Mid-Shore Arts: A Unique Singer-Songwriter Showcase in Rock Hall

You could say it’s a “rock hall,” except that The Mainstay in Rock Hall, the historic burg by the Bay, presents far more than one genre of live music. On Sunday afternoon, Mainstay hosts a Singer-Songwriter Showcase outdoors on the venue’s Backyard stage – weather permitting. Matt Mielnick, director of The Mainstay, says the showcase is the “brainchild” of its Delmarva Singer-Songwriter Association (DSSA), which formed in 2022 and meets monthly to encourage local and regional musicians to write and perform their own songs.

“Our group got together as an offshoot of The Mainstay’s very successful open mic night on the second Wednesday of each month, now going into its third year,” says Mark Einstein, a well-known Kent County musician whose day job is captaining charter boats. He plays in another open mic night at the Garfield Center for the Arts in Chestertown on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

“Mark deserves the lion’s share of the credit for organizing our singer-songwriter association and these showcases that have grown out of it,” Mielnick says.

“Since we’ve encountered so many musicians who enjoy writing their original songs, we thought it would be a good idea to provide a way for them to share their ideas and music with other like-minded folks,” says Einstein. “We try to meet once a month at The Mainstay with a goal of providing two showcases a year.  Our first one was a free live event at The Mainstay, which was very successful. Our second showcase was video-recorded and edited for YouTube.

“The third free showcase on Sunday [4 p.m., Aug. 18], like the others, uses a Nashville-style writers-in-the-round format. The idea,” Einstein says, “is to place three or four people on the stage at a time, sometimes more, with each performing an original song of theirs – usually with guitar accompaniment. Sometimes violin. Everybody has a turn, and the concert moves along at a quick pace,” he added.

The musicians are mostly local, with a few regional exceptions, including Tom Chirip, a seasoned songwriter and recording artist who lives in southern New Jersey. (He can’t make it to Rock Hall this Sunday.) The showcase usually features 12 to 14 musicians, including a few award-winners and up-and-coming local artists.

Here’s the lineup for Sunday:

* Host Einstein has many original songs to his credit, which he posts weekly on YouTube and Facebook.

* Stephanie Aston Jones plays and sings folk ballads she has written.

* Don Clark, member of the Mid-Shore Songwriters Circle in Easton, writes and sings with acoustic guitar accompaniment.

* Einstein met Jerry Diangelo at an open mic night in Middletown, Delaware, where he discovered him to be “a great player and songwriter.”

* With an extensive background in guitar and vocals, Dave Fife has numerous original songs in his repertoire, many of which he has recorded.

* A singer-songwriter from Worton, Earl French recently won an award for his song, “The Wind.”

* Richard Geller, a regular leading volunteer at The Mainstay, is an accomplished songwriter as well.

* Del Hayes, known as one of Chestertown’s finest pickers, has performed his original songs at The Mainstay’s open mic nights.

* Frank Hogans, also from Chestertown, is known locally as a polished songwriter and guitarist.

* A vocalist and guitar player, David Simmons has written and performed many uplifting spiritual compositions.

* Bob and Laura Taylor perform as a duo and have been regular participants in Mainstay events and share their knowledge and talent with the Delmarva Singer-Songwriters Association.

As you’ll gather from the accompanying video, Mark Einstein plays frequently – in this case with an ensemble of fellow DSSA musicians. This performance is from the second Mainstay Singer-Songwriter Showcase.