Songwriters & Circles

Songwriters & Circles is a performance of live, original music by the composers themselves in the intimate setting of the Woodward Opera House’s Black Box Theater, sponsored by Bickerdyke Table & Tap. Hear songwriters from throughout Ohio, the regional Midwest, and beyond, share the stories of inspiration and experience behind their art, and the songs it created, in a quiet, up close, listening environment.

This event on April 24th features:

Kim Weitkamp - Never one to be boxed in, Kim Weitkamp’s wandering, curious mind is on display through her award-winning stories, songs and writing. Kim grew up in Amish Country as the redheaded middle child of exhausted parents. Labeled by teachers as high-spirited and too talkative, she took those comments and channeled them into a lifetime of high-energy, heartfelt and hilarious artistry- and we are better for it. Kim performs full time at festivals and theaters around the country, has written an award-winning folk operetta and has been a guest editor and contributor for various publications. She was awarded a grant from Ohio Arts Council for her work as an artist mentor. Beyond the stage, Kim founded the VOICES PROJECT, helping individuals who have lived through profound experiences and hardships shape their stories with intention to foster awareness, connection, and meaningful change.

Sarah Goslee Reed - Sarah loves science, nature and the outdoors. She grew up on a healthy diet of folk and classical music plus a lot of Beatles songs. All these elements led her to become a microbiologist and a songwriter, and her songs zoom in on small things as though viewed through a microscope. Sarah has numerous recordings and has performed for many school children in Ohio and neighboring states in the past 30 years. She is a bluebird monitor, a founding Board Member of SPI, the Oak Street Foundation and Kokosing Valley Arts Alliance, and a violinist and Board Member of the Knox County Symphony. Sarah spends her free time gardening, knitting, reading and traveling with her husband and family.

Sawmill Joe - “Sawmill” Joe Cheves is a singer songwriter formerly based out of Denver. His unique style was developed in the rowdy beer joints and biker bars of Colorado's Front Range and central mountains. The sawmill moniker he uses comes from his thirteen years working at and eventually managing a rough-cut pine and fir lumber mill in between Boulder and Golden, CO. Joe currently lives in Gambier with his wife, Lindsey, son, Milo, and daughter, Sunday, and is training as a commercial electrician with Buckingham Electric in Mt. Vernon.

John Schnabel - John Schnabel never planned to become a folk singer. It just happened. Born and raised in small-town Bucyrus, Ohio, John’s musical journey began with a transistor radio taped to his bike handles, pulling the powerful signal of CKLW from Windsor, Ontario, across Lake Erie. Those airwaves opened his ears to new voices and lit a spark that mowed many lawns on his way to a battered, Sears & Roebuck, $10 garage-sale acoustic guitar. A little help from a high school English teacher sealed the deal. A lifetime of playing hay wagons, bars, festivals, and campfires; anywhere he was allowed, John has registered over 80 original songs with BMI, recorded five solo CDs, stamped his mark throughout national songwriting contests, brought life to countless musical projects and learned one lesson in life. The muse is always a harsh mistress…