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

It’s supposed to be kind of drizzly next week. May showers bring…. what exactly? Let’s just coin a new saying: May showers bring… exciting songwriters to Somerville. We have a terrific lineup May 3 at Songwriters in the Round at the Center for Arts at the Armory. You could have a picnic in the park, but you’d get wet. You could stay home, but you might end the evening with a bad case of ennui and FOMO. Do yourself a favor and come enjoy the music and camaraderie.

We have two newcomers for you to enjoy. If you haven’t heard of Dinty Child, you haven’t been paying attention to the Boston roots/folk scene. His band Session Americana are local legends. Michael Wartofsky is a musical theater composer with a list of credits including the delightful CAR TALK: THE MUSICAL and the powerful and topical new work LATE. Kaye Kelly is back again after her triumphant performance last time with her powerful and catchy female-forward anthems. And your host, David Thorne Scott, will bring out a new never-before-heard song as well as some that date back as far as February.

Songwriters in the Round
Wednesday May 3, 7pm-8:30pm
Arts at the Armory Café

Suggested donation $10

Four songwriters, trading songs and swapping stories. And you have a front row seat.

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.

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. Suggested donation is $10.

Part of the ROOTED Armory Café Series. Café menu is available here: https://artsatthearmory.org/rooted-cafe/rooted-menu/
Beer and wine also available!

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

Dinty Child is a longtime member of the Boston roots/folk scene. A fearless multi-instrumentalist he can most often be seen with the band Session Americana, as well as the Chandler Travis Philharmonic, the unapologetically loud and grimy Catbirds, as sensitive sideman to any number of singer/songwriters, including Rose Cousins and Kris Delmhorst, and even fronting the twenty piece party band, the Funky White Honkies. Many people know that Dinty is a great songwriter, but as a ‘band guy’ he rarely performs solo so having a chance to share the stage and his songs in this format will make it a special night. www.dintychild.com

Michael Wartofsky is a Professor at Berklee College of Music, where he established an undergraduate minor in Musical Theater Writing in 2015 and won a Distinguished Faculty Award in 2018. Michael composed the music for LATE, a new musical chosen for a development process and Boston New Works Festival workshop by Moonbox Productions in 2022. His 2019 album “All the Possibilities: Broadway Sings Wartofsky” on Yellow Sound Label, produced by Sean Patrick Flahaven, features twelve breathtaking Broadway voices interpreting his original songs, including Kate Baldwin, Annie Golden, Alysha Umphress and Shayna Steele, with music direction by Eric Stern. Full productions as composer include the musicals CAR TALK: THE MUSICAL!!! and CUPCAKE, which ran simultaneously in Boston in 2012; music/lyrics for THE MAN IN MY HEAD starring Darius de Haas at New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) 2006 and music for FRIENDSHIP OF THE SEA (book and lyrics by Ms. Cahill) for North Shore Music Theater’s mainstage and school tour (2002, 2003). www.michaelwartofsky.com

Kaye Kelly is a Boston-based singer, composer and arranger. With three studio albums under her belt as well as a large catalogue of original music, she is most at home fidgeting with her love of words while playing the piano. Kaye is the founder and composer of SheGrooves, a female-forward band comprised of women from the Berklee College of Music. She recently was awarded the 2023 Chalk Hill Artist Residency in Sonoma, California to explore songwriting for social change, specifically within the lens of gender equity. www.kayekelly.com and https://www.instagram.com/shegroovesboston/

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!