Folk
We have had some of the most iconic folk artists play for us
30th anniversary year
We are delighted to announce dates for our acoustic and folk music evenings for 2024.
Keep an eye on our “What’s On” page and our Social Media to see the great acts we have coming up.
The Kalamazoo Klub has been bringing great quality folk and acoustic music to North London for the last 25 years. Run by Guy Simpson and Paul Alcantara, it has brought a plethora of World-class names to our audiences over those years.
Fronted by House Band, The Blinkin’ Buzzards, each month’s meeting brings a top-name artist from the worlds of folk and acoustic music. It is now one of the best-known folk music clubs in London.
Next gig
Guy Tortora
July 11
£10
Born and raised in Pasadena, California, Guy Tortora is currently based in London.
What he does as a songwriter and performer is what people like to call Americana these days – a hard term to define as it seems to mean different things depending on who you’re talking to. But if to you it means original songs, well-constructed and well performed, in some of the various musical idioms that originated in the USA – blues, jazz, folk and roots – and also interpreting the work of other writers in these genres with depth and feeling, then you should check out his work if you haven’t already.
Over the last few years he has laid claim to a unique niche on the Blues ‘n’ Roots scene in the UK and Europe, from small clubs and theatres to festivals. His two recent solo albums received a warm welcome in the Blues ‘n’ Roots reviews, a third album was released in 2008 to great acclaim from reviewers and audiences alike. He has performed live with artists as diverse as Eric Clapton, Pee Wee Ellis, John Cleary and Eric Bibb. He has gigged across North America and much of Europe.
Guy is a guitar player of some accomplishment and a distinctive songwriter. On both acoustic and electric guitars he plays finger style and is a fine bottleneck and slide player. His playing is not the flashy guitar-slinger style beloved of bluesrockers everywhere, but understated, and leaves room for the songs to make an impact, whether his own or the “covers” he performs that include many old standards and traditional tunes as well as songs by more recent American writers such as Eric Bibb or Kreig Viesselman.
ANYWHERE BUT HERE was released in 2023. The album is distributed by Pproper Music and available also as a digital download from iITUNES and other digital sellers and streaming sites such as Spotify.
BRITISH BLUES AWARDS: Two nominations for Guy among the finalists for the 2016 British Blues Awards! In the “Album” category for Bluesman In A Boneyard and in the “Blues Song” category for the title song from the album: Boneyard Guy was also a finalist in 2012 in the “Song” category for the semi-autobiographical Prodigal Song from the album of the same name.
We are delighted to announce that we auctioned a signed poster of March’s artist, Martin Carthy and have donated the proceeds to UNICEF Children’s Fund. Many thanks to Martin!
We also auctioned a signed poster from Michael Messer, Chaz Jankel and Matt Round and the proceeds are going to Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Where to find us
We meet usually on the second Friday of the month at The Great Northern Railway Tavern in Hornsey and sometimes at the Union Chapel in Islington. Make sure you check the What’s On page to see which venue we are using and for more details on how to buy tickets.
PLEASE NOTE that this gig is in an upstairs room with no disabled access. We do not guarantee a seat for every ticket holder, so if you need a seat we advise that you arrive early.
Now you can buy The Blinkin’ Buzzards’ CD, packed with great tunes like Jigsaw Puzzle Blues, Blue Prelude, Humming Blues and Big Feet Rag, at any of our gigs..
The CD contains 11 tracks plus a bonus track, Pizza Rider, by Merlin Wildman. The CD costs £12 plus £2 p&p. Order yours today! Just email info@kalamazooklub.com and we’ll sort out the rest!
The Blinkin’ Buzzards
Listen to House Band, The Blinkin’ Buzzards playing Autumn Leaves, live.
Autumn Leaves Live
The Kalamazoo Klub’s house band play each month at the Klub and are:
Guy Simpson – Dobro
Paul Alcantara – Guitar, ukulele, banjo
John Paxton – guitar
Andrew Kemp – bass
Jamie Alcantara – ukulele
Listen to Mr. Trump Don’t Like It by the Blinkin’ Buzzards
Listen to Jigsaw Puzzle Blues
By Eddie Lang, born Salvatore Massaro in Philadelphia in 1902.