Name: Songwriters Roller Derby Showcase
Start: 2026-01-07T19:00:00-05:00
Location: 185 Clingman Avenue Asheville, NC 28801-3207

ALL AGES
STANDING ROOM + SEATING, FIRST COME FIRST SERVED
DOORS: 6PM
SHOW: 7PM
Purchase Tickets: https://www.etix.com/ticket/servlet/s/38220861
The Songwriters Roller Derby Showcase, presented by the Asheville Songwriters Association, is a quarterly music show with no roller skates included - just four performers "rollin' out the songs, elbows-n-all." Curated and hosted by Thomas Kozak and Jodi John Pippin, each "Derby Night" at The Grey Eagle will showcase the craft of songwriting in an intimate and welcoming setting. As an added element of the Songwriters Roller Derby Showcase, a surprise guest will join the performers on stage for interactive, on-the-spot commentary ~ a "look under the hood of the songwriting process" of sorts. The audience will have a chance to share comments as well, if they are inspired to do so. For most of the evening, the songwriters will perform finished songs, but they will also each share a brand new song that has not yet been performed on stage. Come support the songwriters as they show their vulnerable side and help nurture the art and craft of songwriting in the region and beyond.
The performers for this 2nd Derby are:
Will Hartz - A born entertainer and a multi instrumentalist, Will Hartz has been putting on a show for all to see before he could speak. With Appalachian funk and southern soul pouring through his fingertips, Will is best known for his ability to grab the attention of any and all audiences with his refined stylistic performances. Will started playing piano at the age of 8, later translating into years of musical theatre and a BA in musical performance.
Andrea Rosal - Andrea picked up a guitar at age 40, started writing soon after and was hooked. The 2024 winner of Womansong of Asheville’s inaugural songwriting competition, Andrea has written her way through a global pandemic, cancer, parenting two kids, Hurricane Helene, and all the ups and downs of everyday life. Jackson Grimm -
Jackson Grimm is an accomplished and respected band leader, multi-instrumentalist and teacher in the Western North Carolina music community. His songs marry pop melodies with the lonesome sound of Appalachian music. Grimm won the 2025 LEAF Songwriting competition and has been a 2 year finalist for the Songwriter Serenade. He has shared the stage with and opened up for acts such as Molly Tuttle, Sierra Ferrell, Shadowgrass, the Wilder Flower, Arlo Guthrie, Tim Grimm, Ben Bedford, Ordinary Elephant, Nathan Evans Fox, and more.
Jane Kramer - Jane Kramer has garnered international recognition for the heartrending originality of her vocals and for the heavy-hitting lyrical eloquence of her songwriting. With deep roots in the musical traditions, culture and lore of beloved Appalachia, Kramer’s songs are introspective, gracefully gritty fiercely memorable. A former social worker, domestic violence crisis counselor and avid humanitarian, Kramer continues to perform and teach about the songwriting process in prisons, shelters for the unhoused, programs for at-risk youth, hospitals and even animal rescues, sharing her message of music as a powerful tool for healing, connection and compassion. Quoted as “...an artist on the rise” by acclaimed American songwriter Mary Gauthier, Kramer has performed with Joan Osborne, Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, The Steep Canyon Rangers, Sarah Siskind, Malcolm Holcombe, Josh Goforth, and Shawn Mullins.