Heritage Matinee Series

Mark Dvorak • Ashley & Simpson • James Curley • Tom Orland

Sunday, October 4, 2026 • 3:00 PM
Doors open at 2:30 PM

Spend a Sunday afternoon with us at the Two Way Street Coffee House for another installment of our Heritage Matinee Series, bringing together four distinctive voices from the Chicago-area folk and songwriting community.

Series regulars Mark Dvorak and Ashley & Simpson will be joined by James Curley and Tom Orland for an afternoon of songs, stories, harmonies, humor, and the musical traditions that keep folk music alive and evolving.

The Heritage Matinee Series is also a benefit for Two Way Street Coffee House. 100% of free-will donations support our programming and operations, helping us continue bringing live folk and acoustic music to our community.

Mark Dvorak

Mark Dvorak is a modern-day troubadour whose music draws deeply from the American folk tradition. A performer, songwriter, teacher, guitarist, and banjo player, Mark has been called “a folk singer’s folk singer” and praised for his encyclopedic knowledge of traditional song.

His performances move easily between traditional folk, country blues, selections from the Great American Songbook, audience sing-alongs, and his own carefully crafted originals. Whether on a festival stage or in an intimate listening room, Mark has a gift for making an audience feel like part of the music.

Ashley & Simpson

Jennifer Ashley and Joel Simpson bring rich vocal harmonies, traditional songs, and thoughtful arrangements to their distinctive folk sound. Drawing on classical backgrounds while incorporating elements of jazz, popular music, and contemporary influences, the duo approaches traditional material with both respect for its roots and a willingness to make it their own.

Their album Off To Here Land features an all-traditional song list reimagined through the duo’s signature harmonies and arrangements.

James Curley

The Singular Songwriter

James Curley has spent more than 50 years as a fan, performer, songwriter, and instrumentalist in the folk and roots music community, primarily in Chicago. As a solo artist, he has opened for performers including Ellis Paul, Dan Navarro, Happy Traum, and Patty Larkin, while also fronting bands including Radio Fade, Earnest & Troubled, and The James Curley Band.

His three recordings, released between 2001 and 2012, produced several award-winning songs and continue to receive international radio airplay. A member of Folk Alliance since 2003 and a member of the FARM Board of Directors since 2024, James returns to recording this fall with his first new album in 14 years.

Tom Orland

Award-winning songwriter and Emmy-winning filmmaker Tom Orland brings quick wit, an original point of view, and an authentic performance style to the Heritage Matinee stage.

Tom has performed at venues including Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, Victory Gardens Theater, Davenport’s Piano Bar & Cabaret, and the Chicago Cultural Center. A longtime supporter of the songwriting community, he co-founded the Songwriters Circle at the Old Town School of Folk Music and produced and hosted the songwriter showcase North by Southport at Schuba’s.

Following a series of sold-out Chicago cabaret performances, Tom is returning to his folk roots—and making his Heritage Matinee debut at Two Way Street.

Join Us In Person or Online

Can’t make it to the coffee house? Watch the concert live online through the Two Way Street website, Facebook page, or YouTube channel.

Whether you join us in the room or from home, your donation helps support the music, artists, and programming of the Two Way Street Coffee House.