MANepper
“Prepare to be welcomed.”
Brett Kemnitz gives that warm invitation to The Coffee House, a Milwaukee locus for acoustic music, poetry and social activism since the late 1960s. On Saturday, Oct. 6, the venue will begin its 52nd season of programming in its new location at Plymouth United Church of Christ, 2717 E. Hampshire St.
A host of circumstances prevented the cooperatively run non-profit venue from starting a second half-century at its former location, Redeemer Lutheran Church, across from the Marquette University campus on West Wisconsin Avenue. But Kemnitz, who acts as master of ceremonies for some Coffee House dates and organizes its food drive concerts, expresses gratitude for the club’s new space. “Their mission statement and ours are almost identical,” he says of Plymouth’s guiding principles. “They do good work, and so do we.”
Although The Coffee House had been at its old address for longer than some of its regular attendees have been alive, that location was beginning to present logistical challenges. Kemnitz speaks of volunteers “toting the coffee and water up and down, which made work for the volunteers four times as much.” Of the venue’s new digs Kemnitz says, “This looks like a match made in heaven,” adding with strictly secular cheekiness, “and coming from an atheist!”
As was the case at Redeemer and remains so at Plymouth, one need not subscribe to the host church’s spiritual tenets to feel at home at The Coffee House. Of the concept’s origin, Kemnitz shares, “It’s a meeting place where people of different backgrounds can gather and discuss concerns and problems. It was a positive response to the open housing marches and general turmoil of the late ’60s.”
That emphasis on social action not only extends to The Coffee House’s frequent food pantry benefit gigs, but monthly Living Activism concerts for different causes on its monthly fall-to-spring schedule. Kemnitz has a long personal history there. He’s been attending since 1969, and if tradition holds, the former city employee and prolific writer of tunes both silly and serious will be on the House’s schedule later this season with another of his annual new song concerts.
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That show will doubtless attract many of the venue’s regular crowd from throughout its history. “There’s always a lot of the old guard,” Kemnitz says of The Coffee House’s consistent patrons. Of the likelihood that they will follow The Coffee House to its new space, Kemnitz predicts, “I think most of them will come to the new place. In fact, a lot of them live closer to the new place than the old.”
But attracting younger aficionados of acoustic music has been a challenge of late. Though its space at Redeemer stood on the other side of the street from MU’s campus, he’s hopeful that Plymouth being situatated three blocks from UW-Milwaukee will draw a more youthful patronage. “UWM has a more diverse student body, so I think we’ll have more success in bringing younger folk in,” Kemnitz hopes.
The Coffee House draws on the traditions of folk veterans such as Bob Dylan but also presents the work of many more recent artists. Its 2018-’19 season opens this Saturday with “a salute to women who have made a lasting contribution to music,” according to its website, and will feature the founder of the 43-year strong National Women’s Music Festival, Kristin Lems, with local openers Andy Jehly, Kristin Kornkven and Sandy Weisto. Admission is two canned goods for the food pantry and $5-$15. Other dates are subject to the same sliding scale cover charge, but, Kemnitz adds, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
The Coffee House’s complete calendar is online at the-coffee-house.com.
