As it has for more than a decade, Somerville Songwriter Sessions presents the finest acoustic singer-songwriters each month in an intimate, welcoming setting. Each concert features three songwriters each doing a solo set, and then trading songs in the round, allowing for stories, impromptu harmonies, jamming, and spontaneous inspiration. Each show, one of our five hosts – Rachel Marie, Terry Kitchen, Sam Bayer, Beth DeSombre, Jack Byrne – are joined by some of the best local and touring singer-songwriters on the scene.


November 8: Rachel Marie Ft. Ray Marie Johnson and Mary Leissinger

Rachel Marie (she/they) follows in a tradition of unapologetically forthright femme folksingers, with songs that hearken to "overstuffed lines of Tori Amos, philosophical turn of Indigo Girls, and lilting vocals like Joni Mitchell" (Victoria Farmer, The Christian Humanist Podcast). The social awareness of folk meets the introspection and healing of the singer-songwriter tradition, featuring the emotional catharsis and dynamic vocals of a Broadway show. With a songwriting approach as raw and honest as it's always been, Rachel Marie is making a return to live performance after an unintentional hibernation hiatus, ready to reconnect with a real live audience.


Ray Marie Johnson (he/they) is a folk singer-songwriter-musician, actor, audiobook narrator, meditation guide, and visual artist based in Brooklyn, NY and born in Roanoke, VA. They’ve released 4 folk EP’s (2025-2026) and 1 original instrumental piano album (2015), and have written dozens of songs as a way to process life as a queer person with CPTSD. With acoustic guitar, piano, and layers of ethereal vocals, his music lyrically explores both deep struggles and deep healing. With recurring themes of nature, mindfulness, and inter-being, Ray invites the listener to look more deeply at their inner-life and the world around them.
https://rayjohnsonartist.com/music
Mary Leissinger - We saved you a seat! An evening of songs with Mary Leissinger feels like cozying up around the campfire. Mary delivers captivating storytelling with a heaping dose of Southern charm. From soulful ballads to lighthearted narratives, her acoustic performances resonate with authenticity and warmth. A native New Orleanian and Cambridge transplant, her work builds and borrows from multiple genres (folk, country, musical theater), all in service of the story, the audience, and our shared connection. So come out and warm your heart by the fire - like s’mores, stories are made for sharing.
https://www.youtube.com/@mlmedia4155



December 13: Beth DeSombre ft. Phil Henry and Susan Levine

Beth DeSombre writes songs that are "smart and  uplifting...focusing on the quiet meaning to be found in ordinary life" (Sing Out! Magazine), exploring issues from the personal to the political. Her music touches both mind and heart, with insights wrapped in melody and harmony that stay with you after the echoes of the last chorus have faded away. Her newest CD Holding the Threads (2024) is her most personal album to date, telling stories about family and crisis and trying to find hope in dark times. Her previous EP The Sea Beside Us (2023), tells stories of ships and the ocean. Her 2017 EP Resistance, which was written in response to the political situation after the 2016 election, is a fundraiser for the ACLU. An award-winning writer in many formats, she has published 8 books.