Featured Artists of the Hootenanny Cafe Radio Show

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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After years writing and gigging in their own separate worlds, the spark that became Amy & Adams was ignited before their first date. In 1993 Amy Westin played at an Open Mic that Mark Adams ran in Stillwater, MN. Mark loved her voice and songs and knew he had found “the voice” for one of his own tunes. The first date happened a year later, and soon they began performing as Amy & Adams. 10 months, a wedding, and a hyphen later they shared a career and the last name Adams-Westin. Since then, Amy & Adams has made a thriving career performing live at concerts, wineries, pubs, and churches, as well as finding a niche entertaining for Elder Care facilities. They have appeared live on both radio and TV and have produced 7 critically praised, and internationally streamed albums of original songs and 1 live album of old favorite cover songs. While Covid evaporated the live gigs, two Amy & Adams tunes found their way to the top 10 on the CDX Southern Gospel & Positive Country radio chart, along with Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Luke Combs, and Dolly Parton. Several more Amy & Adams songs will appear in the stunning, soon to be released, film JEAN SEBERG Actor – Activist – Icon. Jean and Mark are from Marshalltown, IA. In the late 1950s, at age 17, Jean became an overnight international sensation when she entered (along with 18,000 other new faces) and won Otto Preminger’s contest to find the new Joan of Arc. Jean went on to star in several Hollywood blockbusters, and, along with Jean-Luc Goodard’s 1961 genre bending film BREATHLESS. Mark and Jean became friends when Mark sang at a Seberg family funeral in 1970. Amy & Adams performs an engaging combination of original and cover tunes, with just the right stylistic mix of the new and the recognizable that they call Eclectic/FolkRock/TinPanAlley/CountryBluesgGrass. On stage or on their critically acclaimed CDs, Amy & Mark weave a sumptuous tapestry of guitars, vocals, keyboards, mandolin, ukulele and flutes. Amy & Mark have been blessed to record with a superb band of world class musicians, including renowned stringed multi-instrumentalist Tim Crouch (Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton, Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks, Allison Krauss …), and trombonist Nick Lane (Rod Stewart, Chicago, Maynard Ferguson, Tower of Power, Tom Petty …) also from Marshalltown. Amy knows, ‘these amazing singers and players take our music beyond even our wildest dreams.” “It’s fun to imagine where they will take a new tune. It’s even more fun to listen when the tune is done,” agrees Mark. In 2023 Amy & Adams signed an exclusive music distribution contract with CDX Records of Nashville who distribute through Sony Orchard. They also received an artists’ grant to produce 2 films. 1 is a music video of the beloved hymn IN THE GARDEN. Mark said, “We are filming several audiences in churches, and elder and memory care facilities singing with us, and will fade from one to another group as the song progresses.” “We’ve dreamed of sharing the power this hymn, or any loved song, has to lift hearts and turn lights in darkened eyes back on,” Amy adds. Film 2 will be a 30 minute “making of” journey into the rejuvenating power of music. The hope is to have both films done by the end of 2024. Almost 30 years on Amy & Mark are still deeply in love with each other and the music we make together and with others. People ask, “Will you ever retire?” The answer? “Perhaps, in another 30 years, but we’d sure love a roadie or two!” Audiences of all ages and tastes love Amy & Adams. Perhaps that’s why Roots Music Report declared them, “as fresh and entertaining as folk music has ever been.”

And the theme that Amy and Adams chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: RISING UP

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Folk-rock Americana singer-songwriter Annie Bacon & her Oshen’s fourth LP Storm (out June 14) is a meditation on grief. Bacon lays her soul bare as she confronts broken hearts, death and the loss of her own identity, all while utilizing the strengths of folk music’s sincerity in storytelling and rock n roll’s engagement with our primal emotions. It’s an album that starts with a scream ("Secret Broken Heart") and ends with a whisper (“Worry”). It’s a journey through the most difficult time in one woman’s life; a mature album of heart-on-your-sleeve intimacy and powerfully vivid honesty.

The album kicks off with the soft-rocker "Secret Broken Heart," with its big guitars that give way to Bacon’s luscious voice and gorgeous harmonies. Stylistically, it lands somewhere within the “Dreams” of Fleetwood Mac, The Cranberries and Brandi Carlile. "Walk A Little Farther" is a dark meditation for a broken heart. It confronts wallowing in darkness while holding back crying out in desperation.

“I would go for long walks,” says Bacon, “I knew that if I stopped, my grief was going to overwhelm me. I musically wanted to capture that feeling. I got into this habit of: walk, home, shower (let it burn), say a prayer, write a song. We shot the video near the Huron River in Ann Arbor, where I’d take my walks. My walk felt neverending, like I just had to keep going.”

“Mist” has the emotional depth and mesmerizingly ethereal vocal quality of Stevie Nicks or Carly Simon. Bacon’s shifting inward/outward lyrical perspective urges us to be present in our emotions, even if it feels bad. “Alone with Grief” was written about her deceased father. It’s a song of solidarity to soothe broken hearts and bring solace when grief is fresh and at its most painful. This song is a healing salve with its relaxing bossa nova percussion and Bacon’s breezy, beautiful vocals.

Bacon went through a series of tragic events that created the songs of Storm. “It was a shit show,” says Bacon. “I’m not sure I would have made it through if I didn't have a kid, to be completely honest. My song ‘It's Okay’ is about those worst days. It’s a bouncy song, but I had to stop over and over while we were recording, because I’d just start sobbing. No one had heard the song before I brought it into the studio. It felt like a very selfish song. It’s the one that’s really for me, but I hope it speaks to others too. It’s there to remind me how important it is to speak kindly to myself when the world inside and out is burning. Because no one else will do that if I don’t.”

But as a friend once said of her, Bacon “turns her broken hearts into raw, imperfect art.” She emerges from these years with a forthcoming novel on themes of motherhood, betrayal, war and forgiveness; a feature-length folk-musical (co-created with collaborator Kyle Rasche) called The Keeper that's a love letter to Michigan; and a mountain of new music, including Storm.

Though it was made in an emotional hurricane, Storm is an album for those who need solace in their grief; for those who need to feel less alone and lost. She lets us know that it’s okay to not be okay while we’re navigating our way through the storm, and that we’ll all make it through hard times with as much presence as we can muster, a little patience, a little fire, and most of all kindness to ourselves and others.

“There were moments in the thick of the grief,” says Bacon, “where even the people who knew me best couldn’t touch me. But I’ve learned, you're not the only one who's alone. There’s this strange sort of togetherness in these kinds of experiences. You could be a 15-year-old who suddenly lost a parent, an adult whose husband died, or a 30-year-old getting divorced. It’s about accepting these moments of your life when you’re going through this grief, and recognizing that this is not only who you are. That there’s another world on the other side, and you’re not alone.”

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A self-described “Jersey Shore Ex-Pat turned West Texas Desert Rat”, Hank cut his musical teeth as a bassist in the vibrant Asbury Park, NJ music scene of the 1980s & 90s, playing in some of the Garden State’s most dynamic and innovative bands, while performing at festivals and in clubs and concert halls from Virginia to Ontario, in styles ranging from Blues and R&B to Reggae and Rock & Roll to County Rock and Afrobeat!

In the Spring of 2001 Hank moved to Houston, TX, fell in with a community of great Texas songwriters, and found his new musical voice as a Singer Songwriter. But, destiny turned a page and it was his chance move, in 2009, to the far West Texas desert town of Terlingua that has most reshaped his life and his music.

Critics have described Hank’s music as “acoustic-wielding, sharply observed, Americana all the way” and being “in the best tradition of the Texas troubadours like Guy Clarke, Townes Van Zandt and Butch Hancock” and that “His troubadour style also comes very close to the style of Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger, or as we heard on ‘Nebraska’ from Bruce Springsteen.”

Hank has released six self-produced CDs: Medallion in 2005; American Dreams in 2008; There Was A Time in 2010; Holy Ghost Town in 2013; The Working Life in 2014 and most recently Highways, Gamblers, Devils and Dreams in 2023.

Of his recently released 6th CD, Tony Award winning songwriter, Anaïs Mitchell says: “Highways, Gamblers, Devils and Dreams is a sprawling meditation on mythic American themes. Hank is a warm-hearted and precise troubadour of the old school.” The album debuted in September 2023 at #5 on the EuroAmericana chart and #3 on the FAI Folk Music chart.

Over his 40+ year music career, Hank has performed with such notable artists as: Jonathan Byrd, Joe Jencks, David Amram, Spook Handy, Jaimee Harris, Susan Herndon, Bob Livingston, Butch Hancock, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger.

A proud union member of AFM Local 1000, he’s still based in Terlingua, TX and tours nationally, performing regularly at festivals, coffeehouses, theaters, clubs and house concerts as a solo singer songwriter, in various duo and trio configurations, and with his full band The Hank Woji Conspiracy.

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Jessica Smucker believes that the best way to change the world is to channel our pain into connection. Her songs have a way of reaching deeply into people’s souls and inviting the kind of reflection that feels both reassuring and unsettling. Wrapped in catchy melodies, her lyrics appear simple on the surface, but each listen will uncover more hidden pockets of nuance. She’s the kind of writer and performer who can lull a noisy room into a hush with a single line.

Based in Lancaster, PA, Jessica was raised in the Mennonite faith tradition by a family full of storytellers, activists, adventurers, and pranksters. She performs regularly throughout the U.S and has won national songwriting contests like SolarFest’s Singer/Songwriter Showcase Competition and the Connecticut Folk Festival Song Competition. In her life beyond music, Jessica is a published poet, a social justice warrior, a freakishly good Scrabble player, and mother to two of the smartest people she’s ever met in real life!

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Sarah Segal-Lazar has been making music since before she could talk. Folks say she took her first steps in ¾ time. By the time she was nine, she was sending songs into the local radio station.

At nineteen, she moved to the City That Never Sleeps. She started playing in dive bars in the Lower East Side and jazz bars in Greenwich Village. She would have stayed forever if Uncle Sam hadn’t come knocking when her visa expired. Not wanting to be an actual outlaw, she packed her bags and headed north.

Since crossing back over the 49th parallel, Sarah's gone onto release her own music, as well as compose for others. Dancing at the crossroads where folk and country meet, reviewers have called her music “simply mesmerizing” and “so gorgeous, they made the air go still.“

These days, the Femme Fatale of Folk splits her time between the busy streets of Montreal and the red shores of PEI—and sharing her tunes wherever the wind may take her. Her latest album VALLEYS, produced by Canadian folk luminary Matthew Barber, is out now.

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Carole Wise is a Maine singer/songwriter and self-taught multi-instrumentalist (guitar, mandolin, harmonica). Her playing is intricate and straight forward; her lyrics are nuanced, lyrical and both personal and universal. Carole's music is not afraid. She sings about love, loss, society's issues, finding self, courage and perseverance~ always with a silver lining - a belief that every experience is an opportunity for growth and awareness, and seeing the world with all its beauty, with all its wonder and its fragility. Carole released her full length album "North Star" in February 2024. It's spinning at folk radio now and already charting regionally at Top 10. "North Star" features Brad Terry (Dizzy Gillespie), Mark Abraham (Enter the Haggis), Taylor Mesplé (James Taylor), and Tina Ross (FocusMusic Heyman Rising Artist Winner). Wise's previous album, "The Long Way Home," charted in the Top 20 on folk radio. Wise won first place in the Rose Garden Songwriter Competition in 2022, then co-billing with Cold Chocolate at the venue. She was a finalist for Emerging Artist and Best Video for ISSA in 2023. She was a finalist for RAWA's Music for Social Change in 2023. In 2023 Wise opened for Vance Gilbert at The Troubadour. She's now headlining the Troubadour this coming March 2024. Wise has played Club Passim, The Back Room, and has several yearly sold-out shows at Cadenza.

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It’s always been about the music for Kyle Hancharick, a singer/songwriter from Warwick, NY. His passionate performances are punctuated by a crisp acoustic guitar and soaring tenor vocals. This is best shown in his EP “Breathe,” a four song project consisting only of acoustic guitar, bass and vocals. And that’s all that’s needed for this artist whose roots are planted in contemporary folk music. Kyle began his musical journey young. His earliest influences were from the songs of John Denver and Bob Dylan. When he was 8, Kyle played live for the first time. It was at a Bob Dylan Festival at a local winery. With his 3/4-size guitar slung around his small torso and a harmonica holder around his neck, he took to the stage with about 100 people gathered. No one expected what they would hear. This sweet, shy little boy blew them away with his version of “Blowin’ in the Wind.” He gave the most memorable performance of the day. As he grew up, Kyle’s influences diversified. He discovered Richard Shindell, David Wilcox and Ellis Paul, master storytellers who would have tremendous impacts on his work. He identified with the working class anthems of Bruce Springsteen. He reveres their musicianship, their poetry and their stories. Throughout all of this, Kyle has begun to make a name for himself in the folk music circle. He has performed on the Emerging Artists Showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, and he has opened shows for Ellis Paul, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, Lucy Kaplansky and Red Molly. His upbeat love song, “How You Say Goodbye,” was covered by Ellis Paul for his 2019 album “The Storyteller’s Suitcase.” Most recently, Kyle has begun work on his second full-length studio album, which is set to be released in 2024. Kyle takes in the world, processes it and turns it into song with his own special touch. He has a unique take on things, a view of the world others may not necessarily notice. He continues to grow as an artist, sharing his story and messages of love and peace. Above all, though, it’s still about the music.

Kyle will be in the studio for an interview.

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Carl Corcoran is a fifty-year veteran of the music industry. In the 70's, under the name Jamie Stone, he recorded 3 albums for EMI featuring original material, collaborations with various co-writers. In 1978 he moved to New York, where for twenty years he pursued a career in songwriting, publishing, radio, and performance. He developed a passion for radio on WTBQ Warwick/Florida which he continued on his return to Ireland in 1999. He joined the National Broadcaster RTE as presenter until 2017 when he was invited to be the Course Director for the inaugural year of the MA in Songwriting at the University of Limerick, a role he maintained for 5 years. For this Hootenanny Café Mini Concert, Carl shares recordings spanning his 50 years in the music business. Included in this collection are tracks from three albums on EMI under the name Jamie Stone, selections from his Rego Records CD ‘Dancing The Dublin Reel’ and recent recordings featured on his 2022 EP release ‘Three of A Kind’.

And the theme that Carl chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: SONGS OF THE SEA

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Simone Keane is a singer songwriter from the deep south coast of Western Australia, a sacred place of tall trees, winding rivers and pristine beaches. She came to this place after escaping intimate partner violence, to start a new life. Soon after she arrived, she began her songwriting journey, released an album, then suddenly found herself in the WA Music scene spotlight after two of her songs won WAM Song of the Year. After five nominations of songs from her album Burning she was awarded WAMSOTY for ‘Most Outstanding Regional’ and ‘Mentally Healthy’ (now Act Belong Commit) categories. It was a first for a regional artist. Keane soon realised she had become a figurehead to discuss issues of mental health, on radio and at events. “People would approach me and tell me how much my song Rag Doll meant to them, that someone understood, which meant a lot to me. However, as time went on, Keane felt she was not coping well with the pressure to perform and be a spokesperson for mental health. She realised she had not given herself time to heal from the trauma of domestic violence. In 2016, after a poet contacted her asking if she would like to collaborate, Keane released an album called Whale Breathing with Giles Watson. Then in 2018, Keane released her album Wild thingz. She was still however, very much a hermit, more of a recording artist, making music in the safety of a studio with producer Mick Crannage. Fast forward to 2023, Keane has done some intense internal work on her mental and physical health. “I know myself better now. I know what is good for me, what energies are healthy to be around, what I want. I am feeling confident in my own abilities and I have learnt so much about performance technique and production by working on mu new album with Producer Lee Buddle at CRANK (Kelly Clarkson, Gurrumul Yunupingu, Jutin Bieber, Gina Williams & Guy Ghouse). Graced by Leaves is Keane’s new 11 track album. It took three years to produce and was released on October 27, 2023.

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Mike Berman writes and performs original songs rooted in the folk and California folk rock traditions.  Mike’s first album Where I’m From, released in January 2023, received excellent reviews and was featured on dozens of folk radio programs across the USA and beyond. He has performed concerts and showcases at venues across Southern California, such as The Coffee Gallery, The Lost Chord, Jeweled Universe, Universal Bar & Grill, Mission Tile Music, Stardust Concerts, and many other venues, both solo and with his three-piece combo TIMBR. He has appeared at legendary venues McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Los Angeles, the Towne Crier in Beacon, New York, and Club Passim in Boston. He’s also been a regular performer at on-line showcases including Bruce Swan’s Music My Mother Wouldn’t Like, Jan Seides “Any Sunday Songwriters” series, and his own Social Distance Café. He recently was awarded “Best Performance” at the Songwriters at Play competition in Solvang, California. Mike’s album Where I’m From was in the top thirty on the NACC charts in January 2023. Produced by Ed Tree, the album featured performances from top musicians including pedal steel legend Jay Dee Maness, 2-time Grammy nominee Guy Davis, and LA blues diva Teresa James. Dave Franklin of Dancing About Architecture wrote that “Where I’m From is a great album… the sound of a modern-day James Taylor… country cool for the modern age.” Legendary songwriter Steve Gillette commented that Mike’s songs “uphold the tradition and are evidence that the California sound is in good hands.” Songwriter Rob Waller, founder of “I See Hawks in LA”, says that “Mike’s songs carry a depth and humanity that stick with you.”

Mike is a veteran musician, having performed in the 80’s with the Hudson River Sloop Singers as well as in his duo The Rusty Lock String Band, including festival gigs at the New Jersey Folk Festival and the Raritan River Festival. After a long layoff to raise a family and build a career as a university administrator and information technology expert, he has dived head-first in songwriting in the last few years. His songwriting his developed through workshops and master classes with the likes of Richard Thompson, Tom Paxton, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin, Guy Davis, Ellis Paul, Laurie McAllister, Gretchen Peters, and many other accomplished songwriters and performers. He is currently recording new material for release in 2024.

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Free from genre, Folk Alliance International “Spirit of Folk” award recipient Lilli Lewis is a skillful Americana polyglot for whom folk, country, gospel and jazz are all the same thing. Whether she plays at the Kennedy Center, opens for The Indigo Girls, performs at New Orleans Jazzfest or in a sweaty New Orleans club, Lewis imbues her performances with grace, wit, immense talent, and musical authenticity. Her latest release is "All Is Forgiven" on Righteous Babe Records. “She stake(s) out her place in the scene—on the authority of mastery…“” – NPR's All Songs Considered

And the theme that Lilli chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: Birds and / or Taking Flight

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Kate McDonnell comes from generations of symphonic musicians. Her father sang in operettas in his younger years, and her mother continues to play anything she can hear in F#on the piano, just as her own mother did. All three of Kate’s siblings have the musical gift, so at any given night around the dinner table they were bound to break into song.Throughout high-school and college, Kate and her identical twin sister and flutist Anne played as a duo in talent shows, dingy clubs, and on porches. She discovered guitarists Carlos Montoya, Mason Williams, Leo Kottke, Steve Howe and others and began to take the guitar more seriously. Fast forward, to the mid-80s, Kate moved to New England and began to write her own songs, performing them as half of a popular New Haven, CT, duo McDonnell-Tane. Over a few years’ time, Kate and guitarist Freddie Tane, formerly of Bill Haley’s Comets, opened for musical giants like Dylan, Willie Nelson, Kathy Mattea, Suzanne Vega, and others. She even found time to perform in an all-female trio Colossal Olive in and around New Haven throughout the decade that she lived there. Kate then broke out as a solo act in the early 90s and released four critically acclaimed recordings on Waterbug Records, Appleseed Records, and Brambus Recordings. For the next decade, Kate’s career began to blossom.By 1992, Kate began to tour the US regularly, while her first of many European tours came in 1998, coinciding with the release of her second album NEXT.As a result of her recordings and accelerating acclaim with her 3rdDon’t Get Me Started (Waterbug Records, 2001) and 4th Where the Mangoes Are (Appleseed Records, 2005), Kate became a staple on American folk radio charts. Fellow musicians and radio helped spread her name: Jonathan Edwards called her“one of the premier female solo acoustic acts around,”and the late Bill Staines dubbed her “one of the finest writers and performers I’ve heard in a long time.”In 1999, Kate appeared on the internationally syndicated "World Café" radio show and performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Another career high point followed in 2001 after the release of her third CD, "Don’t Get Me Started," on Dog-Eared Discs, when Kate played at the folk world’s premier event, the legendary Newport Folk Festival. The Village Voice predicted in its review of the CD that "you get the feeling you may see others covering her tunes in the future, as she is a gifted writer...." The Swiss label Brambus Records picked up "Don’t Get Me Started" for overseas release and it was soon on the top five list for U.S. and international folk airplay. 2005 marked a shift in Kate’s material as a result of joining with Anne Lindley to try their hands at co-writing, and it was a complete success.Kate Kate McDonnell 4000 char-bio 2023.doc released “Where The Mangoes Are”, a collection of 12 songs, seven of which were co-written by Lindley. They continue to write together to this day. Kate took a break from her solo career to pursue a Masters Degree in Social Work at Smith College and began to work at day-treatment centers andwith special education students in schools (2006-2020). She learned quickly that a musician can't turn her back on musical together, lest it pester her during quiet moments. So, Kate decided to make music full-time,again, producing a 5th recording Ballad of a Bad Girl(Dog-Eared Discs 2021), 7of its 11 songs co-written by Anne Lindley. The album earned her the distinction as being the #6 and #5 most played album on the US Folk DJ charts for the two months following its release,as well the #17 slot for the year of 2021. Ballad of a Bad Girl features legendary musicians Jerry Marotta (drums) and Tony Levin (bass), with Kate on vocals, guitar, and banjo. She is currently recording her 6thalbum,yet to be titled.

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Since age 10, Paula Boggs has been a songwriter. Her life winded through the military, law and business before in 2005 returning to music through a University of Washington songwriter’s certificate program followed by forming genre-defying nation-touring Paula Boggs Band, soon recording it’s fifth studio album.

Besides music creation and performance, Boggs touches music and the arts in myriad ways. An active member of the Recording Academy since 2011, Boggs sat on President Obama’s Committee for the Arts and the Humanities, is a former board member of School of Rock LLC, Seattle Symphony, Avid Technology (ProTools, Sibelius, et al) and public radio KEXP where she co-chaired its New Home Campaign. Currently she sits on the boards of Newport Festivals Foundation (overseeing Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals) and Peabody Conservatory.

In 2018 she received the Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award and is known globally for her work in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Soon after being elected PNW Chapter board governor in 2020 Paula was appointed her chapter’s first ambassador to the Recording Academy’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council. Paula Boggs Band will play its first Folk Alliance Official Showcase in February 2024 and is sponsored by Deering Banjos, Breedlove Guitars and Radial Engineering, Inc.

And the theme Paula chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: ANCESTORS

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The married couple’s latest album “Sure”is “a tale of love… [with] some heartaches and a pinch of disputation along the way” (Americana UK). Hailing from the gritty heart of New England (Worcester, MA), the two are experts in discovering beauty in the challenges of life. Their musings reflect the hope and pain we all experience, sung in voices as vulnerable and honest as their lyrics. Their songs feel like a warm welcome, a shoulder to lean on and a hand to hold at the end of a long day. No Depression says their writing will leave listeners “...coming away from many of these [songs] cleansed,”.

Their warm harmonies, swirling acoustic guitars, and easy stage presence have earned them a dedicated following in the emerging US folk scene, performing with folk legends like Livingston Taylor, Vance Gilbert, Heather Maloney, and Mark Erelli. Their independent 9-song release, “Sure”, was recorded, mixed and produced by Eric at a boarding school in Western Massachusetts, and will be accompanied by a feature-length film, releasing June 2024.

Ash & Eric played together for the first time in 2012. The intense connection was immediate. They both describe a feeling that they knew each other before they knew each other. They began playing together frequently and fell in love quickly. Their first project as a duo, The Promise is Hope, was born March 1, 2014 in Worcester, MA -- their beloved home city. At the end of the house concert, with many friends gathered, Eric proposed and Ash said “yes.”

The journey that has unfolded since that first concert has been defined by these two dreamers’ daily choice to continually pursue their vision. The vision, which began as two people sharing their hearts through the artistry of songwriting and performance, has grown and expanded to envelop a beautiful and growing community of faithful followers.

Under the moniker The Promise is Hope, Ash & Eric released two full-length albums, “Where We’ve Been & Where We’re Going” (2015) and “Every Seed Must Die” (2018) before changing their band name to Ash & Eric in 2021.

They have performed countless shows in a myriad of venues from house and living room concerts to legendary rooms like Club Passim (Cambridge, MA), Southern Vermont Arts Center (Manchester, VT), and Godfrey Daniels (Bethlehem, PA). They have performed on the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival’s Emerging Artist Stage (Hillsdale, PA), won the CT Folks Grassyhill Songwriter Competition, and performed at the CT Folk and Black Bear Americana Festivals. Ash & Eric have been nominated for New England Music Awards, won many Worcester Music Awards, and was offered a Semi-Formal Showcase at the 2019 NERFA Conference in Stamford, CT. Their vision has been tested and tried through long hours on the road, playing their best shows for whoever showed up in a room.

Ash & Eric are two dreamers forever committed to making music for their listeners that is honest, intentional, and beautiful. The pair continues to say “YES” to the power of vulnerability, simplicity, and new starts.

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“There’s just this opening of doors that happens that totally shifts things. It’s a complete game-changer,” notes Cotter, a Rhode Island native now living just outside Acadia National Park in Maine. “When I’ve shared myself in this way, then people are really excited to share what they’ve got around them.” But what’s a globetrotter, who has played more than 1000 shows in 45 states and 14 countries, to do when a worldwide pandemic makes travel nearly impossible? “I became very close to nature and just hugged a lot of trees and rocks,” says Cotter with a chuckle. She nannied, worked on a goat farm, gardened, revitalized an arts non-profit, and taught music and songwriting. “In a way, I had to reinvent myself. I had to find a deeper sense of belonging and meaning in things that weren’t what I knew of myself for the prior 15 years. I identified as a traveler, a singer-songwriter, and a performer, and all of a sudden, I had nobody to sing to and nowhere to go.” As Gently as I Go concludes with “Morning Mantra,” a musical warm hug of a reminder to keep going in a world that often feels dark, sad, and full of troubles that are out of our control, it serves to calm Caroline as well. She was diagnosed with ADD as a child and both songwriting and travel are key parts of how she manages to stay sane. Caroline released her debut album in 2015 and a second album in 2018, and is both a 2018 Freshgrass/No Depression Songwriter of the Year award finalist and a 2019 Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Songwriter Showcase finalist. “Songwriting for me is a cathartic expression of my life experience. It’s creative expression that just completely shifts me and gets out the ickiness,” shares Cotter, recounting a recent moment when sitting down and writing a song wiped away the anxious feeling she had been dealing with all day. “Seeing new things and connecting with people helps also, because I can get so deep into my own head, and the second I start a conversation with somebody else, it’s not about me anymore.”

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Elizabeth Lee, a singer-songwriter rooted in the Midwest collaborates and performs with her dad, Bobby Pugh. Elizabeth's exposure to her dad’s songwriting while growing up laid the foundation for her own musical pursuits, which unfolded post-college. Bobby's long-held dream of sharing his songs found renewed motivation when they started writing together after Elizabeth graduated. They recorded their first studio album in 2016 and began performing part-time. In 2023, they took the plunge into a full-time music career, releasing 5 singles. They evolved from a duo to a full-fledged band, their dynamic characterized by Elizabeth's soothing, crystalline vocals and Bobby's seamless harmonies. Their musical footprint extends beyond the studio, with features on Indianapolis podcast ‘Voices of Indy’ and ‘The 94twenty Podcast’ from Nashville, TN. Their compositions have found unexpected homes, including a placement in the Lifetime movie 'Sabotaging the Squad.' Their genre-defying sound ranges from acoustic-pop vibes to folk-rock, always anchored by a commitment to captivating vocals and storytelling. The group hopes to inspire listeners to pursue their dreams, and stands as a reminder that it’s never too late to start something new.

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Mark Wahl is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and luthier. Hiss songs are often poignant vignettes with strong use of metaphor, simple melodies, and compelling lyrics. He is fond of alternate tunings on guitar and baritone ukulele, and his animated and often foot stomping delivery is engaging. “I try to write with detail and emotion and to connect on a personal level with the listener." Currently recording his third album, his solo 2018 CD Circadia was nominated best Americana of the SAMMY’s (Syracuse Area Music Awards), and his popular 2013 CD Everything Returns featured his trio Canvas Moon. Mark was chosen for the 2019 Syracuse Acoustic Guitar Songwriting Project, the 2022 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase, and he was the Black Bear Festival Curator’s Pick at the 2023 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference. After 13 years as director of the Ontario Center for Performing Arts, Mark now focuses on performing and making fine acoustic instruments.

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Ben Gage is an Americana musician from Akron, OH. Ben Gage grew up in the rust belt of Northeast Ohio, spread out in the countryside along the great Lake Erie. His roots run deep alongside the hard working blue collars that Ohio has to boast. That tenacity, love of family, and respect for a long day can be seen in his music. In Fall of 2021 Ben quit his job in the tech-sector to pursue music full time. Now he travels the US sharing stories and songs and always collecting more. Folk and Blues music gives us a way to hand along a story, and it’s what fuels Ben’s songwriting and the reason he includes the listener. The best story sets aside the complexities and focuses on honesty. You will find yourself feeling as though you’ve heard his songs before even if it’s your first time.

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Come join the Hootenanny Cafe Radio Show on New Year's Eve (12-31-23) for a Special Three Set Singer Songwriter Showcase. The theme for this special night: NEW SONGS FOR THE NEW YEAR (Songs that were written , and, or, recorded in 2023.) - a great way to wind down the old year and ring in the new.

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Kristen Grainger & True North is an Americana string band comprised of three champion instrumentalists (Dan Wetzel, guitar, octave mandolin, mountain banjo), Martin Stevens (mandolin, octave mandolin, and fiddle), and Josh Adkins (upright bass), and led by the enchanting vocals of songwriter Kristen Grainger. With gorgeous original songs that nestle in the ear on the way to the heart, the band delivers an unexpectedly intimate, live-from-your-living-room experience, the lush alchemy of their combined talents captivating audiences wherever they go. Kristen's songwriting has been recognized nationally, winning top honors at MerleFest, Wildfower, Kerrville New Folk, Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the USA Songwriting Contest. She was named, alongside Dolly Parton and Brandi Carlile, one of the "Women Who Wrote Our 2020 Soundtrack" by The Bluegrass Situation. Three of the band's albums have hit #1 on folk radio charts, and they had their first #1 single in 2021. Their newest project, Fear of Falling Stars, released Nov. 10th, is now available for streaming or download.

And the theme that Kristen chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: Near Misses and Close Calls

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Kristen Grainger & True North is an Americana string band comprised of three champion instrumentalists (Dan Wetzel, guitar, octave mandolin, mountain banjo), Martin Stevens (mandolin, octave mandolin, and fiddle), and Josh Adkins (upright bass), and led by the enchanting vocals of songwriter Kristen Grainger. With gorgeous original songs that nestle in the ear on the way to the heart, the band delivers an unexpectedly intimate, live-from-your-living-room experience, the lush alchemy of their combined talents captivating audiences wherever they go. Kristen's songwriting has been recognized nationally, winning top honors at MerleFest, Wildfower, Kerrville New Folk, Telluride Bluegrass Festival and the USA Songwriting Contest. She was named, alongside Dolly Parton and Brandi Carlile, one of the "Women Who Wrote Our 2020 Soundtrack" by The Bluegrass Situation. Three of the band's albums have hit #1 on folk radio charts, and they had their first #1 single in 2021. Their newest project, Fear of Falling Stars, released Nov. 10th, is now available for streaming or download.

The theme that Kristen chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: Near Misses and Close Calls

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Hi folks...Chris Haddox, here, coming to you from the great state of West Virginia. I am a product of the state through and through, and many of my songs and stories Chrisdraw upon the wondrously beautiful landscape, the the rich musical traditions, and the “never met a stranger” mentality of her people.

I’ve been writing songs since the second grade. The first song I recall writing started with a line from a poem a classmate had written. He had titled his poem “What’s On The Other Side.” So, naturally, like any good thief posing as a songwriter, I used that line and title to craft a one verse song and never looked back. Since then I’ve written piles of songs that cover piles of topics. As do most songwriters, I’m often trying to find new ways to tell old tales, and often writing about things other folks with better judgement might leave alone.

Inspired by the music of the Delmore Brothers, I dropped out of college in my senior year in order to pursue a songwriting career in Nashville. Multiple stints in/out of Music City left me more knowledgeable about the music business, but no closer to making a career out of songwriting than when I started. While I had no ambitions about being a performer, I can to the realization that if anyone was ever going to hear my songs, they were going to have to hear them from me as no one else seemed very interested in performing them. So, one night while playing to an overly distracted crowd in a local bar I decided to drop in one song, didn’t say anything about it being mine, just to gauge the audience reaction. When after the show several folks commented about that one song they had never heard before—the one that stood out to them as their favorite of the evening—I decided to drop in original material more often, eventually migrating to where my sets were mostly originals. This went on for many years...just writing/playing/assessing audience reactions.

One the eve of my 40th high school reunion I stopped to play at a songwriter’s night in a town along the drive. That particular writer’s night was frequented by a fellow named Ron Sowell—a well-known figure in the West Virginia music scene and the bandleader of the long-running Mountain Stage. Following the show Ron invited me to a participate in a show—a best of the WV songwriters event—that would kick off the 2018 Woody Hawley Concert Series. A few weeks after that performance, Ron approached me about producing an album of my original material, and shortly after that I was invited by Mountain Stage host, Larry Groce, to perform on the show in February of 2020. As everyone knows, the world pretty much fell apart in January of 2020, so the Mountain Stage appearance was delayed indefinitely. I was finally rescheduled to play the show in January of 2022, but Larry called me to see if I’d mind being moved to the March 2022 show as he had just confirmed that Janis Ian would be headlining the show, and he felt I’d be a good fit for that bill. Heck yeah!!!

Since then, I’ve been beating the bushes to get my music out to the world. My debut album climbed to #11 on the FAI chart, and every song from the album has received airplay on over 60 mostly domestic stations. I continue to write and perform and am currently working on new, or sifting through old, material for the next album or five. My favorite shows are small listening venues and house concerts, but I’m equally at home on large stages, and seem to be able to connect heart-to-heart with the audience members where there are two or hundreds.

When not playing music, I am an Associate Professor of Sustainable Design at West Virginia University, and am active in a variety of community-based initiatives in Morgantown, West Virginia.

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