Free live music returns to Small World Coffee on Witherspoon Street in Princeton

Small World Coffee is once again offering free live music on Saturday nights at the Witherspoon Street location after a hiatus of more than a year due to the pandemic.

Shows will run every Saturday from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and will feature local music talent. Once Small World Coffee is able to expand the shop’s hours again, the shows will start later. The current time frame is the perfect pre-dinner event for a night on the town.

The first live concert June 19 features Damsel, an “Indie Neo” folk duo. Monica Mugan sings and plays the acoustic guitar, and Beth Meyers also sings and plays the viola, banjo, and ukulele. The classical chamber musicians have folk music leanings and work to create “an intricate instrumental sound around tight vocal harmonies” in their performances.

On Saturday, June 26, Dan Kassel will perform the cello.He plays an acoustic cello, and uses a Boss RC-50 looping station in his performances, which bridge the gaps between Klezmer and Irish folk, Indian classical music, and down-tempo electronic music.

Jessica Durrie, owner of Small World Coffee, is elated to be able to offer live performances again featuring local musicians at the 14 Witherspoon Street location.

“We have been offering live music since the first week that we opened in 1993. The pandemic obviously put a stop to this. We have been waiting for the right moment to restart with the right artists,” Durrie said. “Damsel was actually the first show that got canceled when the shelter in place order was announced. So, it only seems fitting to restart our musical offerings with this duo. We are excited to continue to bring music and other community events to Princeton as time goes on.”