Award-winning Hudson Valley singer-songwriter Judy Kass will bring songs from her acclaimed album New Skin to Peekskill for an intimate performance at the BeanRunner Café, sharing the evening with fellow Hudson Valley songwriter Steve Chizmadia.
The performance offers local audiences an opportunity to hear material from New Skin, Kass’s latest collection of deeply personal songs exploring resilience, change, community and the challenge of holding onto hope during uncertain times. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Folk Alliance International Top Albums Chart, continuing Kass’s longstanding presence within the contemporary folk community.
Blending folk, jazz, blues and singer-songwriter traditions, Kass is known for soulful vocals, candid storytelling and an approach to guitar and piano shaped by influences ranging from Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro to jazz greats Miles Davis and Sarah Vaughan.
“New Skin is really about how we survive difficult seasons without losing ourselves,” says Kass. “Every song looks at change from a different angle. I wanted these songs to remind people that even when everything feels uncertain, hope remains something we can choose.”
Kass’s previous albums, Better Things and Beyond the Ash and Steel, both appeared among the Folk DJ community’s top albums of their respective years. Her songwriting has also received recognition from the Great American Song Contest, Philadelphia Songwriters Project, Mid-Atlantic Song Contest and South Florida Folk Festival.
Joining Kass is Steve Chizmadia, a singer-songwriter, actor and playwright whose work has been recognized by Kerrville NewFolk, the Wildflower Music and Art Festival, Woody Guthrie Folk Festival and Noel Paul Stookey’s Music2Life. Chizmadia is currently working on a new collection of songs.
Together, the two Hudson Valley artists will offer Peekskill audiences an intimate evening centered on original songwriting, storytelling and the experiences that inspire their music.
Judy Kass & Steve Chizmadia
BeanRunner Café — Peekskill, NY
Reservations: 914-737-1701
Admission: $15 suggested donation
