Roots Cafe - Sept 2025

Geoffrey Himes & Seth Kibel
perform original songs and instrumentals
I’m a Poe Boy in a Poe Town:
A Musical Tribute to Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe, the great American poet and short-story writer, died in Baltimore in 1849. He gave the city the legend of the Poe Toaster, who made midnight visits to his grave here, as well as the name of the town’s football team. Geoffrey Himes and Seth Kibel will pay tribute to Poe with songs and poems about black birds, funeral bells, tell-tale hearts, cemetery visits and more. Five numbers will be world premieres and new additions to the show. 

Seth Kibel is one of the Mid-Atlantic's premier woodwind specialists, working with some of the best bands in Klezmer, Jazz, Swing, and more. Wowing audiences on clarinet, flute, and saxophone, Seth has made a name for himself in the Washington/Baltimore region, and beyond. He is the featured performer with The Kleztet, Bay Jazz Project, Music Pilgrim Trio, Daryl Davis Band, The Natty Beaux, and more. Winner of 28 Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies), including "Best World Music Instrumentalist" (2003-11) and "Best Jazz Instrumentalist" (2005, 2007-8, 2011-14). His most recent recording, "Clown With A Stick," was released in May 2023 on the Azalea City Recordings record label. He's won numerous prizes in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (MASC) including the Grand Prize in 2016 and a Gold Prize in 2022. When he's not performing, Seth fequently lectures on a variety of topics in music history for numerous institutions, including the Osher Lifelong Learning programs at Johns Hopkins and Towson Universities.  
www.sethkibel.com

Though he is best known as a music critic for the Washington Post, American Songwriter, Nashville Scene, Jazz Times, No Depression, Paste and many more, Geoffrey Himes is also a longtime singer-songwriter who has co-written songs with Si Kahn, Fred Koller, Walter Egan, Sonia Rutstein, Billy Kemp, Stephen Wade, Jim Patton, Tony Denikos, James von Lenz, Jennifer Keith, Andrew Grimm, Bob Kannenberg and others. His songs have been recorded by Kemp, the Kinsey Report, Denikos, Koller, Mojo Filter, Patton and others. His book, “In-Law Country: How Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash and Their Circle Fashioned a New King of Country Music,” was published by the Country Music Hall of Fame this past winter. “Fables from Italy and Beyond,” his book of collaborative poems with Maryland’s Poet Laureate Grace Cavalieri, was published this summer. His newest book, “Willie Nelson; The Stories Behind the Music” will be published next month. For this show, he will be premiering his new song, “I’m a Poe Boy in a Poe Town.” https://www.facebook.com/RootsCafeBaltimore

Showtime: 3 pm ET/2 pm CT/1 pm MT/12 pm PT/8 pm GMT

In-person seats: $15 / $10 full-time students with valid ID
Attendees receive a link to the recording to view for one week.
Advance sales end 1 hr before showtime; remaining tickets may be purchased at door.

Streaming Cost is $12
The link will be revealed 15 minutes before the show
and will remain active through Sept. 28

Donations Welcome