Singing Through the Hard Times: A 90th Birthday Celebration for Utah Phillips

Join us at Caffè Lena for a 65th Anniversary Folk Heritage Show and a special night honoring the 90th birthday of Bruce “Utah” Phillips—a legendary folk singer, storyteller, labor organizer, and voice for the voiceless.

Featuring performances by:

Rik Palieri (VT)

Debra Cowan (MA)

Joe Jencks (IL)

Carol Crittenden (NJ)

This evening will celebrate Utah Phillips’ incredible legacy through songs and stories from his catalog, memories and reflections on his life and activism, and music that carries his spirit forward into today’s world.

A true keeper of folk traditions, Utah Phillips’ impact extended far beyond the stage. He was a Wobbly, a peace activist, a railroad rambler, and a master storyteller who dedicated his life to the working class, the homeless, and the fight for justice. His songs, from Hallelujah, I’m a Bum to The Goodnight-Loving Trail, remain powerful anthems of labor, community, and resilience.

Whether you know his music well or are discovering it for the first time, this is a night to be inspired by the words and wisdom of a true American folk hero.

Reserve your seat now and celebrate the life, music, and legacy of Utah Phillips.

Can't make it in person to the show? Stream this show live at CaffeLenaTV. Enjoy two weeks of access with your live stream ticket.

Bios of the Artists performing.

Rik Palieri Bio:

Rik, we call him Totem Pole. Well, it suits him. Here he comes now, strong, upright, his whole body festooned with instruments: banjo, guitar and a quadriplegic goat he claims to be Polish bagpipes. And they are! Once played, they’ll clean the wax out of your ears or make you wish you had more. Tote ‘em Pole, that’s him. Well, just part of him, the hobo part. The rest has to do with music, our music. And the road, long stretches of midnight highway, booming on to the next last lost town at the end of the world. You take all the best of who we’ve become, we Americans; our plain, honest voice, our wandering soul, the deep, true poetry of all our places, trust, honor, hard-working hands and hearts at peace. Take all of these, stitch them together with our people’s common music, the ring of the banjo and happy feet stomping away the darkness – and somewhere in the middle of all this you’ll find Rik. He has more time and miles on him than a prospector’s mule. But he has turned up the gold. It shines from a thousand stages where, night after night he gives back to some of us what he’s learned from the rest of us. Always giving, only taking what balances out. Rik tells it and lives it and sings it and it all comes out, like the old fiddler said, “finer’ than snuff and it ain’t half as dusty”. – Utah Phillips April, 2003

SAMPLE SONG

Debra Cowan Bio:

“Stunning” is the word often used to describe Debra Cowan's vocals. She performs unaccompanied or with guitar, interpreting a wide range of traditional and contemporary songs. She is a full-time performer who bridges the old and new with a refreshing stage presence and has released six recordings, all having earned praise on both sides of the Atlantic. She tours in the United Kingdom and in North America and has often been seen on stage with her good friend, singer and musician John Roberts. Debra is a proud member of American Federation of Musicians Local 1000 and endorses Harvey Leach guitars. 

SAMPLE SONG

Joe Jencks Bio: 

Joe Jencks sings with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel. A 25-year veteran of the international Folk circuit, award-winning songwriter and celebrated vocalist based in the Chicago area, Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove, and grit. Known for his music of social consciousness, Jencks has penned several #1 Folksongs including the ever-relevant Lady of The Harbor. Jencks’ CD Poets, Philosophers, Workers, and Wanderers earned #1 Artist, #1 Album, and #1 Song on the Folk Alliance/Folk DJ Chart and spent several weeks at #1 on the SIRIUS XM Americana Chart. Joe was musical director for an annual Veteran's retreat: Warriors Heart to Art, writing songs with military veterans. Joe is also a recording artist, producer, and Folk DJ (My Highway Home.~ on Folk Music Notebook). A dual US-Irish citizen, Jencks has also served as a Cultural Ambassador with the U.S. State Department. From Carnegie Hall to coffeehouses across North America, Joe has become a fan favorite. 

SAMPLE SONG

Carol Crittenden Bio:

NJ/NY Metro-area based singer songwriter, Carol Crittenden, has been known to "light up the stage" with her sweet soaring vocals and thoughtful, melodic tunes. She weaves her personal perspective into her work, whether in her emotionally intimate or acclaimed social-justice-minded songs. She has recorded and toured as lead singer of Four Celtic Voices, with a #1 CD on the Billboard World Music Chart. Her new album, "Glimmer," was released in 2025 and charted at #6 on the FAI Folk Chart in its first month.

SAMPLE SONG