Songwriters in the Raw is an in-the-round concert series curated and co-hosted by Jessica Smucker & Andrew Pauls.

This month's show is hosted by Jessica Smucker. Special guests are Danielle Miraglia (Boston) and Leo DiSanto (Lancaster).

What to expect at the show:

>> Doors will open at 6:30. The show will start at 7.

>> GA Tickets are $15 in advance, and $20 at the door if not sold out. As always, we’re proud to present an all-ages show!

>> If you haven't yet discovered the magic of the West Art Coffee⚡Bar, now's your chance! We're open from 7am-10pm daily, with a full and delicious espresso bar menu, along with a lovely selection of beer, wine, and cocktails, plenty of N/A options, and some tasty bites from our favorite local bakeries. Something for everyone, all day long! Come hang out before the show and experience it for yourself!

>> Parking may be available in the small lot across the street. Beyond that, there’s parking available around Buchanan Park and F&M College in the blocks surrounding West Art.

>> Seating: This will be a seated show. Our space is ADA accessible, and we will do our best to accommodate any specific needs.

>> Please note that all ticket sales are final. Thank you for supporting great music!

About The Performers:

Danielle Miraglia

"Straddling the line where folk/roots meets rock/blues, Miraglia has a voice that can go from a raspy come-hither purr to an Etta James-esque powerhouse belt, although she may be best known for her lead thumb — a heavy, thumping strike on her Gibson that’s backdrop percussion in itself." - Lauren Daley, The Boston Globe

Danielle Miraglia comes armed with a strong steady thumb on an old Gibson and an infectious stomp-box rhythm with tunes ranging from heart-felt to socially conscious that will move both your heart and hips. Her latest “Bright Shining Stars” debuted at #15 on the Billboard Blues Charts. Cascade Blues Association calls it "... tough as rawhide, but smooth as blended whiskey." Released Oct 2020 with Vizztone Label Group, it's a solo acoustic folk/blues record that highlights the one-woman-band live sound she’s honed over the years, featuring guest appearances by talented friends Laurence Scudder, Peter Parcek and Richard "Rosy" Rosenblatt. It includes originals as well as a collection of songs she’s been covering at live shows over the years, paying homage to influences like Big Bill Broonzy, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and more, plus the title track "Bright Shining Stars," written by her husband, Tom Bianchi.

Danielle has toured and played major venues across the United States and beyond, shining in both the Folk and Blues circuits including New York State Blues Festival, New Bedford Summerfest, The Narrows Center for the Arts (Fall River, MA), The Birchmere (Alexandria, VA), The Ramshead (Annapolis, MD), Sellersville Theater (Sellersville, PA) and the list goes on….

She has opened for Buddy Guy, George Thorogood, Joan Osborne, John Oates, Colin Hay, John Mayall, Johnny Winter, Bettye Lavette, John Hammond Jr., Sonny Landreth, Robert Cray, Rodney Crowell and performed side stages at events with The Black Crowes, Mary J Blige, The Indigo Girls and many more.

Leo DiSanto

A song and story man, a compulsive adventurer, a rural Pennsylvania yokel with a restless curiosity and a passion for street performance, Leo DiSanto has hauled his wanderlust wagon and his guitar case everywhere from gypsy camps in Transylvania to monasteries in the high Himalaya to the boulevards of New Orleans to the wild interior of Alaska. Whether performing concerts in music venues across the US or busking his way across Europe with only a guitar and a backpack, Leo rejoices in the privilege of being some of the noises life makes.

Known for his imaginative songwriting, powerful singing voice, exciting live performances, and captivating storytelling, Leo is the founding front man of the award-winning, original Amerikindasorta string band, Vinegar Creek Constituency. Leo has spent the post-pandemic years touring the country in an ever-expanding route from the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of Mexico to Ireland's Galway Bay, usually in the company of a wildly enthusiastic brown dog named Ringo, playing songs for anyone who will listen (and some who won't). Leo's 3rd full-length solo album, To Fly So Low, will be released in early 2025.

Jessica Smucker
“Jessica Smucker is an original; a real artist with a cohesive message, a drop-dead gorgeous voice that is all her own. Her background in poetry gives her lyrics a specificity and depth. Each time I listen to ‘When I Was the Weather’ I hear something new, the way I do when I listen to Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan. She is that good.” – Nerissa Nields, singer/songwriter (The Nields)

Jessica Smucker believes that the best way to change the world is to channel our pain into connection. Her songs have a way of reaching deeply into people’s souls and inviting the kind of reflection that feels both reassuring and unsettling. Wrapped in catchy melodies, her lyrics appear simple and relatable on the surface, but each listen will uncover more hidden pockets of nuance. She’s the kind of writer and performer who can lull a noisy room into a hush with a single line.

Based in Lancaster, PA, Jessica was raised in the Mennonite faith tradition by a family full of storytellers, activists, adventurers, and pranksters. She has toured nationwide and performs regularly throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. Her discography spans from 2008-the present and includes two EPs, three full-length albums, and a collection of singles released between 2021-2024 that she plans to release as a compilation album in 2025.

Jessica has won or placed in several national songwriting contests including SolarFest’s Singer/Songwriter Showcase Competition, the Connecticut Folk Festival Song Competition, and the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. In her life beyond music, Jessica is a published poet and essayist, a social justice warrior, a freakishly good Scrabble player, and mother to two of the smartest people she’s ever met in real life!