Gemma Laurence is a Brooklyn-based indie folk singer-songwriter from the coast of Maine. Categorizing herself as “Sapphic folk,” Laurence has been named an “up-and-comer” in the queer music scene by NPR Music and starred on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Having grown up on the coast of Maine and the hills of Oxfordshire, Laurence’s time on both sides of the Atlantic influenced her unique sound: a fusion of foot-stomping Americana with a hint of English folk. Crafting a lush soundscape of rich acoustic textures, dreamy harmonies, and found sounds, Laurence’s timeless tracks call her listeners home to the people and places left behind for new beginnings. Her album Lavender is out now on Better Company Records.
Artist Category: Singer/Songwriter
Anna Ferrari
Anna Ferrari writes from the heart about love, loss, growing up and the queer experience. The 26-year-old songwriter lives in Boston and her sound veers towards indie-folk with a pinch of twang. She seeks to form connections through the experience of sharing and listening to music and hopes you feel a piece of your story in her lyrics.
Will Orchard
Will Orchard is a Nashville-via-New England based indie-folk artist. He has made a name for himself as both a deeply emotive and disarming songwriter, and a relentless DIY troubadour. His music has taken him on tour around the US and Europe more times than he can count, with his partner & fellow songwriter Jess Kerber. His records have been described as “Hush Folk Luminosity” by Glide Magazine, and “Damn Good Music” by PopNews. In 2025, he looks ahead to an LP release and an abundance of tour dates.
Dean Johnson
Not long after crossing beyond the neon into Al’s Tavern, one might catch murmurs drifting up and down the bar during Dean Johnson’s bartending shifts – nudges and whispers that he might just be the best songwriter in town. “Wait ’til you hear him sing. Just don’t ask him to do it, because he won’t. He might do another show this year, but probably not.” Al’s regulars, howsoever biased, speak of his talent like a family secret – Seattle folklore. How many times, and for how many years, has Dean elusively replied to some variation of the question, “When will there be a record?”
The phrase “hidden gem” would seem appropriate here, but it’s a misnomer when talking about Dean Johnson. He shines bright, in plain sight, and it was only a matter of time before people stopped to take a look. Dean’s gentle and passionate approach to songwriting has inspired many, and his work provides the listener the opportunity to believe once more that a song can be more than the sum of its parts. If you catch even a phrase of his melodies or the sobering tone of his voice, it waltzes its way into your heart like a letter written, signed, sealed and delivered just for you.
His debut album Nothing for Me, Please was recorded at Mashed Potato Records in New Orleans with the help of Sam Gelband and Charlie Meyer, Dean’s bandmates in The Sons of Rainier; as well as Mashed Potato regulars Sam Doores, Duff Thompson and Steph Green. The record is a hazy, relaxed daydream – anthems for those who know the sweetness and coldness of quiet moments, the power and the pain of love. Whether you’ve been waiting patiently these many for Dean to release these songs, or you’re just now coming across his work for the first time, the name Dean Johnson, much like his songs, won’t soon leave your mind.
Pat Byrne
An Irish singer-songwriter, Pat Byrne has come a long way since his first deal with Universal. In late 2017, Byrne began his migration to Austin, Texas. In 2019, Pat took the US by storm, with breakout performances at the 30A Festival, SXSW, Kerrville Folk Festival and the Americana Festival. Being immersed in the Texas music scene, Pat’s sophomore US release, Into the Light, had an edgier feel underscoring both emotional depth and greater confidence, while blending new influences with his rich Irish heritage.
Following Into The Light, Byrne delivered strong new works in 2022. His unmistakable voice and cinematic lyrics continue to touch our universal humanity. Supported by legendary musicians from Emmylou Harris’s band he presents another gem with “Only a Man”. Recorded at The Next Waltz with Bruce Robison and band, “Until it Isn’t” is a gorgeous rendition wistfully recalling lost love. Byrne’s December2022 release, “Feels Like Living”, makes palpable the working musician’s struggle and uncertainty, underpinned by a nostalgic arrangement of strings and harmonium.
Alex Dupree
Alex Dupree is a published poet and songwriter. He got his musical start in Austin, Texas before
moving to California to focus on poetry, studying and teaching at UC Irvine. Songwriting was
never far from his mind. Despite a deep love for country music, Dupree’s songs never quite settle into that category,
absorbing additional influences from the likes of Laurie Anderson, Arthur Russell, Bjork, and John Cale. His latest project, Thieves, was released by Keeled Scales in 2022. Produced by Michael Krassner (Califone, Simon Joyner, Boxhead Ensemble), Thieves features Max Knouse, Aaron Stern, Stephen Hodges (Tom Waits, Mavis Staples), Buck Meek (Big Thief), as well as long time collaborators Aisha Burns and Matt Matherne. The songs present a motley cast of characters who, in Dupree’s voice, combine to tell the story of a single self. Taken together, these wide-ranging stories feel deeply confessional, an idiosyncratic folklore of identity and rebirth.
Dave Gunning
With fourteen albums to his credit, there’s no denying Dave Gunning’s impressive body of work. Fortunately, he’s just getting started…
The Nova Scotian folk musician has shared the stage with legends like Ron Hynes, Rita MacNeil, Stuart McLean, and Stompin’ Tom Connors, and has been recognized in his own right as a master of his craft, both as an award-winning singer-songwriter and a captivating performer.
Known for his abilities as a gracious storyteller, Gunning’s knack for connecting with audiences precedes the skills and experience he’s earned on the road—It is, for him, very much a way of life. Gunning shares the same sort of relationship with music as an eagle does with the sky. From a very young age, music has been Gunning’s way of interpreting the world around him, the lens through which he sees it, and the medium by which he engages with his community.
Nashville Hitmakers
Nashville songwriters CJ Solar, Ben Williams, Rick Huckaby, Paul Sikes, & Dave Kuncio sing the hit songs they wrote for superstar artists like Morgan Wallen, Selena Gomez, Lainey Wilson, Ty Dolla $ign, Trace Adkins, Alicia Keys, Government Mule, Megan Maroney, Thomas Rhett, Steve Aioki Justin Moore, Jameson Rodgers, Cody Johnson, Jason Aldean & tell the stories behind them!
Max Morton
Max Morton is a 21 year old folk singer-songwriter from Evanston, Illinois currently based in Boston. Since arriving in Boston in 2021, Max has been a mainstay in the indie music scene, displaying soft guitar lines and introspective lyrics garnering comparison to the likes of Nick Drake, Gregory Alan Isakov and Caamp. His debut single “Hold On” was released in April of 2022 and was featured on Spotify’s “Fresh Finds Folk” playlist alongside upcoming artists such as Searows and Sadurn. In January of 2023, Morton released his debut EP titled a few songs and is releasing his new single ‘soda can’ on February 2nd 2024 with two more singles and an EP coming shortly after.
Sequoia
Sequoia is a folk singer-songwriter based in Richmond, Virginia and raised in New England. Influenced by traditional American music, lyrically inspired. Travis picking, melodic finger-style, and singing in gentle texture. Songs through imagery and storytelling.
