Dan Bern: Dan Bern's music is often compared to that of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs and Elvis Costello. Bern's song "Talkin' Woody, Bob, Bruce, and Dan Blues," from the album Smartie Mine, offers a joking take on this influence, presented in the style of a Guthrie or Dylan talking blues song, and containing a spoof of a Springsteen song as well. When asked about the similarity between himself and Dylan, he once quipped, "I guess Bob Dylan was sort of the Dan Bern of the '60's." Dan has also toured with Ani DiFranco and is known for sardonic, literary lyrics, a range of musical styles, and a folk music style paired with rock instrumentation.
Ari Hest: Ari Hest doesn't so much play music as it flows through him. He explains, "No matter what I'm doing, aside from sleeping, there's a soundtrack to it. It's a blessing and a curse, as it drives some people in my life nuts occasionally, but it's how I've been and always will be."
Music is Hest's unparalleled passion, one that's seen him create at an astounding pace since he began writing songs in his late teens. Aside from the hundreds of melody snippets swimming around in his iPhone recorder, Ari has hundreds more on his home computer. And then there's the six albums, three EPs, and "52" in 2008, an innovative project whereby he wrote, recorded and released a new song every Monday for a full year. There's also educational music he's written for kids and as he puts it, "songs I write with others in mind to sing them."