Featured Artists of the Hootenanny Cafe Radio Show

Valerie Smith is a prominent bluegrass musician hailing from Holt, Missouri, where her passion for music was cultivated in a community rich with folk songs and storytelling. Growing up in a small town, family gatherings often revolved around music, nurturing her love for the genre. Valerie's early connection to music laid a strong foundation for her subsequent remarkable career on the bluegrass scene. From a young age, Valerie was captivated by the storytelling aspects of bluegrass music, which allowed her to convey deep emotions and shared experiences. Supported by a musically-inclined family, she began performing locally, quickly capturing the hearts of audiences with her natural stage presence and emotive voice. Her dedication to her craft deepened as she delved into the intricate melodies and harmonies that define bluegrass. Valerie pursued her music education at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, where she studied music performance, composition, and choral conducting. During this time, she expanded her musical exploration into blues and contemporary classical music while also teaching music in public schools. She developed a curriculum focused on music history and culture, further solidifying her passion for education and sharing music with students. A pivotal moment in Valerie's career came when she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, a hub for bluegrass and country music. This relocation opened new avenues for artistic growth, as she drew inspiration from the city's rich musical heritage. Influenced by legends like Charlie Louvin and Johnny Cash, Valerie embraced new collaborations, working notably with Alan O'Bryant of the Nashville Bluegrass Band. As she toured extensively, Valerie emerged as a professional musician, captivating audiences at bluegrass festivals and venues nationwide. Her distinctive sound blends traditional and contemporary bluegrass, marked by a commitment to authenticity and storytelling. Her ability to weave personal narratives into her songs creates deeper connections with listeners, as she explores themes of heartache, joy, and the beauty of everyday life. A memorable moment in her career was her debut at the Grand Ole Opry, introduced by Charlie Louvin himself. Capitalizing on her growing popularity, Valerie formed her touring band, Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike. This dynamic group not only enhanced her sound but also created an engaging stage presence that resonated with audiences. Known for their energetic performances and captivating arrangements, Liberty Pike became a staple in the national and international bluegrass community, blending traditional sounds with modern influences. Valerie's discography, including albums like "Patchwork Heart," "Blame It on the Bluesgrass," "No Summer Storm," "Small Town Heroes," and the musical "Maggie's Journal," showcases her evolution as an artist. Each album marks a new milestone in her journey, highlighting her growth as both a vocalist and songwriter. Her works present thoughtful compositions and poignant storytelling, further solidifying her reputation in the bluegrass genre.

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Colleen is a bilingual performer whose voice “haunts with its range and clarity”. Her music expresses a loving, spirited presence, with a voice that soothes and haunts with its range and clarity. Music and activism infuse her music- and she has performed at many social justice events, from celebrating the working folk of this country to singing down the SOA to “singing clear” for renewable energy. She recently won a songwriting award for her anthem I Will Rise at the Great Labor Arts Exchange, Silver Spring MD. Many of Colleen’s songs have charted in the top 50 FAI folk DJ charts, most recently her interpretation of Woody Guthrie’s classic, Deportee: https://youtu.be/WuT5ohUXGZ0which charted #16.

Colleen has recorded seven albums and three successful benefit CDs for environmental & peace actions. This May you can her at Walkabout Clearwater Coffeehouse celebrating the music of Phil Ochs. Colleen believes in the transformative power of song to make a more just and peaceful world.

“Colleen is a vibrant singer and interpreter of song she sings with passion and is remarkable both as a solo and in collaboration. Colleen is a wonderful compliment any program or event with her brilliant attitude and smile but is also an artist with vision and principle highly recommended” Reggie Harri

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From bluegrass and jazz to rock & roll and old-time fiddle, Vi brings energy, passion, humor, and musical mastery to every performance. Vi is a 4X Colorado State Fiddling Champion, a Grand Masters’ Fiddler Championship finalist, and 3X National Fiddle Contest Runner Up.

In 2018, his albums Armadillo on a Hot Tin Roof and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas both landed in the Top 5 on Folk DJ Radio, with Armadillo charting for 7 months. His 2020 collaboration Swingin’ at the Savoy (with Paul Anastasio) reached #7 on the Folk Alliance International Chart. His latest project, The Thanksgiving Album is currently ranked the #1 album on the same chart.

Raised in a musical family, Vi toured as part of The Wickam Family Band, performing regularly on the iconic TV show Blinky’s Fun Club (1992–1995). In 2012, his ambitious Fiddle Tune a Day project brought him national attention in the fiddle and roots music communities, posting a new fiddle tune every single day for a year.

Vi is a sought-after teacher and workshop leader, and his online fiddle school, MyTalentForge.com, hosts hundreds of instructional videos for aspiring fiddlers.

Photo by Christina Gressianu www.photocg.co

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Please tune for our end of the year 3-ySet Hootenanny Cafe Radio Show Singer Songwriter Showcase special. There were so many wonderful songs for last week's (12/21) SONGS ABOUT WINTER Theme, that I decided to combine Songs About Winter with New Songs For the New Year Singer Songwriter Showcase. Help celebrate the new year with new songs and Songs About Winter

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Swedish Sofia Talvik is a North Sea siren blending sparkle and melancholy. A veteran performer with 10 full length albums as well as numerous international tours behind her. She has performed at festivals ranging from Lollapalooza to SXSW. She has also released 2 albums in Swedish as part of the New Acoustic duo Hansan with German cellist David Floer. Amid the glitter and nostalgia of holiday music, Sofia Talvik offers something radically different — and deeply needed — this season. Her new single, “Let Peace Be the Song,” is a bold and haunting Christmas track that throws off the sugarcoating to confront our modern crises: systemic injustice, and the emotional dissonance of trying to find hope in a fractured world. The album Wrapped in Paper, was set to be released on December 1st 2025.

Photo by Jonas Westin

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NJ/NY Metro-area based singer songwriter, Carol Crittenden, has been known to "light up the stage" with her sweet soaring vocals and thoughtful, melodic tunes. She weaves her personal perspective into her work, whether in her emotionally intimate or acclaimed social-justice-minded songs.



As the daughter of esteemed opera director and teacher, Richard Crittenden, Carol’s love of music began at an early age. She could be heard belting out Annie songs and putting on variety shows for family & neighbors in her backyard in suburban Northern New Jersey; these are some of her earliest childhood memories.



Over the years, she has honed her songwriting skills at Dar Williams’ songwriting retreats and was selected to perform at the esteemed NERFA Folk DJ Showcase in 2019, where she received accolades for her song, "RISE." She has been honored to perform her original tunes at some wonderful venues, including: WFUV DJ John Platt's "On Your Radar" at Rockwood Music Hall (NYC), Ethical Brew (Teaneck, NJ), Troubadour Concert Series at The Folk Project (Morristown, NJ), Caffé Lena (Saratoga Springs, NY), The Cutting Room (NYC), among others.



In addition to her original music projects, Carol has sung with various groups; she has recorded and toured as the lead singer of Four Celtic Voices, with a #1 CD on the Billboard World Music Chart. She sings a wide variety of styles, from classical to folk to musical theatre and she can also be heard on national/regional commercials. An actress as well, she has toured in productions of Dracula and Hamlet with the New Vic Theatre of London and has been seen on stage with various NYC and LA theatre companies.



A long-awaited follow-up of her 2011 debut album, “En Route,” her new 2025 album, "Glimmer," charted at #6 on the FAI Folk Chart in its first month. “Glimmer” is a tribute to the idea that there are glimmers of light all around us, even in the darkest times. It’s about holding both the light and the dark, side by side, as sacred companions, leading us to better know and experience deeper aspects of ourselves, and enabling us to connect with each other in our Oneness. Her songs are filled with palpable heartache *and* unmistakable hope.

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On The Way I Tell the Story, David Wilcox walks the line between hope and heartbreak, and it does so with the kind of precision that only happens when someone’s actually been through it. And Wilcox has been through it. In recent years, his wife’s Parkinson’s diagnosis has reframed everything—his perspective, his process, his writing. “Times get tough, and music gets good,” he says, which might as well be the thesis of The Way I Tell the Story. This is music about surviving with your heart intact, told with the ease of someone who’s spent his life learning how.

“I’m all in for using music as a way to gain clarity and emotional maturity,” Wilcox says. “I believe that doing the work of exploring your heart—really going into the dark parts where the light hasn’t reached—creates emotional fitness that gives us access to strength of character.” It’s music, he says, that gives us the subtle discernment we need for navigating toward a better life.

Note: Sadly, David's wife, recently passed after a gallant fight. Our hearts go out to David and family. I now dedicate this show to David as a tribute and a way of showing support.

The theme that he chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: CREATIVITY

Photo by Lynne Harty

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Holly Bruce is a performing h-artist, singer songwriter, composer with a background in spiritual healing arts from Nashville, TN. Holly’s voice & music embody self discovery and she recently released a full length album, “Love Remains,” that she wrote and co-produced, that highlights a hard won journey to truth and empowering choice. Her music blends Indie Folk, Americana & Pop. She aims to place her music in TV & Film (Sync).

And the theme that Holly chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: OVERCOMING

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In a career that spans 6 decades, 28 albums and 3 Grammy awards, Tom Chapin has covered an incredible amount of creative ground. In addition to his work as a recording artist, concert performer, storyteller and activist, he’s acted on Broadway and worked extensively in television, radio and film. At the age of 80, Chapin is as vibrant and relevant as ever. Chapin maintains two long and productive parallel careers, both as a respected contemporary folk artist and as a pioneer in the field of children’s music. With hundreds of songs in his repertoire, Chapin serves up a tasty mix of story songs, ballads, comedic and political songs, family music, sing-alongs, old-time folk classics and a favorite song or two of his late brother Harry’s. Tom accompanies himself on guitar, banjo and autoharp. In addition to his musical and media endeavors, Chapin has long been an advocate for issues of hunger and social justice, environmental causes, and a supporter of music and arts in public schools.

And the theme that Tom chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: SONGS OF HOPE

Photo by Bonnie Chapin

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Jean Bayou’s songs run the gamut from gleeful to sometimes tear-inducing emotion. She weaves stories about a variety of topics with titles including Your Karma Suits Ya, Hatchetman, We Are Revolting, Mammogram, Time Has Its Way, Goin’ Coastal and Happy as the Day I Was Born, and accompanies her lyrics with rhythmic grooves and memorable melodies. One of her loves being improvisation, Jean has been known to provide impromptu piano accompaniment to fellow songwriters, which oftentimes has led to performance collaborations, fun times and long-term friendships. Jean served as President of the Songwriters Association of Washington for 8 years and is a strong supporter of music community and the power of music as a much-needed connection for people.

She will soon be releasing some long-awaited recordings of her songs made over the past decade. Jean has recently won the 2026 Delaware Folk Hero competition, sponsored by Delaware Friends of Folk, and looks forward to fulfilling that role. She hopes you will enjoy her music!

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Singing out for the underdog in glorious harmony! Winter Wilson are well known throughout the UK folk scene and beyond for their thought provoking songs, tales from the road and great live performances.

Winter Wilson are one of the hardest-working duos on the scene, and for good reason. They have re-established themselves since Covid,touring constantly across the UK, throughout Europe & returning to great acclaim in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Dave Wilson is now recognised as one of the UK’s very best contemporary folk songwriters, with his songs sung in folk clubs the world over. He is also a fine guitarist, banjo player and singer. Kip Winter “simply has a voice to die for” (John Roffee, Maverick Magazine). She is equally at home singing contemporary folk, traditional Gaelic songs and blues and also plays piano accordion, flute and guitar. Together, the couple produce a unique sound, blending truly stunning harmonies with subtle, skilful musicianship. Their songs are beautiful, though often hard-hitting, and are always delivered with passion. Kip and Dave are a couple in life as well as on stage and it shows. Their easy personal rapport translates to a relaxed, self-effacing stage presence, where the audience is invited to join, not only in the songs, but also in the jokes and stories in between. Now they’re back with a new album “Home”, released in January 2025, but still with the same joy in bringing their songs to audiences new and old alike. "This is a duo proving worthy inheritors of the dual singer-songwriter crown previously worn by Gregson & Collister and Richard & Linda Thompson" RnR Magazine “Twelve tracks of absolute gorgeousness .... They are absolutely at the top of their game” Tim Walker, BBC Radio Lincolnshire “Tough and tender in equal measure, it’s a fine addition to an illustrious discography, a very welcome home indeed!” Mike Davies, Fatea Magazine

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Called "one of New England's best songwriters" by The Boston Globe, Terry Kitchen has been performing on folk stages across the country since the 1990s, releasing a dozen albums filled with literate musical storytelling, supple guitar playing and distinctive, intimate vocals. His latest album We All Dream (with its title song reaching the top ten of the national Folk-DJ chart) offers a hard-won glimmer of hope just when we need it most. His songs have won the Mid-Atlantic and USA Song Contests and been runner-up in the John Lennon Song Contest, and have appeared in numerous films. In the 1980s he was the leader of the groundbreaking Boston band Loose Ties, whose experiences he recounts in his novel Next Big Thing, called "a great debut novel" by The San Francisco Book Review. He's also the author of a short story collection, Coping Mechanisms, and he's currently working on a musical.

Terry Kitchen was born in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and grew up in Easton, PA (home of Lafayette College) on the music of the 1960s before moving to small town Findlay, Ohio in the '70s. He attended Occidental College in Los Angeles (with Barack Obama) and G.I.T. in Hollywood, then moved to Boston with his band before realizing acoustic music was the most natural setting for his distinctive narrative songwriting. Each stop along the way has left its mark, giving Kitchen insight into the experiences we all share, from the post-industrial ennui of Pennsylvania coal and iron country to the plainspoken corn-and-soybean heartland to the uptempo lifestyles of the Coasts. He pares songwriting down to its essentials - a voice, a guitar, a story, a flicker of emotion. Whether in concert or on record, Kitchen brings his songs to life with gentle wisdom, a sharp eye for detail, and unexpected humor. We All Dream, his latest album, is an intimate portrait of who we are at this critical moment, and why we all need each other.

We All Dream, released in spring 2025, follows 2021's Lost Songs, 2020's Next Time We Meet, 2018's live/covers collection Rubies in the Dust, 2017's The Quiet Places, and 2015's The Post-American Century. His 1997 album Blanket, his first album to receive national attention, was remastered for its 25 Anniversary edition in 2022.

"Terry Kitchen begins where Tom Waits and Elvis Costello merge and leave off." -Vance Gilbert

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Steve Madewell enjoyed a remarkable career working for four regional park systems in Ohio. While employed in the public sector he served as the executive director for Metroparks of the Toledo Area, Lake Metroparks, and Geauga Park District. He retired from Toledo Metroparks in October 2016. Steve has been directly involved in nearly every facet of park operations from environmental education and law enforcement to land acquisition and natural resource management, including wetland restoration, fundraising and grant writing, park planning and development. He has worked on countless national, state, and regional conservation projects, and is credited with a host of creative initiatives. Steve was involved with acquiring miles and miles of stream frontage in Ohio, either in fee or easement, mostly located within Ohio's famed Steelhead Alley. He has used fly fishing for Steelhead to introduce a host of public officials and community leaders to the wonders of nature and has fished with notable anglers, outdoor writers, politicians, business leaders, and sports figures. He was known as the “senator’s personal steelhead guide” and served as an advisor to then-Governor George Voinovich on the acquisition of the Castallia Fish Hatchery. Steve has written for several publications, been the subject of countless newspaper articles, and has been featured on numerous televised broadcasts. He has prepared and delivered presentations across the country on a variety of conservation-related issues. In addition to his successful career in the conservation field, he has also been a performing musician for over 50 years and music has always been an integral part of his life. Steve Madewell is a seasoned musical performer. He has a myriad of interesting life experiences as an outdoorsman, a public official, and musician. Inspired by nature and local history, he calls his originals “Songs from the heartland”' Steve has four solo albums of original compositions: Haunted, Hometown Blues, Arrow Creek and Rivers and Trails. In addition to an immense repertoire of original, traditional and contemporary songs, Steve has delivered a number of motivational and themed musical presentations for large conferences as well as small organizational retreats. From remote wilderness lodges to large theaters, he is comfortable on any stage.

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Franco-American duo The Whispering Tree crafts richly immersive folk brimming with evocative lyrics and soaring vocals. Their new album, Bones of Better Days, explores identity and the myths we tell ourselves about the past. Following the success of their precious release, Invisible Forces (which debuted at #1 on the Folk DJ charts in 2018), the duo toured extensively across the U.S. and Europe—until the world came to a halt. In the quiet and chaos that followed, they began piecing together a collection of songs that reflect on memory, loss, and reinvention. The result is their most sonically rich and lyrically fearless album yet.

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Celebrating their latest recording, Look to the Moon, Patty & Craig - Patty Stevenson and Craig Siemsen (Seem-sen), have been described as genuinely talented with classic folk voices. In a recent review, Fervor Coulee Roots Music wrote, “magic … is present on Look to the Moon .”

Based in Wisconsin, Patty & Craig are known for their gorgeous harmonies, impeccable musicianship, playful stage humor, and jewel-like original songs, Patty & Craig perform on guitars and piano. Patty says about performing, “I try for magic – nothing less! For the place that opens hearts and will move an audience to tears or smiles.”

For many years, the couple maintained solo careers, even after they married. Eventually, with the prodding of wise friends, they agreed to perform one show as a duo. The rest, as they say, is history.

Although primarily roots singer songwriters, Patty & Craig continue to create and record original songs, as well as their own variations on timeless pieces that often span the ages of creativity in sound. “Patty & Craig combine perfect pairings of melody and harmony with classic, well-crafted folk songs worth sharing. Well-traveled troubadours with stories to savor, Patty & Craig survey the folk music landscape with style and stellar voices. Few folkies are better at bringing people together to sing along, celebrate and build community!” ~ Cafe Fromage Rooftop Series

Patty is a classically trained pianist and amazing finger-style guitarist. She often writes portrait songs of people in her life and in history. Patty’s song, I Will, called the International Anthem for Adoptive Parents by Holt International, was used to raise money for children waiting for families. Craig has been described as a leading midwest guitarist with a voice that is a mixture of honey and grit. His songwriting speaks to the human condition with poetry and humor. He has received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wisconsin Arts Board to write songs of people who live in restricted communities, from prisons to senior homes.” The combination of these two artists creates a sound that is full-on harmony and joy.

"Storytelling and melody come together for a sound that embraces all that is Americana.” ~ Milwaukee’s Shepherd Express

Patty & Craig tour the Midwest and beyond, entertaining audiences at coffee houses, festivals, halls and outdoor concerts. Their work includes solo recordings and guest appearances on others’ CDs. They have created three duo recordings, including “One Person” and “Paint Me a Picture”, that received airplay around the world, and charted on the Folk DJ Charts. Notable venues include: Swallow Hill (CO), the Grand River Folk Arts Society (MI), Midwinter Folk Festival (WI), Woodstock Folk Festival (IL), Ironwood Theater (MI), Santa Fe Summerscene (NM), Summerfest (WI), and PlainSong Folk Festival (NE), the Wisconsin Singer Songwriter Series and the Cowgirl Hall of Fame (NM).

With exceptional instrumentation and harmonies, their latest project, Look to the Moon, features songs of love, hope, magic, and a famous folkie who dreamed of being a rock n’ roll star. The title track, Love Surround Me, is an evocative piece that suggests the moon as a guide for life. What started as a solo project, Patty later jumped in when randomly given the song prompt “Blue Moon” that awakened her compelling love song, “Once in a Blue Moon.” Inspired by a beautiful picture of the Blood Moon, Look to the Moon includes many songs with moon themes that reflect life’s joys, challenges and dreams.

Photo by Katie Gorton

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TOM PAXTON has been a central figure in folk music since the early 1960s and remains so today. Though he retired from touring at the end of 2024, he continues to write and co-write at a pace and quality few other songwriters can equal.

DANIEL BOLING, 20 years Tom’s junior, has been very active on the folk scene for two and a half decades, touring internationally, releasing 11 solo albums, and more recently also performing as a member of the 1960s folk trio THE LIMELITERS.

Since becoming friends a few years ago, Tom and Daniel co-write most weeks and have penned at least 75 songs together. 31 of these appear on Daniel’s recent Berkalin Records releases “New Old Friends” (2023) and “IT MATTERS featuring Tom Paxton” (2025), with three of those and two more featured on THE LIMELITERS’ 2025 live album “Until We Can’t Sing Anymore”. Tom says he’ll keep writing songs as long as he lives, and keep writing them with Daniel. Here's wishing these new old friends many more years and songs together!

See danielboling.com See tompaxton.com

And the theme they chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: CO-WRITING

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Eddie Canter once said, “It takes twenty years to make an overnight success.” Music for Humanity celebrates our 20th anniversary this year with a special concert fundraiser on Sunday afternoon October 19th. The event is fully catered by Allan’s Falafel of Chester NY. It will leave you satisfied in mind, heart, body and spirit.

“For the Future of Humanity Support Music Education”. For over 20 years MusicForHumanity.org has done that with scholarships & new instruments for school districts. MFH has also spread more music via a free monthly concert series for almost 15 years, given an annual Honorarium to support professional musicians (over 7 years). We also have given three $1000 grants for the Music Teacher Appreciation Award. We’ll give another one this November. And this year we began our Third Annual Songwriting Contest with a $1000 1st Prize and $500 2nd Prize. The winners will be announced at the 182nd Music for Humanity Free Performance Night on Saturday December 20th at Noble Coffee Roasters in Campbell Hall NY 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 and souls. Music can effectively communicate, that what we have in common, as human beings, is far greater than any differences. This Hootenanny Café Radio show will feature three of our Grand Scholarship recipients who represent $42,000 of the $207,000 in music scholarships given to date. They are Ryan Soeyadi, Masters in Piano Performance from Juilliard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8ldxofCJsQ, Shavon Lloyd, Masters in Vocal Performance from Juilliard https://shavonlloyd.com/, and Esther Chae, completing her Masters in Cello Performance from Juilliard this year, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY5TY_XoNOU&t. We’ll also feature three more seasoned professionals: Charles Mokotoff, classical guitarist, https://charlesmokotoff.com/, John Cimino, baritone, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keqzlOWvvCA, and E’lissa Jones, a full time music teacher in Warwick and arguably the most dynamic performer in the Hudson Valley, https://elissajones.com/. In addition to the $207,000 in scholarships, MFH has also given $25,000 for new instruments to six Hudson Valley school districts including Middletown, Beacon, Central Valley, Goshen, Chester and Pine Bush, $5000 in Honorariums to professional musicians, and $3000 to music teachers. 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.”

For more info on this special concert and more check out musicforhumanity.org And / or, our You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/@musicforhumanity-1

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Some siblings fight, some siblings compete, and then some siblings, like award-winning artists Cher & Gene Klosner, come together as Acoustic Pop Rock Singer/Songwriters, wowing audiences with their catchy, groovin', from-the-gut, gets-stuck-in-your-head songs and their stories, with a guitar, a piano, and sibling harmonies that have been described as "audible chocolate." Omaha, Nebraska, natives Cher & Gene Klosner wrote their first songs together as kids and have been writing and performing together ever since.  Their songs, and their stories behind the songs, invite every listener into Cher and Gene's world on a deeper, more intimate level, letting each person feel as if they have just spent time with old friends. Cher & Gene Klosner's performance highlights include Disney’s Frozen Wrap Party at the Dolby Theatre, World Youth Day for a half million teens, many 9/11 tributes in New York and Los Angeles, the Grand Ole Opry, and singing for an audience of 80,000 before a Kansas/Styx/Foreigner concert. Their music has been performed around the world by symphonies and choirs, and can be heard in many shows, films, and commercials.  Together, Cher and Gene have formed their own record label, released four albums, sold over 25,000 CDs, several thousand downloads, have over 800,000 streams and more than 1.5 million views of their music. Their multi-award-winning 2-disc lullaby set, Stardust, was recorded with members of the Omaha Symphony, Omaha Conservatory, and Mannheim Steamroller. Cher and Gene are currently working on their fifth album, Live at The Jewell, coming out soon. From performing concerts and singing at festivals to live-streaming shows, Cher & Gene Klosner, as a duo, trio or full band, immediately draw you in with their fun and friendly personalities, their catchy songs with all the feels, their stories, and their playful audience interaction, in genres ranging from Acoustic Pop-Rock and Americana to Jazz and R & B. Cher & Gene Klosner will leave your audience...feeling. "Your positive energy is contagious! Just the dose of sunshine I needed!"  "The funny moments along with the emotional ones made for a lovely evening and made me want to hear more." "Tons of fun!" "Their beautiful and uplifting performance touched the hearts of everyone in attendance." "The interaction between Cher, Gene and the audience was fun and easygoing, they made everyone feel welcome." "We wanted to make this year's event even more special and memorable, so we reached out to Cher & Gene Klosner well in advance to ask for their help. And boy, did they deliver!" "Thumbs up 100%!"

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Singer-Songwriter Jane Fallon is a veteran performer whose smooth rich voice and well-written songs get noticed. With vocals that have been called “angelic and mesmerizing by Bostons Metronome magazine, her original songs combine humor, intelligence and deep musicality with an artfulness that is unusual”.

Jane is Bi-Coastal having spent her early years in California and Oregon, she married a man from Massachusetts and spent many more in New Hampshire. She mothered 3 children while teaching English at Southern New Hampshire University. Her musical roots go back to a family of singers for whom music was just what you do. Beginning with church hymns and her mother’s old vinyl records of the American Songbook and Western classics, Jane took her college minor in music and sang in ensembles learning an appreciation for the classics. This variety shows up in the eclectic styles of her songs, and her love for literature is reflected in her expressive lyrics.

She has 8 albums to her credit and her last one charted at #4 on the Acoustic Roots Chart and debuted at #8 on Airplay Direct. Her writing came to the notice of well known Nashville Songwriter Jason Blume who commented on both the quality of her songwriting and the beauty of her voice.

Jane has performed in over 28 states, 5 countries and 16 festivals world wide, including The Woody Guthrie festival, The Clancy Brothers Festival in Ireland, The Smokey Mountain Songwriters Festival , The Port Gamble Maritime Festival, The Florida Folk Festival, The San Francisco Folk Festival, and the Edinburgh Folk Festival.

She has won over 40 songwriting awards including the Woody Guthrie Songwriting Competition, The South Florida Songwriting Competition, the Suwannee Riverkeeper’s Songwriting Competition, the Susanne Milsaps Songwriting Competition, The Great River Songwriting Competition, and the American Songwriter Magazine Lyric Contest.Most recently her songwriting talents have gained recognition from the Braver Angels and Talent is Timeless organizations. She’s shared the stage with national legendsBarbara Streisand and Mac Davis, and folk luminaires Bill Staines, and Joe Jencks and Robbie O’Connell.

According to Christin Alynn Pitcock, director of the Songwriter Experience, ”At the core of Jane's artistry lies her ability to craft songs that resonate deeply with listeners. Each lyric is infused with a sense of honesty and vulnerability that is rare and refreshing… a vibrant tapestry, woven with love, passion, and a timeless sense of wonder.” After 35 years in New Hampshire she has moved to Dunedin, Florida and is gratified to have been welcomed into the Florida Folk community, performing at festivals and featuring on local radio. She has recently released a new album called “Sweet Resilience” of meaningful songs that focus on the tenor of our times and personal memories and losses. (3000 characters)

She was called “Powerful, inspirational, uplifting, delightful, and impressive … one of the good artists in a sea of soulless clutter by Cyrus Rhodes of Indie Music Magazine.

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C J Martin is an English singer songwriter. He played in bands with friends from the age of 16. In 1988, after purchasing a Tascam Portastudio, he started writing and recording his own songs. He has been on a song-writing journey ever since and has spent many hours in recording studios, using the developing technologies to explore his musical ideas. His influences are many, including a love for Americana, classical music and British rock. His musical taste and style is so broad that it doesn’t really belong to any specific music genre, hence the title of his latest EP, ‘Eclectic Wilderness’. The six songs are very different, and a wonderful pastiche of the variety he has to offer an audience. A love of words enables him to explore an extremely wide-ranging mix of subjects in his own unique way. A passion for live performance, with just acoustic guitar and voice allows him to balance the technology offered in modern recording studios, with the simple desire of just presenting his songs in the raw.

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Judy Kass draws in her audience with soulful vocals, no-nonsense lyrical storytelling and genre-bending exploration of guitar and piano. Her original music blends generous amounts of folk, jazz and blues with songs covering the full gamut of mood and experience. Her 2014 debut album, “Better Things” and her 2016 CD, “Beyond the Ash and Steel” both received notable airplay, appearing on the Folk DJ List of Top Albums for those years. Her latest album release, New Skin (2025), co-produced with Mark Dann and Pat Wictor is an eclectic mix of songs that range from reflecting on our detours and personal challenges through change, to observations on the state of our fragmented world. A celebration of fruitful collaboration, New Skin features a number of co-writes with renowned award winning artists including Sloan Wainwright and Glen Roethel. Her tune “Soothsayer” features her Grammy nominated trumpeter daughter, Kyla Moscovich. As in her first two albums, Judy’s talents as a multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer and arranger in New Skin shine in lyrical narratives, exquisite melodies and rich harmonies that showcase her transporting voice and command of her instruments.

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A Different Thread weaves British folk rock and North Carolina alt-country into a soul-soothing mix of transatlantic Americana. Alicia Best (US) and Robert Jackson (UK) met while busking on the cobbled streets of Ireland and discovered a musical and personal harmony that was serendipitous. In the decade since, they’ve toured over a dozen countries, supported The Milk Carton Kids and Jody Stephens (Big Star), and earned praise from Folk Radio UK as “warm, deep songwriters that have drank from the well of 20th century tradition.”

Their new album, Over Again (out May 1st 2026), written during a period of transition marked by their arrival stateside and a solar eclipse, blends electric guitars with Appalachian dulcimer, gospel-tinged vocals with honky-tonk fiddle. Recorded between their tiny home studio, Sylvan Esso’s Betty’s in NC, and Alma Vale Studio in the UK, it reflects their transcontinental sound, life on the road, and commitment to environmental and social justice.

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Deidre McCalla - Black woman, mother, lesbian, feminist - has long been in the forefront of contemporary Black acoustic performers redefining how Black folk do folk. Her most recent album ENDLESS GRACE relentlessly affirms the power and diversity of the human spirit. In its June 2022 debut month of release ENDLESS GRACE dominated the FAI Folk Radio Chart as the #1 Album with the #1, #3, and #14 songs. Sing Out! praises Deidre McCalla as “one of our generation’s most important singer-songwriters.” In July 2023 the National Women’s Music Festival (NWMF) presented Deidre McCalla with the Jane Schliessman Award for Outstanding Contributions to Women’s Music. In 2021 Deidre received a SERFA Award (Southeast Regional Folk Alliance) for distinguished service and exceptional contributions to folk music in the Southeast region of Folk Alliance International. Deidre McCalla's first Olivia Records album Don’t Doubt It is included in the LGBT Collection at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History.

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Americana artist Nate Currin’s ninth album Ghost Town was written after a massive breakup. It’s a road album that delves into folk-rock, bluegrass, honkytonk blues and some cosmic country. It’s about physically travelling the nation and the journey of life, with its ups and downs, triumphs and heartbreak… but this album is mostly about heartbreak and the memories that haunt you in the aftermath of loss.

Currin‘s put in two decades of hard road-dogging, playing over 900 shows, occasionally living out of a motorhome and covering more than 800,000 miles of highway. He’s shared stages with heavy-hitters like Butch Walker, Neon Trees, Blues Traveler, Shawn Mullins, Alabama, Hunter Hayes and Jars of Clay. He’s landed in the Top 20 on the iTunes / Apple charts. He’s earned five International Music & Entertainment Awards (IMEA), including multiple Songwriter of the Year honors, as well as nominations for Indie Music Awards and a Georgia Music Award.

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Tracy Newman is a TV writer/producer and a singer/songwriter. In 1997, she and her writing partner, John Stark, won an Emmy and a Peabody Award for co-writing the “coming out” episode of Ellen. In 2001 they created the ABC comedy, According to Jim, which ran for eight seasons. Tracy has played guitar since she was 14. Her CDs with her band Tracy Newman and the Reinforcements are “A Place in the Sun,” “I Just See You,” and “That’s What Love Can Do to Your Heart.” www.tracynewman.com. She also has three CDs for children through her company called RunAlongHome.

And the theme that Tracy chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: A HAPPY OR BITTERSWEET MEMORIES

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Roger Street Friedman is a modern Americana singer-songwriter who believes deeply in the power of music to change hearts and minds. Across four critically acclaimed albums, his songs have tackled personal struggles and societal unrest with honesty, empathy, and insight—evoking the legacy of the great ‘60s and ‘70s storytellers who inspired him.

With his latest release, Long Shadows, Friedman delivers his most personal and politically resonant work yet. Drawing from recent world events, historical injustices, and intimate emotional terrain, Friedman explores themes of love, fear, isolation, and hope—blending rock, folk, country, and blues into a sound that’s at once timeless and urgent.

“I feel like a folk singer,” says Friedman. “If I see something, I have a responsibility to say something. But I never want to beat people over the head—I want to tell stories that evoke real feeling.” His influences—Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Randy Newman—are evident in both his sound and his lyrical depth.

Following a well-received tour for 2022’s Love Hope Trust, Friedman returned to his home studio in Sea Cliff, NY and began tracking songs with no specific plan. Working with longtime collaborators Justin Guip, Andy Hess, George Rush, and Jim Toscano, the process was relaxed and spontaneous—until the tragic events of October 7th stirred something deeper.

The song “I Think We Know,” written in a single night and recorded the next day, channels Friedman’s heartbreak over the war in Gaza and the senseless loss of life on all sides. Its message is both mournful and hopeful—an emotional centerpiece on an album full of truth and compassion.

Long Shadows also marks Friedman’s first time as sole producer, building on lessons learned from Grammy-winning collaborator Larry Campbell, who still contributes pedal steel, fiddle, and electric guitar on several tracks. Other guests include keyboardist Jeff Kazee and background vocalists Cassondra James Kellam, Rasul A-Salaam, and Friedman’s daughter, Allie.

The album spans a range of moods and stories: “Rolling In Again” channels Laurel Canyon’s golden age to tell a tale of emotional return; “The Banks of the Brazos” digs into America’s brutal history of convict leasing; and “Give It All Away for Free” contemplates loneliness in a world disconnected by technology.

Friedman also injects sharp wit and social critique into tracks like “The Land of the Leaf Blower and the Mighty SUV,” written in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests, reflecting suburban denial and white fear with biting clarity.

Musically, Friedman stretches out with electric guitar-driven rockers like “Just How It Feels” and “Without a Fight,” and lands gracefully with the fiddle- and pedal steel-laced closer “Lo and Behold”—a song that, to Friedman’s surprise, AI analysis revealed as a celebration of hope and light.

Having taken a 25-year hiatus from music before releasing his debut The Waiting Sky in 2014, Friedman now finds himself at a creative peak. “When I came back, I didn’t know what to expect,” he says. “But one album led to another, and I kept growing. I think wisdom comes with age—and the process keeps revealing more.” With Long Shadows, Friedman delivers his most moving and mature album to date—a record that looks unflinchingly at the world and still dares to believe in the possibility of peace, connection, and healing.

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Joy’s passion for music began with violin lessons before kindergarten. Many miles of classical music later, she picked up a guitar, found her voice of honey, and discovered a talent for songwriting. Joy is now a Music to Life Juried Artist, a Kansas Touring Roster Artist, and a Listening Room Network member. She has been awarded an American Songwriter Lyric Contest Honorable Mention, ten Walnut Valley Music Festival NewSong Showcase wins, a Folk Alliance Region Midwest DJ Showcase, and Heartland Song Network Artist of the Month. Whether solo or with other artists, Joy's music is "vivid and alive, tender and poignant, and altogether a gift for the listener" (Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Kansas Poet Laureate Emeritus). She has recorded nine albums of original music, including a live performance. The Canvas Before Us reached #8 on the FAI Folk Chart Top Albums in August 2021. Joy’s current single, “Be the Reason,” is “an anthem of hope for people in need, and for a planet in need of loving care.” (Lilli Kuzma, host of Folk Festival, WDCB Public Radio). A former social worker, Joy serves on the board of directors of the Folk Alliance Region Midwest. She received an Artist as Activist grant from the Mid-America Arts Alliance to curate a portrait exhibit based on her song, "Women Who Walked on Water” at the InterUrban ArtHouse. While on the Transformative Language Arts Network board of directors, she co-chaired the annual Power of Words conference. Joy is an ArtistINC alumnus and a former Artist of Note with the Humanities Community Outreach Series. During the pandemic, Joy posted over 100 “What’s Up Wednesdays” featuring original songs from different locations in her house (i.e. “Warranty” from her garage, “Why Be Normal” in her shower, and “Life as Laundromat” on her dryer). She is currently sending out weekly “Amplify Hope: Monday Missives for Challenging Times.” Joy’s music has been featured on WDCB Public Radio’s Folk Festival, (Re)Learning Leadership Podcast, Hootenanny Cafe Radio Show, KKFI Local Showcase, Tasty Brew Music Radio Show and Podcast, Wednesday MidDay Medley, Kansas NASW Advocacy Day, Together Women Rise International Women's Day Celebration, and Northern Spirit Radio's Song of the Soul. Prior venues include Green Guitar Folk House; Lakeside Music Concert Series; InterUrban ArtHouse (KS), On the Tracks Songwriter Showcase; Trinity House (MI), Knuckleheads; Labyrinth Concert Series; Intercontinental Hotel (MO), Open Range Concerts; Ginkgo Coffeehouse; The Warming House (MN), Louisville Arts Center (CO), Stone Room Concerts (DC), Stories & Songs Series (OR), and Taos Inn (NM). "Cultivate Joy" and “Amplify Hope” adorn Joy’s merchandise. “​Joy has a wonderfully unique way of connecting to her audience that I have seen no other performer do...she engages every audience and wraps everyone in a velvet blanket of beautiful music.” ~Peggy Kelly, Open Range Concert Series "Joy is a multi-instrumentalist (fiddle, guitar and more) with a beautiful voice. Add all that to her insightful writing and you have a show any host would line up to present to their audience. Book Joy Zimmerman for one of the best evenings you can offer your audience."  ~Dani Goodband, Lakeside Music

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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.

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Ray Lambiase is a veteran New York singer-songwriter, who has just released his sixth full length CD, Perfume Like a Full Moon. Featuring ten new original songs, the album is his most personal and reflective collection to date. His previous well-received releases include The Road Ahead, Kid Bayonne and The Ballad of Three Finger Brown, whose title track has become a staple of college radio at the start of each baseball season.

Ray began writing and performing his own songs as a teenager on Long Island. After traveling the college coffeehouse circuit in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, he formed his first band and released his first recording. That early vinyl single, Slow Dance Romeo received significant local radio airplay and led to publishing contracts with Nashville's Combine Music and Bob Dylan's Special Rider Music publishing arm in New York City.

He has performed in concert with Steve Forbert, Suzanne Vega, Eric Anderson, Graham Parker, Marshall Crenshaw and many others.

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Dan Cloutier is a singer-songwriter based in greater Boston who has spent the past two years working on a project called “The Iceberg.” This is an album and an adventure, and the journey took him to both Greenland, and Newfoundland to record music and make videos for his YouTube page. The music on the record is all about finding hope during dark seasons of life, and was officially released on 5/2/25. Like an iceberg, you cannot always see what is underneath. The songs “Rocky Shore,” and “Good Kind of Failure” from the album are currently finalists in the prestigious 2025 Rose Garden Coffeehouse songwriting competition.

Over his career he has sold out shows throughout New England, including the legendary Club Passim in Cambridge. He has opened for the likes of John Hiatt, Richie Havens, and more. Another of Dan’s musical passion’s is running music and songwriter classes for adults with disabilities at the Michael Lisnow Respite Center in Hopkinton, MA. It is his home away from home.

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Beth Bombara’s "It All Goes Up" is for this moment what Kathleen Edwards’ Back To Me was for the early 2000s. It’s all there – the songwriting first and foremost with a voice that connects on a raw, emotional level alongside production led by Bombara’s undeniable musicality, retaining the intimacy of being wholly conceived by the artist herself. Bombara’s previous album, Evergreen, was well-received by fans and media alike. “The likes of Aimee Mann and Jewel are fair comparisons,” noted the L.A. Weekly, “every tone is tinged with emotion, nothing is wasted.”

With "It All Goes Up", Bombara has risen to a new level and let some light in. “There's more light, more hope in this record,” she says, “and it feels more positive sonically, as well.” These songs were written during the chaos of the past couple years, and the time found Bombara looking for silver linings, writing to keep herself positive and keep her mind open and fresh. She continues, “During the lockdown I reconnected with an old guitar that had been collecting dust in my closet for many years. It’s a classical guitar, and I ended up writing a lot of the songs for this record on it, which brought something different to them and took the tone of the record in a new direction.” Bombara’s songwriting certainly did take a turn – upwards, in more ways than one.

Bombara spent years on the road playing in other bands, before encouragement from peers led her to start writing and performing her own music. “I never set out to be a lead singer,” she admits. “I wasn’t comfortable being in the spotlight like that. I struggled with anxiety and talking into a microphone just froze me up.” Yet the songs were there. So Bombara slowly started performing her own material, watering the seeds that would grow into her own career. After releasing her first album, she was invited to perform in front of 10,000 people at the Missouri Botanical Gardens Whitaker Music Festival, and that was a breakthrough moment for her as a performer. “I figured, if I can do that, I can do anything.”

Born in Grand Rapids, MI Bombara now calls St. Louis, MO her home base. She's released 5 albums and continues to tour frequently in the Midwest, and further when she has time. She enjoys spending time with her cat, hiking, biking and gardening.

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Vincent Cross is a rustic folk troubadour rooted in Ireland and Australia, now based in New York City. Praised by Big City Rhythm and Blues as “impeccably gifted,” Cross blends poetic songwriting with a deep reverence for tradition. He’s inspired by 60s folk icons like Seeger, Guthrie, and Dylan—artists whose spirit echoes through his music. Cross has released four albums, including Old Songs For Modern Folk, which reached #2 on the International Folk DJ Chart. His 2020 historical concept album, The Life & Times of James “The Rooster” Corcoran, received acclaim from PopMatters and Brooklyn Vegan. His upcoming fifth album, a place where songs come to live, arrives in June 2025, featuring the award-nominated single “In the Eyes of My Father.” A finalist in the International Acoustic Music Awards and published in Voices: The Journal of New York Folklore, Cross performs internationally and has graced the stages of major folk festivals across the US, Europe, and Australia.

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"With songs about golden sunflower fields and dreams of Ireland to songs about a lonely theater and lavender skies, every song she sings is a love song…”

Singer, songwriter, and storyteller, Brittany Jean currently lives in a little, apple town on the Columbia River in Washington State.

Her music has taken her across the country many times—including playing the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, opening for Three Dog Night’s sold out show in New York City, performing at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, The Black Rose Acoustic Society in Colorado, the Fishstock Series in Wisconsin, The Ol’ Front Porch Festival in North Carolina, appearing on Michael Johnathon’s “WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour” television/radio show and PBS’ Inland Sessions in Spokane… to name a few adventures!

Brittany has released six studio albums and one EP—all recorded at Hilltop Recording Studios in Nashville. (And Album 7 is under construction!)

Thankful for where music has taken her thus far, Brittany Jean is looking forward to where the road will take her next, the new songs yet to be written, fellow wanderers and storytellers to meet, and the adventures to be had along the way…

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Music is in his DNA. Singer-Songwriter Andrew Dean, originally from Ohio got his start singing on local stages and at his home church. Raised on Country music and Jesus, you’ll find his songs focus on the important things in life; God, his wife, family, and life in general. Andrew started piano lessons at the age of 7, and from then on, there was no stopping. He picked up the guitar and bass and is pursuing several more instruments. The first band he founded himself was in Rock, Blues and Outlaw, where he became a local and regional act. He gained a lot of experience there and from singing and performing at fairs and festivals throughout the upper Midwest region. Making the switch to Country, Western and Christian Country, he led worship at his community church, headed to Nashville to make his own brand of music, and he shared the stage with George Jones, Terri Clark, Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Collin Raye, Gaither Homecoming members, and more. Currently, he splits his time between Tennessee, Ohio and Florida with his wife, Terri. He continues to write, create and record with the help of 7 studios in 3 states. Since 2020, he has accumulated over 15 national and international awards for songwriting, vocalist, band, music video, albums, singles, humanitarian, and entertainer of the year. Andrew's complete catalog of songwriting consists of award-winning Traditional Country "If I Could", Tropical Country "Here In The Sun", Patriotic "In A Mother’s Eyes”, Modern Country "Wanted A Good Time For All", Country-Blues “Rain”, Southern Gospel “Prepare Ye”, and Inspirational Country "Faith Hope Love" from his 7 Nashville Recorded Album projects. These songs, and all the others can be purchased, downloaded, or streamed on all music platforms, social media websites, and in video format at YouTube. Andrew's own label, NITE*SKY Records International, helps get new, budding songwriters and recording artists' music off-the-ground.

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Over the course of a prolific 40+ year career, 32 releases and 17 solo albums, Rees Shad has crafted music that is both poignant and profound. He creates stories shared from his heart that resonate with universal appeal. Shad’s new album, Porcelain Angel (slated for release March 21st on Shadville Records) is no exception. Following on the heels of his critically acclaimed album The Galahad Blues, his latest work opens new doors to tales that are both personal and provocative. From the bluesy designs of “Coda Blues” and “Thumbing the Scales,” to the pensive approach of “Ain’t That the Way,” the easy celebratory ramble of “Great Big World,” the cool, confident and soulful “A Man Like Me,” the tender if unsettling narrative “Magic Lantern Presentation,” and the expressive piano ballad “Isn’t It A Lovely Day,” Porcelain Angel unfolds as a series of striking soundscapes and vignettes that catch the listener’s ear from the outset. The album features an expansive array of gifted contributors accompanying Shad’s vocal, guitar and keyboard work. Collaborations with the likes of Lance Cowan, Eleanor Dubinsky, Kemp Harris, Wanda Houston, Fred Koller, R.B. Stone, Dario Acosta Teich, Rick Ruskin, & Natalia Zukerman bring a refined filigree to the stories woven here. The comradery and joy in the performances comes through song after song culminating in a solid collection that make this one of Shad’s most intriguing albums to date. Here he returns to what many will recognize as his essential Americana roots. Shad demurs on this point, however, “I don’t really see it as returning to a form. I compose music to convey story. I’m not committed to a genre; I’m committed to building the appropriate landscape for the tale.” Born and raised in New York City, Shad’s interest in music was encouraged by parents who exposed him to Broadway musicals, concerts of Jazz and Classical music, and who encouraged him to wander Greenwich village playing open mic nights as a teenager. He became immersed in New York’s iconic music scene, from Gerde’s Folk City to CBGB and was soon adopted by older artists as a sideman for shows and recording sessions. Eventually Shad settled in upstate New York in an area of old farms and post-industrial towns, where he built a professional recording studio and began to compose music in earnest.

“This gave me the ability to focus on the studio as creative instrument” says Shad. “But since it was a business, I had to be economical with when and how I worked. I developed a work ethic in my craft that has continued to be important to how I work.” The result has been a large and ever-growing catalog of material (500+ copyrights!). Three decades later Making a Scene noted Shad continues to be “one of the most prolific artists on the scene.” That work ethic and the resulting knowledge base has allowed Shad to constantly expand his range. He has consistently maintained a reputation as a passionate and profound singer/songwriter while also delving into the realms of electronic music with his alter ego, Fester Spunk. Spunk released four albums, composed and recorded scores for several plays and independent film shorts, as well as for the classic silent film ‘The Golem.’ In addition, Shad composed and recorded the operetta ‘The Watcher’ about a serial killer on the Underground Railroad. “Ultimately, It is all about an evolving communication for me,” Shad says. “Whatever I create, the audience needs to understand my intention in order to connect viscerally. What keeps it all interesting for me is that the audience continues to evolve. So, I get to evolve as well.”

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