Songwriting is how Susan Loring explores the world around and within. Her lyrics reveal her love of literature, poetry, religion and philosophy, while her sound reveals roots in folk, singer-songwriter, old-time, and bluegrass traditions. She writes music alongside raising a family and working as a pastor. Her songs grow from her own life and the day-to-day task of meaning-making, faith-sustaining, and assumption-questioning in community.

Loring has been immersed in music since before she can remember: growing up in a faith tradition where everyone around her could sing four-part a capella harmony, and starting Suzuki violin at 4 years old. It wasn’t until years later, moving to Atlanta, GA and desperately needing a hobby outside of grad school that Loring discovered the world of local, participatory folk, old-time, and bluegrass music. She learned how to fiddle and played with bluegrass bands in the bars and opries in and around Atlanta and Athens, finally settling in with a trio that combined traditional instrumental tunes with each others’ original songs. With that trio, Lonesome Redwing, she opened for Patty Loveless, Steep Canyon Rangers, Tony Rice & Peter Rowan, and Claire Lynch.

Her songwriting heroes include: Brandi Carlile, Tracy Chapman, Patty Griffin, Jason Isbell, Karine Polwart, Darrell Scott, Amanda Shires, Paul Simon, Gillian Welch, Dar Williams, and the more recent discoveries of Heather Maloney, John Moreland, Emily Scott Robinson, and Siri Undlin of Humbird. In her wildest dreams, she would love to have a song covered by Alison Krauss, Aoife O’Donovan, Molly Tuttle, or the Wailin’ Jennys.