The Peoples' Voice Cafe 239 Thompson St, New York, NY 10012 / 212-787-3903
PVC is an alternative coffeehouse offering live and live-stream entertainment in New York City,
presenting folk, blues, jazz, rap, poetry, spoken word, storytelling, theater and dance since 1979.
We shine a spotlight on social issues and artists from underrepresented cultures.
Benefit Concert for People's Music Network
Activist musicians Joel Landy, Pat Lamanna, and Steve Suffet have agreed to donate their respective shares of the admission and live streaming receipts to People's Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle. Also known as PMN, it is a diverse community of performing artists, activists, and allies who use music, poetry, and other art forms as catalysts for a just and peaceful world. Joanie, Pat, and Steve are all longtime members.
Joel Landy
Known for his energetic stage performances, witty parodies and insightful lyrics, Joel Landy is the host of Songs of Freedom Television, an award winning cable program celebrating the dignity of human struggle. Joel is also a Peoples' Voice Cafe volunteer producer and a fan favorite. A retired high school teacher who is active in the local NYC chapter of People's Music Network, Joel continues to get into good trouble organizing and appearing at rallies and demonstrations in addition to playing at coffeehouses and clubs. "He's a real live wire!" --Pete Seeger
singfreedom.org
Pat Lamanna
Singer-songwriter Pat Lamanna's songs have a strong folk influence, and cover social justice issues as well as philosophical, spiritual and personal topics. She is a 2019 winner of the South Florida Folk Festival songwriting contest, and was named "Interfaith Music Maker of 2025" by the Dutchess County Interfaith Council. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her partner, Richard Mattocks.
patlamanna.com
Steve Suffet
Better known in the United Kingdom than back home in the USA, Steve Suffet is best described as an old fashioned folksinger in the People's Music tradition. His repertoire is a mixture of railroad songs, trucker songs, coal miner songs, cowboy songs, union songs, old time ballads, blues, ragtime, Gospel, bluegrass, topical-political songs, Woody Guthrie songs, Irish songs, and whatever else tickles his fancy, including several songs he has written himself in traditional style. What all his songs have in common is that they are about working people, their lives, their loves, their hopes, and their struggles.
stevesuffet.com
LOCATION:
Judson Memorial Church
Assembly Hall (not the main sanctuary on West 4th St.)
239 Thompson Street, between West 3rd and West 4th Streets
New York NY 10012
TRANSPORTATION:
to West 4th St./Washington Square - south exit
Walk three blocks east to Thompson Street; turn left. (3 minutes) MAP
SHOWTIMES:
All shows start at 8 PM, Saturdays. Doors open at 7:15.
No reservations, so come early to be assured a seat.
ADMISSION:
Suggested contribution: $20. Friends of PVC*: $12. Students & Youth: $12
Folk Music Society of NY Members: $12. Judson Memorial Church Members: $12
More if you choose, less if you can't. No one turned away for lack of money. *Friends of PVC include monthly sustainers, regular volunteers, Collective members,
performers and people who donate at least $30.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Wheelchair accessible (including bathrooms). For info call 212-787-3903.
Masks are no longer required
We will continue to offer KN95 or other high quality masks to anyone who wants one.
We use three HEPA air purifiers within the Assembly Hall.
Carolyn Hester & Daughters
Folk legend Carolyn Hester, a pioneering figure in the Greenwich Village Folk Scene, came to New York in 1955 and recorded her first album for Coral Records in 1957. Known as a fiercely independent artist, she continues the work of a lifetime using her unique empathy to translate meaningful messages for her audience in the ongoing effort to create a better world. Her honeyed voice has raised up other artists to this calling, from Bob Dylan to Nancy Griffith. Tonight she will be joined by her daughters, Karla and Amy Blume, who continue the tradition of American Folk Singer-Songwriters. "Her sensual honey-husk voice has been a model for wave after wave of female singers. It somehow always sounds both sweet and strong-hearted, alluringly feminine and fiercely independent." --Scott Alarik, Boston Globe.
Tonight's concert is supported by the Folk Music Society of New York.
Friday, June 5, 2026, at 6pm
"First Fridays" with The People's Music Network - NYC Chapter
Peoples' Voice Cafe, started in 1979 by members of Songs of Freedom and Struggle, carries forward the vision of
using songs and performing arts to support the struggle for peace and justice.
All are impacted by the history and ongoing practice of systemic racism in this country and the continuing
brutal murders of Black Americans by police.
We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, outraged by the many faces of racism found in education,
healthcare, housing, jobs, poverty, criminal justice, and voting. All must be free to move about in the
"land of the free" without suspicion, harassment, or arrest.
Peoples' Voice Cafe stands committed to speak out, sing out, and work against racism, white supremacy, and
indifference.
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