About this event
This event has ended.
September 20, 2-4pm
$5 General Admission, Free for Museum Members
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Sandy Spring Museum turns up the volume with the Songwriter’s Showcase, an exciting live music series spotlighting original talent from Montgomery County and the surrounding region. Each performance will feature a fresh lineup of local musicians, offering audiences the chance to experience homegrown music in an intimate, one-of-a-kind setting. Join us and discover your next favorite local artist!
September lineup:
Randy McDermott is a singer-songwriter and guitarist originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who now lives in Montgomery County, Maryland. He is the lead guitarist for the alternative rock band Entropy, which has reunited after a 30-year break and is preparing to release its second LP. Randy’s musical influences span country, blues, pop, and rock, giving his songwriting and performances an eclectic character. His solo acoustic project can be heard at venues throughout the DMV. For upcoming shows and more information, visit randymcdermottmusic.com.
Bekah Rogers is a Frederick-area singer/songwriter and pianist whose soulful, story-driven songs draw from real experiences with love, loss, change, resilience, and finding yourself along the way. A lifelong musician, Bekah has found a renewed creative voice in writing and performing her own music and can be found throughout Maryland at songwriter showcases, festivals, wineries, breweries, and other local venues. She describes her growing catalog of original songs as “the soundtrack to my life’s story,” capturing the humor, heartbreak, hope, and unexpected turns that come with it.
Jen & Dave Hawley are a talented acoustic music duo, multi-instrumentalists, and dedicated educators/owners of Startsong Studio in Germantown, Maryland. Jen Hawley’s work has earned significant recognition within the Mid-Atlantic music community, including being named a second-place winner at the Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards (2025), a finalist for Best Gospel/Inspirational Album at the Wammies Music Awards (2024), and multiple Gold and Silver honors from the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. Her signature songwriting seamlessly blends Americana styles, including folk, jazz, pop, gospel, bluegrass, and blues. Dave Hawley is a multi-instrumentalist who constructs rich soundscapes by layering guitar, acoustic piano, keyboards and percussion. His instrumental work bridges classical precision with contemporary styling, creating evocative themes for diverse media. A skilled producer, he also leverages his engineering expertise to mix, master, and shape high-quality recordings for other local artists. When they are not teaching or in the recording studio, Dave & Jen can be found performing originals and tailored covers at venues across the DMV. The duo creates an inviting, connective musical experience designed to bring people closer together. When joined by upright bassist, producer, and friend Matt Williams, they take the stage as The Jen Hawley Trio.
Daniel Kenny is a songwriter from Frederick, MD and is a member of the band “From the Dirt” that includes Jeff Karn (mandolin), Megan Leigh (harmony vocals), and Eddie Dickerson (fiddle). Their harmony-soaked songs reveal Bluegrass, Celtic, Americana, and rock & roll influences. Daniel’s songwriting is imagery and wordplay, with songs of heartache and addiction; love, loss, and loneliness. Their new Album “Colored Edge of Memory” was recorded and produced by Jerry Brown (Doc Watson, Lucinda Williams, Watchhouse) at The Rubber Room studio in Chapel Hill, NC. Listen to “Colored Edge of Memory”
Greg Marsh has been writing songs since he was 17, and has well over 100 in his catalog, in a variety of styles from country to rock, blues, reggae and ska. His clever lyrics and catchy tunes reflect the influences of songwriters like John Prine, Neil Young and John Hiatt, and have earned Greg multiple awards in the annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. His song, “Jamaica Moon” was a finalist for a WAMMIE two years ago, and can be found on his album, “Thinkin’ “. He performs locally in The Marsh Lovers duo with his wife and fellow songwriter, Lisa, and with The Marsh Brothers Band.
Patricia “Patty” Raine is an artist-musician who was ear-deep familiar with Bach, Beethoven, Broadway, and Brubeck by the age of six. As a teen, she began playing the resounding 12-string guitar and later sang “group-back-up” with the Miami U. of Ohio A Cappella Singers for the real Brubeck, performing his Jazz Oratorio, Light in the Wilderness, with the Cincinnati Symphony and The Dave Brubeck Quartet. These experiences deeply inform Patty’s live performances as well as her songwriting, penned over decades alongside a successful illustration career. Her songs take a deep dive into the personal, philosophical conundrums of heart and mind and into the very public, political shenanigans to which we’re all susceptible.
Fred Lieder has been playing the cello since the age of 10. Classically trained from an early age, Fred was also drawn to rock, blues, jazz, and folk music, and by his early teens was improvising on the cello and discovering a musical voice of his own. A prolific composer, Fred has written more than 100 works for cello and released three CDs of his original music. Composing remains one of his greatest passions, and many of his pieces begin as improvisations—music discovered in the moment and then developed into finished compositions. He has also arranged more than 80 rock and jazz songs for solo cello, with his arrangements played by cellists around the world. Fred is also the author of two forthcoming books devoted to playing blues on the cello. Whether performing, composing, arranging, improvising, or teaching, his work is driven by the same belief: the cello can speak in virtually any musical language. For Fred, there are no musical boundaries—only possibilities. Listen to Fred’s compositions here.
Songwriter’s Showcase is a monthly event series running from April till September, hosted by local singer/songwriter Frank Letkiewicz. Light refreshments will be served.
This event takes place at Willow Grove Cultural Commons. Willow Grove Cultural Commons is part of the Sandy Spring Museum’s main building, but has its own entrance. From the parking lot, proceed past the museum’s front door down the cement walkway until you reach the red stone plaza.
Sandy Spring Museum, Inc. is supported in part by funding from the Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org), the Montgomery County Government, and the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County.