Songwriters’ Circle

March 30, 2025

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Three North Shore Songwriters in a Circle – Each With A Unique Voice – Sharing Their Songs & Stories

 

Jesse Joseph

Jesse Joseph an award winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer based in Salem, MA. He has toured throughout the US, Canada, and Europe sharing the stage with notable acts such as Richie Havens, Amos Lee, and Kaki King to name a few. He has released music under his acoustic/electronic project Qwill for over a decade, and leads Boston based Americana, Soul outfit Wood & Bone. His music has been described as “dreamy roots music”.

“His lyrics are a work of art and cut deep into the soul and reveal what makes each of us human” – Keep Walking Music Blog

” We have a tight-knit family of musicians cultivating from the north shore of Boston and beyond, and Jesse is at the center of that family. He’s a master songwriter, a killer musician, and an amazing human being. Props to anyone out there who’s in the know.” – Ryan Montbleau / singer-songwriter

 

Surnames

Surnames is the music project of Liam Anastasia-Murphy. After cutting his teeth on the indie folk scene of Richmond, Virginia, he moved back home to Massachusetts and started Surnames out of his bedroom in 2019. Surnames released two EPs in 2020 – falling squarely into jean jacket, Fender-guitar indie rock. Three new singles were released in 2022 that, while still remaining in the indie sphere, started to showcase a burgeoning fascination with electronic production and sampling. Anastasia-Murphy strives to write music that is honest in its feeling and poetic in its delivery. His music has been streamed over a half of a million times across platforms, added to and featured on thousands of playlists (including Spotify’s “Fresh Finds Indie”), and used in a Netflix show

 

Derek Rando

Derek Rando is a North Shore, Massachusetts based songwriter. His music can be described as indie folk rock. Melodic and introspective, the sound has the dark shaking hands with the optimistic…party cloudy with a promise of rain.

ERIC TAYLOR

In addition to years of public service as Boston City Councilor and his current role as Vice President of City and Community affairs for Northeastern University, the name John Tobin is synonymous with Boston comedy. With over 30 years of experience in live comedy, John has cultivated a deep understanding of what it takes to consistently produce a memorable comedic production. Armed with a true gift of gab, John has a natural ability to develop and maintain relationships which has proven beneficial in both politics and entertainment.

A consistently packed calendar of top national headliners has opened the door for John to expand with clubs in new markets for a growing audience. John Tobin Presents will continue to seek areas for growth while maintaining the quality of excellence that New Englanders have come to expect from a John Tobin production.

TIM CROWLEY

Tim Crowley is a seasoned marketing professional with over 13 years working in the live entertainment industry. Prior to his role with John Tobin Presents, Crowley ran marketing for Worcester’s DCU Center, establishing a marketing approach that led to an increase in ticket sales revenue across all arena events including the 2018 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Ice Hockey Northeast Regional.

While at Live Nation’s NYCB Theatre at Westbury, Tim developed an integrated marketing strategy for over 100 events annually that contributed to a 44% increase in overall ticket revenue while decreasing our average advertising spent per paid ticket by 40%. In addition to these roles, Tim has held manager-level marketing positions with Barclays Center, Sesame Street Live, and the Lowell Auditorium promoting a variety of events such as Broadway shows, comedy, concerts, professional boxing, and college basketball, all of which contributed to a diverse mix of marketing awareness.

As VP of Marketing, Tim enjoys the privilege of developing marketing strategy for John Tobin Presents, Improv Asylum, and all related entities including but not limited to the following venues:
-Laugh Boston
-Laugh Louisville
-Improv Asylum
-Asylum NYC
-Nick’s Comedy Stop
-Off Cabot Comedy Club
-Detroit House of Comedy
-Roar Comedy Club at MGM Springfield
-The Comedy Scene at Patriot Place

RYAN COTT

Ryan Cott is the Managing Partner and oversees programming for all John Tobin Presents venues including Laugh Boston, Laugh Louisville, Nick’s Comedy Stop, ROAR Comedy Club, The Comedy Scene, Off Cabot Comedy & Events, The Detroit House of Comedy and all third party venues.

As Manager and Talent Buyer for the Comedy Connection in Boston’s Faneuil Hall Ryan developed a truly well rounded understanding of producing stand up comedy. Over the years Ryan has developed a keen eye for spotting promising comedic talent and a thorough understanding of how to shift with industry trends to please a diverse audience.

JOHN TOBIN

In addition to years of public service as Boston City Councilor and his current role as Vice President of City and Community affairs for Northeastern University, the name John Tobin is synonymous with Boston comedy. With over 30 years of experience in live comedy, John has cultivated a deep understanding of what it takes to consistently produce a memorable comedic production. Armed with a true gift of gab, John has a natural ability to develop and maintain relationships which has proven beneficial in both politics and entertainment.

A consistently packed calendar of top national headliners has opened the door for John to expand with clubs in new markets for a growing audience. John Tobin Presents will continue to seek areas for growth while maintaining the quality of excellence that New Englanders have come to expect from a John Tobin production.

Patrick Arnold

Patrick manages Social Media, Video Production, Box Office Operations, Booking Administration, and customer service for John Tobin Presents. In his time with JTP, Patrick has shot videos and pictures for Bill Burr, Jessica Kirson, Nate Jackson, Joe List, Lil Sasquatch, and many more local comedians. He currently produces Mike Binder’s Stand-Up World Podcast, he produced and edited Will Noonan’s “50 TikTok’s At Once” comedy special, and his edited works have received over 5 million views online. He has helped grow the John Tobin Presents social media accounts by over 15k followers in under 2 years.

Patrick started his professional career in the news industry as a storyteller and quickly shifted his media and production skills to the entertainment industry in Boston. He graduated Cum Laude from Northeastern University in 2023 with a degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Music Industry.