When Shannon Lay checks in to see if her and a bud can close out their tour by serenading friends on a sunny day underneath the Audubon Center’s beloved peppercorn tree, we simply have no choice but to pack our blankets for a most transcendent afternoon of songcraft in the springtime.

Steeped in the rich tradition of singer-songwriters like Sibylle Baier, Vashti Bunyan, Karen Dalton, and Linda Perhacs, Shannon is just the kind of songwriter who doubles as a spiritual guide, kindly and patiently directing the listener towards their own sense of inner tranquility. We’ve held concerts together at Zorthian Ranch, the Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden, on the steps of the old western train station at Paramount Ranch, and are really looking forward to sharing song in peppercorn paradise. Setting the tone this afternoon is Buddy Hollywood (fka Jesse Summers), who we know so little about, but if he’s coming through with that wide brimmed hat & turning the reverb up on that guitar we know we’re in for a mighty fine afternoon of swooning and storytelling.