Chasing the Sound Between Here and Home

The Harmony in the Woods summer concert opens its sixth season this weekend in Hawley, Pennsylvania, welcoming world-class musicians from around the globe to its intimate outdoor amphitheater nestled among the trees, including today’s HarmonyTALK guest Taylor Ashton.

This year's 23-concert season, which opens Friday, July 3, with Toronto's acclaimed Bywater Call, runs every weekend through September 5th and celebrates roots, rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Americana, global music and more. Taylor Ashton will bring his thoughtful blend of folk, Americana, banjo, guitar, and lyrical storytelling to Harmony in the Woods on Friday, August 7.

In this heartfelt episode of HarmonyTALK, host Greg Frigoletto sits down with Taylor to explore the unexpected journey that reshaped both his music and his understanding of human connection.

Taylor left his native Canada for New York City, believing the next chapter of his musical life was just beginning.

Then the world stopped.

His debut record arrived just as COVID shut down concerts, venues, and nearly every opportunity for musicians to connect with listeners. Like so many artists, he found himself wondering how to keep creating when the audience had disappeared.

Rather than waiting for life to return to normal, Taylor packed up his microphones, instruments, and recording equipment and set off on an extraordinary journey across America.

Over thousands of miles, he recorded songs wherever inspiration appeared. In forests. On front porches. In parks. Beside rivers. Behind cabins. In backyards shared by friends old and new.

Those recordings became Stranger to the Feeling, an album that is every bit as much about friendship and community as it is about music.

Greg and Taylor explore what happens when creativity refuses to stay still, how travel changes the stories we tell, and how some of life's most meaningful moments happen far from the places we planned to find them. Listeners will also get a preview of the intimate performance Taylor will bring to Harmony in the Woods stage on Friday, August 7.

Whether you're a music lover, songwriter, traveler, or simply someone who understands what it means to begin again, this conversation is a reminder that even after seasons of isolation, connection has a way of finding us.

For tickets to Taylor Ashton's August 7 performance and the complete Harmony in the Woods summer lineup, visit harmonyinthewoods.org.