Music and more at 12 Moons

FALLS VILLAGE – Nearly 30 creatives from the Northwest Corner and beyond gathered under the high ceilings of Falls Village’s Center on Main on Saturday night to bask in the breadth of performance artists the region has to offer.

Held on the first Saturday of each month, the 12 Moons Coffeehouse — an event organized by husband-and-wife duo John and Nancy Nowak — has brought local artists together with near-uninterrupted regularity since 2012.

The April 4 program followed the standard 12 Moons format, kicking off with an open mic session before a featured act took the stage.This month’s headliners were Salisbury-based guitarist and vocalist Joel Blumert, accompanied by harmonica player Bob Hennessey of Cromwell.

The evening began with a slate of open mic performers, who shared their work with a respectful yet lively audience. Some attendees sipped coffee or tea and enjoyed donation-based treats provided by 12 Moons, while others brought their own snacks and wine, adding to the bohemian coffeehouse atmosphere.

John Nowak led the open session with his rendition of “The Ones I Love” by contemporary folk artist Robby Hecht. With performers limited to 10 minutes each, the program moved quickly.

Among the varied offerings were piano and vocal performances by Amy Olitsky, blues guitar from John Sprague, and original instrumental guitar pieces by Danny Peelish. Sandro LaRosa shared songs from Italy, while Betsy Glassman and Frank Derwitsch performed with their folk-rock band, The Greys. Mary Ellen Braun offered traditional tunes a cappella, David Capellaro recited his original poetry, and another performer combined vocals with African drumming.

Renowned fingerstyle guitarist and 12 Moons fixture – as well as next month’s featured performer – Stephen Bennett closed out the open session with two tracks demonstrating his agile style: a lilting, decades-old original called “Most Beautiful Sky” and a bouncy instrumental version of The Beatles’ classic “I Saw Her Standing There.”

Even without words, his lively interpretation of the song had audience members humming and singing gently along within seconds of opening the first verse.

After a short break, Blumert and Hennessy launched into an hour of folk interpretations of source material ranging from traditional folk tunes to 1960’s jazz standards and even the 1981 hit “Tempted” by British band Squeeze.

“It’s weird playing at night,” Blumert said as he tuned up one of his two custom-finish jade green instruments from Irish manufacturer Emerald Guitars. “I mostly play at nursing homes, and I’m usually playing at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon,” he continued, getting a warm laugh from the crowd.

Between covers of classics like Johnny Mathis’ “When Sunny Gets Blue” and Paul Craft’s bluegrass staple “Raised by the Railroad Line,” Blumert played one of his own songs, a seasonally-appropriate number called “Bloodroots in Blossom” that he said was inspired by the sight of a great blue heron from the Dover Plains train station twenty years ago.

“Ideas for songs come from really weird places,” he said.

He closed the night out with an energetic call-and-response performance of Preston “Red” Foster’s 1956 blues tune “Got My Mojo Working,” made famous by Muddy Waters’ recording the next year.

While breaking down after the show, Nowak reflected on the long-running, donation-only event. “It promotes community, live music and poetry,” he said. “And we’re going to keep doing it.”

12 Moons will return to the Center on Main the first Saturday in May for Stephen Bennett’s feature performance and, as always, plenty of additional talent to enjoy.