Presented by William Wisnowski and Carl W. Knobloch of Danbury, the coffeehouse will be in the Common Ground Annex dance studio, located in the former CityCenter Dance Factory space at 345 Main St, Danbury. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m., with an open mic at 8 and the featured act at 9.
The two friends currently run a song circle-jam every first Sunday of the month at the local coffee house, Molten Java, 182 Greenwood Ave. They are board members of Tribes Hill Kindred Folk (see link below).
In 1997 Wisnowski’s wife and daughter talked him into auditioning for a Danbury Theater Co. production of “Woody Guthrie’s American Song,” where he met future My Dad’s Truck band mates Susan Lang of Woodbury and Leif Smith of Redding. Together for almost 10 years, the “free-range acoustic” trio switches between multiple instruments around a single bluegrass microphone, performing all types of Americana as well as originals. They still play a lot of Woody, and enjoy playing full nights of Irish tunes for St. Patrick’s Day.
Knobloch also worked on that first Woody show, doing lighting and learning the ropes of community theater. As producer of a 2004 production of “Woody Guthrie’s American Song” at the Sherman Playhouse, he and director Francis A. Daley asked My Dad’s Truck to be the on-stage house band. The Truck opened each show with a set of Dust Bowl era songs.
The friends had approached Jill Hancock, owner of A Common Ground Community Arts Center in the rear basement of the Elks Hall, 346 Main St., about using either that or her new space across the street, the former CityCenter Dance Factory at 345 Main St., for a coffeehouse. Ever since she opened the original studio a few years ago, Hancock has allowed Wisnowski to use her space for his annual Children of Christmas sing-along, complete with free refreshments and a visit from Santa for the kids. This year the holiday celebration was at the new studio, and they realized how well-suited the space is for a coffeehouse, with the outer room ideal for setting up a coffee and refreshments table.
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