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Todd Henkin

@thenkin

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A storyteller odyssey from Philly to Scotland: hundreds of songs on the way, now shares his songs and the gift of songwriting to as many as he can.

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Where to start?

A long overdue update, with too many thoughts, feelings and doubts to put into words. Probably the worst possible beginning for a social media post. Have I lost you already? Fair enough.

A few months ago, Lucie and I left dear, beautiful #scotland for Tahiti. From #portobello to Polynesia. You can’t go further before you start coming back.
We’d had a wonderful last winter in #edinburgh : a flat by the sea, friends, music, healing. A life we loved and couldn’t afford. We were doing what we wanted without making a dime, and I couldn’t see how to make it sustainable. It felt like living a lie. I felt stuck. Stranded. Lonely, in the end.
So we decided to move on. But where? When no one is waiting for you and the whole world is possible, how do you pick?

I did what I’ve been taught: lists and research. Each answer brought six new questions, and not one gut pull, not even a whispered calling.
So we gave our brains a holiday (they’d catch up later and justify everything, we’re good at that) and asked something else: what if we chose out of curiosity and joy rather than fear? If money wasn’t a problem, where would we go?
Taking fear out of the equation wasn’t obvious for me. But with healing sessions, NLP and family constellations, putting down burdens that were never mine to carry, I slowly let myself dream.

We both answered: the #pacificislands.
Another way of seeing life, of telling stories, of relating. And yes, the call of the water and the green. I have family in Tahiti, so we called my cousin, bought tickets, and left the rest for late
A wise friend reminded me that moving across the planet wouldn’t magically cure my doubts about being an artist, building a healing practice or finding my people. He was right. I knew it.
Before leaving, I wrote a song called Stranded. I poured optimism into it, trying to find solace in being stranded: when you lose the path you thought you had to follow, maybe something new can appear.
Is Tahiti that new path? I still don’t know. But it was time to try something different. So off we went: a few guitars and our hearts full of dreams, far more questions than answers.
More soon from the other side of the world.

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This month we celebrate #10, and we’re doing so with a nod to a familiar theme here in the club. How does regional music become an international phenomenon?

What is the alchemy involved? We saw this in Buena Vista Social Club (Cuba) and Graceland (South Africa). Now we’re off to Jamaica, back in time to 1973 to meet the Wailers, a band that had been struggling for success and a breakthrough for a decade and found themselves broke and stuck in London. A chance meeting with a white Jamaican label owner leads them to a Faustian choice: He’ll change their sound and introduce them to an international rock audience, but the cost will be their friendship, their band, and more.

This record is revolutionary, danceable, and full of love. It launched Bob Marley into the stratosphere, and it marked a crossroads for reggae in both sound and spirit.

And the best bit is not only are we hosting this in Portobello, but we are launching it in Stockbridge S&G for the first time too ✌🏼

Portobello - Weds 21st October - 7.30pm
Stockbridge - Monday 2nd November - 7.30pm

Follow the link in the bio to book your spot!

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Hi Edinburgh! THIS SATURDAY 🚨 Gig Alert! 🚨
6 Acts. 4 Hours of Live Music. Fundraiser for a Local Musician. Here are some samples of the bands you’ll get to hear!
October 3rd, 5-9 PM downstairs at The Royal Oak downstairs lounge. Come and go as you please. £10 cash at the door or via QR code on poster. #edinburgh #livemusic #folk #original #fundraiser

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Hello everyone, Sylvie here. As some of you may already know, Kelly was denied entry to the UK in June and has been working on getting a different visa to come back. I miss her immensely, both as a friend and as a bandmate in 3 different bands 😭 So I am organizing a fundraiser gig to hopefully help put a dent in her extortionate visa costs. There will be 6 different acts playing– some are other bands I am a part of, others are friends from the folk music scene that I collaborate with more casually, and– if I’m feeling brave enough to premiere it– one is a new solo project I’m working on with a loop station 🙀 If you are free on Saturday October 3rd, even for part of the 5-9pm gig, your support would be welcome and appreciated. I’ll also be selling my flower bouquets, of course. Every little bit helps to bring Kelly back 💙🌻

You can purchase a £10 ticket in advance at www.PayPal.me/kellyanne24 or we will be accepting cash at the door. All proceeds will go directly to Kelly. A big thanks to the listed musicians for donating their time! For more information about Kelly’s situation, please visit: www.crowdfunder.com/get-back-to-scotland. #edinburgh #music #fundraiser #folk #scotland

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What’s happening. I’m supporting Todd Henkin & The Good Grief Band at Edinburgh’s Leith Depot on Saturday 26th of September. It’s their album launch show and it’s set to be a goodin 🎶
Ticket link in me bio 🎫

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I first met @thenkin in the late 2000s when I was living in Philadelphia, we’ve met twice since then and each time we take the same photo!

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Another Vinyl Club offering for you all to kick-start the festival...

In the month of the Fringe, we’re celebrating innovation.
Recorded in first takes, changing the world of music forever, Miles Davis’s “Kind of Blue” curated a group of the finest improvisers in music history to join him in New York City and create lightning in a bottle. This record blew the gates open in 1959 for John Coltrane and co. to free themselves, their melodies, and their minds, and quit having to prove their genius through fast-and-furious complex bop compositions.

Come join us for Vinyl Club #8 on Weds 5th August to celebrate the one record Quincy Jones said he could listen to every day for the rest of his life, by the artist Bob Dylan said defined cool. Maybe you’ll agree! Let’s listen, discuss, and see what this record tastes like in the glass.

See you at the bar for whatever takes your fancy at 7pm. We will begin pouring paired wines and toasting to the needle around 7.30pm ✌🏼

Head to the website as usual to book!

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☀️ the duality of the royal oak 🌙

#royaloakedinburgh #keepitfolk #livemusicedinburgh #edinburghpubs #edinburghfolk

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Summer ‘26 ❤️⁩

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“Just to be with people, just to eat with people, just to walk, to talk, to shout, to learn about people.”

A song written in real time at Hoxton Street Market — built from the words of traders, shoppers, visitors, market officers, and everyone passing through. Every line came from someone’s reason for coming to the market.

Part of The Museum in the Market by @hoxtonhall , where stories, memories, conversations, and lived experiences became something shared together in public space.

Huge thank you to @thenkin for turning everyday conversations into music, and to Hoxton Hall for creating spaces that remind people what community feels like.

#hoxtonstreet #shoplocal #hackney #lylm2026 #eastlondon

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Vinyl Club with a twist this month...

On May 27th @mamacitas__portobello will be joining us to host an evening celebrating Cuban music and food with the focus on 1997’s classic album Buena Vista Social Club.

We’ll be listening through the record in standard Vinyl Club form but, for this one off event, whilst Todd is talking all things Buena Vista, we will also be working our way through three delicious plates of Cuban food paired with three wines chosen to fit the music, the food and the vibes!

Only 20 spots available for this special event, head to the website as usual to book.

See you at the bar for whatever takes your fancy from 7pm, kick off 7.30pm 🤘🏻

#vinylclub #portobello #buenavistasocialclub

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S&G VINYL CLUB with bonus live performance 🤘🏻

Weds 29th April, 7.30pm, S&G Porty

Another Vinyl Club offering for you all to top-off April, and this time its personal...

Internationally renowned and Scotland-based folk-noir balladeer @rachelsermanni will be with us to celebrate the raw beauty of her contemporary classic, Dreamer Awake.

We’ve loved this record since it came out and are delighted to dive into it with you all, with former Porty native Sermanni herself.

See you at the bar for whatever takes your fancy at 7pm. We will begin pouring paired wines and getting into it around 7.30pm.

If you’re keen head to our website to book, only a few tickets left.

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