Folk on WFMT - The Midnight Special and Folkstage

09/14/2026

This Thursday through Saturday at the Englewood Jazz Festival, indoors and outdoors at Hamilton Park (513 W. 72nd Street), fest founder and composer Ernest Khabeer Dawkins debuts a composition honoring voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. Music made in Chicago! Admission is free. Details in this article. Wow.

The Englewood Jazz Festival returns to Hamilton Park on Sept. 17-19. The festival will feature performances honoring the legacies of Oscar Brown Jr., John Coltrane and Miles Davis while also celebrating the next generation of musicians.

09/14/2026

Another chance to experience Mean Mary! She was the toast of the Fox Valley Folklore Society 50th festival and she’s playing wonderfully intimate spot in Kenosha this Saturday!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mean-mary-at-the-white-lilac-tickets-1994236368662?aff=efbevent

09/13/2026

Tune in at 8 ! Mac and Cheese Band on Folkstage live from St. Tim's Coffeehouse. WFMT 98.7FM or online at WFMT.com or the WFMT mobile app. (PHOTO: right to left, Sandy Wong Ronkoske of St. Tim’s introduces Tim Cheesebrow, Tad Santos, and Pete McCauley.)

09/12/2026

After Folkstage with Mac and Cheese Band, The Midnight Special demonstrates how music can heal even as we remember the darkness of 9/11. Songs by Kate Wolf, Jack Hardy, Allison Russell, Joe Crookston, Val Leventhal, Josh Ritter, The Indigo Girls, Donna Herula, Eric Bibb , and many more. Tune in to WFMT 98.7FM starting at 9PM. And yes, a couple written by Julie Gold that you’ll definitely know.

Music helps us overcome fear and find renewed sense of purpose as we mark the 25th anniversary of the shared tragedy of 9/11/2001.

09/12/2026

A hearty helping of Mac and Cheese Band is on the menu tonight! Join Marilyn Rea Beyer, Sandy Wong Ronkoske, and loads of joyful folk fans for the season opener of St. Tim's Coffeehouse at Lutheran Church of the Ascension - Northfield IL. Music starts at 7. Live WFMT broadcast starts at 8. Come be on the radio! The Mac and Cheese Band (Tim Cheesebrow, left, and Pete McCauley) deliver high-energy, high-carb folk music with a tasty, tangy sauce of humor and strings. (Photo: MRB at Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM)

09/10/2026

Were you there for Paul Simon at the Ravinia Festival this summer? Even if you were not, you can hear a sample on Saturday night (9PM-Midnight/CT) on WFMT 98.7FM or streaming at wfmt.com or on the WFMT app. Marilyn Rea Beyer will play a song from the upcoming live album of The Quiet Celebration Concerts.

09/08/2026

A quick capsule summary of an enduring American jewel. Pun intended.

Held over the Labor Day weekend, this year’s fest featured national and international performers at Wheeler Park in Geneva.

09/08/2026

The joyful finale to a labor of love that has continued for 50 years! Fox Valley Folklore Society’s Folk Music & Storytelling Festival.

09/06/2026

9/29 … only go if you want to be wowed.

08/31/2026

So excited to be hosting this extra helping of talent on WFMT 98.7FM live from St. Tim's Coffeehouse on September 12! Come hungry for great songs and tangy wit!

Chicago area friends! We're doing two shows by you 9/11 and 9/12! Links in comments: