THE ESCHER SESSIONS

A DEEP DIVE INTO AMERICANA

A musical journey through the American songbook

NOVEMBER 14, 2026 • 7 PM

Bay Spring Community Center

170 Narragansett Avenue, Barrington, Rhode Island 02806

Presented by Derek Escher and Bay Spring Community Center

THE ESCHER SESSIONS • DIGITAL PLAYBILL • 1The Musicians

The Escher Sessions began with Derek and Ann Escher and Charlie Elder.

The band is built around a rotating group of talented musicians, depending on the occasion

and the music being explored.

Derek Escher — Guitar, mandolin and vocals

Ann Escher — Vocals and percussion

Charlie Elder — Keyboards and vocals

Jimmy DuPont — Bass

Dale Ellenburg — Drums

Joe Colpitt — Lead vocals and guitar — featured musician

Joe Colpitt brings an extraordinary 60 years of professional musical experience to the group.

We are grateful to have these musicians joining us for tonight’s journey.

Thank you for being part of The Escher Sessions.

THE ESCHER SESSIONS • DIGITAL PLAYBILL • 2Welcome: What Exactly Is Americana?

That’s a good question!

The term Americana is hard to define. It isn’t quite country, isn’t quite folk, isn’t quite blues,

and certainly doesn’t fit neatly into one musical box.

Americana is where these traditions meet. It values great songwriting, memorable melodies,

storytelling, and a willingness to borrow from just about anywhere. Bluegrass, folk, blues,

country, gospel, rock, jazz, and even a little Caribbean influence all have a seat on the bus.

Tonight, we’re taking a musical road trip. We’ll travel back to the early 1900s, follow the

evolution of American popular music, and arrive in the present day.

Some songs will be familiar. Others may surprise you. Along the way, listen for the

connections, the influences, and the stories that bind them together.

Can we find a common thread running through more than a century of American music? We

hope we will!

Sit back, enjoy the ride, and have some fun!

THE ESCHER SESSIONS • DIGITAL PLAYBILL • 3Tonight’s Program

Set I — The Roots and the Road

01. Freight Train

Elizabeth Cotten (c. 1904)

02. Shine on Harvest Moon

Nora Bayes & Jack Norworth (1908)

03. Georgia on My Mind

Hoagy Carmichael & Stuart Gorrell (1930)

04. Walking My Baby Back Home

Roy Turk & Fred E. Ahlert (1931)

05. Cool Water

Bob Nolan (1936)

06. Route 66

Bobby Troup (1946)

07. ’Til There Was You

Meredith Willson (1957)

08. Bye Bye Love

Felice & Boudleaux Bryant (1957)

09. Can’t Help Falling in Love

Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore & George David Weiss (1961)

10. Six Days on the Road

Earl Green & Carl Montgomery (1963)

11. Last Thing on My Mind

Tom Paxton (1964)

12. Passionate Kisses

Lucinda Williams (1988)

INTERMISSION

Set II — The Journey Continues

01. Different Drum

Michael Nesmith (1967)

THE ESCHER SESSIONS • DIGITAL PLAYBILL • 402. The Weight

Robbie Robertson (1968)

03. Wichita Lineman

Jimmy Webb (1968)

04. Going Down the Road Feeling Bad

Traditional

05. Pancho and Lefty

Townes Van Zandt (1972)

06. On and On

Stephen Bishop (1976)

07. Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)

Bob Dylan (1978)

08. Listen to the Radio

Nanci Griffith (1989)

09. In Spite of Ourselves

John Prine (1999)

10. Desdemona’s Building a Rocket Ship

Jimmy Buffett (1996)

11. Better Together

Jack Johnson (2005)

12. Swept Away

The Avett Brothers (2004)

13. Sandstone Creek

Derek Escher & Tim Murphy (2008)

14. Traveling Alone

Jason Isbell (2013)

15. All Your Favorite Bands

Taylor Goldsmith (2015)

16. Right Back to It

Katie Crutchfield (2024)

17. I Hear Them All / This Land Is Your Land

Ketch Secor / Woody Guthrie

THE ESCHER SESSIONS • DIGITAL PLAYBILL • 5Note: The song dates above are intended to identify the original writing or release era, not necessarily the

year of the recording we perform. Some traditional songs have no single established composition date.