PREVIEW: Ladies’ Night at Sandy McKnight Songwriter Series
05/02 and 05/16 @ Appetito Restaurant, Lee MA
“… a very special night spotlighting three amazing women from the entertainment industry.”
The Sandy McKnight Songwriter Series was created to honor Sandy McKnight’s legacy and his invaluable contributions to the Tri-State area’s music scene. Series events take place the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month, providing songwriters and performing artists the opportunity to showcase their work and polish their craft.
The series continues this Friday, May 2nd with a very special night spotlighting three amazing women from the entertainment industry. Taking the stage will be guest host Benita Zahn, series producer Liv Cummins, and singer-songwriter JoAnne Redding.
Most of us know Benita Zahn for her 40-year career as a NY Emmy Award winning anchor and reporter at WNYT. What you may not know is she is also a certified Health and Wellness Coach as well as an accomplished performer. Zahn has had many acting roles throughout the Capital Region including her role as the psychiatrist in Agnes of God at the Fort Salem Theater and her performance as Mrs. Shubert in Shear Madness at The Majestic Theater in W. Springfield, MA.
Next on the guest list is Sandy McKnight Songwriter Series producer Liv Cummins. Cummins is a singer-songwriter, comedy performer, musical theater dramatist, and educator. Her musicals are produced in the United States and abroad, with a focus on historical women characters. Her latest work, a musical comedy/farce called Ladies, How Dare You! (co-written with Rob Hartmann), explores American suffragists in 1913. Cummins had the great fortune of meeting Sandy McKnight in 1992 at a workshop in LA, after which the pair shared their first collaboration of many, with Sandy producing her first critically acclaimed solo album of original songs entitled, Some Days. The duo went on to co-create the indie label 22 Records, and Columbia Arts Team (CAT), a not-for-profit supporting original live theater and music across the Tri-State Area. Upon Sandy’s passing in May 2024, Cummins co-founded the Sandy McKnight Songwriters Fund to advance his legacy of nurturing songwriters and building the arts community.
Rounding out Friday’s event is singer-songwriter JoAnne Redding. Regardless of the genre, a gut-level honesty connects Redding with her audiences. Her third album, How It Is, is a soulful mix of blues, country, jazz, and roots rock. Redding’s songs have been featured on TV and in film, and she has had the honor of performing her poignant song about older child adoption, “A Family to Love,” at the Rhode Island State House on National Adoption Day. Redding has shared the stage with major acts including The Mavericks, Asleep at the Wheel, Hank Williams Jr., Lee Roy Parnell, and many others.
Looking further ahead to the May 16th event, the series welcomes two more remarkable women, Aimee Van Dyne and Barbara Stein.
Van Dyne is a two-time John Lennon Songwriting Contest finalist, the International Acoustic Music Awards runner-up, and a finalist in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. Her songs, distinguished by strong melodies, catchy hooks, and three-part harmonies, reflect influences such as Neil Young and Lucinda Williams.
Stein was raised in the midwest and eventually relocated with her husband to Connecticut. Her sound is a blend of moody, fingerstyle driven alt-rock and Americana blues. She writes many original songs, but loves covering some of her favorite artists including Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel and Bonnie Raitt – to name a few.
The Sandy McKnight Songwriter Series takes place every 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at Appetito Restaurant in Lee, MA. All shows start at 6:30pm. For more information, please email Appetito Restaurant.