The Pacific Northwest Folklore Society provides a niche for music not commonly heard in the folk music scene around Seattle. While our mission is to promote the more traditional folk music, we view this in a very broad sense: traditional folk; contemporary ‘in the tradition’ folk; classic blues and jazz; old-timey and classic country; ‘tin pan alley’ and early twentieth century popular music; folk music of other cultures; early music; these are just a few categories. This includes both vocal and instrumental. We appreciate good musicianship but are also open to musicians striving to develop their art. We are taking no more bookings at this time
Our venue, the Couth Buzzard in north Seattle, is a funky book store, coffeehouse, and performance area that seats up to 50 people. No stage, everyone is on the same level; no sound system, with good acoustics it’s not necessary. Performers love this setup. Claudia Schmidt has come here every year for the past four; she loves this intimate venue where she can readily interact with her audience. Other out-of-town performers include Debra Cowan, Curtis & Loretta, Small Potatoes, Eleanor Ellis, and some international artists such as Jocelyn Pettit from Canada, Brian Peters from England, and a prize-winning country blues duo, Max DeBernardi & Veronica Sbergia from Italy. We have also presented local performers such as the Canote Brothers, Squirrel Butter, Pint & Dale, Tania Opland & Mike Freeman, Morgan & Graves, Carolyn Cruso, Sarah Comer, Alice Stuart, Kate MacLeod & Kat Eggleston, Dale Russ, and many others. The Couth Buzzard is a sought-after intimate venue for many performers. We usually request $10 donation per person, all the money goes to the performers. We produce a poster and flyers, and publicize our events through our own and other website calendars, local stores and public libraries, and our local public radio station, KBCS in Bellevue, Washington.