Dave Dersham

• Folk
• Singer/Songwriter

“Marine.” A distillation of Dave Dersham’s oeuvre, courtesy of anti-folk / improv-slam artist, James O’Brien, based in New York City. Collectively are cautionary songs of submerging archipelagos, the unfolding eco-dystopia, Samoan pigskin heroes, and the wonders of farmhouse remediation in the Pioneer Valley where Dave spent his formative years, meandered, and eventually returned, despite mediocre snowpack, relentless rain, and occasional periods of humid, smoke-infused summers – perhaps the newest of the new normals.

Dave completed his first CD, “The Burn of Summer” (2003) in Somerville, MA, engineered by Jabe Beyer, Tim Kelly, and Tom Eaton. A shrewd crew synthesized the sonic threads, earning substantial airtime on Folk Radio’s WUMB (UMASS/Boston), WERS (Emerson College), and as an emerging artist finalist at “Mountain Stage” – a nationally syndicated radio show.

“Gilding the Lilies” arrived in 2011, recorded and accompanied by the kaleidoscopically stringed Lloyd Thayer, and produced by Jared Fiske: djembe, electric/acoustic guitar, bass, keyboard. The sophomore collection was distributed internationally.

A sly humorist, cultural critic, and melancholy optimist, Dave’s long-awaited 3rd album will come out in October with 10 new songs, engineered by Andrew Atkin (13 Queen Studios) and recorded / mastered / produced by Mark Miller (Sonlab / Side Track Studio). A single drops in August, a video emerges in September, and in October, a live trio at Northampton’s Parlor Room will begin the New England tour.

Rob Laurens

• Folk
• Singer/Songwriter

Rob Laurens is a songwriter’s songwriter. With a keen eye for subtle, understated detail, Rob creates songs whose lyrics resonate like the words of a writer; his songs tell stories, often expressing the kind of ideas and complexity of emotions more typically tackled in the work of a poet or novelist. However, his writing is not over-burdened or pretentious. Rather, Rob creates songs that are subtle and insightful, with meanings that deepen with repeated listening.

Steeped in the knowledge of many kinds of American traditional music — especially Appalachian ballads — Rob seeks to emulate the best folk songs, which possess these traits. Rob has lived and traveled throughout the United States, and has had the opportunity to spend time learning folk music from Appalachian fiddle and banjo players, blues guitarists, and from recordings in the Library of Congress. Along with his appreciation of the poetry and myth of American folk song, these experiences have helped him develop what has been described by Dave Palmater of WUMB 91.9 FM Boston as, “the rare ability to write songs that seem like they’ve always been there.”

Rob has won the New Folk Award for Songwriting at both the Kerrville Folk Festival (TX) and its sister festival, The Columbia River Festival (WA). He has returned to play the main stage at these and many other festivals, including the Strawberry, High Sierra, and Napa Valley Festivals in California. He tours both east and west coasts, playing such clubs as The Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, California, and Club Passim in Cambridge, Massachusetts.