Join us for the late Autumn 2023 episode of The Southeastern Sessions featuring three of the region’s premier Singer/Songwriters – RJ Cowdery, Don Baker, and your host John Walsh.
An evening replete with savory original music for your listening pleasure; our songwriters will perform their songs “in the round.” They have a tasty blend of Americana, Folk, Acoustic Rock, & Country cooked up for us to enjoy.
So, come and hear the stories and musings of RJ, Don, and John. All three, in addition to being seasoned songwriters, are highly talented musicians & vocalists. You really don’t want to miss this show!
RJ Cowdery
Rj Cowdery grew up in the small hardscrabble Appalachian town of Belpre on the Ohio River. Now, after decades of song-writing, she’s touring small towns and big cities across the USA, singing original songs that speak truths many of us feel but are unable to put into words.
Rj’s melodies and lyrics are compelling, emotional, inspiring, and introspective. While they have a personal feel, they also have a universal appeal because they focus on themes like taking chances, belonging, creativity, and being our true selves. These are the struggles we are often afraid to deal with, but when Rj names them and describes them, it can give us courage. Combine the meaningful lyrics with her masterful guitar playing – sometimes delicate picking and other times hard-driving percussive strums – and it’s no wonder that her musical career has been soaring for years now.
That’s why Rj has been honored and praised by the Kerrville Folk Festival, Sisters Folk Festival, Rocky Mountain Folk Festival, Mountain Stage, many other musical venues, and music reviewers.
“Rj plays a clean guitar, flat picking or strumming and stringing chords together to build melodies built like a proverbial brick house and pours over it all with a voice like butter,” declares the Vancouver Island Music Festival.
www.rjcowdery.com
RJ Cowdery – Facebook
Don Baker
A singer/songwriter from southeastern Ohio, Don grew up hearing mostly traditional country music.
“My Dad, and a few of his brothers and friends, played a lot, so I got a steady dose of it growing up. I heard my first John Prine record when I was 16, which was about the same time I started playing guitar.
Learning those Prine tunes helped me not only get better at playing, but also taught me the power of good lyrics. That inspired me to start writing my own songs, and I have been doing it ever since. Over the years, I have been inspired by many other great writers and I’m drawn to those songs that paint a picture for me and make me feel like I’m part of the scene. They make me want to achieve the same kind of thing in my songs, and that’s what I try to do every time I start a new one. I enjoy the challenge of writing songs and crave the feeling I get when I finish a new tune. I also love playing and sharing music with a live attentive audience, it’s a great way to spend an evening.”
Don has done a couple of recording projects of all original music and have a back log of stuff just waiting to be recorded. He’s hoping to get that rolling soon.
John A. Walsh
johnawalsh.com
John Walsh – Facebook
A well-known Mid-Ohio Valley musician, John Walsh’s songwriting has been described as “intensely personal,” “he sang what I wanted to say…” and, “the lyrics read like a painting…” Over the years, Walsh has written scores of songs and has performed both as a soloist and in a variety of bands all over the United States. John has had the opportunity to play on the same stage with notables such as Jason Isbell, Lucy Kaplansky, Tim O’Brien, Dennis DeYoung, Amanda Shires, Air Supply, Larry Groce, Todd Burge and Larkin Poe. He has released nine albums of original music. Both an artist and facilitator of the arts in the MOV, Walsh served as a board member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame; formerly served on the Hippodrome/Colony Historic Theatre Association board; and, was instrumental in the development and opening of The Adelphia Music Hall. In 2013, John released The Fields of Gettysburg. John’s all original song cycle brought real historical characters to life, enabling the listener to get to know people of the day on a personal level. The record, co-produced by Parkersburg singer/songwriter, Todd Burge, brought together an impressive ensemble of musicians, including Mountain Stage’s Larry Groce and Michael Lipton, two-time Grammy winner Tim O’Brien, Jessica Baldwin, Colton Pack and Justin Arthur. Met with wide critical acclaim, The Fields of Gettysburg was featured on NPR’s Mountain Stage and at The Gettysburg National Park’s Museum Gift Store. The album is currently available at Tamarack’s “The Best of West Virginia.”
John Walsh – YouTube