1st & 3rd Wednesdays at ROOTED Cafe at 7 PM

We have a very special Songwriters in the Round planned for August 3. Thea Hopkins is a nationally recognized songwriter who weaves together threads of traditional and contemporary Indigenous music to create a style she calls “red roots Americana”. Pianist and singer Rene Pfister, who builds community by writing musicals with young people around the world, performs his poignant and funny one-person shows with an LGBTQ perspective. Janie Barnett, who honed her performance chops singing behind Linda Rondstat, Rickie Lee Jones, and Bonnie Raitt, writes roots music with an alternative twist. And your host, David Thorne Scott, brings together disparate musical styles — rock, jazz, and and country — with high hopes of bringing together disparate people too.

Wednesday, August 3, 7pm, $10.

A member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe of Martha’s Vineyard MA, performing songwriter Thea Hopkins calls her music Red Roots Americana. Described as a “standout writer” by the Washington Post, Thea’s song, “The Ghost Of Emmett Till”, was awarded the 22nd grand prize by the Great American Song Contest in 2021. Her 2018 album “Love Come Down’, was nominated for a 2019 Indigenous Music Award in the folk category, an international competition. She first came to public notice when Peter, Paul & Mary recorded her song “Jesus Is On The Wire” in 2004. Thea was selected by the Western Arts Alliance as a 2019 Native Launchpad Artist. Her program, “In The Roundhouse”: A Celebration of Traditional and Contemporary Indigenous Music” debuted in Providence RI in 2021. www.theahopkins.com

As a community builder, teacher and songwriter Rene Pfister has worked with kids and families for over 30 years creating original musicals. He is Co-founder director of the company Make your life a Musical, an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and  Artistic Director of The  Berklee Theatre Arts Collaborative (BTAC) where he combines his love of teaching and musical theater to help students around the world create.  He has taught internationally in Argentina, Europe, China, India, and Africa and started the Broadway Around the World program at Berklee. Since 2018, Pfister has performed a series of his one-person shows including What I Learned From All My Ex-Boyfriends… If Anything! and What I Learned From Years of Therapy.. If Anything! Pfister is currently working on his new book “Make your life a musical” about his work creating musicals in community and “I talk to myself” a series of comic essays about life as an LGBTQ artist in these crazy times. renepfistermusic.com

Janie Barnett came up as a performing songwriter in the alternative roots settings of Virginia, New England, and finally New York City, where she also became one of the top singers in recording sessions for film and television, sung behind seasoned artists such as Linda Rondstat, Rickie Lee Jones, and Bonnie Raitt and mentored emerging songwriters at Berklee College of Music. She has played performing arts centers, college theatres, and folk stages from City Winery to Club Passim, to the renowned Birchmere. Janie’s 2016 release “You See This River” was named a top 10 on several roots radio stations, and she is currently at work on a new album of original songs, as well as an album of re-imagined Cole Porter. www.janiebarnett.com

David Thorne Scott is 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. He believes that music can bring a community together like nothing else. “At a time of great conflict in our country – when words often fail us – music has the power to bridge divides… David Thorne Scott explores the intersection of Jazz and Americana, city and country, instrumentation and lyrics to create lush compositions and covers that are unifying, and healing, in their beauty.” – Laurie Fanell, Eponymous Review www.davidthornescott.com

Part of the ROOTED Armory Café Series. Café menu is available here. Beer and wine also available!

1st & 3rd Wednesdays at ROOTED Cafe at 7 PM

Four songwriters take the stage, seated in a comfortable semi-circle. They take turns playing songs, occasionally joining in with each other on harmony vocals or guitar licks. The format encourages conversation between the writers, which gives the audience an opportunity to hear these creative people talk as if in their own living rooms. Inspired by the “guitar pulls” of the legendary Bluebird Café in Nashville.

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.

Hosted by Somerville singer/songwriter David Thorne Scott. Held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 7:00-8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Part of the ROOTED Armory Café Series. Café menu is available here. Beer and wine also available!