Songwriters in the Round 7/15
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David Scott
Jul 13, 2026, 2:23:25 PM (9 days ago) Jul 13
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Songwriters in the Round is taking the month of August off, so July 15 will be your last chance to enjoy Songwriters in the Round until September. We have a lineup of performers who will make you feel, make you laugh, and make you think. Ron Israel is a folksinger in the best sense of that tradition - a troubadour who gives voice to something that listeners believe in their hearts but can’t always articulate. Eva Gertz is a sonic explorer who filters a wide range of experiences through her voice, fingers, and piano. Sam Bayer has a deep voice and a deeper soul, and he finds the humor and the pathos in human experience. And Mark Stepakoff is the everyman whose wit, plainspokenness and versatility keeps audiences moved and entertained.
Songwriters in the Round
Wednesday July 15, 7pm-8:30pm
Arts at the Armory Cafe
191 Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA
free (but you may wish to donate $10-$20 for the performers)
https://artsatthearmory.org/events/songwriters-in-the-round-2026-07-15/
Songwriters in the Round is a warm, welcoming event where people can enjoy food and drink as well as chance meetings and conversation. But everyone becomes quiet when four songwriters take the stage to take turns playing songs, occasionally joining each other on harmony vocals or guitar licks. In between songs, the audience listens while the performers discuss music and life in general. “I was inspired by the ‘guitar pulls’ of the Bluebird Café in Nashville,” host David Thorne Scott says, “but with a wider variety. There is folk and country, but also rock, R&B, soul, jazz, and musical theater.”
Held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
We occasionally visit different venues — don’t miss out! Sign up for the email list at http://eepurl.com/c2gNWf for the latest communication.
You might hear a young up-and-coming pro, an established mid-career performer and mentor, and a cherished elder of the scene -- all sharing music. The growing relationships will warm your heart and enrich your soul. Come every week as the lineup shifts and new friends are made.
All ages welcome.
Our songwriters this week
Writing songs and playing music comes naturally to Ron Israel. It’s something he started doing instinctively when he was twelve years old in order to interpret the world and the things that happen in life. His music makes you think and makes you feel, and it has been praised the late Columbia records producer John Hammond Senior, Ritchie Havens, Stephen Davis of Rolling Stone Magazine, Susan Stamberg of National Public Radio, and long-time friend Peter Coyote. His music is in the folk abd blues styles and addressed topics ranging from love, poverty, homelessness, cancer, and Buddhism. Ron says, “My way is the art of the protest song, an American tradition that goes back to the birth of our country. I believe we are living in a time when artists and musicians need to revive this tradition, become more engaged in the world, and use their craft to help reverse the course we are on.” https://www.ronisraelmusic.com
Eva Gertz is a singing pianist and artist of many mediums, born and raised in Melrose, MA. She attended Berklee College of Music (class of 2015) and now teaches arranging in the Contemporary Writing and Production department of the college. During the time in between, she lived in Brooklyn, NY for six years, arranged for a Broadway production, assisted top-rank composers, and performed as a dueling pianist on cruise ships and at piano bars. She has been self-producing and releasing original music along with creative music videos for five years now. During a transitional time last year, Eva moved out of her NY apartment and went on a spontaneous solo road trip for five months. The music she wrote on the journey is currently in the progress of becoming her next album, titled "Worth The Drive." www.evagertz.com
Your co-host, Boston area singer-songwriter Mark Stepakoff, is widely admired on the New England folk music scene for his mix of wry humorous material and poignant ballads, in the vein of artists such as John Prine and Loudon Wainwright III. He has won numerous songwriting awards and his songs have reached as high as number 3 on the national folk radio airplay chart. Mark performs frequently in the Boston area. Among the artists he has opened for are Bill Morrissey, Steve Forbert, Christine Lavin, and Cheryl Wheeler. www.markstepakoff.com
Songwriters in the Round
Wednesday July 15, 7pm-8:30pm
Arts at the Armory Cafe
191 Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA
free (but you may wish to donate $10-$20 for the performers)
https://artsatthearmory.org/events/songwriters-in-the-round-2026-07-15/
Songwriters in the Round is a warm, welcoming event where people can enjoy food and drink as well as chance meetings and conversation. But everyone becomes quiet when four songwriters take the stage to take turns playing songs, occasionally joining each other on harmony vocals or guitar licks. In between songs, the audience listens while the performers discuss music and life in general. “I was inspired by the ‘guitar pulls’ of the Bluebird Café in Nashville,” host David Thorne Scott says, “but with a wider variety. There is folk and country, but also rock, R&B, soul, jazz, and musical theater.”
Held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
We occasionally visit different venues — don’t miss out! Sign up for the email list at http://eepurl.com/c2gNWf for the latest communication.
You might hear a young up-and-coming pro, an established mid-career performer and mentor, and a cherished elder of the scene -- all sharing music. The growing relationships will warm your heart and enrich your soul. Come every week as the lineup shifts and new friends are made.
All ages welcome.
Our songwriters this week
Writing songs and playing music comes naturally to Ron Israel. It’s something he started doing instinctively when he was twelve years old in order to interpret the world and the things that happen in life. His music makes you think and makes you feel, and it has been praised the late Columbia records producer John Hammond Senior, Ritchie Havens, Stephen Davis of Rolling Stone Magazine, Susan Stamberg of National Public Radio, and long-time friend Peter Coyote. His music is in the folk abd blues styles and addressed topics ranging from love, poverty, homelessness, cancer, and Buddhism. Ron says, “My way is the art of the protest song, an American tradition that goes back to the birth of our country. I believe we are living in a time when artists and musicians need to revive this tradition, become more engaged in the world, and use their craft to help reverse the course we are on.” https://www.ronisraelmusic.com
Eva Gertz is a singing pianist and artist of many mediums, born and raised in Melrose, MA. She attended Berklee College of Music (class of 2015) and now teaches arranging in the Contemporary Writing and Production department of the college. During the time in between, she lived in Brooklyn, NY for six years, arranged for a Broadway production, assisted top-rank composers, and performed as a dueling pianist on cruise ships and at piano bars. She has been self-producing and releasing original music along with creative music videos for five years now. During a transitional time last year, Eva moved out of her NY apartment and went on a spontaneous solo road trip for five months. The music she wrote on the journey is currently in the progress of becoming her next album, titled "Worth The Drive." www.evagertz.com
Your co-host, Boston area singer-songwriter Mark Stepakoff, is widely admired on the New England folk music scene for his mix of wry humorous material and poignant ballads, in the vein of artists such as John Prine and Loudon Wainwright III. He has won numerous songwriting awards and his songs have reached as high as number 3 on the national folk radio airplay chart. Mark performs frequently in the Boston area. Among the artists he has opened for are Bill Morrissey, Steve Forbert, Christine Lavin, and Cheryl Wheeler. www.markstepakoff.com
Your co-host, Boston musician Sam Bayer is your literate, exuberant guide to an imaginary world where housewives win the Nobel Prize in physics, poker-playing children gamble over their bedtimes, and metaphorical elephants pirouette in the den, four and a half minutes at a time. His latest studio CD, Bad Apple, brings 11 gems from his universe to yours. https://sambayer.com
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