Mike Laureanno/Michelle Saylors

hails from Fall River, MA an old mill-town infamous for its axe wielding resident Lizzie Borden and famous for its chow mein sandwiches and pork pies.
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A passionate performer, Mike’s songs are visceral and evocative. He is proud of his roots and many of his songs deal with his gritty blue collar hometown and the lives of his family and friends. He is a winner of the 2017 Wildflower, TX songwriting contest, the 2016 Woody Guthrie songwriting contest and a 2016 Kerrville New Folk, TX finalist.

Mike is also a skilled recording engineer, producer and veteran sideman. He produced and recorded all of his albums in his home studio and he served twelve years as the bass player for the legendary New York City FAST FOLK Musical Magazine founder, Jack Hardy.

​Mike has released four albums to date, Pushing Back Wintertime (2013), Road Signs (2015), Tightrope (2017) and I come from Fall River (2021)

Bristol-RI-based singer-songwriter was raised on a 30-acre farm in bible-belt Tennessee. Early musical inspirations include country, bluegrass-gospel, folk and Memphis blues. Michelle performed bluegrass music in the early 90s at festivals such as Lester Flat Bluegrass Festival and the Country Showdown. Michelle moved to New England in 1998 and landed in Rhode Island in 2009 where she became involved in the Rhode Island Songwriters Association. Michelle played at the Bluebird Café in Nashville at Songwriters open mics on several occasions. Michelle performed at the Providence Folk Festival in 2014 and the Rhode Island Folk Festival in 2022.

In July of 2024, Michelle released her solo debut album titled “Hit the Creek” which features 10 original songs written solely by Michelle. The album has been well-received by fans and continues to gain momentum on streaming platforms nationally and recently hit the UK. Her songwriting is rooted both physically and metaphorically by the space and distance between small town Tennessee and coastal New England. Michelle is currently working on her second album. She identifies her musical style as Nashville blues-country/bluegrass/folk.

Host or Publisher The Rose Garden Coffeehouse