1 PM to 2 PM Kerri Powers

In her teens Kerri Powers began performing in local coffeehouses throughout New England. Standing ovations, encores and significant press promptly became the norm and led to invitational performances at the Boston Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. All indications pointed to her firmly being on her way to establishing a legitimate career. However, amidst her ascent, cupid’s arrow struck, she fell in love, got married and the couple promptly had a child. Unfortunately her partner was less than supportive when it came to her continuing to pursue her music and, as tensions mounted, Kerri was pretty much forced to put her career aside.  

“This restrictive situation ultimately caused me to lose confidence and question everything about my ability as an Artist. I wasn’t sure I would ever get back to performing, but I did continue to write. I wasn’t exactly sure what the driving force behind writing those songs was, but it kept me going. Music and art have always been a healing force in my life. I think most of us could say it has an incredible impact on us both personally and on a universal level.” 

Fast forward: after raising her son and overcoming the hardship of a difficult divorce, Kerri embraced her passion and returned to making music. As a result, she released a self-titled EP in 2014 and started playing out again. Fact of the matter, the EP was produced simply for merch sales. Even so, she was encouraged to mail the disc to a host of radio stations that report to The Roots Radio Chart. Unbelievable as it seems, and with zero promotion or publicity assistance, radio re-acted and the little merch CD landed the #1 spot on the Roots Radio Chart….and many critics’ list of “Top 50 Folk Albums of 2014.”   

This success enabled Kerri to tour throughout the United States as well as overseas. Once again, encores and standing ovations became the norm. As an added plus, individual tracks from her enhanced catalog ended up in the motion picture Chuck and both television series’ Rescue Me and Justified. Uplifted by the national and international response she then released a second “merch CD” titled Starseeds, although the Covid 19 pandemic cramped the world wide release, international promotion and the relative touring schedule that was planned. Like the rest of her comrades, she retreated to her home and the studio to regroup, write new material and look to the future. So get ready folks, there is more to come.  

Gold Mine Magazine’s Lee Zimmerman writes : “Powers has come a long way since the days when she was admittedly hesitant about returning to music, but energy and persistence conquer all things.  It’s fitting that the Boston Globe proclaimed, “There’s an authenticity at work here, A heart-tugging gravity and a lively intelligence to go along with the sass.”  

The Hartford Courant called her a “Mark Twain-like trickster whose wry words, dramatic sense of dynamics and supple phrasing can celebrate joy and hope.”

2:30 PM to 3:30 PM Jay Psaros

What type of songwriter is Jay Psaros? That’s a question Psaros has been asking himself for years. Psaros, a long time resident of the Northeast was born into a family of the self employed. Like the self employed, his music has ebbed and flowed in and out of “where the work is,” so to speak. Crossing genres as needed and blending styles as desired. Psaros has worked in a most peculiar musical landscape. His gigs have ranged from bar rooms, to medieval themed dinner theaters, to small clubs, house concerts, weddings and everything in between. He’s hustled as a booking agent, produced for other artists, written music blogs and even taught the occasional lesson. Recently, a stroke of good fortune. With just over a decade in the music industry, the sweaty bars and medieval costumes have given way to support slots for national acts and small headlining tours at regional clubs.  Psaros has shared the stage with the likes of The Mavericks, Boz Scaggs, Daughtry, Third Eye Blind, Tower of Power,  Ziggy Marley, Donovan Frankenreiter, Anders Osborne, Los Lonely Boys, Rick Springfield, Lisa Loeb, Three Dog Night, Rusted Root, Peter Cetera, Little River Band, The Original Wailers, Eddie Money, and Joe Nichols to name a few.

​Most recently, Psaros has released a string of acclaimed singles throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic which have helped him solidify his standing as one of the regions most authentic and versatile songwriters.  His single "Zombies," earned him an invite to Live Stream with the world famous C.F. Martin & Co. via their facebook page, gaining exposure to millions of acoustic enthusiasts.  His next single "Rise When You Fall" earned Psaros an invite to perform at Boston's Wang Theater's "Ghost Light Series," bringing awareness to the shuttered iconic theater and the shuttered events industry as a whole.  Later in 2020, his Christmas song "I Dream of Christmas with You" was featured during the opening credits of Lifetime Network's "Christmas on Ice."  Psaros' work throughout the Pandemic has allowed him to stay at the top of the call list for some of the nations most prominent acts.  In the summer of 2021, Psaros will be touring as support alongside Three Dog Night, Foreigner and REO Speedwagon on dates throughout the country.  He will also be headlining regional clubs and small theaters throughout the Northeast.

“I still go where the work is, but the work has gotten much better.” Stemming from the DNA of his self-employed kin, there is a constant eye on the horizon to make sure work is always nearby as well as in the distance. A strange place indeed, between the “now”and the“never.” With just over a decade as a true working artist, the art is finally beginning to prosper. Psaros’s 5th release (2018), The Trees Beyond the Town is the culmination of ten years of being self employed. The styles are reflective of the paths Psaros has taken to keep himself in work, as well as keep himself in art. Like Psaros, who is of Chinese, Greek and Irish descent, the songs are uniquely multi-genre. Recognizable yet subtly unidentifiable. “I’m in a strange place in my career,” Psaros muses.“I consider myself a folk artist, a singer/songwriter…but I frequently get calls to support acts so far outside my genre (at least how I view my genre) that I’m always questioning whether or not I’ve found my place.” This is evident when looking at Psaros's resume as many of the artists he has shared the stage with are of scattered genre and variety. “I’ve always envied, to some degree, acts that shine in one particular genre…being able to clearly define who they are and excel at what they do. What I do seems to put me in a place where I keep bouncing around. Maybe that’s a detriment, maybe it’s niche in and of itself. I’m still trying to figure that out.”

As a writer on No Depression reminisces, “I remember one of the first times I saw Psaros perform. From that moment I was reeled into the songwriter's work. He has a presence on stage and embedded into his songs. Calm and confident but soft, warm and alluring. It’s entrancing.” The Patriot Ledger called Psaros “One of the most compelling music stories of the year.  It was his 2016 Eponymous record that has helped Psaros maintain and grow a career which is completely independent and free from label constraints."  Whether performing solo or with his rotating cast memebers of The Jay Psaros Band, Psaros pours emotion, musicianship and authenticity into every performance.