‘This Machine Surrounds Hate and Forces It to Surrender,’ à la Pete Seeger is more my style, but you can’t deny the historic power of Woody Guthrie and the slogan scrawled on his guitar. I look forward to participating in this second afternoon of protest music new and old at the Silverlake Library.
So happy to be a part of the 11th Annual Harry Nilsson Singalong!
Check out this lineup:
Alex Vincent
Alyssandra Nighswonger
Carolyn Soyars
Danette Christine
Danny Henry
Dave Soyars
Evie Sands
Feef Mooney
Fernando Perdomo
Gary Stockdale
Hunter Hawkins
Isobel Campbell
James Nolte
Janice Mautner-Markham
Jason Berk
Jason Luckett
Joe Kennedy
Kaitlin Wolfberg
Kristi Callan
Luis Enrique Lopez
Lyn Bertles
Mark Fletcher
Michael Culhane
Milo Binder
Nathalie Archangel
Nick Guzman
Nick Vincent
Rick Hromadka
Ruthann Friedman
Sean David Christensen
Steve Barton
Suzy Williams
Tara Austin
Teresa Cowles
Tom Bishel
Willie Aron
David Bash – Master of Ceremonies
and more….
Tickets are $15 advance /$20 day of show
This show is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend Zak Nilsson.
See you there!
This month we have Patricia Bahia and Charles Steen joining us.
My recent connection to both of them comes through one of our favorites, Jami Lula.
Jami gathered PATRICIA, a bunch of other songwriters, and me sometime last year which got me reacquainted with Patricia’s positive energy and artistry. And she joined us at Archetype to start off this year for a few songs, which got us singing!
In her own words:
“Though I was always a singer, I didn’t write my first song until after receiving a cancer diagnosis in 2003. I’d spent my life doing what was expected of me, pursuing a career as a lawyer, living out someone else’s dream, while secretly harboring a dream of writing songs”
“Songwriting was on my bucket-list–something I’d always wanted to do, but didn’t know I was capable of, and had no idea of how to even start.”
“The diagnosis and treatment changed me–it loosened the grip of my conscious logical mind and freed up my right brain creative side. And having a life-threatening illness gave me the immediacy I needed to trade my brief cases for guitar cases and start living my bucket-list life. I realized, ‘I’ve only got one life. I’m not going to get another chance to do what I feel called to do. So, if not now, when?”
I met CHARLIE after Jami invited me to play at North Hollywood Church of Religious Science. He’s part of the house band and really made my songs come to life. He gets a sweet Ted Greene type of tone out of his Telecaster. I’m really looking forward to hearing him do his own thing on the 11th. He humbly describes himself as a “journeyman musician” and what a journey it’s been, reaching back to accompany some of the classic artists of the 60s and 70s to now.
This is my second time up there to play the festival. It comes at the end of a weeklong writing retreat, bringing in songwriters from all over the country. I made fast good friends and collaborators from being there, including Steve Key, whom I’ll accompany the day before. I’m excited to be back!
Brett Perkins Presents: Idyllwild Songwriters Festival 10th Anniversary, June 27/28, 2026 (Click for info)
Amilia K. Spicer * The Brothers Landau Paula Fong * Will Hawkins * Ricky Berger * Steve Key * Syante * Kathryn D’Costa * Jason Luckett * Dave Preston * Nick Justice * Mikele Kreitner * Paddy Marsh * Julie Lee * Apis Mellifera * actual size * Dennis & Laura * Mark Alciati & Sherie Davis * Mike Berman * Joshua Winget-Hill
The Idyllwild Songwriters Festival is celebrating a tenth year of presenting original singer/songwriters at Spirit Mountain Retreat @spiritmountainretreat , Idyllwild, California, as a free to the public, fully outdoor, family and dogs friendly event produced in support of Idyllwild Help Center @idyhelpcenter via voluntary donations accepted during the event.
SATURDAY JUNE 27
11 Listening Room Retreat Songs
12 Mark & Sherie @sheriedmusic
1pm The Brothers Landau @brotherslandau
2pm Apis Mellifera @apismelliferasings
3pm Kathryn D’Costa @kathryn.dcosta /Julie Lee @julieleemusicinmotion
4pm Steve Key @stevekey57
5pm Ricky Berger @rickybergermusic
6pm Will Hawkins @will_hawkins_music /Nick Justice @nickjusticemusic
7pm Paula Fong @paulafongmusic
SUNDAY JUNE 28
11 Listening Room Retreat Songs
12 Dave Preston/Paddy Marsh @paddymarshmusic
1pm Syante @say_aunty
2pm Joshua Winget-Hill @joshua.winget /Mike Berman @mikebermanmusic
3pm Mikele Kreitner @mikelekreitnermusic
4pm Dennis & Laura @dennisrussellshow
5pm actual size @actualsizeguys
6pm Amilia K Spicer @amiliakspicer
7pm Jason Luckett @jasonluckett
Singing for Sunday Services at North Hollywood Church of Religious Science. They’ve got great musicians and it’s always a pleasure to play and take in the service.
Join us for an uplifting afternoon of culture, community and celebration, honoring our history, singing our songs, and telling our stories.
Exposition Park/Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Regional Library
3900 S. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90062
323-290-3113
This month Alison Lewis is returning and we’ll have a new friend of mine, Mary Scholz.
I met Alison at a Joni Mitchell 80th birthday celebration and her version of “A Case of You” brought me to tears. She has such a pure and expressive voice. I’m honored to accompany her this night.
Mary and I met through a FAR-West show just last month in Santa Monica. Her voice grabs you, her songs keep you. And her commitment to social justice inspires.
Here’s what others have to say about Mary and Alison:
Alison Lewis is “a singer with a hauntingly beautiful voice who transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary with brilliant arrangements and vocal experimentation.” — Elliot Zwiebach of Cabaret Scenes
“Mary Scholz’s music captures the spirit of the American experience, and resonates with sincerity and emotion. Her songs have a mesmerizing tone that carries listeners to a world of meditation and reflection, by fusing heartfelt words with melodious orchestration. Listeners are invited on a trip through the sorrow and joy of life by Scholz’s distinctive voice, which is warm and vulnerable. Her songs, which explore themes of love, sorrow, and personal development, are a true representation of the human experience…mesmerizing audiences with her unbridled talent and unmistakable charisma. Mary Scholz is a formidable force in the Americana music industry, and her work is a tribute to the effectiveness of narrative storytelling and the universality of song.” — Viberate
I’ll open with a song then do the closing set. I’m thinking I might do all “new” songs if I get enough free time before the show to practice. To help with that, please RSVP, spread the word, and purchase in advance. 
That helps me relax and will get you a reserved seat, if you’d like that! Let me know. I appreciate all the love generated by this series!
I wrote this in advance of our FAR-West Show, hosted by Joselyn & Don, who performed for us back in November, I believe: I’m looking forward to sharing the stage with @maryscholz, she’s got a voice — musical and political — that I admire! I’m so thankful to @joselynanddonfor putting this night together under the auspices of Folk Alliance @farwestfolk! A couple weeks ago I did a show that sought to answer the question, “Where are the protest songs for today?” Mary’s got ‘em, Joselyn & Don have ‘em, and we all have deeply humanistic songs of love, joy, and humor to feed your soul in this moment. To borrow my friend Peter J Harris’s (@blackmanofhappiness) phrase, the goal is to make “VoiceMusic for Whole Living” in our way. How we all need that now!
Here are a few clips from that night:
