The Loop is a showcase of singer-songwriters from the Boston area and beyond. It is normally held each month on the 3rd Thursday of the month. Four Performers play 30 minute sets . Formerly held at Arts at the armory in Somerville, the show is now Online until further notice . We encourage performers to present their original music to our listening audience. The monthly shows are run in turn by Linda Marks and Rick Drost, and other volunteers. Mark Abare is massively helpful with tech issues, monitoring, and chats during the event.
On show nights we arrive at 6.30, do final sound checks etc. We go live at 7. We do the four sets, and usually say a brief group goodbye to the audience and to each other at the end. I’ll Host. Mark Abare of the Hearing Room, now WWHR - Internet Media fame will cohost , working the tech magic
I use Streamyard for the broadcast so the show appears on “The Loop at the Armory” group page:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/605186336292335 and on “The Loop at the Armory” YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@theloopatthearmory1898/featured and be archived in both places.
Happy to host again (and sing) at this ongoing Third Thursday online showcase with four songwriters singing half hour sets.
Here's who's playing::
Deb Seymour - debseymourmusic.com - Seattle WA
Ronnee Stolzberg - RI - Ronneesongs.com
Mowesby - mowesby.com - Leominster, MA
Rick Drost - rickdrostsongs.com - Cambridge, MA
Mark Abare cohosts and helps with the tech;
Details on the performers:
Deb Seymour
Hitch-hiking chickens? Tango-dancing Martians? Colonoscopies? Seattle singer-songwriter Deb Seymour sings about them all! Her whimsical, off-beat subjects, clever turns of phrase, and consummate guitar picking will tickle your funny bone and pull the heartstrings, keeping the audience touched by wit and wisdom.
Deb plays locally at festivals, cafes, and wineries in Washington State. She also tours nationally 3-5 months a year, playing Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, California and Utah in 2022
Seymour has four CDs of original work out on the Herkimer Productions label. She also simulcasts her popular livestream, "Brunch W/ Deb" on her Facebook and YouTube channels every Sunday, whether on the road or not. Her fans call themselves "Deb-Heads" and tune in from USA , Canada, UK, Germany, Israel and Australia
Website: debseymourmusic.com
Ronnee Stolzberg
Self-taught at age sixteen, singer/songwriter Ronnee Stolzberg sat at the back of her high school guitar class, picking out chords to the current pop tunes while the rest of her classmates were still learning how to tune the instrument. Under the guidance of some close friends, she soon found herself writing original songs and performing onstage within the first year of picking up the guitar. Growing up with a transistor radio as her constant companion, Ronnee began learning to play the music she knew best. Songs by artists such as America, Paul Simon, The Beatles, Harry Chapin and The Eagles quickly began to fill out her repertoire, and by her early college years her performances on campus drew the attention of students and other local musicians who enjoyed her easy-going style and voice. As a member of the university's music club she participated in the recording and production of the school's annual album release, fascinated with the experience of working in a professional recording studio for the first time.
After college, Ronnee began performing the local folk clubs and coffeehouses, first at Open Mike events and later as the featured artist. Her original compositions, "Without A Dime" and "Mama Don't Sing No More", won her a place as the sole musical performer at a local art gallery's exhibit opening entitled "Homes and Homelessness". During this time, Ronnee also pursued a day-time career working for major music-industry manufacturers, including Guild Guitars, Celestion Speakers, and Kaman Music Corporation (makers of Ovation and Takamine acoustic guitars). Her experience working for acoustic guitar manufacturers has given her insight and a first-hand understanding of the instrument from the expert craftsmen who build them.
Having spent several years living in nearby Massachusetts and Connecticut, Ronnee returned to her native Rhode Island to emerge once again on the local music scene. She has continued performing in clubs and coffeehouses throughout the southern New England area for more than 20 years, playing "Classic Rock" covers and originals, including those from her self-produced CD, “Spirit of the Heart”. Ronnee's upbeat “acoustic-rock” style and choice of material continue to draw her audiences' praise and applause.
Contact Ronnee at ronneesongs.com
Mowesby
Mowesby (the pen name of singer-songwriter Matt Sowersby) creates thoughtful, genuine, contemporary folk songs. He has been playing guitar since he was 9 years old and studied classical guitar in college. Inspired by indie folk, post rock, and prog rock giants like Bon Iver, Sigur Ros, and Pink Floyd, Mowesby’s music transports listeners into a world where syncopated rhythms weave through emotive vocals, creating a sense of intimacy and engagement between the artist and his audience. The way Mowesby holds emotion and intention in his earnest, layered vocals and stripped-down instrumentation will also remind some listeners of connections to contemporary folk artists like José Gonzalez, Novo Amor, and even some early Death Cab for Cutie records. A skilled multi-instrumentalist, Sowersby’s recordings often combine varied sonic textures, incorporating acoustic and electronic elements to create his characteristic layered, dynamic sound.
In January 2020, just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sowersby released his first album Go Forward, which has been described as a “soul-searching journey” both “atmospheric and poppy” by J.J. Thayer of Divide and Conquer. The album was recorded at home by Sowersby himself and touches on topics like love, depression, our impact on the world, and the process of confronting fear. The tracks comprising Go Forward were written over the course of more than a decade, bringing Sowersby’s teenage self into conversation with his adult self, now navigating his early 30s.
Sowersby currently resides in Leominster, MA, with his wife and two cats, Simon and Garfunkel. Mowesby’s music can be found streaming on Spotify and all major platforms.
Website: https://linktr.ee/mowesby
Rick Drost
Rick Drost writes and sings songs with depth and heart, songs that repay repeated listening and convey a long love of classical music, natural wonders, poetry. His songs treat life from a varied angles - Jilted lovers, swans in the Public Garden, leftover lobsters, and meditations on meditation. Longtime inspiration came from Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen; Originally from Western New York, Rick travels from Cambridge, MA to sing at coffeehouses, house concerts, small festivals and Folk Alliance Events from New England, to Colorado to the Southeast.
Website: www.rickdrostsongs.com
