Songs & Stories26 Sep 2025

Threading Folk and Jazz: Becca Stevens’ Quiet Fire

Episode summary

GRAMMY-nominated songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Becca Stevens joins us to explore the craft of writing and arranging for intimate settings, how open tunings and guitar shapes influence her harmony, and the emotional core behind Maple to Paper — a voice-and-guitar project that values vulnerability, presence, and truth. She also speaks openly about motherhood on the road and the real-world adjustments venues and presenters can make to better support touring parents.

What we cover

· Early influences spanning folk, jazz, and chamber music—and how those genres converge in her songs.

· Why open tunings invite fresh harmonic colors and lyric–melody interplay.

· Arranging for duo/small ensemble: leaving space, shaping counter-melodies, and pacing dynamics.

· Motherhood on tour: barriers artists face and practical changes the industry can implement now.

· What listeners can expect from these intimate performances: storytelling, reimagined favorites, and new material.

Music in this episode

· “Now Feels Bigger Than The Past” from the album Maple to Paper (GroundUP Music, 2024)

· “I’m Not Her” from the album Maple to Paper (GroundUP Music, 2024)

Links

• Artist website:

https://beccastevens.com

Show details (Bay Area)

• Event: Becca Stevens

• Where: Joe Henderson Lab at SFJAZZ Center

• When: October 14–15 (four shows, two nightly)

• Showtimes: 7:00 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

• Tickets:

https://www.sfjazz.org/

Credits

Hosted and produced by Steve Roby for Backstage Bay Area.

Audio clips used with artist/label permission.

Tags/SEO

Becca Stevens, Maple to Paper, jazz folk, open tunings, Joe Henderson Lab, SFJAZZ, touring mothers, songwriter interview.

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