With her enchanted voice and evocative songwriting, Leslie Mendelson has won the hearts and minds of both an adoring fanbase and fellow artists alike. Jackson Browne has declared, “Leslie’s melodies are timeless. They reach me way back in my youth somewhere. I hear traces of Burt Bacharach and Carole King, and hooks and passages that remind me of the pop songs I grew up hearing on the radio.” Her 2009 debut album, Swan Feathers, was nominated for a Grammy. For her 2020 album, If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…, Leslie and longtime writing partner, three-time Grammy Award winner Steve McEwan, examined the anxiety stemming from the socio-political climate. It was a fitting extension of the socially conscious song “A Human Touch,” Leslie’s duet with Jackson Browne for the 2019 documentary 5B. Leslie recorded a duet of “Blue Bayou” with the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, and The Who invited her to open their shows at Madison Square Garden. In 2024, Leslie released her fourth studio album, After The Party. “It’s my contention that After the Party is the best album released so far this year.” (Peter Blackstock, No Depression)
“Leslie Mendelson certainly has a way of stealing a show even if it’s not the unassuming singer-songwriter’s intentions.”
–Glide Magazine
Sam Robbins is often described as an “old soul singer songwriter.” An internationally touring musician whose music evokes classic singer songwriters like James Taylor and Jackson Browne, Sam adds a modern, upbeat edge to the storyteller troubadour persona. He’s the 2021 Kerrville Folk Fest New Folk winner and he was the first to sing a Jim Croce song on The Voice. His growing prowess on the acoustic guitar has earned him a large fanbase for his fingerstyle playing. Sam released his third album, So Much I Still Don’t See, in April 2025.
“One of the most promising new songwriters of his generation”
–Mike Davies, Fateau Magazine, UK
Saturday, March 14, 2026
7:30 pm, Doors open 7:00 pm
Columbus College of Art & Design
Joseph V. Canzani Center
60 Cleveland Ave.
Columbus, OH 43215
General admission: $30 (no service fee)
Youth under age 18: $5
CCAD students: $10 per ticket discount at the door with student ID
