Railway Cafe Presents: Pete Nelson

About this event

Pete has been a regular at our Tuesday night open mics for a while, traveling in from the Pioneer Valley except when the winter weather has kept him on that side of the mountain. Pete is an excellent writer and storyteller, and is calling this show a “Teaching Concert”. He will of course play his songs, but he will also fill us in on the writing of the songs, the creation of the characters, the explanation of how he chooses one word or image over another. If you love listening to or writing songs, you will really like this experience.    While it will be of interest to other songwriters, there is no need to bring your instrument. This will be all Pete’s songs and stories and there won’t be a chance to share any of your own creations. (However, there may be something in the future where we have Pete back to review, critique and offer suggestions on your music. Just not this time.)   And if you doubt Pete’s professional credentials, he has an MFA from the prestigious University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop. In addition, he has taught writing in the MFA programs at Emerson and Fairfield, and songwriting at Amherst, Williams and Marlboro Colleges, and at the Parlor Room. Pete is published author of fiction and non-fiction, and he has played with so many people in the folk world: John Gorka, Cliff Eberhardt, Greg Brown, Bill Morrissey, Patty Larkin, Ellis Paul, Peter Mulvey and Christing Lavin! Many of them have also sung on Pete’s CDs (which are in my top 20 of all-time favorites).   As an added bonus, Pete is generously offering free copies of his book, The Art of the Song, to any audience member who wants it.