Featured Artists of the Hootenanny Cafe Radio Show

As a third-generation musician, Midyne’s musical roots run deep. After growing up with a name like Midyne (pronounced meh-DEEN), she was destined to be unique. Midyne began studying piano before she could read, and soon progressed to violin, guitar, voice, songwriting, and harp.

When she was only 12, the studio was her second home while she recorded children's songs with five other young vocalists. As a young teen, she began writing her own songs, and by 18, she performed nightly in the House of Tea in Haifa, Israel. In her early twenties, she studied classical harp at the St. Louis Conservatory of Music and later discovered the magic of the smaller Celtic harp. Now, as a seasoned songwriter, she weaves a richly textured tapestry of thought-provoking lyrics with her own blend of jazz-infused folk. Midyne is one of a handful of singer/songwriters who is equally at home on the Celtic harp as she is on the guitar. She is said to “play harp like a guitarist and guitar like a harpist.” As a singer, she has been compared to Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Gillian Welch.

Midyne has played with several bands over the years, including Electric Angel--the world's first electric harp trio, Argyle, Curtis & Spear--a metaphysical folk/rock trio, Birdz uva Feather, and the Lillyhammers. She has performed at a variety of venues including listening rooms, festivals, house concerts, galleries, wineries, and weddings. Currently Midyne performs as a solo artist and in the newly formed duo, Night Muse, with keyboardist J. Marcus Amorosa.

Midyne has recorded 2 full-length CDs: "Dream" with Electric Angel, and "Inside the Seed" as a solo artist. Her songs have also appeared on compilation CDs and she has been a guest on recordings for other artists. With her warm voice and mature, reflective songwriting, Midyne’s music is both sonically rich and thought-provoking. Her ability to blend folk, jazz, blues, and pop, along with her intricate finger work on guitar and Celtic harp, creates a unique listening experience that is simultaneously intimate and expansive.

Website

What can I say about Pete Seeger that most fans and friends don't already know. I think perhaps it's best for me to share some thoughts and words from his daughter, Tinya. First, though, a little about the photo seen here. It was taken by Pete's son, Dan Seeger, at the launching of the Clearwater with Pete and Harvey Gamage (owner of the boat building yard. in Maine, where Clearwater was born). The photo was taken when Pete was 49 and just before he grew his beard.

And now from Tinya:

"This photo marks the beginning of another major part of my father’s life. He was 49. Not a turning point, as he was NOT turning his back on the civil rights movement. Rather, he saw clearly, 40 years before the idea was publicly accepted, that environmental education would lead to environmental justice, that a clean environment , in the broad sense of all that’s surrounds us, is a civil right that is an integral part of the fight for justice and human rights of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. The fight for a clean environment had not yet publicly been recognized as a civil right nor had it been accepted but rather it was a work in progress for my father that would consume the second half of his life. He died just before the Native American Indian pipeline protests got considerable press coverage in 2017, just before Black Lives Matter movement was launched in 2014, so we can see at the time of his death many people were connecting dots more fully; connecting Black Lives Matter, Racism, Environmental Justice, LGBTQ, and once again recognizing Prejudice and injustice for the sake of greed money and business. At the end of my father’s life, at age 95 there was this full circle connection of human rights and earth’s rights issues. He started raising money for Clearwater in 1967, exactly halfway through his life. He worked on labor rights, civil rights, ending a war, and environmental justice. Naturally this work is still on the to-do list, and though things might be different now than in 2014, we can also recognize it’s better in the sense that what’s out of the bag means more people that were inactive earlier are active now, a new generation is rising up and announcing enough is enough, a surge in awareness and determination. We in this country need to witness and also to act, in all the many ways, the way the rest of the world is trying to right now. This country is taking a back seat in a worse way than 50 years ago. We cannot stop trying, we cannot give up, instead we need to understand and teach civil rights history to future generations through schools, song, art , poetry, books, films and participatory events."

Pete Seeger left behind a legacy that will live on for many years and will continue to shine a light on many of those following in his footsteps. Thank you, Pete Seeger. And, once again, Happy Birthday!

Website

Brian released two albums in 2024, “Missed the Whole Damn Thing…” and “The Blue Album,” the latter which released online as three separate EPs. He was nominated for three Josie Music Awards in 2024, his first year submitting for consideration, including one for best southern rock song for “Standing at the Crossroads.” His song “Funny Money,” which hasn’t made it onto an album yet but is on streaming, is a semi-finalist for 2024 comedy song of the year with the International Songwriting Competition. In 2025, Brian has released three singles to streaming so far, with at least five more releasing throughout the year. Additional albums might be forthcoming at the end of the year or in 2026. Brian’s professionally recorded music can be found on most all streaming, Bandcamp, and more. Rougher material that hasn’t made it to the studio can be found on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram by searching Brian Glover Music. He continues to perform live where opportunities present themselves as a solo acoustic artist, sometimes with a cajon, and occasionally with supporting musicians when there’s a budget. His most recent singles from 2025 include “Yesterday is Gone” (Produced at Oakwood Studios by John Howard), “What Makes the Measure of a Man?” (Produced at Beaird Music Group by Dean Miller), and “Old Kentucky Blues” (Produced at Beaird Music Group by Dean Miller).

Website

Gigi Love; Singer songwriter, advocate for public lands & national parks, peace activist and global yogi.

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Gigi began playing the guitar and singing at the age of 7.  At 12 years old she was performing songs by Tanya Tucker and Emmylou Harris at major venues around the state like, Johnny High’s Country Music Review in Ft. Worth, Grapevine Opry and the Stephenville Opry House. She lived overseas in the Philippines and bounced around many states during her junior high years. Her guitar and songs stayed by her side, and she could be found singing in the school cafeterias and talent shows to make friends. 

In her 20's, Gigi honed her chops playing the Salt Lake City music scene and touring around the western states with The Gigi Love Band. Then in 2002 her big break came. She was invited to perform for the Closing Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. For 52,000 people, Gigi sang 2 of her original songs and wooed the crowd and soon after was signed onto the Mountain Dew College Circuit tour with sponsorship for touring that lasted 7 years. 

During her time on the road Gigi recorded a full album of original songs every 4 years. She also fell in love with all the national parks she visited between her show dates. Yosemite Gold was the first song she wrote about a national park while she was sitting in El Cap Meadow on a beautiful summer day. The idea for a national park’s album lit her up and in 2016, a decade later, she wrote and recorded National Parks Centennial Songs at Dark Horse Studios in Nashville.

During 2015-2019 Gigi sang her national parks songs on Amtrak long distance trains and at national park ranger programs and amphitheaters around the country. Her voice for wilderness, public lands, and conservation became even more prominent as the attacks on clean air, water and climate awareness began to swirl in the media and public scene. 

For Gigi, her songs became an anchor for the message of preservation and conservation of wilderness and public lands during the divisive climate that was building politically, as it is now. Singing in the national parks to audiences from all over the world, for folks with diverse geo-political backgrounds, cultures, religions and races gave Gigi a platform to share a message of unity. Everyone in the audience’s agreed that they love our national parks and wild pristine places upon this planet. The feeling of connection and peace that permeated each show was palpable and she vows to continue sharing this message with new songs and old ones, and to keep the spirit of the beautiful voiceless ones alive in song and in soul. The enduring quality of her message gives her park songs relevance at any time, especially now. She is a voice for the parks and for keeping public lands in public hands.

Her latest album, “Listen to the Red Rock” on the Vast Horizons Label 2022, is a compilation of artists who have recorded songs for America’s Red Rock Wilderness in Utah. Gigi’s title track, Dancing with the Beauty kicks off the album. The music is curated to inspire awe in the listeners, with a desire to visit and experience this magical region of America.

Website

“Mitchell champions a brand of ‘folky’ pop laden with melodic hooks, sing-along choruses, witty lyrics, and overall deft songcraft that can switch from delicate to surging,,,”- Cole Waterman, Bay City Times "Brett Mitchell has an incredible ability to stitch together standout music from a wide range of genres. He’s lyrically influenced by John Lennon, Jeff Tweedy, Ben Folds and Neil Young. Musically, you’ll hear hints of Jeff Lynne, Elvis Costello, Weezer and Wilco. He’s a drummer turned guitarist turned singer-songwriter...”- Kristi Kates, Northern Express Falling in love at an early age with the music of his parents’ generation, Brett’s 60s and 70s influence is evident but his musical diversity within that influence comes from his soul. Brett taught himself to play drums at the age of fourteen. He played in various lineups of bands and, by age seventeen, had left high school to play professionally in venues he was not legally old enough to frequent. In 1999, he experienced regional success as a drummer with a band called Gutbucket Blues Band, recording a self-titled album, winning awards and positions on prestigious stages. But Brett, though a world class drummer, wanted to write songs and knew he needed to teach himself guitar to do it. By 2004, he was ready and recorded his first album, {Stereo}, which was met with critical acclaim. Touring solo to promote the release, other musicians approached him to support the project. This would become his band, Brett Mitchell & the giant GHOST, then, ultimately, Brett Mitchell & the Mitchfits. Brett recorded Small House next, in 2007. Songs from this album garnered even more attention. “Born Too Late” was chosen a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) as well as his song “Neighbors” from the same album. The video for Born Too Late was showcased at the Chicago Film Festival. “New Disease” was chosen for the Italian television show Universification and a number of Brett’s songs made the soundtracks of Roadtrip Nation episodes. The next album, Falling Apart at the Seams (2011), won an ISC semi-finalist spot for the song, “I Saw You in my Mind”. Brett was commissioned to write a theme song for the Riverside Film Festival in Saginaw, Michigan. His song, “This City (Saginaw Bound)”, not only played at the festival but was selected for play at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids. Brett was then approached and commissioned to re-record it as a theme song for Nexteer Automotive. Brett has spent the last 6 years or so preparing a small studio in his home so he could record day or night. Out of that came his fourth album, For the Most Part. Writing all the music and lyrics and playing all the instruments, performing all the vocals parts and recording, if the production was not technically perfect, the labor and learning that it required made this album especially dear to him. The cover art is of hand cut paper created by Brett’s artist girlfriend, Kat Bodie, and then photographed for use on the vinyl and cds. Brett’s touring has taken him all over the Midwest and further. He has entertained multiple times at The Ark and Summer Festival in Ann Arbor, MI and The Bluebird Café in Nashville as well as Summer Fest in Decatur, The National Underground in NYC, The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ, at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI, and The National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, MI, playing over 150 shows every year as a full time musician since 2005. Brett designs all his show posters on his phone, having enjoyed graphic design in his college years. He lives in a tiny village in Northern Michigan without wifi or a computer and enjoys hiking in winter and kayaking in summer and the solitude they both bring.

Website

Singer-Songwriter, Lynn Hollyfield, has been writing songs since she was in her teens. She wrote her first song after her English teacher handed her an application to a song contest. She recalls that she won something but what she came away with was so much more. Her music and songwriting, opened up her world and it was a way for her shy self to connect to others

At age 8, Lynn was given her first stringed instrument-a hand me down ukulele from her Sister-in-law. She quickly mastered playing classic songs and show tunes from her parent’s ‘Fake books.” Lynn grew up with her mom singing jazz tunes in the kitchen. She cites her musical influences from some of the jazz greats, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney and Sinatra along with Beatles, Cream, and CSNY. In her family, she was the youngest, with 3 older brothers. Between her parents and siblings, she was exposed to a diverse mosaic of musical genres. She picked up the guitar at the age of 10, Her first guitar was a rental, that was orange with a black ‘painted on’ pick guard with action an inch high. Nevertheless, she persisted with her lessons and expanded her skills by playing along with records of Jim Croce, Neil Young, John Prine and EmmyLou Harris Her early performances were in her hometown on Staten Island at cafes/pubs and busking on the Ferry.

When she moved to Maryland, in 1988, she performed at the Café Florian, an open mic hosted by Grace Griffith, as part of the duo, Hollyfield & Spruill. It was a ‘deer in the headlights,’ moment but they continued to perform locally and polished their act. Vic Heyman who was organizing artist showcases took notice and soon they performed at the popular Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, as emerging artists. Hollyfield & Spruill, produced 2 albums that were well received on the folk scene. (Slipping Time & Blue and Green). The duo split in 1998. Lynn had started her family and had 2 young daughters but continued to write and perform anytime she was asked. In 2010, she released her first solo recording, LAYERS that was well received in the FOLK community and listed in the TOP ARTISTS/TOP albums/FAI DJ Listserv. “Lynn sings folk music which is basically the music of the people. It celebrates the truly important things in life, the journey not the destination. All of Lynn’s songs are beautiful and contain a universal wisdom we can all identify with.” Jane Woods, Fan Realm. In 2011, Lynn serendipitously met Peter Yarrow. He sent her to the songwriting school and gave her backstage access at the Kerrville Folk Festival, Kerrville, TX. In 2014, she put out her second, solo recording, IN THE BALANCE, as a result of a successful Kickstarter campaign, which also listed in the TOP ARTIST/Albums FAI Listserv. In 2019, she went back to the studio to begin her 3rd recording which was upended and delayed by the pandemic. During that time, she published a children’s book-A SONG STORY titled, The Tree, The Ship and Me-a book the reader can listen to while reading. It’s a story about adventures of being in a treehouse that turns into a sailing ship. When things opened back up, she finished her recording, LOOK UP, released in 2024. The album, Look Up has received airplay nationally/internationally and multiple songwriting awards.

Blend a beautiful alto voice, a crisp acoustic guitar player and a heartfelt observer of the world and you have Lynn Hollyfield. Known for her warm stage presence, her songs have rich emotional depth and she easily connects to her audience. Her "indie-folk-pop style" (Leicasterbangs, UK) reflects an infusion of many influences including jazz greats of the 30’s and 40’s to more contemporary singer-songwriters. The result-her own voice, mingling wit, a silky sweetness and thoughtful reverie to her songwriting and performance. “I could listen to your voice all day. A most gorgeous tone.” Lynn Veronneau, Jazz Vocalist “Great songs, great writing.” Tom Prasada-Rao, Singer-Songwriter.

Website

Tia McGraff’s star shot into orbit after winning the Canadian Open Country Singing Contest at the age of nineteen. It wasn't long before Tia was making TV appearances with Johnny Cash and June Carter, writing and recording with musical icons Randy Bachman (BTO) and Anne Murray’s publishing company. When Tia moved to Nashville, TN, she met and married Colorado native melody man Tommy Parham. Tommy’s hit song, Rocks You Can’t Move, was recorded and released as the first single on Country Star Lee Greenwood’s “Stronger Than Time,” album. The couple has been sharing the gift of songwriting ever since. With over ten international album releases, various film/TV placements, and numerous awards (including Social Justice 2021 and Peace 2022, Songs of the Year at the EmPower Songwriting Awards), Tia and Tommy have earned respect in the music industry as well as a diverse global fan base. The duo has a gift for ‘getting to the heart of the matter’ and writing relatable songs about life, love, and this crazy world we live in. Fans and industry notables alike have described them as “the modern day, Johnny Cash and June Carter!” Tia and Tommy have been touring internationally for twenty years, performing at soft seaters and festivals in the USA, Canada, and The UK. Including: MADD Candle Vigil (ON), The Bluebird Café (Nashville), Frank Brown Intl Songwriters Festival (AL), Canterbury Folk Festival (ON), Festival of Friends (ON), Fred Eaglesmith Charity Picnic (ON), Tumbleweed Music Festival (KS), Strawberry Music Festival(CA), Sanderson Centre (ON), Stockey Centre (ON). A gifted author, Tia’s children’s book, Jake The Road Dawg (about the couple’s adopted Nashville Shelter pup who travels with them on tour) has helped raise funds and awareness for their local chapter of The Dolly Parton Imagination Library, The Niagara Falls Humane Society, and various animal rescue non-profit org. The book includes three original songs by Tia and Tommy and is the inspiration behind their podcast show and their live author/songwriting children’s events, both called Jake’s Place: Songs’n’ Tails.’ Sending out the universalmessage of hope, acceptance in your world, and love for life’s adventures, Jake the Road Dawg inspires readers of all ages to ‘Find the song in your heart,’ and ‘Let yourself be Crazy Beautiful!

Website

Tom and Barb Webber are veteran singer/songwriters on the Milwaukee music scene. They are partners in all things including marriage, parenting, songwriting and performing.

Barb, a natural storyteller, writes a capella, letting the words choose their own notes, without constraints. It is in singing the songs over and over that the story finds its own rhythm and melody. She believes, "Words have been kind to me. But words are tools. The bigger gift is engaging in life and people's stories, listening for the universal essence of love, truth, and compassion.”

Tom was born and raised in Borger, Texas, just north of Amarillo in the dry dusty Texas Panhandle. His early memories include playing with horny toads and ants. It is clear to all outsiders why music becomes such an important part of a young person's social life in the Texas Panhandle; there is, quite simply, nothing else to do. Tom began jamming in grade school and never stopped. Over the years he developed a unique two-finger Travis picking style which includes a moving melody line. On the other end of Tom’s spectrum is an enthusiastic chunky country-blues rhythm.

Tom and Barb’s songwriting has, over the years, evolved into an increasingly collaborative process. Tom has always instrumentally arranged Barb's lyrics to give voice to each song's personality. Lately they weave the instrumental and vocal melody lines simultaneously to explore new spaces and styles. Tom occasionally pens his own songs which express his artistic eye of optimism and spiritual vision.

Fans of their music are captivated by Tom and Barb’s singing. Tom's voice carries the rumble of the Texas Panhandle, a beautiful contrast to the angelic clarity of Barb's. And together, their harmonies blend like heaven and earth.

Tom & Barb Webber have won a number of awards including Folk Artist of the year from the Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI). The winning prize of the Great River Folk Festival Songwriters Contest, recording time, brought their 5th album to life. Currently they have 5 studio albums and one live recorded album. Tom and Barb are currently working on a collection of original Christmas songs, returning to Nashville to collaborate again with producer Tim Lorsch.

Website

On Burnished, Amelia Hogan sings both traditional and contemporary folk music with lilting grace and subtlety, reviving songs both old and new, giving them a fresh, polished feel. Hogan transports her listeners out of time and place with haunting melodies and evocative storytelling. The 14-track album features one original, "Rolling in the Gold", a number of traditional, songs and songs by contemporary songwriters from Celtic Lands, and the US. Like someone carefully shining precious metals, Hogan brings out the core beauty of these songs, allowing them to shine.

Produced by Hogan at Foxtail Sound in Dixon, CA, with celebrated musicians Marla Fibish, Christa Burch, Jimmy Murphy, John Weed, Maureen Brennan, Ray Frank, Richard Mandel, Skyler Blakeslee, and Steve O’Neill, Burnished explores the deep connections between people and the places they inhabit within the living world. Through these songs she encourages us to approach our relationships place, mindfully.

Website

Shotgun Bill is......Bill Anania singer songwriter from Middletown, NJ, you'll find him playing events and venues in the Jersey Shore area. His music is a blend of Country, Americana and a little bit Cowboy! Working with an old friend, Frank Patrouch as "Frank and Bill” (2012-2017) released 3 CD projects, "Whiskey and Revenge", " One Good Line" and "Unplugged and Uncouth". In 2016, releasing his 1st solo CD " The B-Sides”, then in 2017 he released his 2nd solo project "Train Cars, Prison Bars ...and a White Guitar" working with his friend Scott "Tango Kid" Yetka, Next was “Shotgun Bill with the Tango Kid- Lonesome Cowboys" was released April 2019. Then in the Fall of 2020- “Quarantined”, and in the summer of 2021- “Lack of Luxury”. In the fall of 2024 release the 7th album, “Birds of a Feather”. Recently Shotgun Bill with the Tango Kid was nominated for the “2022 Indie Music Channel Awards “for Best Americana Artist. In 2024 Shotgun Bills song “Doin’ Nothin”” won Best Americana Songwriter, Indie Music Radio Awards. We are currently finishing our next album, which is due to be finished by the summer. All titles available on Itunes, Amazon, Band Camp and CD Baby and Spotify.

Website

Based currently in rural British Columbia, Janet has spent several years living in Oregon, which is where her songwriting inspiration began. She became politically motivated in the months leading up to the Iraq war of 2003. Attending an anti war rally on MLK day, she was given the MLK “Riverside” speech, and the first lines of that speech inspired her to become an activist. “There comes a time when silence is betrayal” She went on to organize several rallies in Bandon Oregon, and the day that the US invaded Iraq, she began writing songs. Since she was a teenager singing in small events, people always said she had a voice like Joan Baez. SO she decided to write songs that gave life to the stories of those who have no voice…. the ones who needlessly die in wars, those whose lives are ruined, the poor, the victims of violent wars. Between 2003 and 2009, she went on to release 5 CDs. All 5 of the CDs achieved international airplay on radio. For 2 years in a row, her airplay achieved the top 20 spot for Canadians on the folk DJ lists. Janet writes all of the music they play and plays 12 string guitar. For these years they mostly played at political events. They performed for Dennis Kucinich events both in 2004 and 2008. She was on the Thom Hartmann show several times, both performing relevant songs and being interviewed at political events. She was a finalist in singer songwriter events at the Solar festival in Vermont and Susquahanna in Maryland. “Janet Bates has produced with Little Spinner a CD that is one of those fairly rare ones that you just want to play from beginning to end and then start over again. It is that good and meaningful. Bill Hahn WFDU --Bill Hahn, WFDU radio “Love your music. Please send more CDs.” I'm playing your songs on the radio show, Music of the People, WMCB, 107.9 LPFM, Greenfield, MA. Thanks, Diane Crowe --Diane Crow, WMCB and LPFM radio A lovely album...am playing cuts this morning on WJFF radio. thanks for sending it. Sonja Hedlund Ballads and Banjos -- Sonja Hedlund, WJFF radio”

And the theme that Janet chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: SONGS AGAINST WAR AND VIOLENCE

Website

Songwriter, storyteller and educator Reggie Harris was born in Philadelphia, PA, and has been an international touring artist for over 45 years. Reggie is a proud descendant of grand-parents who were part of the Great Black Migration. His early years in Philly's rich cultural climate greatly contributed to his building a legendary career that forges entertainment with education and social activism. A 2021 recipient of Folk Alliance International's "Spirit of Folk" and the W.E.B Dubois Legacy Awards, Reggie’s groundbreaking solo CDs “Ready To Go”(2018), "On Solid Ground" 2021) and his musical collaboration “Deeper Than the Skin" (2020) (with his friend Greg Greenway) have helped to create a climate for “courageous conversations” on race, faith and history across the nation. As Music Education Director for the Living Legacy Project Inc, Reggie co-leads in-person pilgrimages to sites of the Modern Civil Rights movement through the southern US. In April 2025, Reggie released a memoir, Searching for Solid Ground which chronicles his life long journey in music as a source of discovery, inspiration and hope.

And the theme that Reggie chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: Songs of Life, Love and Hope

Website

Barry’s grandfather was a guitarist, playing with the Tubize Royal Hawaiian Orchestra in the 1920s, the first musical act to perform on WRVA radio in Richmond, VA. They recorded and released several 78 RPM records on the OKeh label. Barry believes he inherited his deep love for music and his lifelong affection for the guitar from him.

John’s father was a pianist, performer and composer of ragtime music. John can close his eyes and see him sitting at the piano writing and re-writing for hours. There were many nights when John would fall asleep listening to him playing. His father was the pianist and arranger for a 12-piece dance orchestra, the Virginians. To introduce the “world of performing” to John and his siblings, his dad arranged for them to sing in local talent shows. John recalls many family sing-alongs around the piano with his mom singing alto, his brother carrying the bass, sister on lead, and John singing tenor. This forged in his mind and heart the true beauty of four-part harmony.

In the early years, Barry’s formal musical training came from his elementary school music teacher, Mrs. Allen. It was her teaching that began his love for vocal harmonization. John learned basics on the piano and sang in church, school and various musical programs. Second grade, singing in the annual Christmas cantata, would be the first occasion where John and Barry would perform together. In middle school, John played alto sax in the marching band but soon traded it for his first set of drums. Around the same time, Barry received his first electric guitar, a Gibson Kalamazoo. Soon after, they began playing music together and were also in a barbershop quartet under the guidance of John's father. Working with Mr. Cafazza strengthened their love of harmonization to an even greater extent.

While in high school, Barry and John formed a four-piece group, The Sound Estate, with John’s brother on bass guitar and a classmate on lead guitar. This band was the catalyst for their long-term musical partnership. In college at Virginia Tech, Barry and John formed the Cowboy Bob Rhythm and Blues Band, which evolved into the group they played with for the next three years.

As time passed, their musical journey took many twists and turns following separate and varied musical trails. Barry performed throughout the southeast with several bands and began recording and producing. He engineered and produced the BigTime Party Band’s second album, co-writing the song Cherry Groove, which became a top 10 Carolina beach music hit. This brought the honor of being one of five nominated for the Carolina Beach Music Awards songwriter of the year. John and his wife Rhonda sang in the church choir and were often joined by another couple, leading to a 10-year partnership singing as a quartet called The Generations.

In 2016, reuniting with their bandmates from college, Barry and John rekindled their common and newfound musical passions. The two guys then decided to collaborate on songwriting and in 2024 recorded their first album, “Together Again.” The album consists of 17 original songs reflecting various music genres with broad musical influences.

Barry now lives on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with his wife Jo and their dog, King Louis. John and his wife, Rhonda, reside in Midlothian, VA with their dog, Sadie.

And the theme they chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: SIDE BY SIDE

Website

Jeff Talmadge is an award winning songwriter from Texas. His newest record is “Sparrow”, on Berkalin Records, was released in 2024, and it is his 8th studio recording. He has toured throughout the United States and Europe and recorded three albums for the Dutch label, Corazong Records. A graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, Jeff was a Board Certified Civil Trial attorney in 2003 when he left that practice to pursue music full time. Songs he wrote or co-wrote have been recorded by a number of other artists, and his poems have appeared in many literary journals and magazines. His mostly finger-picked acoustic guitar and story songs have garnered outstanding reviews and comparisons to legendary Texas songwriters. Jeff got his undergraduate degree from Duke University, where he received the Academy of American Poets Award, and he received his MFA from the Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers.

And the theme Jeff chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: RESILIENCE

Website

March to August is an Americana-Roots duo with melodies that merge influences of Folk, Americana, Bluegrass and Celtic music and lyrics that capture the essence of the human experience. With every song, they offer poignant snapshots of life’s diverse emotions and stories, inviting listeners to reflect on the moments that shape us all. Hailing from diverse musical backgrounds, Derrick and Jodi Mears bring a plethora of influences to their work. Their lyrics often empower the voices of those silenced by circumstance, allowing each character’s narrative to be heard, while their instrumentation draws listeners into those tales with their unique Ozark Mountain sound. M2A’s performances instill artistry and authenticity that transport you to a bygone era while infusing their own contemporary spin. With each note, this ensemble invites you to join them on a musical journey that resonates with the soul.

Website

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!

Website

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.

Website

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

Website

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.

Website

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.

Website

“... 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!

Website

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.

Website

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.

Website

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!

Website

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.

Website

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

Website

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

Website

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.

Website

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.

Website

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).

Website

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.

Website

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.

Website

“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)

Website

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.

Website

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.

Website