WEST BOROUGH — It seated 125 people in a cozy, rectangular room with a low stage. It was discreetly located above an Austro-Hungarian restaurant on South Street, just off the downtown roundabout.
For a decade, from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, the Old Vienna Kaffeehaus was a magnet for poets, folk singers and songwriters, as well as for everyone who loved their music.
The venue, often referred to simply as OVK, attracted an eclectic crowd from across New England and New York. — a mix of young and old, experienced artists and beginners, long-time folk enthusiasts and newer fans.
“It was an intimate space dedicated to performance,” said Tim Mason, a poet who was the founder and booking agent of the old Viennese coffee house. “The artist was surrounded by the audience, with no obstacles. The intimacy made for some really special shows.”
Reminder to the OVK: Musicians and others will honor the memories of the popular folk venue
Although the OVK closed almost 28 years ago, in December 1996, its legend lives on. A reunion festival is planned for August 17 to honor the folk club’s glory days.
A folk oasis in the suburbs
“I was very surprised to see such a strong folk singing scene here,” said Chris Yeager, an OVK regular turned house photographer. “The audience gathered around the artist; it was like being in a living room with about 100 people.”
Yeager remembers that master of ceremonies Robert Haigh “made everyone feel welcome.”
“He had something nice to say about everyone who played.”
I think the quiet intimacy of this place was something very special.
Chris Yeager
People wanted their folk music, and the OVK was a place where they could continue the folk music tradition, said Yeager, who played guitar. “One of the big things was that every Thursday night there was an open mic night. It was like the Carnegie Hall of open mics.”
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After moving from New York to Massachusetts, Barbara Kessler was thrilled to hear so much folk music on Boston public and college radio.
“Many of the people I heard on those radio stations were playing locally all the time,” she said.
Kessler, who played guitar and had just started trying his hand at songwriting, attended a concert at the OVK.
“I found out they were having an open mic night and went to try out some of my own songs,” she said. “The MC, Robert Haigh, offered me a spot as the opening act for Livingston Taylor, which was beyond exciting. — and frightening — and it was my very first gig playing my own songs.
“I could barely scrape together a 20-minute set.”
The weekly open mic night attracted up-and-coming musicians from across the East Coast as well as established artists, Kessler said.
“Through this, OVK has built a real community of like-minded music lovers,” she said. “At these open mics, there was always this excitement of ‘Who’s going to be the next big star?’ And there were always these incredible established artists showing up trying out new material.”
Famous names, inspiration for young talents
“On the weekends, you had big acts and established artists,” Yeager said. “This was a place where up-and-coming artists could come and meet their idols and open for them, watch them work and find out what they do.”
He remembered that some artists on the road would leave notes for each other in the green room.
“The notes explained where they were going, where they were and how to contact them,” Yeager said. “It was kind of like an underground internet, before the internet.”
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Sally Johnson got to know the OVK after seeing a performance by Christine Lavin.
“I had just moved back to Westborough and got a cassette of her (Lavin’s) songs,” Johnson said. “From that concert on, my life changed.”
Johnson became addicted to the OVK performances and open mic night. She began writing songs and teaching herself chords and guitar playing styles by watching the artists play.
“After three years of sitting in the audience, I started performing at open mics,” Johnson said. “It was a struggle because of fear, but everyone encouraged me.”
Old Viennese coffee house remembered for its “sense of community”
“OVK was a community, there was a sense of community in the club,” said Mason. “I’m really impressed and find it incredibly empowering that people are still passionate about it and what we had.”
It was an “almost age-free place,” Yeager added, a place where parents could bring their teenagers to hear great music.
“The young people came to listen to the young people, and the older people came to listen to the older people,” Yeager said. “And everyone got to talking. It was the perfect place for kids who didn’t want to get tattooed or pierced. It was a quiet place to share the listening experience and have a conversation.”
“It was a perfect date.”
We were all one big, happy family.
Sarah Johnson
Her involvement with the OVK ignited a spark in Johnson, she said.
“Even though our doors closed in 1996, we still stay in touch and see each other at various events.”
Since the OVK closed, there has definitely been a gap in the area’s folk music scene, Yeager added.
“We miss it a lot,” he said. “There are other coffee houses and other venues, but they lack the commitment of the OVK, especially the open mic.”
The OVK Open Mic Night was an inspiration for other venues in other parts of the country.
“People have told me they built their open mic based on what they saw at the OVK,” Yeager said.
Johnson hosted the youth center’s open mic program and hosted a summer series for youth for one year.
The OVK may be gone, but it’s definitely not forgotten. And there will be another celebration on August 17th from 1pm to 9pm in neighboring Hopkinton (the exact location is being kept secret until you get tickets at 0830club.com/ovk).
“The place has a special heritage,” Yeager said. “It was a unique, intimate place where people came face to face. It was the crown jewel of Western Massachusetts.”
