There is no one-word description for what Don White does. He’s an award-winning singer/songwriter, comedian, author, and storyteller, who has been bringing audiences to laughter and tears for more than thirty years.

White has released ten CDs, three live DVDs, and a book, Memoirs of a C Student. His latest album, available now, is Live at the Guthrie Center. He’s been awarded the Jerry Christen Memorial Award, given out by Boston Area Coffeehouse Association, for his work with the community and that same year was given a key to the city in his hometown of Lynn.

White has opened for Arlo Guthrie, Ritchie Havens. Louden Wainwright III, and Taj Mahal, and shared a bill with David Bromberg, Janis Ian, and Lyle Lovett. White has been featured in storytelling festivals around the country including the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee and the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Utah. Since 2015, he has joined master storytellers Bil Lepp and Bill Harley in “Father’s Daze,” a hilarious three-man storytelling show about the triumphs and tribulations of fatherhood. He toured North America for nine years with folk songwriting legend Christine Lavin, with whom he still plays the occasional show.

Don’s approach to music is a unique blend. If he just played folk music, it would be a handy label. But he has invented his own genre with a mix of humor and powerful songwriting. White’s arc as a writer and performer has taken him from his industrial hometown of Lynn through Boston’s comedy clubs and coffeehouses, and onto stages around the country. At every point, White has been the ultimate observer, infusing his work with his experiences as a husband, a father, a seeker, and a joker.

. . .

Hayley Reardon is a critically acclaimed folk-pop singer and songwriter, and a storyteller in the truest sense of the word. She first graced the Me&Thee stage when she was still in high school. Her songs serve as postcards from an artist brave enough to take the road less traveled. Reardon dove headfirst into music at the young age of 15, and has dedicated much of her life to writing, recording and performing music around the world. With more than 85 original songs released to date, Reardon’s music has been featured on multiple Spotify and Apple Music editorial playlists, totaling more than 7 million streams on Apple Music alone.

She has shared the stage with renowned artists including Lori McKenna, Rodney Crowell, Dar Williams, and Anaïs Mitchell, among others. Her ever-deepening music carries a lyrical and melodic weight beyond her years, being described as “brilliantly moving folk/pop with a lyrical depth and soul” (Performer Magazine) and “a melancholy little masterpiece” (American Songwriter Magazine). No Depression writes “Reardon is truly a treasure.”

Raised in Marblehead, Reardon spent three years based in Nashville followed by six years carrying her songs and stories all over the globe. She has played nearly 300 shows across Europe in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Italy, UK, and the Netherlands, and was awarded a six-month artist-in-residency program in Dachau, Germany.

2023 was one of creative abundance and artistic growth for Reardon. Her EP, Changes, was recorded in Barcelona with renowned Spanish guitarist Pau Figueres as producer and collaborator with the title track featuring an original bilingual duet with Catalan sensation Judith Neddermann. Along with her own releases, Reardon co-wrote and sings on Seth Glier’s haunting single “My Body Remembers.” She was also nominated as 2023 Vocalist of the Year by the Boston Music Awards.

At the start of 2024, Reardon released her first live concert album, Live at Starseed Studios. The project features 13 tracks from Reardon’s songbook with special acoustic arrangements by Pau Figueres on flamenco guitar and Arnau Figueres on bass. Reardon also recently returned to Spain to record new music with the Figueres brothers at The Sound of Wood studio near Barcelona. Her eight-song project, entitled After Everything, takes a more organic approach with vocals and instrumentation tracked live with a five-piece band. Reardon’s extensive travels, recent move back to the States, and regrounding in a place close to her roots has given the songwriter much to contemplate.

In “The Way I Am”, an upcoming single from the project, Reardon reflects, “I needed all this space just to feel the ache that has always been under everything.” These new songs explore uncharted emotional depths for an artist who is already known for her capacity to access tenderness through heart-opening melodies and distinctly expressive vocals.

It’s an honor to bring these two exceptional artists together on the Me&Thee stage for a special evening celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Me&Thee music community.