Acoustic Northeast

George Mallas and Dave Goldenberg
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Music Interviews

Discover the musicians, music and venues behind America's vibrant Northeast singer-songwriter scene. Interviews and live performances every episode!

  1. 1d ago

    Ep 19 – Frank Critelli

    Poet, philosopher, raconteur, busker, disc jockey, teacher, gardener — all these and more describe Frank Critelli, a tireless advocate and beacon for local music whose voice soars higher and stronger than Castle Craig in his Meriden, Connecticut, hometown. For more than 30 years, Frank has played in streets and subways, clubs and coffeehouses, barrooms and classrooms, colleges, festivals, theaters, and in his kitchen. Currently he is one-third of original music trio The Bargain. But whether you see him solo or with a band, you’ll come away entertained, energized, and possibly enlightened. With Rick Allison, Frank co-hosts The Local Bands Show on WPLR 99.1 FM in New Haven and streaming on CygnusRadio.com. In addition, he contributes to the scene with performances and interviews, and by organizing events such as the Olde Church Acoustic Series.

    Ep 19 – Frank Critelli

  2. Aug 6

    Episode 18 – Peter Halperin

    Peter Halperin is a West Tisbury, Mass., based singer-songwriter, club owner and radio host. Peter cut his teeth back in the 1960's in the Greenwich Village folk scene. A retired psychiatrist, he was never far from his guitar and piano, and he released a sensational album titled "Beyond the Storm" in 2024, produced by Fred Mollin. Halperin recently told Martha Vineyard’s MV Times newspaper. “It pulls at the creative heartstrings for people like me, who may have drifted off the path into other careers.” Peter's Acoustic Northeast interview is in-depth and reveals a multidimensional singer-songwriter. Check out his live in-studio performances (available on the Acoustic Northeast YouTube page) which, along with his interview, were recorded at his beautiful Martha's Vineyard home studio, where he also hosts a monthly house concert series. Check out his website:  https://www.woodstovestudios.com. You can stream Peter's radio show at https://www.mvyradio.com each Sunday evening at 7:00.

    Episode 18 – Peter Halperin

  3. Jul 29

    Episode 17 – Carolann Solebello

    Carolann Solebello is a performing songwriter born and bred in NYC. A founding member of Americana trio Red Molly, Carolann now tours as a solo troubadour and with modern folk foursome No Fuss and Feathers. Her smooth, compelling voice and warm acoustic guitar style nod to rural folk traditions while her rhythmic precision and sophisticated phrasing plant her firmly in the urban present. Carolann is a proud member of AFM Local 1000 and the Jack Hardy Songwriters Exchange. She has hosted a bunch of open mics, won a bunch of songwriting awards, and is currently working on her sixth solo album.

    Episode 17 – Carolann Solebello

  4. Jul 23

    Episode 16 – Alex Radus

    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.

    Episode 16 – Alex Radus

  5. Jul 15

    Ep. 15 – Stacia Thiel

    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.

    Ep. 15 – Stacia Thiel

  6. Jul 3

    Ep. 14 – Marc Douglas Berardo

    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.

  7. Jun 18

    Episode 13 – Cliff Eberhardt

    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.

    Episode 13 – Cliff Eberhardt

  8. Jun 4

    Episode 12 – Maria DiFabbio

    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.

    Episode 12 – Maria DiFabbio
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About

Discover the musicians, music and venues behind America's vibrant Northeast singer-songwriter scene. Interviews and live performances every episode!

Information

  • Creator
    George Mallas and Dave Goldenberg
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Acoustic Northeast
  • Show Website
    Acoustic Northeast