We’ve got some superheroes performing at Songwriters in the Round at the Center for Arts at the Armory. Will McMillan is a performer who is so natural that you feel it’s just the two of you in your kitchen at midnight, pouring your hearts out to each other. Molly Ruggles is Will’s partner in harmony as well as a Somerville songwriting artisan in her own right. Laney Ryan is an indie alt/folk singer with strong storytelling skills. And your host David Thorne Scott will be on hand to play you some of his own music while making sure that everyone’s superpower sparkles.
You might hear a young up-and-coming pro, an established mid-career performer and mentor, and a cherished elder of the scene — all sharing music. The growing relationships will warm your heart and enrich your soul. Come every week as the lineup shifts and new friends are made.
Our songwriters this week
Singer and songwriter Will McMillan has soloed with Pops orchestras, rock bands, and a cappella groups — performing at venues ranging from 54 Below in New York to Scullers Jazz Club in Boston to Yin Par Le Garcon Chinois in Shanghai. McMillan has won three IRNE awards from the Independent Reviewers of New England as well as a BroadwayWorld cabaret award as part of the 50th Anniversary performances by the original cast of PIPPIN in 2023 at 54 Below. For more music — and writing — you are welcome to visit his blog: https://amusicalifeonplanetearth.wordpress.com/.
Haunting, personal and poignant are words that have been used to describe Laney Ryan’s voice and indie folk vibe. She grew up in Boston and from age six was an avid record collector and music fan. In her teens she was a metal head who dreamt of being in a band. At 21 when a friend asked if she would go out of state with her to attend college, Laney agreed, but only if her friend would go to Los Angeles. In LA she joined an alt rock band called The Brink as lead singer and played in Hollywood & the valley for five years before moving home and getting into a more acoustic sound. Laney’s songs weave stories and sounds from impressions, life lessons learned, present conditions and the day to day common threads from which we’re all joined. https://laneyryan.com/
Molly Ruggles is a Somerville singer songwriter who plays piano, teaches piano, writes plays, and sings in small and large vocal groups. Her musical tastes are eclectic: jazz greats of the 30’s and 40’s such Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Barry Harris, and Tommy Flanagan, also songs of the great American Songbook (Gershwin, Rogers & Hammerstein, Kern, and Fields) as well as the great singer-songwriters of the present such as Bill Staines, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Susan Werner, among others. And musical theater: Jason Roberts Brown, Stephen Sondheim, Jeanine Tesori, and Duncan Sheik. https://www.mollyruggles.com/
Your host this week is David Thorne Scott, a singer and songwriter in jazz and Americana styles. A 20-year resident of Somerville, he organized Songwriters in the Round to foster a creative, dynamic music scene for his adopted home city.
FREE (suggested donation $10-$20)
Part of the ROOTED Armory Café Series. Café menu is available here. Beer and wine also available!
