Two Way Street Coffee House is Chicagoland’s most beloved folk and acoustic music venue, presenting weekly concerts and community events for over 50 years!  The show starts at 8pm (CT) and the doors open at 7:30pm. (Suggested donation $10).  We will also host this concert virtually.  You may access the livestream on www.twowaystreet.org, on our Facebook page or on our YouTube channel.

On Friday, October 18, 2024 Two Way Street Coffee House Friday Night Concert Series presents Karyn Oliver.

2020 South Florida Folk Festival Songwriters’ Competition winner Karyn Oliver is part Joan Osborne, a touch of Janis Joplin and a bit of Emmylou Harris – effortlessly oscillating from bluesy to country and back. Her musical inspirations come primarily from the eclectic mix of music to which she was exposed while growing up in the musically diverse culture of Washington, D.C.

In 2009, Karyn moved to a town called Boring, MD with a broken heart and a cheap guitar. It was from this place that she created her first solo album, Red Dress, that earned her Kerrville New Folk Finalist and Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist in 2011, as well as 2010 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest winner. In 2011, Oliver moved to New York City, with a renewed heart and a better guitar. It is from this place that she created her latest solo album, Magdalene, and became a Kerrville New Folk Finalist for a second time in 2016.

2017 brought Oliver to North Carolina, where she steeped herself in the great writers of the South, and recorded a new album, “A List Of Names”, which charted on both Folk and Americana radio in 2019.

In 2020, Oliver moved to Texas in the middle of a pandemic, and waded into the great Texas songwriting tradition. The fruits of that move are “Cherchez La Femme” a new collection of songs released in October of 2023, featuring an all-female cast in an effort to bring more attention to the fantastic women creating music today. The first three singles have already gotten critical acclaim and song awards.

“This is a very special album that deserves a wide and appreciative audience; and in Karyn Oliver I think I’ve unearthed a very special talent too.”- The Rocking Magpie

“Karyn’s lyrics will have you thinking while you’re enjoying the top-notch musicianship found in this collection”- Jack Dugan, Folk Odessey, WIOX Community Radio.

If you can’t join us in person, you can still tune in virtually to catch the show! Make your donation HERE to Karyn Oliver.  Visit www.twowaystreet.org for more information.