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Montreal’s coffeehouse scene

Black and white newspaper advertisements in black outlined rectangles side by side, one advertising concerts at The Potpourri and one advertising concerts at The Finjan.

Date: November 16, 1962
Credit: McGill Daily, vol. 52, no 41

I’ll tell you, the biggest inspiration for him [Gary Eisenkraft] […] was the club Potpourri. The Seven Steps and the Potpourri, because they had music, Gary liked to go there.

― Michael Nerenberg (interview with ARCMTL, 2021)

At the beginning of the 1960s, downtown Montreal was home to several coffeehouses presenting folk music. Among the best loved were the Potpourri (formerly The Seven Steps) and The Finjan, both located near the University campuses. Gary Eisenkraft frequented these coffeehouses in his youth.

Transcription (partial):

POTPOURRI
“Canada’s only coffee house-book shop”

TODAY TO SUNDAY
PAUL PHILIPS
songs of the British Isles
and BARRY HALL
CANADA’S GREATEST BLUES GUITARIST
Folk Way Recording Artists

Monday Nov. 19
PAUL HECHT
readings of poetry and short stories

Tues. Nov. 20
The Southern Ramblers
“MONTREAL’S ONLY BLUEGRASS GROUP”

Wed. Nov. 21
HOOTENANNY NITE
M.C. Marvin Segal
Banjo – guitar – auto harp

Complete line of Paperbacks
Student Luncheon Specials
1430 Stanley — 842-3605
—
2 MORE NIGHTS IAN and SYLVIA
EXCITING FOLK DUO
Vanguard Recording Artists
FINJAN
Downtown 842 St. Catherine St. West

NEXT WEEK starting TUESDAY
SONNY TERRY and BROWNIE McGEE
“America’s Finest Blues Singers”