
Hosted by George Mallas and Dave Goldenberg · EN
Discover the musicians, music and venues behind America's vibrant Northeast singer-songwriter scene. Interviews and live performances every episode!

Maria DiFabbio is a musical theater writer and singer/songwriter. She has developed work at the Weston Playhouse Artists Retreat, Legacy Theater, Redhouse Arts Center New Works Festival, NYMF, SheNYC Theater Festival, The Brick, Coho Theatre (Portland, OR), the Guilford Performing Arts Festival (Drama Award commission with Emily Breeze), the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, the Springworks Festival in Stratford, ON, etc. She produces a seasonal musical theater salon at Threes Brewing in Brooklyn, where musical writers share work with friends and community. She sings with the band Bears of Alaska, and is a member of the BMI Advanced Musical Theatre Writing Workshop, and BMI Bookwriting Workshop.

Today we talk to, and hear from live in studio, fingerstyle maestro Glenn Roth. With his thumb riding the bassline and the melody driving all, his performances suggest multiple guitars, but it’s really just one guy, ten flying fingers, one instrument. All instrumental, Glenn’s songs suggest moods and narratives that compel the listener to fill in the details. Glenn has released six CDs to date. He has shared bills with Stephen Bennett, Monty Montgomery, Tuck & Patti, Bucky Pizzarelli, Carl Verheyen, Don Ross, Antoine Dufour, and Vicky Genfan, among others.Glenn plays regularly throughout the Northeast and tours nationally and internationally to bring his music to new fans and locales.

Paul Jensen's long and winding songwriting road has taken him from California to Cuba, where he and NYC avant-garde dance troupe Ballet D'Angelo performed his compositions at the International Ballet Festival in Havana. Today, Paul is known for his energetic, engaging live shows, and is the founder and host of the Sound Shore Songwriter Showcase in Rye, NY, a new performance series featuring talented, local singer/songwriters.Paul has headlined at such storied NYC venues as CityWineryNYC, the Cutting Room, The Bitter End and Arlene’s Grocery. You can catch him performing solo acoustic or with his band in and around the greater NYC area.

New Middle Class is Barbara Borok (vocal) and Mike Borok (guitar/vocal). Their award-winning original songs walk a thin line between the funny and the serious, with distinctive vocals, harmonies and delightfully unexpected lyrical twists and turns. The songs span an eclectic range of styles, often speaking with the voices of different characters.They live in Westchester County, NY, where they have two cars and a one-car garage.

Mitch Katz is a singer-songwriter from Connecticut whose mix of crafty lyrics and compelling melodies bring sensitivity and humor to a mix of ballads and blues, with some political observation thrown in for good measure.

Doug Mahard is a singer-songwriter from Bantam, CT. Delivered with a voice that will remind you of Neil Young, his songs blend whimsy and thoughtfulness in a way that keeps you listening. He has released two albums, the latest of which is Fidel Castro's Favorite Band.

Recording artist Erik Rabasca is a smooth-as-silk singer-songwriter from Connecticut who has honed his craft over many years as a touring performer. His songs fuse a range of styles, from folk, indie and jazz to reggae, soul and country. So it's no surprise his Band, Light Warriors, was invited to open for Jon Batiste. Erik is a familiar voice at venues and festivals across the Northeast.

What's New England blues-rocker Frank Viele doing on ACOUSTIC Northeast? Give a listen and you'll see he transcends genre.Frank's New England Music Awards include Album of the Year, Male Performer of the Year, Songwriter of the Year (twice) and Live Act of the Year.Fondly listening to his grandmother play piano as a child and later reinvigorated as a teenager inspired by his older brother’s taste in music and an acoustic guitar he left behind when he moved to the West Coast, Viele developed a deep appreciation for a wide range of genres including rock, blues, folk, and country.He began writing his own music as a teenager and quickly developed a knack for crafting deeply personal and emotive songs that spoke to the human experience.After honing his craft fronting New York City based Jam/Funk/Rock Outfit “Frank Viele & The Manhattan Project,” Frank released his debut solo album “Fall Your Way” in 2015, which was met with critical acclaim.He has released four solo albums since, including the recent "The Trouble With Desire," and a 2026 EP, "The Silo."

Singer-songwriter George Potts, a two-time winner at the New England Songwriting Competition, has been entertaining audiences since the early '70s in Chicago, as a founding member of the folk/jazz ensemble Redwood Landing. For the past two decades he's been part of the northwestern Connecticut acoustic quartet The Joint Chiefs. His instrumental skills are equaled by his songwriting savvy, which will take you from laughter to tears and back. His 20220 album "Ends & Odds" fracked into the top 20 on the FAI folk charts. His latest single, "Red Shoes," was released in early 2026.

New York based singer-songwriter Judy Kass quickly draws her audience in with soulful vocals, no-nonsense lyrical storytelling and genre-bending exploration of guitar and piano. Her original music blends generous amounts of folk, jazz and blues with songs that cover the full gamut of mood and experience.Judy’s latest solo album release, New Skin, is an eclectic mix of songs that speak to various aspects of navigating life during unprecedented times --from reframing involuntary detours and moving through painful changes to poignant observations on the state of our fragmented world.The album features co-writes with renowned artists Sloan Wainwright, Glen Roethel, Dan Berggren, Jon Shain and Kellie Lin Knot, was co-produced by celebrated folk musicians Mark Dann and Pat Wictor. It debuted at #4 on the Folk Alliance Top Albums Chart for July 2025.