Wednesdays Artists

Our Artists

Over the course of her twenty five year career, Susan Werner has earned a reputation as “one of the most innovative songwriters working today” (Chicago Tribune). With formidable chops on guitar (she began playing at age 5) and piano (she was a guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz), along with a graduate degree in voice performance, her shows are a one-woman master class in musicianship. Although best known as an acoustic songwriter that came up through coffeehouses and folk festivals, the Chicago-based artist has written songs in the style of Gershwin and Cole Porter (I Can’t Be New, 2004), gospel music (The Gospel Truth, 2007), traditional Cuban “son” (An American In Havana, 2016), and New Orleans junk piano (NOLA, 2019). In 2014 she composed the music and lyrics to the musical theater score Bull Durham, The Musical (MGM).

Opener Jenna Nicholls weaves a spell: strumming her ukulele with the spirit of New Orleans or crooning a cowboy’s tale with the soul of the West. Her melodies, like vintage vinyl spun anew, carry the weight of memory and promise of tomorrow.

Alysha Brilla is an Indo-Tanzanian Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, audio engineer and film composer blending folk, world, soul and pop influences. 2025 Women In Music International Leadership Honouree, a three-time JUNO Award nominee and 2024 Canadian Screen Award-nominated composer for The Queen Of My Dreams, Brilla’s work is known for its emotional depth and cultural richness. Brilla’s distinct sound features layered vocals, percussive guitar and world-music-inspired beats, incorporating Indian and East African elements, modal singing and contemporary production. A multi-instrumentalist, she performs on guitar, piano, drums and percussion, making her live shows dynamic displays of musicianship.

Opener Cassie and Maggie, unite as a powerful and commanding folk duo. Rooted in deep Celtic heritage, their melodies sing of truths that resonate while bridging the gap between tradition and innovation. With spell-binding harmonies and virtuosic instrumental prowess these sisters infuse the rich traditions of their region with a contemporary vitality, resulting in a sound that's timeless and fresh.

Black Opry is home for Black artists, and fans as working in country, Amer-icana, blues, and folk music.

Roberta Lea is an award-winning artist described as a “compelling artist.” The Nashville Scene praises her ability to “score hits with her catchy, textured and beautifully sung originals”.

Sug Daniels is a Philadelphia based, singer-songwriter, story teller, and producer. She thoughtfully combines elements of folk, rock, and soul alter-natives to create personal and tender music interlaced with messages of truth and positive change.

Grace Givertz captivates audiences with her indie folk compositions, blending earworm melodies with heartfelt storytelling. A multi-instrumentalist, she infuses her music with a diverse array of sounds, weav-ing folk, Americana, and indie rock into a tapestry uniquely her own.

Jeiris Cook, a former mattress salesman & warehouse manager, dove with both feet into full-time musicianship at the age of 37. After many late nights after work honing his guitar playing skills. Fast forward 7 years later and he's played in several venues, restaurants, private events and showcases in and around the New York Metro area.

I Draw Slow has consistently redefined acoustic roots music for over ten years. Formed in Dublin Ireland, the award winning five piece is led by siblings and songwriters Dave and Louise Holden. They have released four critically acclaimed albums. Their last album, Turn Your Face To The Sun, was released on Compass records in Nashville, one of the leading independent labels in the U.S. and went to number one in the Irish charts. Their music has been licensed for Film,TV and advertising and is widely recorded and covered by other artists.

As well as a reputation for fine songwriting, their live shows are a unique and captivating experience with dedicated fans travelling far and wide to see them.

Opener Jay Nash: My uncle gave me a guitar, I became obsessed with the recordings of the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and the like, and I began to figure out how to play some songs. Slowly (though not particularly surely) I would also begin to find my voice as a singer, a player and a writer. Eventually, I found my way to New York City, then on to Los Angeles and onto stages all across the land..

With the breakthrough 2007 single, "Country Girl," from her self-titled debut country album, Rissi Palmer

made history as the first Black female country artist to ascend the Billboard Hot Country Singles Charts since Dona Mason in 1987. Palmer swiftly captured attention, ranking among iTunes' Top 5 Best-Selling Country Artists with her digital EP the same year. Undeterred by the hurdles faced as a Black woman in mainstream country music, Palmer has forged her

own path, independently releasing three albums. Among these works are the children's album, Best Day Ever, the soulful Back Porch Sessions EP (2015), and the critically acclaimed Revival (2019), lauded by Rolling Stone as one of the Top 25 Country-Soul Albums of all time.

Opener Danielia Cotton is an American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist.Cotton grew up in the small western New Jersey town of Hopewell, NJ. Her mother, a jazz singer by avocation, gave her an acoustic guitar when she was 12years old. She started singing with her mom and her aunts in a gospel group, the Brooks Ensemble Plus. Today she is a rock & blues singer/songwriter, recording and touring with the unique sound.

Alysha Brilla is an Indo-Tanzanian Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, audio engineer and film composer blending folk, world, soul and pop influences. 2025 Women In Music International Leadership Honouree, a three-time JUNO Award nominee and 2024 Canadian Screen Award-nominated composer for The Queen Of My Dreams, Brilla’s work is known for its emotional depth and cultural richness. Brilla’s distinct sound features layered vocals, percussive guitar and world-music-inspired beats, incorporating Indian and East African elements, modal singing and contemporary production. A multi-instrumentalist, she performs on guitar, piano, drums and percussion, making her live shows dynamic displays of musicianship.

Opener Cassie and Maggie, unite as a powerful and commanding folk duo. Rooted in deep Celtic heritage, their melodies sing of truths that resonate while bridging the gap between tradition and innovation. With spell-binding harmonies and virtuosic instrumental prowess these sisters infuse the rich traditions of their region with a contemporary vitality, resulting in a sound that's timeless and fresh.

Joanna Connor’s musical odyssey began seeing Buddy Guy perform at a local university at the age of 10. Playing saxophone, guitar and singing through her school years were her passions, and eventually led to her performing professionally at age 17. She later became a part of Dion Payton and the 43rd St Bluesband, and played with Buddy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Sammy Lawhorn, Pinetop Perkins, Hubert Sumlin, Magic Slim, Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks, Koko Taylor and other blues luminaries. She went on to form her own band in 1988 with weekly appearances at the Kingston Mines in Chicago. Her formidable guitar playing, and distinctive soul-churning vocal ability caught the attention of Blind Pig Records, who released her debut album “Believe It” in 1990.

Opener Clare Maloney is one of the most distinctive, powerful and emotive voices in rock & roll today. The internationally renowned singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has shared the stage with members of The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship, Allman Brothers Band, Hall & Oates, Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and more.

Christian Lopez is not merely riding the wave of Americana Music, the West Virginia native, is bending it to its knees. With the will of his voice and the stomp of a steady beat, Christian Lopez is pioneering his own brand of Folk Rock. Like a young Whitman, Lopez translates the iconic America before him into rousing romps and searing serenades employing crisp and thoughtful imagery and storytelling. Lopez burst onto the music scene with his debut EP “Pilot” and full album “Onward” in 2015, both produced by grammy winning producer, Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile).

Sam Morrow has carved out a sound that exists somewhere outside of genre and geography. It's his own version of modern-day American roots music: a mix of roadhouse rock & roll, bluesy R&B, and country-fried funky-tonk, driven forward by groove, grease, and guitars. Morrow spent most of the past decade on tour, supporting albums like Concrete & Mud and Gettin' By On Gettin' Down — as the various places he's called home. This is music for the fast lane. Music for empty highways. Music for people who, like Morrow, always seem to find themselves in transit.

Lulu and the Broadsides were formed by singer/songwriter Dayna Kurtz to explore the sounds of New Orleans. This is where she decides to sizzle, slinging made-for-dancing sets of vintage rhythm and blues with the emphasis on rhythm. Formed in part to respond to demand from New Orleans’ hip, thriving underground dance scene, the band has already been invited to slots at both the French Quarter Festival and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, plus club residencies that dependably pack the dance floor.

This is heart-thumping, pulse-pounding blues for both body and spirit, for joy and desire – scorching ballads for slow grinds side-by-side with red-hot movers to jump and jive to, with a nasty beat and a wild guitar.

Opener Mary Elaine Jenkins is a Brooklyn-based songwriter, singer, and guitarist. A native of the South Carolina Lowcountry, her sound combines manifold influences with a distinctly southern sensibility. Upon making her home in NYC, she surrounded herself with a creative network that would eventually include Thom Beemer, who produced and engineered "Hold Still,” her full-length debut.

Sunny Sweeney, a genre-bending, songwriting spitfire who has spent equal time in the rich musical traditions of Texas and Tennessee, returns with Married Alone, the celebrated singer-songwriter’s fifth studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s critically acclaimed Trophy. Co-produced by beloved Texas musician and larger-than-life personality Paul Cauthen and the Texas Gentlemen’s multi-hyphenate Beau Bedford, Married Alone is Sweeney’s finest work yet, bringing together confessional songwriting, image-rich narratives and no shortage of sonic surprises for a loosely conceptual album about loss and healing

Opener Goldpine has been offering their own brand of bold harmony-driven Americana to audiences large and small. Their distinctive harmonies are clearly a channel for their sometimes-raucous, sometimes-reminiscent compositions. With an incredible collection of stories about life, love, and purpose, their live performance is a powerful projection of everything Goldpine is about: striking vocals, bold harmony, and introspection into the human experience.

Sweet Lizzy Project, one of the most culturally significant bands to emerge from Cuba in recent years, has a distinctive sound imbued with overtones of classic American indie pop-rock suffused with an intoxicating Latino flair. Lead singer Lisset Diaz’s incomparable voice, which has been likened to that of a long-caged sparrow finally set free. In addition to Diaz, who also plays acoustic guitar, the five-piece band includes: Miguel Comas, lead guitar, producer, and background vocals; Wilfredo Gatell, keyboards and background vocals; drummer Angel Luis Millet, and bass player Alejandro Gonzalez. Sweet Lizzy’s songs, all original and penned in English. SLP has attracted international attention with its high-energy, genre-defying live performances.

Opener Incendio has legions of fans throughout the United States from two decades of extensive touring and they have a strong international

audience from their previous eight best-selling albums. You might hear elements of roots rock, progressive rock, Latin dance music, plus diverse seasonings

sprinkled in containing hints of funk, folk, jazz, pop and classical.

This free concert raises money for the important work of Light of Day, a foundation dedicated to fighting Parkinsons, ALS & ALP through the power of music. Funds are raised at this event by donations and a 50/50. All are welcome to attend whether or not they wish (or are able) to donate.

Appearing this year are two Woodbdridge music scene regulars: Joe D’Urso and Stone Caravan along with the Emily Duff Band.

Joe D’Urso & Stone Caravan an Americana, Jersey Shore, rock & roll band, have created a worldwide grassroots network of fans. Their repertoire run the gamut of straight-up, full out Americana, rock & roll, singer-songwriter, Jersey Shore and Catskill Mountain country music.

Emily Duff Band’s small-batch brand of Sweet & Sour Rock & Roll with a great big hit of Country Soul sews a patchwork of heaven, hell, romance and regret. Emily was born in NYC and raised by a pack of cigarettes.

==================================