Songwriter Sessions

Kevin Gordon

A Louisiana native, now 29-year East Nashville resident, Kevin Gordon, is a performing songwriter currently touring in support of his new release, The In Between. His albums have garnered high critical praise in The New York Times, USA Today, Rolling Stone, and many others. The title track from Down to the Well, a duet with Lucinda Williams, was featured on the Oxford American Southern Music Sampler. Those who've recorded his songs include Keith Richards, Levon Helm, Shemekia Copeland, Hard Working Americans (Todd Snider), Irma Thomas, Webb Wilder, and others. Julie Christensen (Flesh Eaters, Leonard Cohen) release 11 from Kevin: Songs of Kevin Gordon, anew album comprised entirely of her versions of Gordon's songs. Kevin also holds an MFA in poetry from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Carol Montag

Artist and songwriter Carol Montag has been described by folk music legend Tom Paxton as a "genuine discovery" and "the best thing to come out of Iowa since Bonnie Koloc." Her influences include Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Eva Cassidy, Julie Andrews, James Taylor and many others. She has recorded four solo albums and two Christmas CDs. She just released her new album titled Strange Ballet. Carol has opened for or shared the stage with Arlo Guthrie, Michael Johnson, Jim Prost, Greg Brown, Priscilla Herdmann, David Wilcox, John Gorka, John Stewart, Cliff Eberhardt, Larry Groce, and Three Dog Night. She was commissioned to write music for Ballet Iowa and Ballet LaCrosse and performed live with both companies. Carol was invited by the former US Ambassador to Cambodia, Kennet Quinn, to perform at the 2010 World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony. Past performers at that ceremony include such notables as Ray Charles, John Denver, and Simon Estes. Carol recently won The IndieFEST Film Festival Award of Recognition for her music video titled Strange Ballet, the title track to her latest release. She was also a 2015 finalist for the IMMERSE Artist/Writer Competition - GMA (Gospel Music Assoc.). Carol performs original songs, traditional and contemporary folk, and songs from the Great American Songbook on acoustic guitar and piano.

David G Smith

Internationally acclaimed songwriter-artist David G Smith is an acoustic roots solo performer with a lyric intensive style featuring guitars, resonator, music, and a voice that ranges from dirt-funk to intimate. His music is a blend of Folk, Americana, Country, and Blues. His most recent album Witness Trees finished in the #1 position of the Roots Music Chart (RMR) Top 200 for 2025 in both Folk and Alt-Folk. David is set to release his 12th album HERO STREET. This title track is part of a 9-part film series of the same name created by Emmy Award winner filmmakers, 4th Wall Films as seen on PBS. David was recently accepted as a juried artist with Noel Paul Stookey's (Peter, Paul, & Mary) Music To Life Org. He is a 2008 International Song Competition 1st place winner, a Robert Oermann DISCovery Award recipient, and two-time ISC semifinalist. He performs at the prestigious Bluebird Cafe, Nashville where his shows are regularly sold out. Mary Gauthier and Keb Mo make appearances on 4 of his albums to include a duet with Mary called Shine. David has shared the stage with Justin Townes Earle, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison, 5-time WC Handy Award inner Rory Block, Rissi Palmer, Buddy Mondlock, Jelly Roll Johnson, Chuck Pyle, Dave More, Catfish Keith, Kevin Gordon, and others. He has five nationwide #1 singles and four nationwide #1 albums via the RMR Chart. His single River Gonna Talk was a 203 #1 add on the NACC chart and reacehd #1 in the nation on Radio Guitar One's Top 30 Americana Chart. David has been featured in American Songwriter and his songs have appeared on TNT, Lifetime Network, Travel Channel, and PBS. He has a string of indie and major-indie song cuts to include with Rissi Palmer, only the 3rd black female country artist to chard on Billboard, in 2007. His last 4 albums have been accepted for Grammy consideration. His Give-Back Series donates time and raises money and awareness for a variety of charitable causes. "David, his voice and his songs are authentic. Like Mary Gauthier and Sam Baker, Smith cuts through...to find essential phrases and words to represent the ached of living." (Fervor Coulee)