OXFORD - Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Leslie Mendelson will bring her folk-pop songbook to 6 On The Square in Oxford at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2.

Born and raised on Long Island, Mendelson thanks her father, a jazz trumpet player, for exposing her to a wide range of musical influences from the Bee Gees to Nina Simone. She learned to play piano by ear at a young age, and by her teens she was writing songs and making her first attempts at recording demos of her compositions.

She collaborated on her fourth studio album, 2024’s “After the Party,” with three producers: the legendary Peter Asher (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt); the young, in-demand Tyler Chester (Madison Cunningham, Sara Bareilles, Sara Watkins); and her longtime songwriting partner, three-time Grammy winner Steve McEwan.

Recorded at Jackson Browne’s studio Grove Masters in Santa Monica, Calif., she was joined by an ace band featuring guitarists Waddy Wachtel and John Jorgenson, bassists Leland Sklar and Derrick Anderson, and drummers Jim Keltner and Abe Rounds.

Throughout the 10 tracks on “After the Party,” Mendelson crafts a distinctive folk-rock, pop-Americana flavor, evoking the sounds of Laurel Canyon but with the downtown grit and sharp wit of Brooklyn, the city she has called home for over two decades now.

Other standout tunes like “Have a Little Heart,” “The Good Life” and the title track offer warm musings on a life worth living and a newfound appreciation for the little things.

Mendelson has toured across the U.S. and Europe, sharing the stage with Bob Weir, Roberta Flack, Dr. John, Jimmy Webb and Levon Helm (The Band). 

Tickets for the 6OTS concert are $25 in advance or $30 at the door; purchase at 6onthesquare.org or call 607-843-OTS6 (6876) to make a reservation. Doors open one hour before the start of performances. The concert also will be streamed live online for $10; more information at 6onthesquare.org.

Performances are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Gov. Kathy Hochul, NBT Bank, and our 6OTS members.

Get the chance to perform on our stage at 6OTS’s Open Mic Night!

Scheduled for the first Thursday of May and June, sign-in begins at 6:45 p.m. with performances at 7. Musicians and poets are encouraged to share their talents. Organizer Ray Stark will act as emcee.

Concerts this spring at 6OTS: Veronneau (May 9), The Black Feathers (June 13) and our 19th anniversary celebration with Vance Gilbert (June 20).

6 On The Square, Inc. is an intimate, not-for-profit, volunteer-based acoustic music listening room and arts venue located at 6 Lafayette Park in downtown Oxford.


- Information from 6 On The Square