bio

The expressive range of singer-songwriter Sorcha Cribben-Merrill – “one of Maine’s most versatile troubadours,” according to Downeast Magazine – is in peak form on her new EP, Making Time. Her stirring lyrics, signature vocal jazz charm and powerful presence, and folk-pop guitar skills meet adventurous production in collaboration with Matt Appleton, Grammy nominated music producer, engineer and saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist from Vermont.

This five-song record encourages us to make time for rest amid the persistent pace of life. Each song navigates a different challenge, yet is fueled by the same energy of possibility. Musically, their multi-layered landscapes are shaped by moody bass lines, bossa nova-inspired rhythms adorned by horns, bright piano, and introspective guitar. “Matt is a deeply thoughtful and inventive producer,” Sorcha offers. “He isn’t afraid to disassemble a song so it can find a truer expression of itself, or suggest ambitious vocal ideas that both harness and stretch beyond my natural strengths.”

Raised by artists in rural coastal Maine, Sorcha was buoyed by early musical explorations and weighed down by early childhood loss. By age 12, songwriting became an empowering catalyst for self-expression. Once she discovered a song could surround grief in beauty and hold many emotions and perspectives at once, she went on to study Music and Anthropology (BA, Skidmore College), Music and Folklore (University College Cork, Ireland), and Community Health Music (Berklee’s Music and Health Institute).

Equally at home performing in folk festivals, jazz clubs, and intimate listening rooms, Sorcha has opened for Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner, folk music icon Tom Rush, and celebrated cellist & multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla. Performance highlights include Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (Emerging Artist), historic Club Passim in Cambridge, MA, Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, ME, and Portland, Maine’s State Theatre, where she sang two original songs with The Fogcutters, Maine’s contemporary big band.

On Making Time, Sorcha invites us – with the hard-won clarity of someone who’s struggled against strong currents – to find a calmer cove in which to rest.

short bios

PARAGRAPH

The expressive range of singer-songwriter Sorcha Cribben-Merrill – “one of Maine’s most versatile troubadours,” according to Downeast Magazine – is in peak form on her new EP, Making Time. Her stirring lyrics, signature vocal jazz charm and powerful presence, and folk-pop guitar skills meet adventurous production in collaboration with Matt Appleton, Grammy nominated music producer, engineer and saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist from Vermont.

SENTENCE

Singer-songwriter Sorcha Cribben-Merrill – “one of Maine’s most versatile troubadours” (Downeast Magazine) – draws you into bluesy grooves, haunting ballads, and intricate indie folk-pop vignettes with her stirring lyrics, signature vocal jazz charm, and powerful presence.

12 WORDS

Sorcha Cribben-Merrill writes stirring indie folk-pop songs featuring powerful jazz vocals.

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