Lena Go Round – Songwriter Showcase With Erin Harkes

Musician/comedian Erin Harkes continues her songwriters’ series at Caffè Lena in October. This monthly showcase, curated and hosted by Harkes, spotlights rising talent, who take turns playing their songs and telling stories “in the round,” for an audience and for each other. Lena Go Round is inspired by the original music that has been the cornerstone of Caffè Lena’s 63 years in operation, and is quickly becoming a must-see event in the Capital District.

The line up for November’s Lena Go Round is Josh Morris, Girl Love and Sawyer Fredericks!

Girl Love a.k.a Laura Beth Johnson is an award-winning poet and songwriter based in Upstate New York. She is known for her dark blend of story and soul. She performs around the Capital Region as Girl Love. Girl Love’s mission is to affirm queer holiness through folk pop music.  Laura holds a Bachelor’s in Writing and Communications from Houghton College. Her debut, indie-folk album, The Sorrow Estate, was released in 2016 boasting haunting melodies and brash vocals. A spoken word performance on the album titled ‘Crazy and Special’ was awarded the Lucy Monro Brooker Poetry Prize from the University of Indianapolis. In 2019, Laura was awarded a Songwriting Scholarship by Image Magazine. She received a Poetry Scholarship from Hudson Valley Writers Guild in 2022 and a Songwriting Scholarship from Music Masters Collective in 2024. She was also chosen as one of the ten Capital Region Songwriters to attend the 2024 INK Songwriter’s Retreat by SongCity of Troy. In 2023, Laura released her sophomore album titled “Girl Love” to a sold-out crowd at legendary folk venue, Caffe Lena. She also teaches songwriting groups for Caffe Lena’s School of Music. Laura’s poetry has been published in journals such as Post Mortem Press, Lady Blue, Indie Earth, Etchings Press, Hare’s Paw, and Hudson Valley Writers Guild. You can find her music on all streaming platforms under the moniker “Girl Love”.

Josh Morris occupies a musical space that defies genre and expectation. At age 27, this drummer turned guitarist, producer, and songwriter has worked with various artists across many styles just in the first few years of his career. Ferry Townes, Caylee Hammack, Girl Blue, and Louis Knight are just a few that come to mind.

As for his own music, he has cultivated an identity all his own while taking inspiration from artists such as The 1975, Jeff Buckley, and Pearl Jam. Concealed underneath his playful lyrics are conversations we should all be engaging in. The music itself is consistently supported by thoughtfully executed production and laser-focused performances, usually covered by Josh himself. He has the world to give and lots of time to deliver it.

Sawyer Fredericks, hailing from a farm in central New York, began playing local farmers markets, open mics, and iconic New York venues at the age of 13. With his deep, beyond-his-years original lyrics and melodies, soulful vocals, and powerful live performances, Sawyer seemed an unlikely match for reality tv, but he won over audiences to win season 8 of NBC’s The Voice.

Fredericks released his major label debut, A Good Storm, with Republic Records, an impressive blend of soulful Folk, blues, and rock, entirely self or co-written. He chose to go independent for Hide Your Ghost (2018). Fully written and produced by Fredericks, HYG sheds the high gloss major label treatment and stays true to his honest stripped-down style.

With premieres in People Magazine, American Songwriter and Billboard, Fredericks released his 4th album, Flowers For You in May 2020. The album was included in No Depression Readers’ 50 Favorite Roots Music Albums of 2020. Two songs from Flowers For You won top awards from the 18th annual Independent Music Awards, in the Folk/Singer-Songwriter category and in the Vox Pop award in the Social Action Song category. “Born” was in rotation on SiriusXM’s Coffee House channel and included in Amazon Music’s editorial; Fresh Folk and Americana playlist.

Stream this show live at Caffè Lena TV. Enjoy two weeks of access with your live stream ticket.