struggle to cut through the chatter to become more than background noise.
A group of music-lovers in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue decided artists deserved better, so they established the Sainte-Anne Blues Café — called the Coho by those in the know. The 25th season is underway with the Stephen Barry Band coming to Coho’s home at 110-seat Adair Hall, Oct. 25. (The band is currently celebrating its 45th anniversary.) The evening opens with the trio The Cocaberrys.
A core group of about 10 volunteers pitch in to produce each coffee house, with organizer Thom Meredith calling Nancy, Jim and Judy Gelsthorpe “the backbone” of the operation. Café Twigs caters the events and the audience is asked to help stack chairs at the end of the night.
Meredith said they had no idea how their idea for a cozy performance space would work leading up to the inaugural Coho, but it was a hit from the first night.
“The artists enjoy playing in a quiet room where they can really show off their artistry,” Meredith said. “It’s an intimate setting, almost like being in someone’s living room.”
The roster of musical guests who have performed at the Coho over the last 25 years is illustrious and includes, Jesse Winchester; John Renbourne; Peggy Seeger; Chris Smither; Connie Kaldor; Penny Lang; Susie Arioli; the Gossage family; Karen Young; Ray Bonneville; Rob Lutes; Dale Boyle and Jimmy James.
The 25th anniversary season continues with Gordie Tentrees and Jaxon Haldane (Nov. 29) and the Durham County Poets (Jan. 24).
The Sainte-Anne Blues Café is at Adair Hall, 24 Maple Ave., in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Oct. 25. Doors open 7:30 p.m. and showtime is 8:00 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and are available at the door. Cash only. For information, visit https://sainteannebluescafe.wordpress.com.