Join us for the final night of a three part songwriter series featuring teachers of Wester North Carolina. The shows will be hosted by Carrie Morrison.
Carrie Morrison, a singer/songwriter based in Brevard, is known for her heartfelt lyrics and diverse melodic compositions that blend folk, rock, and Celtic genres. Known for her warm, expressive voice and intricate piano arrangements, Carrie has become a beloved figure in the WNC music scene. Her songs often explore themes of love, resilience, and the beauty of nature. With several albums and EPs to her name, Carrie recently released her second full-length album, Balladeer, produced by Chris Rosser, and EP The Crosswalk, recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London. In addition to performing as a singer/songwriter/pianist, she collaborates with many other artists and is a keyboardist and vocalist in The Andrew Thelston Band, a rock/funk regional favorite. Carrie has been voted as one of the top three Pianist/Keyboardists in Mountain Xpress’s “Best of WNC” contest three years running. She teaches English at Brevard High School, and prior to that, taught English and special education at East Henderson High. This is her 21st year of teaching.
Ryan Furstenberg has been an active member of the Asheville music scene for almost two decades. His main project The Moon and You, a chamber-folk duo with his wife Melissa Hyman, has spent the last decade touring the US and Europe. Ryan also performs his songs under his own name and with his roots rock group Phantom Clutch. Keep you eyes peeled also for The Dark Turn of Mind band, a collaboration between The Moon and You and local songwriter Hannah Kaminer. In addition to his role as a bandleader, Ryan enjoys collaborating and performing as a sideman with long time Asheville groups Tina and Her Pony and the Dulci Ellenberger band. He also has engineered and produced several albums from his home studio including “Marigolds” by Tina and Her Pony, “Mystery Man” by Andy Burke, as well as some of The Moon and You albums. Ryan Furstenberg has worked as a music teacher at French Broad River Academy since 2020. In Fall of 2025, he transition in to the role of Head of Music at French Broad.
Asheville-based singer-songwriter Joe Hooten, originally from Macon, Georgia, is the force behind Tin Roof Echo—a project rooted in introspective songwriting, melodic grit, and a strong DIY ethos. Since his 2014 Tin Roof Echo debut The Original Plan, Hooten has released seven albums blending indie rock and alt-country with a raw, lived-in feel. His latest, Flowers Falling, was recorded with producer Kevin Boggs and mastered by John Keane (R.E.M., Indigo Girls) which features contributions from members of Steep Canyon Rangers and Drive-By Truckers, delivering warm country-leaning songs with understated punch. No stranger to festival stages and intimate venues—from Enofest and Finsterfest to the Grey Eagle and the Orange Peel—Hooten has shared bills with artists like Scott Miller, Kenny Roby, Freedy Johnston, David Childers, Pylon Reenactment Society, Agent Orange, and Soul Asylum.
David Zimmer will join the songwriters on percussion.
David Zimmer has been a professional musician since the late 90’s, playing percussion and drums (and singing) in The Sliding Rockers along with multiple other endeavors… Now he performs with both Felonious Monks and Project Allman.
David teaches High School Chemistry and Physics in the real world, and has been doing so since 2015 in Henderson County Public Schools and at IC Imagine Public Charter School in Buncombe County.
