Come and enjoy October with us in Porter Square. At the October 21 Songwriters in the Round, we will drive away the chill of autumn with some warm-hearted music. Frank Critelli is a folk music impresario as well as a deeply human musician himself. Just this month he hosted Ellis Paul at his series in Connecticut. The introspective Americana of Dave Dersham is always welcome on the rare occasions when we can tempt him to inside Route 128 from his native hills of Western Mass. Show your appreciation for the King of the Odd Job by bringing him some broccoli rabe. Then we have the funky and soulful music of Jen Kearney. Her piano playing might remind you of Michael McDonald but her glorious voice is sui generis. And your host David Thorne Scott will be performing, very glad that he’s not the only pianist for a change. Guitarists get all the attention…

We thank an anonymous sponsor for this show. Sponsors provide $200 so we can guarantee each performer enough for a modest dinner and gas money, especially appreciated when we have folks visiting us from far afield. Please consider sponsoring a show by contacting David!

Where: The show will be held “after hours” at the new and improved Café Zing in Porter Square. When: 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (the café will be closed for cleaning and staff turnover from 7:00 - 7:30)

They will have all their amazing teas and coffees (and decafs!) in addition to their Iggy’s sandwiches and their legendary Vietnamese rolls. One roll is a snack. 3 is a meal! https://www.cafezingcambridge.com/menu

Café Zing Porter Square Shopping Center 25 White St, Cambridge, MA https://www.cafezingcambridge.com/

Free (but you may wish to donate $10-$20 for the performers)

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.

We perform at 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

Over the past 25+ years, Dave Dersham has performed across 2 dozen states, sharing the stage with Buck Meek, Kris Delmhorst, Vance Gilbert, Mary Gauthier, Clif Eberhardt, Darlingside, Heather Maloney, and Adrianne Lenker. His music has been described as exquisite, distinctive, melancholy, off-beat, and marine. Dave’s wry wit, percussive groove, alternate tunings, and lyrical chords, express themes such as domesticity, melancholia, and occasional eco-tragedy. “... folk songs from a whole different direction ... it’s as if you’re sitting around in his living room on homemade furniture and Dave’s trying out his fully formed, way-out ideas on you... The thoughts and the images flit around and land right in the place where you do your thinking. Dersham doesn’t sound like Andrew Bird or Richard Thompson, but he sure sounds like they hang out together. ” – Marilyn Rea Beyer, The Midnight Special, WMFT, Chicago. https://davedershammusic.com/

Poet, philosopher, raconteur, busker, disc jockey, teacher, gardener — all these and more describe Frank Critelli. For more than 30 years, Frank has played in streets and subways, clubs and coffeehouses, barrooms and classrooms, colleges, festivals, theaters, and in his kitchen. Currently he is one-third of original music trio The Bargain. But whether you see him solo or with a band, you’ll come away entertained, energized, and possibly enlightened. https://qsilver.com/frankcritelli.com/index.html

Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Jen Kearney has spent some time seasoning her particular style of original music. Her sound is truly an amalgamation of musical styles including Soul, R&B, Funk, Rock, and Latin. Kearney’s music and attention to lyrics and has met critical acclaim nationally and internationally. https://jenkearney.com

Your host, David Thorne Scott, is a singer and songwriter in jazz and Americana styles. He mostly plays piano. A longtime resident of Somerville, he organized Songwriters in the Round to foster a creative, dynamic music scene here. He believes that music can bring a community together like nothing else. “At a time of great conflict in our country – when words often fail us – music has the power to bridge divides... David Thorne Scott explores the intersection of Jazz and Americana, city and country, instrumentation and lyrics to create lush compositions and covers that are unifying, and healing, in their beauty.” - Laurie Fanell, Eponymous Review www.davidthornescott.com