Songwriters in the round

Rj Cowdery writes the kind of songs that sneak up on you—quiet, honest, and armed with just enough wit to keep you on your toes. Hailing from southeastern Ohio, with Appalachian roots woven into her stories, she balances heart-tugging ballads with a sly grin and the occasional perfectly timed zinger. Along the way, she’s earned top honors at Mountain Stage NewSong, Kerrville New Folk, Sisters Folk Festival, to name a few. Fellow musicians call her “the real deal,” audiences call her music “a warm blanket,” and she just calls it “medicine.”

Hope Dunbar has been a pioneer of what she calls "New American Prairie style," crafting semi-autobiographical songs that transform everyday life into art. Her work has garnered recognition, including being a three-time finalist at the Kerrville New Folk Song Contest. After residing in a small town in Nebraska, Dunbar relocated to New Jersey, bringing her unique "Big Sky sound" to the East Coast.

Clear-eyed and tough-minded, songwriter/playwright Katie Dahl is known for her smart songs, wry wit, and wise spirit. A small-town celebrity on the Wisconsin peninsula where her family has lived for 175 years, Katie is also an internationally touring, radio-charting artist who “delivers razor-sharp lyrics with a hearty, soulful voice” (American Songwriter). In live shows that are both courageously honest and devilishly funny, Katie dives deep into questions of land and love, family and body image, grief and joy. “In unsettled times,” says Peter Mulvey, “Katie Dahl brings us a grounded spirit.”