The Paul Simon Songbook

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Paul Loren has always been steeped in the classic American songbook. With his earlier work channeling ’60s R&B, Brill Building pop, and even big band-era crooning, Loren’s voice, tailored sense of style, and twinkle-in-his-eye personality has won over fans and devotees from coast to coast. Loren launched his solo career with a string of sold-out shows in New York City at Joe’s Pub, a famed venue at The Public, with his ‘One-Night Only Band’ in early 2014. His first solo single, “All By Myself,” released in 2015, was supported by radio stations including Lightning100 in Nashville, SiriusXM’s The Pulse, WCOO/Charleston, and KPND/Spokane.

His six song debut EP was released in 2016, Paul Loren Is…Available!, featuring swing-era covers of classics by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, the songwriting team behind Sinatra’s 1950s run. 2017 saw the release of the single and video for his original song, “I Know A Place,” inspired by Civil Rights-era anthems. A slew of singles followed, including the ’50s-inspired “(Gonna Take) A Little Time,” accompanied by a whimsical video filmed at Brooklyn’s The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club and released on Parade.com.

During this time, Loren was personally selected by Jennifer Lopez to perform at her Birthday Gala in Las Vegas; appeared on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon; partnered with The Ryan Seacrest Foundation; performed at the legendary STAX Museum in Memphis, Tennessee; and recorded in the world-renowned Sun Studio. He has opened for and supported touring artists including The Temptations, singer-songwriter Brendan James, American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, folk singer and guitarist David Bromberg, and British soul singer James Hunter. Loren has also shared the stage with Paul Shaffer, Queen Latifah, Christie Brinkley, and food personality Giada De Laurentiis.

Daniel Berryman received a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan. He has performed in major productions of Call Me Madame (Ensemble/Encores! New York), Sweeney Todd (Vacation Swing/Barrow Street), The Golden Apple (Ensemble/Encores!), and The Fantasticks (The Boy/Theatre Center). His roles in national tours include Les Misérables (Swing) and The Sound of Music (Ensemble). His performances in regional productions include Sweeney Todd (Anthony/Denver Center), Hello, Dolly! (Ambrose/Muny), The Most Happy Fella (Ciccio/Goodspeed), and Rent (Mark/The 5th Ave Theatre). In the symphonic world, Berryman performed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2018 to celebrate 100 years of The Muny, St. Louis’ historic outdoor theatre, under the direction of Ben Whitely.

Originally from Oklahoma, Emily Drennan has been a featured soloist at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Radio City Music Hall. She was seen in the New York Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes (the summer counterpart to the holiday show), and was seen touring Europe and the Caribbean playing Tanya in Mamma Mia! Drennan was also seen as “Mezzo” in the Lucille Lortel Award-winning a cappella show, Voca People, in its off-Broadway performances as well as touring performances in Israel, Japan, and Dubai. Drennan has also been seen in NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice, filmed versions of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular (on NBC, PBS, Netflix), and Toxic Audio, an off-Broadway a cappella show that won the Drama Desk Award.

Drennan was a National Presidential Scholar in the Arts, before graduating from Oklahoma State University, summa cum laude, with two degrees (Economics, Spanish) and four minors (Finance, Marketing, International Business, and Latin American Studies). Drennan’s voiceover and studio recording work can be heard nationally in English and Spanish on her albums and singles. She has been a guest soloist with over 25 orchestras, sharing the stage for more than 100 performances.

Eric Metzgar is an in-demand drummer and versatile collaborator who offers his musicianship to various jazz/pop artists and symphony orchestras worldwide. He has had the opportunity to play with numerous first-rate performers including Jeff Tyzik, Sutton Foster, Joe Locke, Jimmy Greene, Shayna Steele, Byron Stripling, and Delfeayo Marsalis.

Metzgar is a passionate educator deeply invested in music teaching and learning. Each summer, he teaches at the Cape Ann Jazz Workshop under the direction of saxophonist Alexa Tarantino. He maintains a private studio and serves as a clinician at grade schools and universities.

Metzgar holds a BM in Drum Set Performance and an MM in Music Teaching and Learning from the Eastman School of Music. He lives in New York City and tours frequently around the world.

Spencer Cohen feels privileged to have been a part of the Broadway production of Tootsie the Musical, The Griswold’s Broadway Vacation, The Team’s Mission Drift production at the National Theater London, and Miss You Like Hell at the Public Theater. He can be heard on the soundtracks for over 15 film scores, including Bliss (2021) and Bright Lights (2016) by composer Wills Bates.

Cohen composed the music for Two Headed Animals (2022), a short film by Jono Crefeld, and the Dungeons & Dragons TV show, Novel Chronicles. He is also the composer and a producer for the upcoming short films, Winning and Feed, by Michelle Girolami. Cohen studied Music Education at NYU and is a Teaching Artist for the St. Luke’s School. He currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.

Born and raised in New York, Brian Killeen has had a healthy obsession with music since as early as he can remember. By the time he picked up a bass guitar at the age of ten, he was certain of a career as a musician. By grasping at every performance opportunity, and seeking the tutelage of the best educators available, he quickly found himself immersed in the worlds of jazz, rock, and everything in between.

At the age of 18, the great Avishai Cohen would take him under his wing, leading to performances in New York City’s most noted jazz clubs including The Blue Note, Birdland, Small’s, and Sweet Basil. Simultaneously, Killeen would enroll in William Paterson University’s famed jazz program, where he would learn to actively double between upright and electric basses. Out of college, Killeen toured extensively with experimental funk stalwarts ulu, funk/roots-rock outfit the Josh Dion Band, and guitar legend Chuck Loeb, leading to unforgettable performances in the US, Spain, Netherlands, Poland, and Japan. As Killeen settled into NYC, he embraced freelance life, backing up a variety of artists including Rachel Platten, A Great Big World, Liz Longley, Barnaby Bright, Caleb Hawley, Robbie Gil, Joe Sumner, Bill Evans, and Jim Campilongo. Killeen continues to back up a host of performers, often joined by long-time collaborators and NYC mainstay Brooklyn Sugar Co.

Killeen feels equally at home in orchestral and theatrical settings. He has been the long-time bass chair for the Big Apple Circus, where he learned to welcome the unexpected. He also had the pleasure of being featured on the Today Show, for the Broadway production of The Cher Show. Killeen has been performing in Schirmer Theatrical and Greenberg Artists’ co-productions since 2019, and thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to play some of the world’s finest music alongside the country’s most acclaimed conductors and symphony orchestras.

Shubh Saran is a New York-based guitarist, composer, and producer who has performed globally with his band throughout the United States, India, Canada, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Mexico. Having grown up in six different countries, his career has been shaped by a mixture of influences. Saran’s intricate compositions fuse sounds from modern jazz, neo-soul, and rock, with classical and contemporary Indian music. In October 2021, Saran independently released his second full-length album titled inglish – a groundbreaking work that explores concepts of assimilation, global identity, and native culture. The album was included on Pitchfork‘s list of Best Jazz and Experimental Music of 2021. 

Before moving to New York City to start his music career, Saran studied at Berklee College of Music, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance. In 2017, Saran made his critically acclaimed debut with the release of Hmayra, and later followed up with H.A.D.D. (2018), and Becoming (2019). Throughout his career as a recording artist, each release has represented a different introspection for Saran.