A gifted songwriter whose lyrics paint sometimes witty, often poignant portraits of characters often unaware of how their lives have gone wrong, Freedy Johnston seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the early ’90s and quickly established himself as one of the most acclaimed new singer/songwriters of the day. Freedy broke through in 1994 with his hit "Bad Reputation" and the album "This Perfect World," earning Songwriter of the Year honors from Rolling Stone. He's written lots of other great songs, many of them on themes of alienation and heartbreak. Freedy has been called a songwriter's songwriter, and his music is a perfect blend of power pop and songwriter's craft. He recently released a new album, "Neon Repairman." On this double bill he's joined by another songwriter who came of age in the 1990s and has proven enduringly creative. Jeffrey Gaines released his debut on the Chrysalis label in 1992 and scored with an acoustic cover of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes." Jeffrey has appeared "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "VH-1," "Friday Night Videos," and A&E's "Breakfast with the Arts," and he's toured with Paula Cole, Tori Amos, Tracy Chapman, Melissa Etheridge, Sting, Shawn Colvin, Edwin McCain, The Bacon Brothers, Joe Jackson, and Stevie Nicks. He comes to The Ark with a new album, "Live in Europe."