Events - Week View

Weekend matinees go on from 1-3 pm, free, all ages.

Dec 6 (Sat): Ashley Seaton & TK Swing All-Stars - Swing band featuring Tracy Kim of Kung Pao Chickens
Dec 7 (Sun) Fire & Stone - bluegrass for the whole family
Dec 13 (Sat): Petty Cash - Janet Julian‘s folk-rock group
Dec 14 (Sun): Sweet Preserves - Traditional acoustic New Orleans jazz
Dec 20 (Sat): Josh Cole‘s Bluegrass Matinee - good, old-fashioned bluegrass
Dec 21 (Sun): Kung Pao Chickens - Portland‘s favorite gypsy jazz band
Dec 27 (Sat): JT Wise Band - folk and roots music with tight 3-part harmonies
Dec 28 (Sun): Sleepy Lagoon - Pete Krebs, Brent Martens and Doug Sammons playing Hawai‘ian swing jazz
Jan 3 (Sat): TBA
Jan 4 (Sun): Fire & Stone - bluegrass for the whole family
Jan 10 (Sat): Petty Cash - Janet Julian‘s folk-rock group

On Sunday afternoons, the Hostel Café in Portland, Oregon provides a friendly setting for this TrailJams Irish traditional tune session. TrailJams is a music community focused on making acoustic music together outside for the enjoyment of the musicians and of people passing by. The cozy café makes a great place to keep the music going in the winter. In better weather, the tune playing moves out to the café’s courtyard. Guests of the Hostel Café and the adjoining Northwest Portland Hostel are likely to settle at one of the nearby tables to enjoy the music.

COVID Policy:
Please be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 if you are joining this session — that is a request, not a requirement.

First Sunday: Christian Harmony
Third Sunday: Blue Book

All performances 6-8 pm (unless otherwise extended), free, 21+.

Dec 5 (Fri): Vintage Soul- riotous and raucous soul music
Dec 7 (Sun): Freak Mountain Ramblers - Off-beat, edgy, weird, wonderful
Dec 8 (Mon): Portland Country Underground - a passion for country and roots music
Dec 9 (Tue): Jackstraw - bluegrass, honky-tonk, and rock ‘n roll
Dec 10 (Wed): The Get Down Funk Collective [extended to 9 pm] - infectious blend of funk, soul, R&B, and jazz
Dec 11 (Thu): Lewi Longmire & The Left Coast Roasters - rowdy roots rock and roll with a classic heart!Dec 12 (Fri): The James Low Irregulars - dusty country-roots songwriter
Dec 12 (Fri): The James Low Irregulars- poet rocker
Dec 13 (Sat): Kris Deelane & The Hurt - nine-piece soul band
Nov 15 (Sat): Nearly Acoustic - music of the Jerry Garcia Axoustic Band
Dec 14 (Sun): Freak Mountain Ramblers - Off-beat, edgy, weird, wonderful
Dec 15 (Mon): Catnip Brothers - classic western swing
Dec 16 (Tue): The Pagan Jug Band - a mix of jug, blues, country, bluegrass, and hokum
Dec 17 (Wed): The Scott Law Band [extended to 9 pm] - blending rock, jazz, blues, and modern acoustic music
Dec 18 (Thu): Lewi Longmire & The Left Coast Roasters - rowdy roots rock and roll with a classic heart!
Dec 19 (Fri): Ashleigh Flynn & the Riveters - West Coast-based Americana
Dec 20 (Wed): Queasy Gumbo [extended to 9 pm] - The Quick and Easy Boys with Keyboardist Steve Kerin, playing New Orleans-flavored funk!
Dec 21 (Sun); Freak Mountain Ramblers - Off-beat, edgy, weird, wonderful
Dec 22 (Mon): Portland Country Underground - a passion for country and roots music
Dec 23 (Tue): Jackstraw - bluegrass, honky-tonk, and rock ‘n roll
Dec 24 (Wed): Dave Reisch, Lewi Longmire and The LT Layabouts (Pub will likely be open 4-9 pm, with low-key music)
Dec 26 (Thu): Lewi Longmire & The Left Coast Roasters - rowdy roots rock and roll with a classic heart!
Dec 28 (Sun); Freak Mountain Ramblers - Off-beat, edgy, weird, wonderful

Super supportive weekly open mic hosted by Johnny Franco! Check out the Facebook group, song prompts weekly for those wanting to create something unique to share!

Sign-up at 8 pm, music from 9 – 11:30 pm, free.

Folk Espresso, early morning folk music to get your week started.

Hosted by:
Diane Hunt (1st Monday),
Jonathan Lay (2nd Monday),
Andy O‘Hara (3rd Monday),
Diane Hunt (4th Monday),
Gordy Euler (5th Monday),

Previous shows on the KBOO program page at https://kboo.fm/program/folk-espresso.

Herga at The Castle is a folk and acoustic music evening, with roots going back to 1963.

However, we have restarted online singarounds using Zoom, now on the second Monday of each month.

Note that this meeting runs independently of the live folk club, which runs in parallel at The Castle, Harrow-On-The-Hill.

To be added to the distribution list for log-in details send an e-mail to oldtimetim(*at*)gmail.com, or sign up using the form on our ‘contact’ page.

Zoom meeting active from 19:30 PM GMT to say hello!

Herga Extra Zoom for Everyone

On 5 Jan (Mon) a one-off Come-All-Ye Herga Folk Club Zoom will be held due to The Castle pub being closed this Monday.

There will be a normal zoom next week on the second Monday January (12th) as in every month

Led by Joe Offer, new Zoom link posted every week, just before doors open: https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=168014&messages=37.

Sessions are led by Marina Dodgson (fiddle) and Maurice Condie (guitar). These are open access sessions, so there’s no need to book in advance, you’re welcome to just turn up and join in!

We believe great things happen when we play tunes together! People connect with each other and make friends, and we keep our music traditions alive by sharing tunes and passing them on. What’s more, playing tunes can make you feel happy, and if you do it often enough, you’ll notice that you are getting better at playing your instrument too!

It turns out that you don’t even have to be in the same place…great things still happen when we play music together, online from the comfort of your own home.

Phoenix Folk Ltd exists to promote participation and performance in folk and acoustic music, song and dance across the North East of England. We aim to be a friendly face of folk music, to help keep alive the great traditions of folk music and to encourage talent and personal musical development.

Everyone is muted, which means that you hear your own instrument, completing a trio with our fiddle and guitar. You can play the tune, or try some harmony!

Happy New Year with Dance at Lenora‘s Ballroom on Monday, January 5, 2026.

Bringing in the New Year is far easier on the dance floor.

Join us this Monday as we celebrate 2026 with hope, optimism and friends.

8-8:30 pm: Lesson/warm-up
8:30-10:30 pm: Open dancing to a varied playlist

Our insightful DJ is Dorothy Sharrar with a playlist of waltz, swing, blues, NC2S and more...

All our dances are on a sliding scale of $15-$10

Visit Lenora‘s Ballroom on the web ~ LenorasBallroom.com

Our mailing address is:
Lenora‘s Ballroom
3300 SE Woodward
Portland, OR 97202

A spicy mix of folk and acoustic music, much of which is connected to the American south, including (but not limited to) acoustic blues, Texas folk, Cajun, string band & Texas swing.

Hosted by Dave Johnson, Terrence in the A. M. Past shows available on the KBOO program page at https://kboo.fm/program/early-morning-gumbo.

This is an open access session, so there’s no need to book in advance, you’re welcome to just turn up.

At our weekly singaround, you can perform a song to the rest of the group, just as you would in a regular folk club, or you can just join and listen to some live music. Tunes and poems are welcome too. When it’s your turn to perform, everyone else is muted on Zoom so that everyone can hear you.

Phoenix Folk Ltd exists to promote participation and performance in folk and acoustic music, song and dance across the North East of England. We aim to be a friendly face of folk music, to help keep alive the great traditions of folk music and to encourage talent and personal musical development.

If you’d like us to record your performance so that you have a copy to keep, then we’re very happy to do so. We’re always willing to offer advice to help you to get the best sound quality when performing online, so do get in touch if you have any questions.

Eagles Lodge have offered us their venue for our FIRST TUESDAY and THIRD THURSDAY Zydeco, $7 Cascade Zydeco members/$12 general admission.

It‘s funky and friendly and has a big shiny dance floor. And, as is typical of fraternal organization lodges, the drinks and snacks are a bargain!

Doors open 6:30
Zydeco Lesson 7:00
Music 7:30 - 9:30

Traditional and Contemporary folk music.

Hosted by:
Jack Bohl (1st Wednesday),
Will Selzer (2nd Wednesday),
John Risley (3rd Wednesday),
Ed Mellnik (4th Wednesday),
Will Selzer (5th Wednesday).

Previous shows available on the KBOO program page: https://kboo.fm/program/pastures-plenty.

Tony Becker of San Jose, California and Mark Wallis of Gloucester, England host this Transatlantic session for all interested parties on Wednesdays at 8:00 PM UK time. For American visitors, please note we are now all on standard ‘winter‘ time, so that is 12:00 PM Pacific in the USA.

Open to all who play traditional Irish music and It has the obvious limitations of Zoom in that only one musician can play at a time. But we go round the ‘room’ and take it in turns - no pressure though and the baton can be passed if you just want to listen. We just play for a couple of hours.

On a good day we have a variety of instruments from pipes to Melodeon, banjo to fiddle and it can be a good way to pick up tunes. It is very friendly and we welcome everyone. The only criterion is we try to stick to Irish traditional.

7:30-10 pm, $5-20 sliding scale, Info: joyridecontra(*at*)gmail.com or www.joyride.erikweberg.com.

Joyride: George Penk (fiddle), Erik Weberg (flutes, harmonicas, bombardes), Jeff Kerssen-Griep (guitar, percussion), Sue Songer (piano, fiddle)

Nov 5 (Wed): caller Eric Curl
Dec 3 (Wed): caller Suzanne Girardot
Jan 7 (Wed): caller Laurel Thomas

Nearly all of our callers since Spring 2022 have opted to use gender-neutral terms in their teaching and prompting. Assume gender-neutral calling unless otherwise indicated.

COVID Policy:
Masks are now optional for dancers and performers alike.
Proof of vaccination is not required for entry to the event.
You will not need to provide contact information and sign a waiver.

In other words, at this time, attending the first Wednesday contra dance will be the same as in pre-COVID years with the exception that wearing a mask for self-protection is encouraged for those who wish to do so. Please respect others’ choices with regard to wearing or not wearing masks without judgement or prejudice.

Traditional American music, folk and traditional musics from a variety of sources including early country recordings from the 20s and 30s.

Hosted by:
Kurt Liebezeit (1st Thursday),
Gordy Euler (2nd Thursday),
Kurt Liebezeit (3rd Thursday),
Jonathan Lay (4th Thursday).

Previous shows available on the KBOO program page at https://kboo.fm/program/rise-when-rooster-crows

Sessions are led by Marina Dodgson (fiddle) and Maurice Condie (guitar). These are open access sessions, so there’s no need to book in advance, you’re welcome to just turn up and join in!

We believe great things happen when we play tunes together! People connect with each other and make friends, and we keep our music traditions alive by sharing tunes and passing them on. What’s more, playing tunes can make you feel happy, and if you do it often enough, you’ll notice that you are getting better at playing your instrument too!

It turns out that you don’t even have to be in the same place…great things still happen when we play music together, online from the comfort of your own home.

Phoenix Folk Ltd exists to promote participation and performance in folk and acoustic music, song and dance across the North East of England. We aim to be a friendly face of folk music, to help keep alive the great traditions of folk music and to encourage talent and personal musical development.

Just $10/week for the Winds of Donegal classes. Every Thursday we teach you the basics of the three‘s, seven‘s and jig steps so that you can enjoy the live music ceilis around Portland and Ireland. Classes are geared toward 13 and older. Bring a water bottle and wear comfortable shoes not heels.

Featuring the best in traditional and contemporary folk and roots music, on Friday mornings. Features a variety of contemporary and traditional folk and roots music, with a focus on new releases and vintage favorites.

Hosts:
Dan Shramek and Steven Morrison

Prior shows available on the KBOO program page at https://kboo.fm/program/cascadia-coffeehouse

Folk, political, and women‘s music, both traditional and contemporary. A folk music collective, Don and Laurie love to feature live local and nationally known musicians! Music and conversations with an uplifting tilt. Live guests have included Peggy Seeger, Tracy Grammar, Linda Waterfall, Shanghaied on the Willamette, Geoff Muldaur, Utah Phillips, Rosalie Sorrels, and Anne Feeney.

Hosted by Don Jacobson.

Past shows are available on the program page at https://kboo.fm/program/movin.

Hosted by Jeff Rosenberg, Phil G, Leigh Anne Kranz, dickenbock, Dan Shramek and Mike Fisher, The Songcircle blends songs from various eras and genres to reveal new connections, exposing forgotten artists and discovering new ones, exploring connective themes and topics, or responding to the events of the day.

Studio guests have included Loudon Wainwright III, Eric Andersen, The Von Trapps, and many others.

Past shows available on the program page at https://kboo.fm/program/songcircle.

Music in the country style, including western & western swing, cowboy & country blues, country folk, bluegrass, rockabilly, hillbilly, Americana, and honky tonk. hosted by Robert Parish, Wayne and Kathy Johnson, Wayne Selzer, Mary Rondthaler, and Gary Baysinger.

1st Saturday - Robert Parish along with son Graham play sets featuring particular artists as well as sets with a variety of artist.

2nd Saturday, Wayne and Kathy - Variety of country, western, western swing, country folk, country blues, bluegrass, rockabilly and Americana.

3rd Saturday - Will Selzer - Blends all types & styles of country music from 50+ years, rooted in mid-20th century, men and women artists equally. The goal is to entertain our listeners and to have fun.

4th Saturday - Mary - Bringing a musician’s ear to the collective with a focus on older country and Western swing from the ‘30s to the ‘70s, always with a good dose of women artists.

5th Saturday - Gary - Countrypolitan Blues - A mix of eastern philosophy and western swing; the yin, the yang, and the do-si-do.

Past shows available on the program page at https://kboo.fm/program/swing-n-country.

Every Saturday, 9 am to noon, the best of traditional and contemporary bluegrass and old time music, and information about local shows and festivals!

First Saturday: Justin Auld

Second Saturday: Dave Elliott

3rd Saturday: Gareth Jenkins

4th Saturday: Chip Russell

5th Saturday: Donna Dunaif, Melissa Tanguay, Chuck Holloway

Prior shows available on the KBOO program page at https://kboo.fm/program/music-true-vine.

An open chantey & maritime zoom-based sing with organizers and regulars of the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival (PMFF).

Join us on zoom for the PMFF Second Saturday Virtual Chantey Sing on the 2nd Saturday of every month, 3:00 to 5:00 pm Eastern US time (12-2 pm PST).

To be added to the mailing list, email info(*at*)pmffest.org
Meeting ID: 884 2001 7117
Passcode: 659317.

The North-End Slow Session is hosted by Kathleen Walsh on the second Saturday of each month at 1-3 pm.

Location: Columbia Ecovillage, 4621 NE Killingsworth St, # 20, Ptld, OR 97218 –host’s address on property.

The session will be in the guesthouse toward the back of the complex. Text host if you need help: 503-233-0331.

Please park on the street (Killingsworth) and walk over. There is no charge for the session.

Joe Hickerson, a seminal figure in the folk music world, died on August 17, 2025. At Oberlin College, he was a member of a folk group, The Folk Smiths, which toured college campuses and youth camps leaving behind fans of folk music wherever they went. Joe was one of the formative voices of the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s when he introduced a number of its foundational songs, including ‘Kumbayah‘ and ‘Where Have All the Flowers Gone‘ (with Pete Seeger). He was Head Librarian and Director of the Archive of Folk Song at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress for 35 years. During the last 13 years he made Portland his home (to be close to his sweetie, Ruth Bolliger). He wrote a series of articles about the early days of the folk revival for Local Lore which you can find on this website. The memorial gathering for Joe will be hybrid: • In-person at the Lucky Labrador Beer Hall, 1945 NW Quimby St, Portland, OR 97209 •. Online on Zoom: Please register using the link below. As soon as you register, the software will send you a confirmation email about joining the event. Participants will be invited to share a brief story about Joe or lead a song appropriate to the occasion. We will intersperse in person participants and online participants. At the in-person event, each participant will be called up to a mic; on Zoom, participants will be invited to speak or sing according to when they arrive. If you would like to contribute a written piece in his memory, to be posted on a special memorial page for Joe on the Portland FolkMusic Society website, send it to Casey Casebeer: diplocase@yahoo.com. All are welcome. We hope to see you there.

Weekend matinees go on from 1-3 pm, free, all ages.

Dec 6 (Sat): Ashley Seaton & TK Swing All-Stars - Swing band featuring Tracy Kim of Kung Pao Chickens
Dec 7 (Sun) Fire & Stone - bluegrass for the whole family
Dec 13 (Sat): Petty Cash - Janet Julian‘s folk-rock group
Dec 14 (Sun): Sweet Preserves - Traditional acoustic New Orleans jazz
Dec 20 (Sat): Josh Cole‘s Bluegrass Matinee - good, old-fashioned bluegrass
Dec 21 (Sun): Kung Pao Chickens - Portland‘s favorite gypsy jazz band
Dec 27 (Sat): JT Wise Band - folk and roots music with tight 3-part harmonies
Dec 28 (Sun): Sleepy Lagoon - Pete Krebs, Brent Martens and Doug Sammons playing Hawai‘ian swing jazz
Jan 3 (Sat): TBA
Jan 4 (Sun): Fire & Stone - bluegrass for the whole family
Jan 10 (Sat): Petty Cash - Janet Julian‘s folk-rock group

Urban and country blues with R&B, soul, jazz, zydeco and classic rock, every Saturday from 5-7 pm.

Hosted by: Dr. Jane, Rick Mitchell, Steve Cheseborough, Dave Johnson, Chuk Barber, Jan Mancuso.

The P.O. Sparkle Club strives to bring that joyous Cajun spirit to gathering spots in and around PDX. With a repertoire of classic and modern Cajun and Creole tunes, the P.O. Sparkle Club definitely gets the good times rollin’ on the Oakshire patio, where the music is always free and you’ll always see a friend!

Dallahan – Live from Scotland, 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:45), $30 advance/$35 door, all ages. Youth prices: $15 — 15 & younger online/ $20 — 15 & younger at the door Dallahan is one of the most distinct forces in the folk music scene. Forged in Scotland and Ireland‘s traditional music community, but drawing on the styles of the Balkans and North America, they create an original and seamless musical montage, blending their contemporary influences from jazz, funk, and pop music. Meet the Band: Jack Badcock - Guitar and Vocals Ciaran Ryan - Banjo, Mandolin, and Fiddle Andrew Waite - Accordion Benedict Morris - Fiddle Online ticket prices rise to the door price at 2 pm, Friday, January 9, 2026. Online ticket sales end at 2 pm on Saturday, January 10, 2026 Tickets are nonrefundable. Winona Grange is not accessible by wheelchair. Free on-site and street parking is available near Winona Grange.

An Irish singer-songwriter, Pat Byrne has come a long way since his first deal with Universal. In late 2017, Byrne began his migration to Austin, Texas. In 2019, Pat took the US by storm, with breakout performances at the 30A Festival, SXSW, Kerrville Folk Festival and the Americana Festival. Being immersed in the Texas music scene, Pat‘s sophomore US release, Into the Light, has an edgier feel underscoring both emotional depth and greater confidence, while blending new influences with his rich Irish heritage. The Horsenecks play hard-hitting and heartfelt, traditional and original roots music. Their sound is centered around the pairing of the signature rhythmic Appalachian fiddle style of Oregonian Gabrielle Macrae and the inspired guitar and driving yet subtle banjo playing of Liverpudlian Barry Southern. Ticket prices on-line: $23 general admission/$20 PFS members $12 ages 12-18 (under 12 free) Ticket prices at the door: $26 general admission/$23 PFS members $14 ages 12-18 (under 12 free) All concerts start at 7:30 pm. Doors to seating open at 7. PFS Westside Concerts 2025/2026 take place at Southminster Presbyterian Church. These concerts have a focus on regional artists. We have nine concerts, all on Saturday nights, scheduled for the 2025/2026 season (September through May). Upcoming concerts: Feb 7: Sunny South Mar 14: Rio Con Brio Apr 11: Katie Jane Band May 2: Lauren Sheehan Duo

The 2nd Sunday English Dance for Experienced Dancers is an opportunity to dance to the music of Fine Companions (and friends), suggested donation $10-20 sliding scale, dance shoes required, no street shoes permitted beyond the entrance.

Nov 9 (Sun): CANCELED
Dec 14 (Sun): Calling: David Macemon, Music: Betsy Branch, Bill Tomczak, Lisa Scott, Erik Weberg
Jan 11 (Sun): Calling: David Macemon, Music: Betsy Branch, Bill Tomczak, Lisa Scott, Erik Weberg

The dances will be a balance of familiar dances and unfamiliar dances. The callers will encourage dancers to incorporate style points such as quality of movement, timing, transitions and dancing with the music.

We ask that dancers be comfortable dancing standard English Dance figures including:
- Heys in various orientations
- Regular and Double figure eights
- Triple minor progressions
- Dancing with couples outside of your group of 4
- Straight and draw poussettes.

Mask Policy:
PCDC has authorized committees to make decisions about masking policies for their own events. All regular Contra and English dances will be mask-optional. Check the upcoming dances information to verify status of a dance.

COVID Policy:
PCDC no longer requires proof of vaccination, but we continue to encourage everyone to be vaccinated. While currently available COVID-19 vaccines no longer do much to prevent transmission, they continue to be effective for protecting oneself from more serious illness.

Second and Fourth Sunday: Green Book singing (1991 Denson edition)

Nov 23: no singing at Kennedy School

Held in the Community Room, SE corner of the building.