Folk's best-kept secret

``When you play a place like this,'' singer-songwriter Vance Gilbert said after a recent show at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse in Franklin, ``it feels more like you've come to see them than that they've come to see you.''

Gilbert was talking about the increasing popularity of community coffeehouses, events offering acoustic music in comfortable, informal settings, mostly in churches located in suburbs ringing Boston. Despite the church setting, the events are secular, and are also volunteer-run, nonprofit, nonalcoholic, and family-friendly, attracting a predominantly local crowd.

``Many of the people who come to these places are people who live in town, or are in some way `of the 'hood,' '' Gilbert said. ``They have less of a shroud over them, the way there is with people who have come into Boston, fought traffic, had trouble parking, spent a lot of money. These audiences are more at home, more settled.''

For years, this collection of suburban coffeehouses has helped keep Boston a prolific folk hub, and lately it's been growing. Five years ago, a dozen community venues formed a loose guild called the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association (BACHA). Its membership has grown annually, and there are now 29 member venues.

A look at Gilbert's audience in Franklin may explain the appeal. Coffeehouses attract people the pop music industry has largely ignored; the crowd of about 150 was mostly boomers, some with kids in tow, but there were also seniors, young couples, and even a smattering of bikers in black leather.

Circle of Friends is their ``date night,'' say Bob and Janet Halterman, who live in Franklin. ``It's low-key, not all the hubbub of a big concert,'' Bob said during intermission. ``It's something just the two of us can do for ourselves, right in town.''

Janet said she's ``amazed at how these performers can put my thoughts and the things I've felt into words. We never come away disappointed. It's like the best-kept secret around.''

Gilbert, who lives in Arlington, has built a successful national career around these small folk venues. He knows they demand a stagecraft that is more casual without being less professional, and he's a master at it. In Franklin, he hit the stage chatting about spending the afternoon at Arlington Town Day, making it clear this show was designed just for tonight, just for them. Yet when he sang, his soaring, jazz-tinted tenor was exquisitely disciplined. ``There are no airs playing these suburban coffeehouses,'' Gilbert said later. ``You're more on eye-level with these people, so your stagecraft has to be more real.''

Scott and Bonnie Dittrich of Norfolk are hooked on coffeehouses. ``We love going to live entertainment,'' Scott said after the Franklin show, ``and can find a good variety of coffeehouses within an hour's drive of home.'' Bonnie says she love the intimacy of the shows, describing them as ``a very personal experience. And we like the social aspect. You'll end up talking to somebody you don't know standing in line for desserts.''

Yes, desserts - Circle of Friends is known for its creative home-baked treats. The fare this night included chocolate truffle macaroon pie, apple pie with caramel sauce, and chocolate toffee trifle.

BACHA offers a brochure and website (www.bostoncoffeehouses.org) where people can find out about shows at all member venues. That kind of organization benefits not only potential listeners, but also presenters, said Linda Monagle, director of The Lighthouse Cafe - held at Calvary Episcopal Church in Danvers - which joined BACHA this summer. ``BACHA is already helping us connect with people outside our area who are interested in this kind of venue,'' Monagle said. ``It just makes us feel like we're not hanging out there alone.''

Circle of Friends is celebrating its 15th anniversary this season. Asked of the secret to its success, director Jake Jacobsen said, ``It always comes down to the volunteers at places like these, and we have a great core of people. If it was ever down to one or two of us, it would have folded long ago.''

For Gilbert, that neighborly vibe is the key to these coffeehouses' allure, and to their success. ``The people running these places are coming from an altruistic place, and you feel that in the mood of the room,'' he said. ``You look out and you see a grandmother, a parent, and a kid, all sitting together enjoying the same music. There's Goth kids, all in black, sitting next to their right-wing Republican neighbor, because this was the thing to do in town that night. That's a great audience to play for.''