Featured Artists of the Hootenanny Cafe Radio Show

Field of Stars was supposed to be recorded and released in 2020.  Musicians were hired, studio dates booked.  And then came COVID.  So, the songs where shelved until it was safe to go into a small windowless space 'with some of your best mates.'  But then came the explosion of writing that John produced during the lockdown.  Three albums in three years, each seemingly better than the last.  After tackling the McCutcheon/Paxton project, TOGETHER last year, John was ready to take the long-delayed 2020 album down from the shelf and get back to work on it.  But times had changed.  A lot of the earlier songs stayed, others didn’t.  Plus, there was a wealth of new songs from many productive Zoom sessions did with myriad artists during lockdown. What resulted was a collection of songs that reflect McCutcheon’s belief in the power of history to guide, of faith to heal, of love to abide, of humor to relieve, and of music to give voice to those often silenced or, worse, forgotten. The title cut explores the Camino de Santiago through the eyes of four very different pilgrims on that ancient path. The Hammer is a paeon to the late Henry Aaron.  Redneck reveals one of the origins of that word while retelling the story of 1921’s Battle of Blair Mountain.  Similarly, MS St. Louis is the story of a too-little-known tale.  His long history in Appalachia again comes through in two other songs, Hell & High Water and Tired, which has a twist worthy of O. Henry.  There are lovely vocal duets here, with Carrie Newcomer on Field of Stars and with bluegrass great Claire Lynch on the lovely Only Ones Dancing. Again and again, John McCutcheon has demonstrated an ear for a good story, a deft pen, and the ability to provide insights using the most ordinary experiences that both surprise and delight.  Add to that the stellar musicianship of guests like Tim O’Brien and Stuart Duncan, pristine production, and beautiful packaging and Field of Stars is not only John’s 45th album in a 52-year career, it again, it just may be his best yet!

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Now based in Santa Barbara, Penelope Salinger grew up in a musical family in Michigan. She began writing songs as a teen and composed sporadically until a songwriting course with Penny Nichols in 1989 inspired her to pursue it professionally. In 2008 she released her first CD — “I’m Here to Love” — produced by David West and mentor Kate Wallace, who described her style as “folk-lectic.” Tom Prasada-Rao and Ed Tree produced the next four CDs, which include two more in the “folk-lectic” vein — “Tiara” and “Joy in the Journey.” Her themed album “God Bless the Man Who Knows How to Use His Tools” celebrates the electricity between men and women. Penelope’s most recent CD — “To Remember Who We Are” — features inspirational themes and includes songs she's composed for the repertoire of the Threshold Choir, whose calling is to sing at the bedside for those at the end of life. She directs the local choir and finds this type of singing to be one of the most fulfilling uses of her musical gifts.

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In-Studio withThe Twangtown Paramours - an award-winning husband and wife Soulful Folk duo from Nashville. They are three time Kerrville finalists and and winners of Texas’s Wildflower Contest. Recently, other artists have started to record their songs. Lead singer, MaryBeth Zamer used to sing background vocals for Eva Cassidy. Writer, producer, and guitar player, Mike Lewis is the author of a #1 platinum selling hit in Korea and sometimes plays upright bass for Jimmie Dale Gilmore. The last Twangtown Paramours album was #11 on the UK blues charts. The new upcoming Twangtown Paramours album was released to US and UK radio stations and to the public on January 3. Their last Folk album was #2 on the FAI Folk DJ Chart.

“Lead singer Marybeth Zamer is a vocal force of nature - one of the most expressive vocalists I have heard in some time.”- Music News Nashville "The best collection of songs they’ve ever written and recorded" - Alternate Root Magazine

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A chance opportunity to sit, talk and play with Joni Mitchell while working on a film project in his native Canada helped cement L.A. Moore’s lifelong interest in music, songwriting and guitar playing.

Moving to Palm Harbor Florida in 2004, L.A. found himself out of work in the economic collapse of 2008. This however gave him to opportunity to spend significant time at The Hideaway Café Living Room Live sessions, which under the direction of owner John Kelly, was a hotbed of original songwriting. Meeting fellow band mates Paul Cataldo and John Stone, they formed Not Broken Yet, which produced two CD’s and played at local venues in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.

His first solo CD, “Late Bloomer” met with great critical success and has had airplay on stations in England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, USA and Canada. His song “Reach Out” has been a finalist in several international song competitions. Songs from Late Bloomer are regularly featured on Folk, Americana and Trop Rock radio stations worldwide. A second solo CD “Snappy Comeback” was released in November (2024).

L.A, continues to perform solo and sit in with The Joe Milligan Project and when opportunities present themselves. New music is currently in the works.

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Having grown up on the records of Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez and Pete Seeger, and after tenures in the obligatory high school rock ‘n’ roll bands, Eric Erickson embarked on a career as a solo musician. He has plied the byways of the American northeast for several decades, with only his guitar in tow, stopping at coffeehouses, beer gardens and concert halls along the way.

As an original member of the air staff at the legendary WDST-FM in Woodstock, NY, Eric hosted a weekly folk music program, combining recordings from “vintage” performers with those of emerging singer/songwriters. Among his in-studio guests for interviews and live performances were Odetta, Utah Phillips and Priscilla Happy and Artie Traum. He also helmed the overnight shift six nights a week, keeping company with night owls, insomniacs and third-shift workers. That experience yielded one of Eric’s signature songs, “Late Tonight”.

For over 30 years, Eric sang tenor in the a capella Early Music ensemble Woodstock Renaissance , which expanded Eric’s musical palette and love and understanding of harmony.

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“... lyrics sometimes profound but ALWAYS ENGAGING delivered in a CLEAR, COMPELLING voice which makes for great listening ...”

Chuck Elliott, WXPN's Sleepy Hollow

Award-winning songwriter Tracy Colletto has been told she sounds a little bit like Tori Amos, Alanis Morissette and Joni Mitchell combined. Her other influences are Broadway and Frank Sinatra tunes, since she heard much of them growing up. For the most part, Tracy likes to write about personal perseverance and journeys to far-away places.

Her music has been included on many playlists for all types of radio stations, including WXPN’s Sleepy Hollow. Her songwriting honors include: Singer-Songwriter Finalist in the Great American Song Contest for “Diving In,” listed NSAI’s “Ones-To-Watch,” Nomination for Best Alt. Country Song at the 15th Independent Music Awards for “The Ride,” and Honorable Mention in the John Lennon International Songwriting Competition. Also, Tracy has been a finalist in several performing singer-songwriter competitions.

Sophomore album Chocolate Happy Cake is produced by Grammy Award-winning producer and engineer Glenn Barratt (Melody Gardot). Glenn assembled the lineup of musicians, including Michael G. Ronstadt, well-known Philly bass player Chico Huff, and Erik Johnson and Kevin Hansen, both from the band Huffamoose.

More recent singles include “Take Me” in 2023 (produced by Christina T Taylor); “Be Kind to Yourself” (produced by Paul Statham of B-Movie); “Diving In,” “Rosa,” “Those Secrets” and “Pretty Lights” (produced by Brian McTear).

There are new singles and an album planned for release in 2025!

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New Jersey Americana artist Dave Murphy’s new album, A Heart So Rare (out Jan. 31), is a fearless, heartfelt reflection on human fallibility, love lost, transition, and acceptance. It relays, in honest detail, the mistakes and longing of a man encountering the weight of divorce, all the while embracing moments of surrender, forgiveness, and mystery. There’s always hope for redemption, and this record beautifully catalogs his journey towards it.

Murphy is a cancer survivor, and an accomplished performer who’s toured in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and the UK. He’s shared stages with Steve Forbert, Suzanne Vega, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing, Alejandro Escovedo, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and his Chasing Ghosts album featured Nicole Atkins and Forbert. He received consistent airplay for his last four albums on AAA, Americana, and folk radio stations across North America and Europe.

Murphy‘s been recognized time and again for his exceptional storytelling through song. Dubbed “a musical Raymond Carver” by Twin Cities Revue, he earned first place in the Great American Song Contest for his song “Chesapeake.” He was named a co-winner at the New Jersey Folk Festival Songwriters Showcase and a finalist in several marquee contests, including Kerrville New Folk Contest, WIldflower! Arts & Music Festival Songwriting Contest, Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, and Susquehanna Music & Arts Festival Songwriting Contest.

In the late ‘90s Murphy “knew a guy who knew a guy,” Plinky. Plinky introduced Murphy to pedal steel player Marc Muller, who connected Murphy to the NYC alt-country scene. The three of them got to work on Murphy’s debut album Under the Lights (1998). Muller became intimately involved with Murphy's career, producing his album Chasing Ghosts, co-producing Stories from Snake Hill and Yellow Moon, and has played on all his records except for A Heart So Rare.

Murphy put out the EP Things I Can’t Forget (2000) to capture “odds and ends, and live recordings.” In the early 2000s, he formed garage-punk band Dave Murphy and the Hamilton Electric with Claude Coleman Jr. of Ween and New Brunswick, New Jersey guitar legend Brian Sugent. He then reconnected with Muller for Chasing Ghosts (2003), featuring vocals from Steve Forbert and Nicole Atkins.

Murphy was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2003, and he stepped back from being a full-time musician. There was a long recovery period from the surgery and treatments. He played locally, joined songwriting groups, and wrote lots of songs before recording Stories from Snake Hill (2008) with Billy Masters (Suzanne Vega, Alejandro Escavedo). He ultimately ended up finishing the album with his longtime friend Muller.

Murphy was playing festivals and participating in songwriting contests as a finalist at both the Kerrville Folk Festival and WIldflower! Arts & Music Festival. During this time he was drinking heavily and a relationship ended messily, leading to his sad and angry break-up record Yellow Moon (2011). He decided to get sober in 2010, moved back to New Jersey and began his journey to recovery and writing the album American Landscape (2016) — made with Grammy-winner Ben Wisch.

The massive changes that came surrounding the COVID pandemic, including Murphy’s divorce, sparked the creative catalyst to writing and recording the batch of songs that make up A Heart So Rare, an album about accepting your place in the world with hope and gratitude. It wrestles with concepts of mortality and legacy, while reminding us to stay present and embrace the mystery of our unwritten futures. Murphy is a storyteller of the highest caliber and if you’re willing to truly listen, this album will move you.

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Growing up in a house where the music of great songwriters was almost required listening, Kevin's musical beginnings included influences from songwriters such as John Prine, Bob Dylan, Joanie Mitchell, Carol King, James Taylor, and Kris Kristofferson.

Once described as an “observation philosopher” Kevin’s songwriting goes straight for the heart. Whether it’s about being in love, the sadness of a breakup, the loss of a loved one, or introspective social commentary, Kevin always seems to capture the feeling of the moment and bring it to life in song.

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For the Future of Humanity, Music for Humanity shares music and supports music education. MusicForHumanity.org, for over nineteen years, has done that with scholarships and new instruments for school districts. MFH has also spread more music via a free monthly concert series for over 14 years, given an annual Honorarium to support professional musicians (over 7 years). Thie year MFH will give the Third Annual Music Teacher Appreciation Award, a $1000 Grant. And this year is the Second Annual Songwriting Contest with a $1000 first prize, $500 runner-up, and five honorable mentions. The winners will be announced at the 170th Music for Humanity Free Performance Night on Saturday December 21 at Noble Coffee Roasters in Campbell Hall NY featuring two outstanding singer/songwriters, Bruce T. Carroll and Neil Okeson; the deadline to apply is Tuesday, November 26th at 9AM. You can enter at this link: https://musicforhumanity.org/song-writing-contest/ In today’s world we need more “music ambassadors”. We don’t need more businesspeople, more politicians, more scientists, engineers, or sports heroes. We need more people who can bring us together. We need more “music ambassadors” who can build the invisible roads and bridges to connect our hearts & souls. Music can effectively communicate that what we have in common, as human beings, is far greater than any differences. There is currently an international article about Co-Founder Barry Adelman and Music for Humanity. If it’s not live yet it will be soon. Here’s a link to access it: https://youtu.be/yj_vVjYjQFc and the full interview at https://spotlyts.com/ This Hootenanny Café Radio show will feature Esther Chae the 2024 MFH Grand Scholarship recipient, a few of the performers who have donated sets to help support the mission, and a couple of winning entries from around the country in last year’s songwriting contest. MFH has given $187,000 in scholarships, $13,000 for new instruments for Hudson Valley school districts and about $4000 in Honorariums to professional musicians. Music builds the invisible roads & bridges that connect our hearts & souls. More Music means more connections. More Music means a better world for all of us. “For the future of Humanity, Support Music Education.” It’s donations of $5, $10, $20, $50, $100 and more that have made our programs work. If you’re a musician or a music lover together we make a difference. Give what you can afford. Please consider a tax-deductible donation here: https://musicforhumanity.org/donate/ or send a check to Music for Humanity, PO Box 359, Chester, NY 10918. MFH is a volunteer organization. There are no salaries. Together we have and will continue to make a difference. Thank you for your support!

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Montana natives turned Angelenos, Joselyn & Don’s intoxicating music is a walk through mountain wildflowers and desert Joshua trees. The duo’s 2020 debut album "Soar" and 2022 EP "Seeds & Bones" have been warmly received by critics and independent radio worldwide. Publications like Americana UK, Twangville, Americana Highways and others praise Joselyn Wilkinson's "one-of-a-kind voice," Don Barrozo's "fluid guitar work" and the "rich, lyrical, wild, spiritual imagery" of their music. Their latest project, due for release in 2025, chronicles love, loss and the search for home and identity on the back roads of the American West. Its first single “Choose Love (featuring Chris Pierce),” released Oct. 4, 2024, is a soulful anthem that calls for love and compassion in a time of division. Billboard charting vocalist Chris Pierce lends his powerful vocals and harmonica to the track, Bob Glaub (Stevie Nicks) plays bass, Mauricio Lewak (Jackson Browne) is on drums and producer Graham Richman (Lizzie No) plays keys.

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May 1975. It seemed inevitable. David Tamulevich, Libby Glover & Michael Hough had been informally jamming and performing with each other for more than 3 months in the Rathskeller of the Old Heidelberg Restaurant in Ann Arbor, MI. The room had grown consistently packed with enthusiastic fans every weekend. They all agreed it was time they made the trio official, and took the name Mustard’s Retreat , from one of Tamulevich’s original tunes.

They performed as a trio throughout the late 1970s, until Libby moved south: Tamulevich & Hough decided to keep going as a duo ,( with Libby sitting in whenever her travels brought her back to Michigan). Success and accolades continued to follow them as they broadened their radius of touring, and began making albums. Their 14 recordings, plus 4 compilations with the Michigan songwriting collective The Yellow Room Gang , have been highly acclaimed and received significant airplay across the country, Canada and Europe. Two of their original songs, ( Ours is a) Simple Faith, and Gather the Family have been included in the prestigious Rise Again songbook. Their newest recording is due out in late 2023.

They became a trio again in 2015 when Libby permanently moved back to Michigan. In 2019 Michael retired from the group, though still will perform with them when he can. Libby and David have carried on, performing around 30 concerts a year. David was born in Branford, CT, sang in choir, and volunteered in high school at a local coffeehouse. He was moved by the music and the community that formed around it. He moved to Ann Arbor, MI in 1972 Libby Glover was raised in Flint, MI which had a wonderful arts program in the schools at the time. Theater, choir, performing, piano, she did it all.

Their performances are always joyful and uplifting, as well as thought provoking and insightful: a mix of songs and stories, old and new, that celebrate the common humanity and community that binds us all together. “ Music to cure what ails you,” were the words of an early reviewer, and it is even more true now than it was when it was written in the late 70s.

Says Tamulevich, "We came of age in the mid-60s, when traditional folk was melding with singer/songwriter, so all of that is in our DNA.. We have 15 full length recordings and are included on several other compilations. We formed in 1975 and have been touring ever since. In the process we have done in excess of 7,000 shows. A real highlight is having two of our original compositions, Gather the Family, and ( Ours is a) Simple Faith included is the Rise Again! songbook. We love the depth and breath of folk music, and what it has done for our lives and through it, we have found a community that we love as much as the music.

A recent review….“Thank you, David and Libby, for creating a magical evening that was joyful, playful, tender, profound, and filled with hope. I don’t often use the word "perfect," but that is what it felt like. We'd gathered at St. Stephen’s for a concert for the benefit of Schenectady Community Ministries and found ourselves in the presence not only of consummate musicians but also of great souls. You came to most of us as strangers and we emerged as friends who had participated in something extraordinary. We wish you every blessing as you share your songs and light with a world in need and we look forward to your new recording". Jane Brady-Close, Schenectady, NY

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Mike is a singer songwriter who grew up on the Texas coast and NW Louisiana. He wasn’t from a musical family but always wanted to play the guitar. He had friends that grew up playing and they taught him to play the six string Mike has worked with some of the top acts, pickers and writers in the business Mike’s songs are steeped in the tradition of others that come before him. The blended style with down home roots makes the stories in his songs seem so vivid and real to his listeners. With a salty Texas style, Mike spins life stories and historic tales into musical poetry

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Tracy Newman grew up in Los Angeles. She started playing guitar at 14, usually sitting on the diving board of her family’s pool, strumming for hours each day. Back then she was mostly influenced by the Kingston Trio, because she could actually play some of their songs, especially “Tom Dooley” which had, and still has, only two chords.

After high school, Tracy wanted to be a folksinger, but her parents insisted she go to college. She went to the U of A in Tucson and quickly discovered the “folk” community. She stopped attending college and began playing on street corners for money, otherwise known as “busking.” Understandably, this freaked out her mother who flew to Tucson and dragged Tracy back to LA for “help.” The therapist, an elderly man in a suit and tie, kept nodding off during the sessions. Apparently, he couldn’t relate to an upper middle class teenage girl who just wanted to be a folksinger.

In the early 70s, she joined an improv class taught by Gary Austin, which soon became The Groundlings. Tracy is a founding member, and besides performing, she taught and directed. Her sister, Laraine Newman was the first Groundling to be discovered there by Lorne Michaels for Saturday Night Live. Some other Groundling alumni include Melissa McCarthy, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Paul “Pee Wee Herman” Reubens and Kathy Griffin. It was at the Groundlings that Tracy met her future TV writing partner, Jonathan Stark. Their first staff job was on “Cheers,” followed by “Bob” (starring Bob Newhart), “The Nanny,” “Ellen” and “The Drew Carey Show.” In 1997, Newman and Stark won an Emmy and Peabody Award for writing the groundbreaking “coming out” episode of “Ellen.” In 2001, they created the ABC comedy, “According to Jim,” which ran for eight seasons.

Tracy had been writing songs all along, many of which were featured in TV shows. She’s once again writing full-time and occasionally performing. Her debut CD, A Place in the Sun, is still a favorite with young and old alike. The title track on her CD, I Just See You, highlights the beauty of a long-term relationship. Her children’s CD/coloring book, I Can Swing Forever, is a collaboration with her daughter, writer/artist Charlotte Dean. That’s What Love Can Do to Your Heart, her latest release, debuted January 2018.

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Nick Carter has been on a life-long journey across that rich and borderless landscape we call music. Since his school days, he’s been listening for those combinations of melody and story that draw out the singer and musician inside.  During his earlier years, music was his constant, many-faceted fellow traveler – whether in musical theater, ensemble performance, a cappella groups, folk/rock bands or in solo settings.

Nick’s companionship with music persisted throughout his years in business and marketing until it finally captured his full professional attention, when he ultimately turned to teaching music, spending 15 years conveying his love for the subject to his many students. It was during those years that Nick’s songwriting steadily emerged. In 2014 he said goodbye to the classroom, and focused on his own creative development.

These days Nick’s music imparts the stories of a man who has arrived at songwriting later in life and whose varied experiences give a knowing voice to his life-long love of storytelling through songs.  His new-found dedication to songwriting is the timely “next act” for someone who, over the years, was never far from a pen, paper or guitar. These days Nick packs those things wherever he goes.

“Carved in The Bark” is Nick’s latest release, and his second in collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer, Seth Glier. This collection is Nick’s most serious endeavor yet at capturing current-day concerns with lyrics and musical arrangements to match, reflecting his skills of observation and experimentation with new sounds.

Nick’s earlier album “Fountain Pen”, released in September, 2022, (also with Seth Glier as producer) drew praise from both folk radio and print media as an evocative, emotional collection, with several songs cited as “instant standards” and the title track as “a gem”. “Carved in The Bark”, by its creative choices in addressing social and environmental issues, gratitude, reconciliation, old friends, not-quite-forgotten crushes and the universal love of Friday night, offers listeners a few minutes of satisfying distraction and richer evidence of Nick’s artistic reach.

A little not-so-ancient history Nick’s musical life really began on Sunday night, February 9, 1964, when pop music in America changed forever. That night, over their weekly ritual of pizza and watching The Ed Sullivan Show, he and his family, like millions of other Americans, discovered The Beatles.

“I can still see the four of them on our small, black and white television screen.  They looked cool and sounded great.  I still remember “I Want to Hold Your Hand”.  What really got to me about that song was the bridge, and how the chords and their soft, long-short-long rhythm contrasted with the rest of the song.  Years later I realized I had fallen for that famous ii-V-I-vi chord progression. But to my fourth grader’s ears, on that night and every other time I listened that winter, it was pure joy. It was like nothing I’d heard before and all I wanted to do was play that song over and over and play along on my brother’s drums until I wore out the grooves on the 45.” In the years to come, music would only become a deeper passion. Nick attributes this –especially his love and knowledge of Sixties music – to countless afternoons after school, listening to the hit singles his older siblings were always bringing home.

Nick occasionally takes time out from songwriting to study circle singing and vocal improvisation in a weeklong workshop under renowned jazz vocalist, Bobby McFerrin. Nick performs frequently for Musicians on Call, a national volunteer organization that offers live music to patients in New York area hospitals. He also serves on the Connecticut and New York area advisory boards for Music Will, the national music education charity that, since inception, has brought music instrument programs to more than 1 million students.

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Dana Powell is a Canadian singer, songwriter and pianist now living in Indiana, US. Her influences are wide-ranging from artists like Adele, Carly Pearce and Tenille Arts to great jazz vocalists like Carmen McRae and Dinah Washington.

Dana’s first full-length country pop album, “Your Love Is Enough”, was released August 1st, 2024. A song from the album, "You Show Me", debuted on the Midwest Country Music Originals show and aired on 20+ commercial stations across Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Minnesota. "You Show Me" was also featured in an emerging artist segment on KCountry 105.7 and will be featured on Canadian Country: Up & Coming 92.9 in Ontario, Canada.

Her songs have been featured on various radio stations worldwide including a nationally syndicated NPR Christmas special. Dana signed publishing deals for two of her Christmas songs in 2023.

Dana’s EP "Mirrors" (2023) was produced by Grammy Award winning engineer, Philip Larsen (Katy Perry, Kylie Minogue).

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Nicole Mish is a singer-songwriter from the San Francisco Bay Area with a newly released debut album, Whole Damn Sky. In a review for FATEA magazine, Mike Davies described the album as “a beguiling concoction of folk-Americana shaded songs touching on themes of relationships and human connection."

For the recordings, Mish teamed up with Aeron Z Jones. While Mish is the sole songwriter on the album, Jones produced, arranged, mixed and was an instrumentalist on all 14 tracks. The two worked mainly from Mish’s home studio in the San Francisco Bay area, though two songs were recorded during production retreats with Talent Is Timeless at Kris Górski’s Studio Audioplanet in Łąkie, Poland. Guest artists include Kris Górski on piano, Filip Wnukowski, Kenneth Blacklock, Katy Bridges and Sylwia Namroży on violin, Daniel Sobiesiak on cello, Łukasz Łapiński on drums and Noah Gothelf on banjo. Mary Commins created the Cover Art. Whole Damn Sky is currently available on Mish’s website and will begin streaming on October 10.

In his Fatea magazine review, Mike Davies concluded: “The strength of the writing and the assured confidence and emotional nuance in which she delivers the song defies belief that...she's only been making music professionally for just two years. At one point she says "I'll sing until the angels cry". She can make them too.”

Mish has been passionate about both music and writing since childhood but didn’t merge these two interests until her kids started moving on to university. She found herself with extra time and asked herself, “At the end of my life, what will I regret not spending more time on?” The answer was music. One day soon after, she sat down to write her first song and it felt like lightning striking. This set her on a remarkable journey.

Mish quickly found a safe and wonderful place to land with Talent Is Timeless, an international organization for songwriters over 50 based out of the UK and founded by Saskia Griffiths-Moore. She attended a TisT music production retreat in Poland in August 2023, hosted by Kris Gorski and Jola Górska-Zych. There, Aeron Z Jones was on staff. He arranged the track and took the lead in producing Mish’s Wild Song. After the retreat, the two teamed up to record Whole Damn Sky.

Nicole Mish on the importance of song and writing in her life and the merging of the two: “Singing was one of my very first loves. I sang in my crib and then, as a kid, dreamily while listening to my parents’ album collection, which leaned heavily in the direction of folk and musical theater. In my youth, I joined many choirs, participated in musicals, and in college took classical voice lessons and continued to sing along to records. I also began finding my voice in writing. In the first decades of adulthood, I travelled, lived in several countries, got my doctorate in history, married my current love, had 3 wonderful kids, became mom to 3 terrific dogs, worked at a history museum, taught off and on, became a librarian and sometimes led storytimes. All along, I did my own writing on the side and I grew as a writer. To bring music and words together is one of the most rewarding and natural things I have ever done. To be able to use my rusty voice again to share my songs with you was something I honestly never even dreamed of until I started writing songs. When I started this journey, I saw myself as a songwriter first and more of an amateur vocalist. However, as I grow in confidence, I am realizing how much I want to perform my songs and interpret them for you.”

Nicole Mish is already working on songs for her next album and continuing to grow as a musician. She’s currently studying with Berklee Online to get her Advanced Professional Songwriting Certificate and wishes she could study music and songwriting forever. She feels like her journey as a songwriter is just beginning and takes such pleasure in the connecting with you through music.

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Tom Prasada-Rao is a musician's musician - an unassuming presence on the folk scene since the early nineties. His voice belies his musicianship and his extraordinary songs. From headlining major festivals to the relative obscurity of a recording studio, Tom’s work blossomed into an impressive resume of original songs and producing credits.

Tom was born in Ethiopia of Indian parents and raised in Takoma Park, MD. He writes songs of extraordinary power & spirituality evoking his Indian heritage and his love of R&B. In 2019, Tom was diagnosed with stage four cancer, followed by surgery, radiation, and chemo. He took a break from touring for a season and then returned to the road as he was able to, continuing to inspire and encourage audiences wherever he went.

2020 marked a change in Tom's writing, with over10 new songs about loss, race, and hope including the viral sensation $20 Bill (for George Floyd). Many say that Tom’s best songs were written in the last 5 years.

Tom passed away on June 19, 2024, but his music lives on in his recordings and many artists who continue to share Tom’s songs on stages all across the country.

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“Covering a wide gamut of subjects as well as styles, Kathy moves seamlessly from serious to hilarious.” (Kent State University Folk Festival, Kent, OH) ''Her songs are memorable, filled with wit, substance and humor…She has a way of grabbing ordinary moments and working them into something that everybody can relate to no matter what their background.” (Trista Crossley, Country Songwriter Magazine) Kathy Johnson’s music mixes her well-crafted originals, folk, vintage country, cowboy songs, rock, and more, featuring her clear, warm voice. Her originals range from the comic "Well-Tanned, Hairy-Chested, Bare-Armed Men" and quirky “The Four-Minute Egg,” to love songs like “It’s Real,” songs inspired by nature like “Summer Solstice,” and her memorable folk anthem, "A Little More Fair, A Little More Free." Kathy has performed at festivals and venues in Ohio, the Eastern U.S., and Canada. She’s played multiple times at the Bluebird Café and other clubs in Nashville and had original songs signed with Music Row publishers. She’s been in the Ohio Arts Council's Performing Arts on Tour program and the Artist Roster of the Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center. “Kathy Johnson sings with a voice that evokes the openness of the American Midwest.” (Scott Utley, WGMC-FM, Rochester, NY) "Warm and inviting' may be overused when describing folk singers, but in the case of Kathy Johnson, the phrase is perfect." (Robert Mihalek, Cleveland Free Times) Her four CDs have gotten great reviews and radio airplay on folk, Americana, and country stations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and New Zealand. Great Big Dreams was on the preliminary ballot for a Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2014. Small Town Girl has 12 originals and 2 cowboy songs, featuring Kathy and talented musicians from Nashville and Akron. "What a guileless and charming album!" (Michael Tearson, Sing Out! Magazine) “A sweet and often-touching collection of country and folk-inspired songs.” (Glenn Gamboa, Akron Beacon Journal)

Way Out West includes the original title cut and classics like "Home on the Range" and "Happy Trails." "I like everything about this record from start to finish. How can you not dig an album that features heartfelt performances of classic songs…The most pleasing thing about this record is the blending of Johnson’s warm voice with the subtle arrangements of fiddle and guitar…highly enjoyable." (Charles Earle, In Review, Nashville)

Home for the Holidays features originals, carols, and winter favorites. “I had a feeling this would be something special, and it is!” (Fred Dolan, WJCU-FM, Cleveland)

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Good Enough is a band of 3 singing-songwriting brothers, Dan, Larry, and John Modaff. They have performed and recorded original songs together since the early 1980's. Growing from the roots of a musical family where all 7 children had piano lessons with Grandma, the boys branched off on their own instruments and songwriting journeys. They each enjoyed solo careers through the 1980’s and early 1990’s, performing in venues in Texas, Illinois, New York, Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. The brothers joined efforts in 1995 when they formed the band Good Enough. Good Enough offers a folk/blues mix of stories, themes, and moods with a solid acoustic Americana influence. From 1995-2009, Good Enough performed around the Midwest and recorded their first four albums: Yes It Is!, Too, Cubed, and Dakota Plains. In 2010, life and day jobs led to changes in location for a few of the members, so while live performances as a band stopped, the joint writing and recording did not. The band collaborated virtually and released More Than a Line in 2019 and recently finished their sixth album, Saturday’s Child, released in the summer of 2024. While each of the members performs solo in the Midwest, the brothers plan to continue their efforts as a family-based cooperative of singer-songwriters and are laying the groundwork for their seventh Good Enough album.

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Singer-songwriter Leslie Evers hails from northern California.  She is known for her clear, stellar singing voice, delivering melodies that stay with you long after hearing them. Her lyrics betray both wit and sensitivity as she explores hidden truths in everyday life.  Her approach to genre is eclectic; she loves folk, Tin Pan Alley/ American songbook style, and old time country,  but it is all unified by a light, intimate, acoustic touch.  Writing songs is both her work and her freedom. Coming from a family marked by children who had varying degrees of ASD, a longing to be understood drives every piece of work she creates.

Leslie was born in Chicago to a steel worker/engineer father and homemaker mother. When she and her three brothers were very young, the family moved from the rust belt to a new life on the west coast.  Leslie grew up avidly listening to her parents' tradtional folk, jazz, and Broadway records. She begged for music lessons, but Leslie was not to receive any formal music training until  later.  So she learned to structure & write from listening to popular music and fashioning songs from what she heard on the radio.  The variety of genres in that period of popular music inspired a certain freedom of approach which has never left her. She writes on guitar,  piano and banjo.

As a young woman, Leslie entered the film world in order to make a living, and worked in Hollywood as a studio reader, story editor, script consultant, and did other odd production jobs - all the while writing songs on the side.  As a result her songs are cinematic in feel, and most are crafted as small stories, outlining vivid characters and scenarios. Leslie still keeps her hand in the business and sometimes produces docs and independent narrative films, most notably a music bio of the famed and influential Gospel guitarist and writer, Rev. Gary Davis, entitled HARLEM STREET SINGER (2013).  It was not until 2014 that she published her first collection of songs. 

Leslie performs intermittently but those who attend her shows are treated to warmth, humor, vulnerability, and smart, incisive songwriting. Never underestimating her audience is a hallmark of her performing style.

Her breakout 1st CD (produced by Woody Mann) is  I Can’t Remember My Dreams. It charted on the folk DJ list at number 10, with a #3 hit "Break a little Heart."  Her recent 2024 album, Bound for Land,  was produced by Ed Johnson, associate-produced by Cliff Eberhardt,  and heavily accompanied by guitarist Rick Ruskin, all brilliant musicans who added their individual magic touches. The project held steady at #12 position on the folk charts for 2 months, without dropping.   Her meditative performance video "Along the Rocky Way,” reached  #1 on the California Country Music channel, and is still charting after 6 months. Last year, Leslie won a coveted spot performing at 2023 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase.  She is currently working on writing her third album.

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When Michael Natrin asked Erin Magnin to dust off her fiddle and join him for a couple songs at a local songwriter showcase, the two never imagined they were creating a musical partnership that would continue far into the future. Playfully calling themselves The Honey Badgers, more to make themselves chuckle than to make any sort of a statement, the two discovered a chemistry between their voices that demanded to be heard. Thus, the duo was born.

In their first several years working together they released their debut EP, “Booth Bay”, a thoughtfully crafted second EP, “Soul”, as well as a collection of live recordings entitled “Mad Season”. In the years following the duo’s conception, they played all over their home state of Delaware and the surrounding area, from the Delmarva Folk Festival in Hartly to the World Cafe Live at the Queen in Wilmington. They opened for nationally touring act The Lone Bellow, as well as local Delaware favorite New Sweden.

Upon turning 30 in 2019, they released their first full length album, “Meet Me”, quit their day jobs, outfitted a cargo van with a bed and a kitchen, and hit the road to make performing music their full time gig. This was impeccable timing of course, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world a year later and changed everything.

In isolation, and after losing several loved ones, The Honey Badgers began to write poignant and deeply intimate songs reflecting on the repeating cycles of life, death, love, and time itself. When the world began to insist upon returning to “normal”, the duo tucked these songs and emotions away, and tried to move on.

But anyone who has ever tried to heal from anything knows that there is no way around but through. In the past several years, Erin and Michael have found themselves digging through their pasts to untangle the tight knots holding them back from moving freely in the present. The Earth Turns and So Do We is a collection of fifteen songs addressing grief, memory, loneliness, stagnancy, and through it all - a thread of hope and healing. This latest album was released on the summer solstice, June 20, 2024.

“It would be easy to say that we wrote an album just about grief and loss, but we were also exploring how everything cycles, how spring always comes around again, how you can blink and someone you love is gone, and then a year later there they are in vivid memory while you’re eating your cereal… how your past always comes back to haunt you, but most of the time it’s a friendly ghost,” writes Erin on the central themes of the album.

Bolstered by a talented and accomplished cast of musicians, the new album offers a diverse array of tunes, including hopeful folk-rock, Irish-inspired reflections on legacy, an achingly stark violin and guitar instrumental piece, a harmonium-driven ode to community, and a drinking song conceived in a coastal Maine cafe.

The Honey Badgers’ folk/Americana sound has been likened to that of The Civil Wars and The Swell Season. They are known for their perfectly blended harmonies, their sincere lyrics and melodies, and their undeniable chemistry onstage and off. They were recently voted as winners of the 2023 Falcon Ridge Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase as well as winners of the 2024 Susquehanna Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase.

As full time musicians and travelers, Michael and Erin look forward now to creating music that has roots growing through every place they go.

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Will Gunnell is a seasoned songwriter and musician from VA whose musical journey spans across various genres including country, rock, and inspirational music. Will firmly believes the universal power of a good song transcends styles and eras, to reach people of all walks of life and touch hearts. Will’s accomplishments include a performance at the Grand Ole Opry House in 2019. Two number 1 songs along with several top 10 and top 20 songs on independent charts. Cuts by several independent artists. Released numerous albums and singles. Will is also a worship leader. He is continuously engaging in the pursuit of crafting, recording, and releasing original songs while also working on recording demo tracks. With his sincere passion, diverse musical influences, and a heart dedicated to service, Will Gunnell is an inspiration both on and off the music stage, and he simply wants a chance to share his music and his story with others, perhaps one day write songs full-time as a staff writer.

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Julia Roome best known from “The Voice” Season 24, Team Niall Horan super save. She’s also gigging several times a month, singing the national anthem, and has performed in both an off Broadway play and many regional ones as well. Julia only lives a little over an hour from New York City, so she’s had an opportunity to sing at the Friars Club, as well as amateur night at The World Famous Apollo Theatre (where she’s won twice!). Keegan Ferrell, a “Voice” Season 20 Voice contestant, noticed her on social media when her original EP reached number 9 on the the iTunes charts, prompting him to work with Julia to continue building a portfolio of original music. Their first song together “Childhood” garnered a massive amount of attention and has the most streams to date. When Julia isn’t gigging or recording, she’s writing new original music. Julia is extremely competitive and played travel Softball and Soccer as well as being an Olympic Downhill ski racing hopeful, before deciding to focus more on music. Now she is working on her first album and is working every day to better herself.

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A New England native, Erin Ash Sullivan’s music reflects a deep sense of place, and her lyrics—sometimes heartfelt, sometimes funny—are always authentic and drawn from her lived experience. Steeped in the storytelling tradition, her songs capture where she is in this moment, enmeshed in a web of relationships as a mother, daughter, wife, sister, and friend, with lyrics that explore how we preserve our individuality even as we disappear in our connections to others. WFUV’s John Platt describes Sullivan as “a special talent that reminds me of early Dar Williams.”

Erin started playing guitar when she was living in New York City in her early 20s, when a miniscule elementary school teacher’s salary and an even more miniscule 9×12’ apartment suddenly made playing out an appealing option. She co-founded the band Edith O with college friend Amy Speace, and they released an album, Tattooed Queen, which garnered critical raves. It is possible that the band broke up when Erin—who was at the time a sleep-deprived mother of a six-week-old—forgot to show up at the Bitter End for the band’s record release show. In subsequent years, marriage, children, and a career as an educator took center stage, but in 2018, Erin returned to writing and performing.

Erin’s 2021 debut solo album, We Can Hear Each Other, reached #10 on the FAI DJ Chart, and she was a 2023 “Most Wanted” selection from the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. She won the Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Competition and the Mark Erelli Judge's Choice Award in the New England Songwriting Competition, and she has been a finalist in the Great American Song Contest and the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. Her second album, Signposts and Marks, is out July 2024.

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Jillian Matundan is a unique singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who continues to win over audiences with her warm, resonant vocals. Her songs tell stories that are relatable, while her unique guitar-style, and inviting stage presence draws her audience into every performance.

Hailing from Central New York, Jillian began training as a concert violinist at the age of three, while also learning piano, flute, and sitar. A musician to her core, Jillian, taught herself how to play other instruments including the guitar, string bass, and percussion.

After a fifteen-year hiatus from writing and playing her own music, to focus on a career in the labor movement, Jillian has returned to performing and has since won many awards and recognitions (including twelve Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Awards); collaborating, playing and recording with other musicians; while playing venues that include Club Passim, The Bitter End, Rockwood Music Hall, Jammin' Java, and the Edwards Opera House. She has opened for Susan Werner, Natalia Zuckerman, Jesse Terry, Rachael Kilgour, Scott Cook, Michael Clem, Greg Howard, and Anne Hills. Jillian’s debut EP, "Hangin' On” was released in June 2020. Her first full-length album, “Singing to the Moon” debuted at No. 6 on the FAI Folk Chart in March 2024. Jillian is a first-generation Filipina American. Jillian also plays with the McLean Symphony and Reston Community Orchestra. She is involved with a number of organizations, including Focus Music (DC/Baltimore Metro), where she is the President. She is a proud trade unionist and lives in Northern Virginia.

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Loretta Hagen is a multi award winning singer songwriter based out of NJ. Her music is described as heart tugging, social conscious, fun, with poignant lyrics and catchy melodies sung with a soothing whiskey toned voice. Loretta has performed in many prestigious venues such as The Outpost In The Burbs, Music At The Mission, Turning Point Cafe, Town Crier, Sellersville Theater,as well as many music festivals, and shared the stage with well known artists such as Pete Seeger, John Gorka, Roger McGuinn, Johnny Winter, Kim Richie, to name a few. Her husband Gary is her music partner and described by fans as an extremely tasteful guitarist and producer. Both cut their teeth in Nashville for a number of years as well as the east coast. Loretta has released four critically acclaimed CDs that have been widely received by college and Indi radio shows across the country and Europe. Hagen plays live as a full band, trio or duo.

And the theme that Loretta chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: SONGS OF SURVIVAL

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Julie's early musical journey took her from her small, Long Island hometown of Manhasset, NY to the college town of New Paltz, NY, where she joined several music ventures including country band "Mustang", the accapella group "Woven Tones" and pursued a solo career as a vocalist. There she participated in a musical fundraising and awareness campaign to stop pristine Lake Minnewaska from being developed by a major hotel chain. This project called "Save The Mountain" succeeded in creating a state park preserve at the site. She returned to NYC and focused her attention on songwriting, working with "Songs of Love", an organization that delivers personalized songs to ailing children . Julie is now based in Nashville, TN. She has released two full-length albums, "In a New Light" produced by Jon Gordon and "Lucky 7", which included "Hometown Hallelujah". The song, originally written to celebrate the resilience and cooperative spirit of the people of Nashville, TN in the wake of catastrophic flooding, is the theme song of the new Apple Podcast, the Voice of Free Earth, based on the novel by Michael Klein. Julie is currently working on a song-driven documentary short film titled "Who Speaks For Earth" highlighting endangered species around the world.

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Beppe Gambetta is a guitarist, vocalist, researcher, and composer born in Genova, Italy, in 1955. His distinct style of concert presentation brings American and European roots together with one voice, blending energetic grooves with passionate melodies and giving new life to sources from different times, periods, and places. In addition, the original music he composes has contemporary influences on traditional roots music. Gambetta has focused primarily on his solo career since 2002, touring constantly between Europe and America, creating a musical fusion where American roots music and Ligurian tradition, emigration songs and folk ballads, steel string guitars, and vintage harp guitars not only co-exist but interact, weaving a deep dialog unaware of any rigid classification. Gambetta's 2018 release SHORT STORIES reached #2 on the RMR Traditional Bluegrass Album Chart, #8 on the earshot! National International Chart, and #18 on the Folk Alliance International chart. In 2019, Mayor Marco Bucci of Genoa bestowed upon Beppe the title of "Genoa Ambassador to the World." With the release of his 14th CD (WHERE THE WIND BLOWS, Borealis Records, Canada 2020), Gambetta revealed himself to be not simply a master guitarist but also a new songwriter of great feeling, wisdom, and maturity. TERRA MADRE (Mother Earth) is a musical key to opening a world of tales and dreams related to the motherlands of infinite possible itineraries and to the cries of pain and hope that rise from them. The record weaves together the experience and wisdom of a fifty-year career, and the work is further enriched by the participation of internationally renowned guests from different musical genres. The album also reflects Gambetta's distinct style, which brings American and European roots together with one voice, blending energetic grooves with passionate melodies and giving new life to sources from different times, periods, and places. In addition, the original music he composes has contemporary influences on traditional roots music. TERRA MADRE features six original compositions, including the beautiful instrumental closing track "Season of Suspension" and two well-chosen songs in the public domain: "Saint James Hospital," an homage to Doc Watson, and "Mis Amour," a medieval Provençal ballad about thwarted love that originates from a tiny linguistic minority of the Italian Occitan valleys. Americana singer-songwriter Tim O'Brien joins Beppe on vocals, and American mandolin icon David Grisman, acoustic guitar pioneer Dan Crary, and celebrated bluegrass artist Travis Book lend their talents to the featured single “SIT AND PICK WITH YOU” along with Beppe on guitars. View the accompanying video, a nostalgic photo album featuring Beppe and many musical friends and collaborators throughout the years here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbtIH2NJH2I Different dimensions are added to the album by the presence of New York avant-garde drummer/percussionist Joe Bonadio, the versatile acoustic jazz harmonica player Howard Levy, and from the world of "Newgrass” Jam Bands, the hugely popular bassist, Travis Book. Gambetta plays traditional acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, 12-string guitar, slide guitar and dobro, bouzouki guitar, two types of Cuban tres, banjo guitar, and some "prepared" guitars designed to achieve particular sounds. The record is sustained by timeless emotions evoked from the reasoned succession of songs, like the successive chapters of a book. This sonic opus draws its energy from new journeys and explorations within the vast creative territory encompassed by acoustic guitar mastery, musical composition, and songwriting, and by conscious choice relies foremost on the intensity of expression and

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Jan Gillies was born in California, grew up in the swamps of Northern Indiana, spent several years as a sailor crewing research expeditions off South Florida, the Bahamas, and South America, and currently lives in the mountains of West Virginia. From her early beginnings working the record department at Value City to her time at sea, being a Hospice director, and a singing science teacher, music has been a common thread throughout Jan's life, and her songs are inspired by her experiences and the people (and animals!) she's met along the way. An avid story-teller, Jan’s musical topics are drawn from her extremely unusual life for a girl who grew up in the Midwest. She’s been a biologist, sailor, oceanographer, research SCUBA diver, science teacher, artist, musician, EMT and Hospice director; as well as a mother, daughter and wife, She was lost at sea without a boat (twice!), fell asleep underwater (once), worked with American crocodiles, swum with sharks, lived through earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, traveled around the US and as far away as Australia. Everywhere she went, on land or sea, music has always been a huge part of her life and a loving connection to the world around her.  Known for her unusual, and sometimes quirky songs, Jan has been writing and performing her Travis-style, folk music since the mid-sixties. Her songs have won several awards. She is currently working on her 11th CD, having recorded nearly 100 original songs, several of which have received radio air-play across the US, Canada and Europe. Her early musical influences were from the sixties, when she was first attracted to such diverse singer/songwriters as Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Donovan, Buffy Saint-Marie, Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan. She has since honed her own songwriting skills in workshops with some great writers, including Cosy Sheridan, John Gorka, Tom Chapin, Tom Paxton, and many others. When asked, “Why do you write songs?”, her stock answer is “So I can sleep!” Apparently it’s a useful personal therapy, and after being advised that the more personal you get, the more universal things become; she hopes that her songs will help others, also. Her story songs also allow her to share the ‘Visions’ (her 10th CD title) she’s experienced during her journeys, from ‘alien’ squid encounters to plane crashes and being lost at sea, as well as marvels of the natural world. She also uses her songs to teach, in ways that make learning fun, as it should be!

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Award-winning singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Lisa Brigantino is an engaging performer whose eclectic approach to songwriting spans groove, genre and topic. Brigantino’s latest album, I’ll Waltz Before I Go, continues Brigantino’s tradition of producing albums containing her eclectic original songs which span a wide range of genres including Folk, Roots, Americana, Old-Time, Country, Pop, and Rock. ‘Round Magazine says “Nearly every track is a standout…This is a stunner of an album.” Lisa often performs her original music with her sister Lori Brigantino, also a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. They’ve been selected to appear at notable festivals and conferences like The New Jersey Folk Festival (Singer/Songwriter Showcase Winner), The Ladybug Music Festival, Maplewoodstock, The Rockland-Bergen Music Festival, The Pleasantville Music Festival, The Black Potatoe Festival, Wellfleet Porchfest, Folk Alliance International, Singer Songwriter Cape May. The two sisters also perform in “The Vickie & Nickie Show” a wacky, self-contained theatrical musical/comedy act,. Additionally, Lisa and Lori are a part of In The Rough, a vocal trio with long-time friend, collaborator and Broadway veteran, Susan Haefner. Both Lori and Susan have appeared on Lisa’s three commercially released albums. Lisa has a Bachelor of Arts in music theory and Master of Music in music composition and music theory from SUNY Fredonia. In addition to songwriting, she composes music for television, film, theatre, and more. She also writes instrumental pieces as well as solo vocal and choral ensemble music. In spring 2022, Lisa composed the original score for a production of “An Iliad” and performed it live on stage at Shaker Bridge Theatre in Enfield, NH. Lisa is currently writing music for several theatrical and film projects that are in production. Lisa also works as a music director and an instrumental sideperson/back-up singer for live performances and recordings. She is the recipient of a Certificate of Recognition from The Recording Academy for playing acoustic guitar and djembe on Joanie Leeds 2020 Grammy-Winning album All The Ladies which won a Grammy for Best Children’s Album. In 2022, Lisa co-produced a new album/book project with Terre Roche (founding member of The Roches) called Kin Ya See That Sun, containing live recordings of Terre and her sister Maggie Roche performing many of the songs they first performed when they were a duo and traveling around the country as teenagers on the coffeehouse circuit. The audio restoration and mastering of the album was done by Lisa’s husband Thomas Millioto. Lisa is the Associate Producer on Terre’s latest solo album of original material, Inner Adult, just released in May 2024. Lisa is a former original member of Lez Zeppelin the world’s first all-girl, all Led Zeppelin tribute band and toured internationally with the band for a number of years playing bass, bass pedals, keys, mandolin and doing backup vocals. Performance highlights include appearances at The Bonnaroo Music Festival and Voodoo Fest (USA),

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Detroit singer-songwriter Mike Ward is known for his lyrically-centric, vocally-charged folk songs. While growing up in Port Huron, Michigan, he listened to the Irish music of his heritage and sang in several choirs before digesting the influential sounds of Simon & Garfunkel, Dylan, Springsteen and John Prine. These days, he finds inspiration in the works of Jason Isbell, Sarah Jarosz and John Paul White. His intimate songwriting echoes through empty city streets, back country roads and family portraits. It also resides in the hidden spaces between joy and tragedy, love and loss. Ward brings a unique perspective to his songwriting after having spent 40 years working in the advertising industry while continuing a lifelong passion for hockey, which resulted in his infamous nickname “PsychoWard.” His debut album, We Wonder, released in 2018, was named “Best Folk Album of 2019” by Phil Maq of 89.3-FM (WHFR). In 2019, Ward immersed himself into the songwriting community in Detroit as well as Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM) and several online groups. This led to an association with David Roof of Rooftop Recording as well as collaborations with some of Michigan’s finest songwriters and musicians who would contribute mightily on his future projects. Ward released his second album in 2021, "The Darkness and The Light", as a thoughtful way to highlight past struggles, including regret and loss, and champion the need for hope in a changing world. The album landed at #33 on the Folk Alliance International (FAI) folk charts in March 2021 and has been played on the radio internationally. A year later, Ward dropped "Particles to Pearls", which explores the love of family and the passage of time. In addition to multiple Detroit Music Award recognitions, he received an honorable mention in the Great River Folk Fest Songwriting Contest for the song “Letting Go.” That same year also brought Ward’s sociopolitical EP "Troubled Times" as a bold reminder to raise your voice and chase your freedom. The EP’s three contemplative tracks emphasize protecting individual rights, upholding free speech, and supporting immigration.   This spring, Mike released his fourth album Love Never Rests, which features 11 introspective tracks that examine observations about life, love and loss along with relationships of the past, present and future. All stories are told through his emotive viewpoints of wisdom and gratitude. Mike’s song “Currency of Forgiveness” is a finalist for the Rocky Mountain Songwriting Contest in Red Lodge, Montana. He was an honorable mention in the 2023 Telluride Troubadour Songwriting Competition plus multiple Detroit Music Award finalists.   Outside of his releases, Ward performs regularly at small venues, clubs and house shows throughout Michigan, the Midwest, and the East Coast. He’s been on stage at Trinity House Theatre, Wiltsie’s, The Lager House, Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn, NY, Folknet,Cleveland, Ohio ,Wesley's Place, LaGrange, IL, Music at The Gazebo House Concert Series, Farmhouse Folk, Fitzgerald's Side Bar, Berwyn, IL. tate Fair.   Mike also performs at notable festivals, including the Wheatland Folk Festival, Blissfest 2024 FARM DJ Showcase, Thumbfest, HollerFest, Thunder Bay Folk Fest, Trinity House Theatre, Wiltsie's, Michigan State Fair, FolkNet and Look About Lodge (Cleveland MetroParks) Cleveland OH, On The Tracks Series-Chelsea Depot, Coffee House Milwaukee, Pete's Candy Store, Brooklyn, NY, Over Yonder House Concerts, Wesley's Place, LaGrange, IL, Music at The Gazebo House Concert Series, Farmhouse Folk, PJ's Lager House, North Star Lounge, Ann Arbor, MI, The Clover Room, Kalamazoo, MI, The Starlight Room, Muskegon, MI, Fitzgerald's Side Bar, Berwyn, IL, Two Way Street, Downers Grove, IL and WFMT FolkStage, Chicago, IL

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Musician and songwriter Bill Bachmann began his professional career while in college, opening for folk legends such as Dave Van Ronk and Steve Goodman in his hometown of Buffalo, NY. He had learned the ukulele from his dad at age five, and then followed a natural progression to guitar and piano throughout his teenage years. After a move to New York City’s Greenwich Village in his early twenties, Bill was soon called upon by luminaries Matt Glaser, Kenny Kosek, Jon Sholle, Stacy Phillips, Paula Lockheart and Peter Ecklund, among others, to play guitar on their highly acclaimed albums. Simultaneously, Bill had been wreaking havoc as a lead guitarist with Paul Siebel, Rod MacDonald, Andy Statman, The Song Project, David Massengill, and George Gerdes, to name but a few, while studying jazz piano, as well as the oud with virtuoso George Mgrdichian.

Bill also continued to pursue his songwriting endeavors. Singers Shawn Colvin, Lucy Kaplansky, and Christine Lavin, along with other Village artists, recorded his song “Vacation” on a “Live at The Bottom Line” CD. This track was chosen to appear on a Smithsonian Folkways Recordings CD, “Fast Folk,” which included other songwriters such as Suzanne Vega, John Gorka, Richard Shindell and Steve Forbert.

In 2009, Bill released his first solo CD, “Big World Out There,” writing the music and lyrics and playing all the instruments himself. Wildy’s World called it “a master class in marrying storytelling to song craft” and wrote “there are few in the Folk world or out of it who can tell a story with quite the same zest, wit and intelligence without compromising the inherent musicality of a song.” Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange asserted, “I dare ya to find a release quite the equal of this. And you'll have to do so on your own, 'cause I ain't lettin' loose of my copy.”

“Folk-n-Roller,” released in 2011, was again lyrically driven, romping through a multitude of styles. MuzikReviews.com claimed, “Bill Bachmann has delivered a near-perfect album that never disappoints.” Folkwords called it, “another guitar and lyrics masterclass.” Wildy’s World noted, “As songwriting goes, this is a ‘WOW’ moment… As a guitar player, there are few more accomplished than Bill Bachmann.” Muse’s Muse Reviews wrote, “He’s infectious - & this CD will suck you in like a drug.” And in a review by Matt Warnock: “Is there anything Bachmann can’t do as a singer-songwriter?” Bill continued to write more songs and record instrumentals, and in 2019 began publishing a number of videos on YouTube, showcasing his musical talents.

IN 2023, BILL PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS WITH HIS THIRD SOLO CD, “Flight of the BumBillB.” Layered with humor, pathos, and satire, he again has written, arranged, recorded and mixed the songs himself, while playing acoustic and electric guitars, banjo, dobro, mandolin, bass, drums, piano and synthesizer. Puns, double entendres, parodies, overstatements, understatements, juxtapositions, and innuendos abound, and his guitar work and vocals have continued to rise to new heights!

Bill currently resides in New York’s Westchester County, performing in and around the New York metropolitan area.

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Miranda Hardy is a NYC-based singer songwriter where she runs a monthly songwriter night, encouraging others to share their music and hone their craft. She grew up playing music alongside her father, the late singer songwriter, Jack Hardy, on cross country road trips and in small pubs in Ireland. But Hardy herself didn’t start songwriting until 2020; after a decade-long career in advertising, she left her corporate life behind and started watering her roots as a musician. Her sophomore album, The Price of Happiness, is an exploration of the tradeoffs we face when seeking happiness - like maintaining boundaries vs. fostering relationships. Or what we want vs. what we need. Or meeting expectations vs. remaining authentic to ourselves. From toxic workplaces, to bad habits, to complicated relationships–the choice is never as easy as it sounds. And sometimes, the only way to find true happiness is to admit when we’ve been causing our own downfalls. The album will be released May 31st.

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James Gordon has been there. He’s done that. He has had a remarkably diverse and resilient career in the Canadian entertainment business. As a solo singer-songwriter and with the ground-breaking trio Tamarack, he’s recorded at least 40 albums, (he’s lost track), and toured relentlessly around the world. He’s written for symphony orchestras, musical theatre and dance works, scored films, and for more than ten years was heard on CBC radio as songwriter-in-residence for the ’Basic Black’ and ‘Ontario Morning’ programs. Between tours, James is a record producer, playwright, author, community activist, theatre director and just-retired Guelph City Councillor. His new ‘musical’ novel “The Ark Of The Oven Mitt” was a finalist for last year’s Stephen Leacock Humour Award, and also last year he had his first viral hit with 300,000 views for his satirical song “Crybabies Caravan”. He was 2023’s Artist-in-residence in his hometown of Guelph ON. His new album is “Wrinkles and Scars”.

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George Mallas is a piano based singer/songwriter with 3 full length albums to date. George has been writing since his teenage years getting the writing bug from listening to the likes of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and Elton John and others. He is classically trained in both piano and voice. George has been writing since the age of 14. Constantly in the search for the next song, George spends most days in his music room writing. George also hosts house concerts in support of of other muscians. He is also the co- host of Sandro, George and the OG, an online performance based music show. After a hiatus from writing and performing while his two sons were young, George dove head first back into his music. Though he was never one to co-write George began writing with Lyricist Melanie Berti on his past two albums, 'unscathed' and 'Let the Day Decide.' The combination of Melanie's lyrics and George's melodies added different ideas and a new vibe. George is also part of a musical quartet, 'The Four Horsemen Songwriters'. Established songwriters David Ray, Mike Latini and Dave Goldenberg have been an inspiration and pushed George to write better songs. George has appeared on the stages of The Towne Crier, Daryl's House Club, Cafe 9, Cafe Lena and others.

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