About Stone Soup
"The cups go in the kitchen, chairs go against the wall."
Stone Soup Coffeehouse is one of the oldest coffeehouse venues in New England. Stone Soup has presented many gifted acoustic musicians and songwriters from Rhode Island and the New England Area. We also have a history of recognizing talent and are proud to have featured many artists, such as Dar Williams, Ingrid Michaelson, Anaïs Mitchell, and Erin McKeown.
In 1981, several Rhode Island musicians and songwriters were inspired by Pete Seeger to share their music with each other and a wider audience. Stone Soup Folk Arts Foundation and Stone Soup Coffeehouse resulted. The name “Stone Soup” was taken from the folk tale about building community. In the story a beggar coming in to town is initially rebuffed by the townspeople. He offers to make his special “stone” soup and invites all to partake, eventually winning over the town and their communal contributions to make a truly magical soup. The magic is the building of a community, which is what we do at Stone Soup. At Stone Soup, artists, volunteers and audiences bring something special to a performance and the result is truly magical.
Most shows start at 7pm. Box Office & Kitchen open at 6pm. Doors to the listening room open at 6:30. All seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Concerts run until 9 – 9:30 depending on the night.
Stone Soup is proud to partner with The Music Mansion and shares their mission to enrich the cultural life of Rhode Island through music.
We are members of the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association, active with the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance and support the work of the Rhode Island Songwriters Association (RISA). Our fiscal sponsor is The Red Bandana Fund.
1981
Some of the old guard of the Rhode Island folk scene, inspired by Pete Seger, took the coffeehouse idea and ran with it, creating their own locally born, community-supported, volunteer-run house concert series called Stone Soup Coffeehouse. The moniker originates from a folk tale of the same name, which highlights the value of cooperation and resource sharing.
1993
Stone Soup moves venues, moving from Church of the Redeemer on the East Side to Gloria Dei Lutheran behind the Vets Auditorium.
2000
Stone Soup moves to Pawtucket and spends the next 17 years in various venues across the city, including The Slater Mill Historic Site, The Blackstone Valley Visitors Center, and St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
2019
After music concert series takes a year to regroup, it comes back in 2019 to present music at The Music Mansion.