Songwriters in the Round

Wed. May. 01, 2024 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Eagle-eyed music watchers will want to bear witness to our next Songwriters in the Round at the Center for Arts at the Armory. Peter Eldridge makes a rare Somerville appearance after touring around the world with his group the New York Voices. His protégé Emily Sangder sings songs that will make you sigh for days. Derek Rando is a welcome addition to our family (a hatchling, if you will) with passionate music emanating from his whole soul. And your host David Thorne Scott is back in action, singing behind the keys and directing your attention to the plumage and ritual of these majestic beasts.

Songwriters in the Round
Wednesday May 1, 7pm-8:30pm
Arts at the Armory Café
free (suggested donation $10-$20)

The Armory Café is a warm, welcoming place where people can enjoy food and drink as well as chance meetings and conversation. But everyone becomes quiet when four songwriters take the stage to take turns playing songs, occasionally joining each other on harmony vocals or guitar licks. In between songs, the audience listens while the performers discuss music and life in general. “I was inspired by the ‘guitar pulls’ of the Bluebird Café in Nashville,” host David Thorne Scott says, “but with a wider variety. There is folk and country, but also rock, R&B, soul, jazz, and musical theater.”

Held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 7:00-8:30 p.m. This program is supported in part by the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The event is free but you may want to donate $10-$20 for the performers.

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.

All ages welcome.

Sign up for the Songwriters in the Round email list at http://eepurl.com/c2gNWf

Our songwriters this week

For years Peter Eldridge has remained at the forefront of both the singer-songwriter and jazz realms as a vocalist, pianist, composer, and arranger. He has five critically acclaimed albums under his belt: Fool No More, Stranger in Town, Decorum, Mad Heaven and Disappearing Day, which was called “an out and out masterpiece” by allaboutjazz. Disappearing Day made many ‘best of the year’ lists, including Downbeat, Jazziz, and NPR. Most recently Peter and iconic jazz pianist and composer Kenny Werner joined forces on Somewhere, a collection of lush ballads for voice, string orchestra and jazz trio. Eldridge is also a founding member of internationally acclaimed vocal group, New York Voices. The group continues to tour internationally and has performed in some of the world’s most preeminent venues and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Kennedy Center. Some of Peter’s notable collaborations include Bobby McFerrin, Fred Hersch, Becca Stevens, Chanticleer, Michael Brecker, David Byrne, Jonatha Brooke, and Kurt Elling. https://petereldridge.com/

Derek Rando is a Massachusetts-based songwriter and front man of the band, Tenderhoof. The music is introspective and has the dark shaking hands with the optimistic…partly sunny with a promise of rain. bluetomorrowmusic.com https://instagram.com/derekrando

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Emily Sangder knew that she wanted to make music that feels the way being outside makes you feel: understood, authentic, and vulnerable. Emily has spent a lot of time in nature focusing on what is really going on around her, and helping her to realize the things that matter the most. Her lyrics come from a place of hope and heartache, brought to her by her past adventures. Whether it’s a long drive home or a walk through the wilderness, Emily hopes that her songs can bring you some much needed peace and understanding. Some career highlights include performing with artists such as Halie Loren, Evynne Hollens, Tony Glausi, and David Wilcox, and performing at world-renowned venues such as the Beacon Theater in New York, Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in Seattle, and Club Passim in Cambridge, MA. She is also thrilled to announce her recent collaboration with the renowned nonprofit organization WhyHunger as an Artist Ambassador. https://www.emilysangder.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. 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

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