FREEwilliamsburg: Phoebes Cafe Welcomes Musicians Every Night of the Week

I stopped in Phoebe's Cafe last for a beer and some WiFi and just-so-happened to catch an amazingly talented jazz trio rocking the back half of the store. As it turns out, the Ron Petrides trio was kicking off the first of many live music nights here at Phoebe's, which is set to go an incredible seven days a week as the fall and winter season starts creeping into Brooklyn.

When Phoebe's owner Christian Pala bought the place about five months ago, he had the vision of turning this gentle coffee shop with a sprawling backyard into a lunchtime vegetarian cafe, a coffee house, a bar, and a reliable low-scale music venue. Being a musician himself (Brazilian guitar's his specialty), he knew musicians needed consistent booking to stay sane and make money, so the majority of the acts he's brought in are essentially residencies. And which such a wide range, you can stop in a few different days during the next week or so and find your routine night-of-the-week band.

With the first night in the books, it certainly seems that he's already well on the path to envisioning his dream. He's already booked solid for the next two weeks, hosting a wide variety of musical acts - from the jazzy trio that played tonight to open mic blues jams, with a healthy mix of solo guitar players, rock bands, and genuine folk rock in between. As for the trio last night, they're awesome. I absolutely recommend them if you're looking for a dizzying mix of smooth jazz classics with the occasional regular-person (me) favorite, like Salt Peanuts! They're friendly guys too, so feel free to say hi or ask some questions in between sets.

For more info on who's playing and when, visit Phoebe's Cafe's website or myspace, orrrrr just be a real person and stop by any night of the week for live music. They're at 323 Graham Ave, just a block from the L.

Oh! Here's their current schedule for the next couple weeks:

Upcoming Shows
Oct 14 2008 8:00P - Uri Gurvich
Oct 15 2008 8:00P - Mike Clifford
Oct 16 2008 8:00P - Vito Chiavuzzo
Oct 17 2008 8:00P - The Tollywood Allstars
Oct 18 2008 9:00P - Thierno Camara / afro beat
Oct 19 2008 8:00P - Brother dave show and open blues jam
Oct 20 2008 8:00P - Ron Petrides
Oct 21 2008 8:00P - Uri Gurvich
Oct 22 2008 8:00P - Gabriel Miller-Phillips
Oct 23 2008 8:00P - Aaron McLendon Trio + Jam session
Oct 25 2008 9:00P - Abdoulaye Diabate / word music / afro beat
Oct 26 2008 8:00P - Brother dave show and open blues jam
Oct 29 2008 8:00P - Dan Fishback
Oct 30 2008 8:00P - HAPPY HALLOWEEN / Aaron McLendon Trio + Jam session