Squawk Coffeehouse Continues its Open Run

At the Mic

By Susie Davidson

CORRESPONDENT

From its origins as Naked City Coffeehouse in an Allston hallway in 1989, the venerable Squawk Coffeehouse has become a Thursday night staple for all manner of style, sound, substance and sustenance as well. Housed since 1999 in the Harvard-Epworth Methodist Church at 1555 Mass. Ave. in Harvard Square, the no-smoke, no-drink venue has consistently provided the voice and sometimes the amplification for poets, musicians and performance artists to sound their wares, without censorship or constraint, save for the 10-minute open mic limit. Its span includes, in addition, the irregularly published, glossy-paged Squawk Magazine.

The eclecticly creative institution is managed by the talented triumverate of Harvard Square’s Intercontinental School of Foreign Languages head Lee Kidd, historical character actress Jessa Piaia and self-described “Professor of Surrealism” Mick Cusimano, a noted cartoonist publishes his work in local as well as international magazines and exhibits. Local poet Richard Cambridge, who hosts a poetry series at Passim, rounds out the core team. Kidd and Chris Dunn began the venture as a natural progression from their Harvard Square poetry readings and Desolate Angel Coffeehouse musical jams.

“We do believe,” said Kidd, a Harvard Divinity School grad who speaks 13 languages, “that it makes a great insurgent difference if you stand up and sing. We're a celebrative, rowdy, rambunctious bunch. We want to put something of ourselves beyond death. We want to bop 'til we drop.”

“The history of Squawk is notable,” said Piaia. “But at the same time, the venue continues to evolve, as people drink deep from the fountain of the open mic.”

Members of the Beat and hippie generations certainly have a place at Squawk to play while in town. Among other 50’s and 60’s era notables who have performed there to capacity crowds, often on multiple occasions, are Ed Sanders, John Sinclair, David Amram, Tuli Kupferberg of the Fugs and Herschel Silverman.

“There were plenty of open mikes for poets, folksingers, comedians and other artists 12 years ago when we started in Allston,” recalled Cusimano, who added that “the poets would stand on one side of the room and the musicians on the other. It took a few weeks for them to meet. But what is unique about Squawk is that we have had so many diverse artists: poets, musicians, clowns, jesters, dancers, recently even a ventriloquist.”

Cusimano attributed his other artistic pursuits to the opportunities accorded him on the Squawk stage. “I wouldn't have gone to London, joined the Zone Poets, or helped publish 57 issues of Squawk magazine,” he said, “if it wasn't for the coffeehouse.”

Moments at the mic include legendary pinnacles within the folk and world music scene such as the first performance by Dar Williams, at Squawk’s interim location in the Old Cambridge Baptist Church basement. Jess Klein and comedic singer-songwriter Don White first played at the Squawk mic, which also inspired Jamey Smythe to take up African drumming and tour Senegal. Other early, integral acts include Mary Lou Lord, Vance Gilbert, Ellis Paul, Jim Infantino, and Jon Svetky. Cambridge storyteller Brother Blue and Boston mime Billy Barnum have called it home since its inception.

“When we started, our mission was to be ‘a coffeehouse for the 21st century',” said Cusimano, “and we feel that we are to this day an integral force of the artistic renaissance on the threshold of the third millenium.”

Squawk will host "A Midsummer Blues Bash: A Tribute to Mai Cramer and Blues After Hours" at 8:30 p.m. on July 18, Mai’s birthday, which will feature noted blues artists David Maxwell (keys), Shirley Lewis (vocals), and Peter Ward, Mai's husband (guitar). “Boston Blues Queen” Cramer, who hosted the WGBH-radio program "Blues After Hours" each Friday and Saturday for 25 years, died earlier this year of cancer.

“It will be a tribute to Mai and her contribution to the blues scene,” said Piaia, “not only in Boston, but throughout New England.”

“The legacy of Squawk,” said Cusimano, “is that over the years the coffeehouse has brought together many performers who would never have met otherwise. Squawk got White to come out and play in public and Smythe to take up drums. Many connections and collaborations, too numerous to mention, have arisen from this venue.”

It appears they will keep on ‘risin. The show goes on every Thursday night from 9:00 p.m. to midnight. The Harvard-Epworth is located between Harvard & Porter Squares, and is next to Harvard Law School's Pound Hall. For info, visit https://www.angelfire.com/music/squawk/ or call 617-868-3661.