Acoustic Northeast

Alex Radus is known as a “versatile crooner” (UMC Nashville) and “skillful fretman” (Morning Call), but it's his songwriting that takes center stage. Known  for his unique brand of “genre whiplash,” Alex pairs whimsical and poignant storytelling with an eclectic mix of Americana, swing, blues, folk and more. He hails from Pennsylvania’s artistically rich Lehigh and Delaware river valley region, where he has established himself as one of the area’s premiere original music artists.During his early career, Alex was awarded a youth scholarship to Augusta Heritage, a center for the preservation of traditional American styles of music, where he was first exposed to and learned from some of the nation’s best finger-pickers.Alex has performed with John Gorka as part of the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band, and has been direct support for Gorka, Livingston Taylor, Richie Havens, Tim Reynolds, Darrell Scott, Chris Barron (Spin Doctors), and more.  As a member of the folk noir duo, duende, he was a staple of NYC’s early aughts Anti-Folk scene at the Sidewalk Café, where he performed alongside some of the City’s best up-and-coming and established songwriters, including Regina Spektor, Nellie McKay and the Moldy Peaches.Alex has toured extensively, recorded multiple albums, and earned awards, nominations and critical acclaim for his songwriting, recording and performing.  His music has been featured on radio, TV and film, including Adolescence, directed by Ashley Avis (Black Beauty). A staple of the eastern PA music scene, He is a frequent performer at the region’s best festivals and venues, including Musikfest, Zoellner Arts Center, Godfrey Daniels, Steelstacks, Hopewell Theater, World Cafe Live and more.

Stacia Thiel is a classically trained musician, born and raised in rural Wisconsin on an eclectic mix of old time country, '60s folk, and barbershop harmonies. She has been writing and performing music since childhood and cut her first full-length album of original folk/pop songs at age 17. With a master’s degree in vocal performance (opera) she uses her voice and registers in ways that fans have described as 'powerful and achingly beautiful.' While her music combines the classic elements of Americana, Folk and Country her soaring melodies, poetic lyrics and vocal prowess serve up a sound that feels fresh.  

Marc Douglas Berardo is a thought-provoking songwriter whose songs mine the deep feelings and lessons gleaned from real-life characters and situations. Along with slick guitar chops and an onstage presence that uses humor and deft storytelling, he rallies an audience and leads them into a deep and almost spiritual experience. It’s an adventure that brings to mind James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Guy Clark, or Steely Dan with a touch of Mark Twain or Hunter S. Thompson for good measure.  Marc's first music show was in a biker bar in Allston, MA, in 1987. Since that day, he has never stopped performing made-up songs. He has opened for or shared the stage with heavyweights such as The Doobie Brothers, The Pousette-Dart Band, Jimmy Lafave,  Catie Curtis, Martin Sexton, 10,000 Maniacs, John Hiatt, The New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Buffalo Springfield, Kevin Welch, Lucy Kaplansky, Eric Andersen, Ruthie Foster, Eric Taylor, David Olney, Red Molly, Kim Richey, Will Kimbrough, Walt Wilkins, Ari Hest, Dan Navarro, Kenny White and Livingston Taylor.Berardo has performed at numerous nationally known songwriter festivals.  Most recently, He headlined at the 2025 Tucson Folk Festival, performed at the 2025 Grand Mesa Songwriter Festival, and the 2024 Red Lodge Songwriter Festival.  He has been nationally recognized for his music and performances at the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Song contest, Telluride Troubadour Contest, and the Sisters Folk Festival.  He won the 2013 Rams Head Onstage Rammie for Best Show of the Year.   Berardo was a finalist at the Kerrville New Folk Song Contest and the winner of the Wildflower Art and Music Festival Song Contest. Marc has participated in several well-regarded song workshops and performance excursions in exotic locations, including Costa Rica, the Florida Keys, Bimini (Bahamas), and Belize.  

Over 10 albums and a career spanning nearly 5 decades, Cliff Eberhardt has established himself as one of acoustic music's best-known voices. Growing up in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, he and his brothers sang together and their parents played instruments. Cliff and his brother Geoff toured as an acoustic duo for a few years, until Cliff turned twenty-one and moved to Carbondale, Illinois. There he found space to develop his own voice within a vibrant and supportive music scene that included Shawn Colvin. In 1978, Cliff moved to New York City. Because the clubs were great (the Bitter End, the Speakeasy, Kenny's Castaway, Folk City) and the company amazing (John Gorka, Suzanne Vega, Lucy Kaplansky, Julie Gold, Steve Forbert, Christine Lavin, and Shawn Colvin), New York was an ideal musician's boot camp.Cliff worked steadily on his music throughout the 80's, doing solo gigs and studio work, and playing guitar on the road with Richie Havens, Melanie and others. Singing advertising jingles for products like Coke, Miller Beer and Chevrolet ("The Heartbeat of America" campaign) allowed him to devote more time to his songwriting.In 1990, Windham Hill released Cliff's first album, The Long Road (1990), featuring a duet with Richie Havens, to great critical acclaim.  After two more records on Windham Hill, he released 12 Songs of Good and Evil (1997) on Red House Records, which stemmed from a chance meeting with Red House founder Bob Feldman at John Gorka's wedding. Cliff recorded two more albums before his critically acclaimed The High Above and the Down Below. He continued to record, releasing  500 Miles: The Blue Rock Sessions (2009), Shrew Songs (2012) and The Heal (2019)Long one of the most respected songwriters on the club scene, his peers often mine his catalog for themselves. Cliff's song "Memphis" was included on Cry Cry Cry, an album of collaborative covers by the "folk supergroup" of the same name (comprised of Dar Williams, Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell). Other performers who have recorded his songs include Richie Havens, Shawn Colvin, Russ Taff, David Broza/Maura O'Connell and Buffy Sainte Marie. A collection of his songs has been published in The Cliff Eberhardt Songbook (Cherry Lane Publishing).Cliff is well-known as a songwriting teacher, both at songwriting camps and in private lessons. He also produces, arranges and advises on other artist's recordings. He tours constantly, and we were fortunate enough to snag him en route for an Acoustic Northeast sit-down.

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.

Michele Gedney spent 23 years as one half of the award-winning duo Open Book with her late husband, Rick Gedney, known for their honest and contemplative lyrics, melody invention, and weaving vocal and guitar harmonies. The duo released five albums which received critical acclaim and national radio play. Sadly, Rick passed away in early 2023 and Michele made the decision to complete and release the album that they had finished recording, helping her in navigating her loss and to begin creating a new life as a solo artist. The duo had released four albums which received national airplay and critical acclaim. Their fifth and final album, Leaning In, made the Folk Alliance International radio chart for January and April of 2024. Michele is a co-founder and teacher at Dar Williams “Writing a Song That Matters” retreat, entering its 14th year.  Michele’s songs have received numerous awards and her song “Go” has been released by Cry Cry Cry (Dar Williams, Lucy Kaplansky, Richard Shindell) on their 2020 album, Live at the Freight.Michele is writing and performing new material as well as selections from her catalog with Open Book.  She has been writing and arranging vocals and guitars for other musician’s recording projects, and has been enjoying some successful co-writing opportunities. She is currently in the studio working on a solo album.

For our premiere episode we have Connecticut singer-songwriter Brian Larney, whose sixth album, Scrambler, is now available.Brian is a three-time New England Songwriter Awards nominee, and his songs have powered movies and TV shows, too.His songs are pop-inflected, with irresistible hooks that will worm their way into your ears.