Join us every Thursday night for our celebration of songwriting and Portland's vibrant songwriter community. Songwriters, put your name in the hat to play an original song during the show.

A great night of all-original music, whether you're playing or listening.

Hosted by Matt Meighan with Sherry Pendarvis.

Join us every Friday night for an evening of live, eclectic music. Our treasure trove of local talent brings you music from the folk and world music traditions.

Our performers this week are Wiki Pickers, Greg Stone, Brian Oberlin, Suzanne Chimenti and Audra Connolly.

An original member of The Journeymen, with Scott McKenzie and John Phillips, Dick has a national reputation as an innovative banjo player who draws on traditional music for his instrumental compositions.

Dick will be singing a number of songs from the new CD. Although he is less known as a songwriter, he has had a number of songs recorded by a variety of artists, including Judy Collins, Merv Griffin, The Kingston Trio, Lothar & The Hand People, Peter Paul and Mary, Carly and Lucy Simon and Glenn Yarbrough. His performances include entertaining and interesting stories behind the music that he performs.

Dick is also the author of 14 published books, and numerous instructional folios for banjo and guitar. His 2005 book; Which Side Are You On: An Inside History of the Folk Music Revival In America, was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award.

Born Dan McILhenny in Southern, California a long time ago… he penned one of his first songs while serving in Viet Nam with the US Air Force. It wasn’t long before he had a passel of tunes to share with his audiences and quickly became known for his ballads, story songs and humorous array of witty tunes. As a seasoned songwriter, Dan'l enjoyed commercial success with the long running "Sports Anyone?" jingle, which aired on radio and television. In 1997, two of his songs, "High Sierra" & "You Can, You Can" became music videos exhibited exclusively at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) trade show in Las Vegas.

Since the fall of '98, Dan'l has dedicated most of his spare time to producing, writing and entertaining with Mother Nature as his mentor. For example, the John Muir - Tribute CD was a collaborative effort of Jill Harcke and Dan McILhenny. Produced in 1999, it has sold ever since as a fund raiser for the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, CA. The Tribute CD has been featured on BBC Radio, Scotland, KVMR, Nevada City and Bay Area Backroads, Channel 4, San Francisco.

Join our musical partners for a great night of original music. Come and listen or try out some new songs on a supportive audience.

We are thrilled to welcome Joyce Woodson to our stage. We have listened to her recent CD several times a week for the last year. Do not miss this show.

Joyce Woodson’s crystal clear voice and solid guitar work are equally adept in the folk music world or wending her way through the west with her powerful songs about the land. She’s welcome on festival stages, at coffee house concerts and among the late-night circles of practicing songwriters. Her strength is in storytelling, bringing characters to life as if they’re hunkered down at the campfire next to you.

Writing about the disappearing California landscape and her love for the land is Woodson’s strength. Her first two albums present her original tunes in the California folk music style (think Kate Wolf). Her recent album If I Hadn’t Seen The West is pure western music. Inspired by the The Sons of the Pioneers (think cowboy) who wrote and made famous the songs, Tumbling Tumbleweeds and Cool Water, she says, “Those harmonizing voices brought the cowboy life and landscape clearly into focus for me - so much so that I felt like I was in the saddle with them and I never wanted the trail or the song to end.”

Armed with words and music, award-winning songwriter Paul Edward Sanchez has been fighting the good fight with his original songs for over twenty years. Paul’s music has taken him around the United States and to such diverse venues as concerts and festivals, radio and television programs, coffeehouses and county fairs. He has opened concerts for musicians like Ricky Skaggs, Lucinda Williams, Patty Larkin, Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, Bill Staines, and Steve Gillette.

Besides being one of the top winners at the 1992 Napa Valley Folk Music Festival's Emerging Songwriters' Competition in Spokane, Washington, Sanchez was also a winner at the 1989 Napa Valley Folk Festival in Northern California and the featured songwriter at the 1987 Topanga Canyon Banjo and Fiddle Contest in the Los Angeles area. Sanchez was also a finalist at the Telluride Troubadour Competition at the 1996 Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado.

Influenced by a variety of musical styles, Sanchez's music is uniquely his own. His songs contain elements from a wide variety of musical interests, from bluegrass to Cajun to popular music and contemporary folk. They express his impressions of the hopes and struggles of the people in the world around him, as well as the emotions inside himself.

“Long Story Short” is the latest of recordings available: Yesterday's Clothes, Home by Morning, and Hired Hand. Also, three songs, "Home by Morning," "Border Lullaby," and "Cousin Henry" have been released by Fast Folk Musical Magazine out of New York City and now available from the Smithsonian.