Singer/songwriter/pianist Jessica Smucker will open for Bill Staines at Cellar Stage on Friday, February 13, 2015.

Jessica Smucker

Jessica Smucker writes what could be considered “dark pop” songs: catchy melodies in minor keys, lyrics that masterfully infuse sad stories with tiny flecks of humor and hope. She performs in diverse configurations and contexts, but her songs have a consistent melodic edge. “Woven with a sort of defiant sadness, a square-jawed resilience” (Fly Magazine), her compositions often start down a familiar road but, through a series of subtle twists and curves, deliver the listener to an unexpected destination. Unflinching in her dealings with controversial themes – God, sex, social justice, and the movement of all three through an intimate personal narrative – Jessica delivers lyrics that will trip your mind. In the four years since she started working as a musician, Smucker has garnered numerous honors, including first place in the 2010 SolarFest songwriting contest (Tinmouth, VT) and 2nd place in the 2010 Susquehanna Music and Arts Festival songwriting contest (Havre de Grace, MD). She was a finalist in the 2010 Indiegrrl songwriting contest. Her poems and essays have been published in turnrow, The Spoon River Poetry Review, Potomac Review, The Dirty Goat, The Mennonite and A Cappella: Mennonite Voices in Poetry (Univ. of Iowa Press, 2003).