Events

As a community coffee shop, The Common Cup is proud to host a variety of community-related events such as knitting circles, book clubs, and some live music performances. For information about The Common Cup for your community event, please contact us.

Introducing the Common Good Music Series

The Common Cup, in keeping with their mission to foster community and aid local non-profit agencies in East Rogers Park, has begun The Common Good Music Series. All proceeds benefit local non-profit community agencies

Every month the tip jar and event proceeds are designated to be given to a local, non-profit organization that serves the citizens of Rogers Park. To qualify, the organization must be a registered 501C3 non- profit whose mission states that they are serving the residents of Rogers Park and who have an annual report and /or 990s to show how much of their expenditures go to benefit the community and how much is administrative/fund raising.

Suggested donation is $5 but all donations accepted. Most Friday Evenings from 7-9PM. Please check this site for show dates and performers.

Seating is for 24 -30 people so come early for the show if you want to be sure to see the performers.!

Information for Performers

Rupert Wates

Rupert Wates has received ten songwriting awards including Gold Prize in the Folk/Acoustic category, and Second Prize overall, in the 24th Midatlantic Song Contest and Second Prize in the 10th North Carolina Songwriting Contest in Holly Springs.His latest CD, Coast To Coast was recorded in Tacoma, Washington, and was named Album of the Month for October and one of the Top 10 albums of 2007 by Britsound Radio in New Jersey.

 

 

Damian Shiner

Damian Israel Shiner used to play with a cardboard guitar in his basement and lipsync to The Beatles, Elvis and Styx, much to the enjoyment (and sometimes ridicule) of his family and neighbors. Fast-forward more years than you'd believe, and after the celebrated endurance of his former band shinerjones (myspace.com/shinerjones), he's out on his own, playing with friends he's made along the way.

Shiner's latest CD project, the basement sessions, is a collection of mostly acoustic versions of songs he has written over the years. Produced with his friend and bandmate, Chris Harris, shiner's music has been featured on more than a few compilation CD's, boston radio shows, as well as in workout rooms and yoga classes.

when not traveling and performing solo, shiner fronts his boston-based act, the displayers, known for their pop appeal with a solid rock foundation.

As a cantor in several churches every weekend, more than a few people have told shiner that they come to church specifically to hear him sing. One fan remarked that she "hopes heaven sounds as nice!" Clearly, this is a voice not to miss!

Website
MySpace
Sonic Bids

Positively Acoustic

Valencia Bey
Positively Acoustic! is a nonprofit singer-songwriter series featuring positive, inspiring acoustic music. It was developed by Chicago singer-songwriter Valencia Bey in response to requests for an all ages, family friendly show. She has played pubs, coffeehouses, and small to mid-sized venues across the U.S.

What people have said about Valencia:

"You could sell me anything with that voice." - Mary Armstrong, Philadelphia City Paper

”...a little bit of Tracy Chapman, but more of the big wailers like Odetta.” - Richard Milne, WXRT Radio, Chicago

Mathew Haeffel
For the past six years Mathew Haeffel has been captivating audiences with high energy performances and a talent to perform dynamic and engaging self penned acoustic shows. Based in Milwaukee Wisconsin but touring regionally, Mathew has performed his brand of 'organic' music in large rock clubs to intimate cafe settings throughout the upper midwest. Mathew Haeffel prides him self on performing an average of seventy shows a year without the use of any pre-manufactored effects or elements that might make his shows seemed bland or rehearsed. Every time Mathew performs he tries to insert new ideas; often writing new songs on the spot. This has gained him the appreciation of his fans and the musicians he performs with. For more information please consult Mathew's official website.

Carol Williams
Described in JazzTimes as “an original, a force cutting across all convenient categories”, Carol presents music that dares to provoke the intellect without sacrificing the musical aesthetic. Vocally, she has been compared to a combination of “Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones and Bonnie Raitt”. Her choice of subject matter always provides a provocative commentary on the issues of the day, presented in poetry and lyric that is “rarefied, yet earthy” (Chuck Berg, Jazz Times).

Carol just completed a new CD titled "Letter from Chief Seattle", again featuring the amazing work of drummer Danny Gottlieb. Her next projects are a series of compositions based on subject-matter: the first in the line-up is "Empty Boots, and Other Commentaries on War and Country", is to be completed in January 2008.

Donna Adler

Donna calls Chicago her home, and for many years has honed her folk/Americana sound at such venues as the Uncommon Ground Coffeehouse, Two Way Street Coffeehouse, Charlie’s Coffeehouse & at the Somebody Else’s Troubles concerts hosted by the late Tom Dundee. She has three CDs to her credit, the latest currently receiving airplay on various stations across the country and overseas. Donna’s songs have been featured on WFMT’s “The Midnight Special,” WDCB College of DuPage, and WNUR in Evanston. She is noted for having a beautiful voice often compared to Joni Mitchell or Joan Baez.

Gretchen Witt

Singer/Songwriter Gretchen Witt uses threads of folk, country, and pop to weave a sound ripe with feminity and edge. She was selected as a Finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk Competition, as a Top 5 Finalist in the Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s Troubadour Competition, and has received multiple honors from the Mid Atlantic Song Contest (2006 and 2007). She plays regularly in New York City with her band at venues such as The Living Room, Makor, and The Bitter End, and at festivals across the country including SXSW, NEMO (Boston), The Dewey Beach Festivals, and The Black Potato Music Festival (NJ). She recently opened for Pete Seeger at The Beacon Sloop Club's Alternative Energy Festival (Beacon, NY). Other venues of interest where she has performed include The Stanhope House (NJ), World Cafe Live (Philadelphia), Flipnotics (Austin, TX), and Club Passim (Boston).

February Sky

February Sky is traditional singer and Celtic guitarist Phil Cooper with songwriter and singer Susan Urban. Phil sings and plays his own arrangements of traditional songs and tunes on six string guitar and cittern, and he also interprets a number of carefully chosen songs from the best of modern folk song writers. Susan Urban is a writer of story songs and humorous "slice of life" songs. She accompanies her singing on guitar, six string banjo, mountain dulcimer, and hand percussion instruments. Joy, sorrow, humor, tragedy – since the dawn of humanity, listening to and participating in the experience of music has been a way for folk to process and live through whatever life might bring their way. February Sky continues this tradition.

Des Pickard