A new musical coffeehouse called ‘Acoustic Newton‘ debuts this month at the Newton Cultural Center at City Hall.  The mission of the new series is to combine the talent of Newton-based artists featuring the sounds of local singer-songwriters, folk, Americana, and Irish traditional musicians in a regular series reaching into next spring.

Kicking off the series, on Saturday Sept 20 from 7 – 9 PM is Ceol Corvus, fronted by Newtonian Sean Smith, who blends the classic sound of traditional Irish music with later influences and arrangements for a unique combination of instruments. Catching Sparks, the opening act, features the Newton North High School student Isabel Oliart on the fiddle, and McKinley James on cello, both award winners of numerous New-England wide competitions.

Next up is a musical Open Mic Night, on Nov 1 hosted by Rob Siegel, Newton’s own folk songwriter and performer. Supporting the celebration and feature of local talent, this special night invites anyone to participate. Show up between 6pm and 6:45pm to sign up for a slot.

Advanced admission is $10/$5(kids, students & seniors) at the door $15/$10; Limited Seating . Tickets available at www.newtoncommunitypride.org. The Newton Cultural Center at City Hall is located at 1000 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA. All events are 7:00pm-9:00pm unless otherwise indicated. Doors open at 6:30.

I’m tickled to hear about this new series.  It’s been nagging at me for months that Newton should have something exactly like this and here it is.  Unfortunately I’ll be out of town for their first event on Sept 20 but look forward to the future ones.  Kudos to organizers Barbara Cassidy, Eric Chasalow & friends for plugging this hole in our local cultural scene