Shireen Amini:
Shireen Amini (non-binary human using she/her pronouns) is a singer-songwriter newly-based in Portland, OR whose music blends pop, rock, hip hop, latin, and roots with socially-conscious themes. She has had the honor of opening for Sheila E., Collin Hay and with her Latin band ¡Chiringa!, Ozomatli and the Gipsy Kings. As a queer, Puerto Rican-Iranian-American, Shireen found her power through music inside of oppressive cultural systems. She pursued studies in Ethnomusicology at UCLA, which deepened her training in percussion, and completed a certificate program in Sound, Voice, and Music Healing from CIIS in San Francisco, intensifying her belief in music as medicine. She recently released an album called “Break Myself Free,” a proud proclamation of her queer identity and an invitation into deeper connection with the Earth. This rock-pop-soul record is filled with energizing grooves, anthemic choruses, and soulful stories of change. When she performs, Shireen brings listeners into their own truths, into their own power, often raising voices and inviting rhythm and movement. Deeply committed to liberating herself and others, she hopes to usher forward a vision of a more just world with passionate songwriting and deep love in her heart. shireenamini.com
Megan Cronin:
Portland based multi-instrumentalist Megan Cronin plays folk music at its most vulnerable, showing the tender underbelly of the human experience. Inspired by artists as varied as Tori Amos, Billie Holiday, Sarah Watkins, Brandi Carlile, and Nick Drake, she focuses on alluring melodies and smooth vocal lines that are powerful even without her poignant and often heart wrenching lyrics.
Megan’s first musical love was classical violin. In 2008 she moved to Portland, Oregon and started violin playing in various rock and folk groups while studying both violin and viola. After several years of playing in these groups and dabbling in singing and composing, she decided to teach herself guitar as a tool to expand her songwriting. Today she performs regularly as a singer songwriter as well as teaches violin, viola and voice lessons.
In early 2021 Megan was diagnosed with a movement disorder which forced her to stop playing music altogether for much of the year. After ample rehabilitation and patience, Megan is happy to be back playing music for audiences again. Songwriting has become a survival tactic of sorts to process the immense emotions surrounding this life-altering diagnosis, which is reflected in her recent body of work. https://www.megancroninmusic.com