Songwriter Showcase presented by Jud Caswell

Ed DesJardins: For over thirty years Ed has been crafting his art, performing at multiple venues as both a solo act and with other talented performers. Whether he's tucked away in the woods making records, playing local venues, or out on the road, the focus is, and always has been, making the most of each opportunity to connect hearts and minds through the power of music.

Lisa Redfern: With 12 solo recordings to her credit, Lisa Redfern is an award winning singer-songwriter with a clear, bell-like voice who has opened for Livingston Taylor, Dave Mallett, The Roches, Cindy Kallet, and Pete Seeger. Her awards include Best Song at the West Coast Songwriters Contest, Finalist for both the Great American Song Contest and the USA Songwriting Competition, as well as a NAPPA Gold and a Parents’ Choice Silver for her lullaby CD, "Sing Me Goodnight.” Livingston Taylor said to her, “Wow, I haven’t heard a voice like yours in 30 years, you sound like one of the original women of folk.” David Wilcox said of “Chickadee”, “I love getting to know Lisa even better through these songs. They are true and real, good company, memorable and brave, with a great sense of humor, just like her.” Jeremy Lindsay of Birds of Chicago (Allison Russell’s husband) said, “Don't mistake her honeyed tones for syrup-coating. She may be sweet, but she sees through stone. And she’s got honest togoodness mustard seeds of melancholy, loss and hard-gained wisdom in that trill, too, which makes any honey-voice worth it's, uh, sugar.” Dirty Linen Magazine wrote, “Redfern is one to watch!” www.lisaredfern.com

Jenny Van West: Jenny Van West's greatest musical passion lies in *what good songs can do*: alleviate loneliness, support language development, lessen trauma, create joy, build community, and harmonize diverse populations through performance, writing, and music education. Since the release of her first full-length original album, Something Real, in 2015, Jenny has forged an international career while using those successes to build community at home. In 2018, her last album Happiness to Burn garnered universally positive reviews in the US and Europe, peaking at #7 during three months on the EuroAmericana chart. During the pandemic her weekly national Americana music podcast, Postcards, kept her international listeners engaged with interviews, live performance, and postcards. She is currently recording an EP with a grant from the Maine Arts Commission, produces the International Open Mic at Mayo Street Arts, serves as Program Coordinator and Teaching Artist for DocSong.org's Portland Pilot Project. She is a proud member of the Spring 2024 cohort of MusicToLife Foundation's national Changemaker Accelerator, to incorporate her free community music programs and build a consulting business to help nonprofit venues and individuals start similar programs in their communities.

Jud Caswell: Jud Caswell is an award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has been performing in his native state of Maine and beyond for more than 25 years. In 2006 he made a splash on the national scene, winning the legendary Kerrville New Folk competition. He’s had his songs taught at Berklee, recorded by Judy Collins, and named “#4 Song of the Decade” by New York’s WFUV. His record “Live at the Seagull Shop” was the number 1 album on the Folk Alliance International radio charts in March of 2020. Jud is currently releasing a series of albums of music that he recorded during the early months of the pandemic.