Arlington Connection

The Nashville-Style Songwriters in the Round event at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (MoCA) on Jan. 23, 2026, was just as advertised: an intimate, seated showcase of original music and storytelling. Hosted by Sarah Fridrich at the Tiffany Gallery, the 7-9 p.m. event showcased four local songwriters — Sarah Fridrich, Jason Mendelson, Louisa Hall and Caleb Hacker — performing in a "listening-forward" style. Fridrich, of Arlington, and part of the duo String Mamas, started the round-robin with her bluesy, jazzy, penetrating, emotive songs, ripping sound off her ukulele as though it were a much larger instrument. She joked that she decided not to bring her less portable piano which she typically plays, but who knew the ukulele could deliver that big a sound? 

Her most moving song was a reflection of her own mother’s leaving her in day care to work and Fridrich’s feelings about that when she became a mother. “Handing her baby over to a stranger cuz she was a working mother.” Several in the audience were moved to tears as was Fridrich, who says that song gets to her every time. Fridrich used to sing at Iota, the club in Clarendon that closed several years ago leaving a huge void in the Arlington music scene. 

Next up was Caleb Hacker, an Alexandria-born and bred singer/songwriter who played his heart out, winning the audience with his catchy love song, “Dazzler,” which at least one person in the audience was singing to herself all the way home. Hacker’s Indie rock/R and B/folk songs accompanied by a very competent six-string guitar are sung in a Michael Jackson velvety voice. “Everything” is equally good, with great lyrics: “I might not dance like Michael, might not even play like Prince, but if there is one thing you taught me it’s that I could be my own blueprint.” 

Fridrich admiringly said she wished she’d written that line. Hacker has clearly had to fight some battles and his songs show he came out the victor. He takes it up a notch from love songs with, “Day by Day,“ an optimistic song he probably plays when working as the Inova Schar Cancer Center Institute artist-in-residence, but which he described as “a message of solidarity with those who are struggling, whether Palestinians, ICE victims, or queer kids.”

Next up was Louisa Hall, who is part of the group “Griefcat,” hailing from Reston. Hall sang her signature song “My Bidet” which is funny and catchy and she won over the crowd when she asked people to sing along. Her “Barista Boyfriend” was equally funny and catchy. And “Revolution! (Poop at Work)” was classic Griefcat, both funny and political. “I recently played this at a retirement community and I will not be invited back,” she joked.

Jason Mendelson, who lives in Strasburg, was the last of the four to sing, and he called himself the “old man” of the group. Mendelson said he is best known for his “Metro Stop” songs (he has done 91 - one for almost all of the area’s Metro stops) and he started out with “New Carrollton.” But his songs have moved on, often reflecting the malaise of the modern man (“Send a Medic”) and “So Late It’s Tomorrow.” He described another catchy song as “his ode … or eulogy …” to journalism, “Modern Day Cassandra.” But the tell-tale sign this guy is a master was the acoustic interludes he deployed regularly. Mendelson knows his way around his Martin. d

Adding to the pleasure of listening to four great songwriters taking turns at the mike telling stories and singing was the backdrop of Tiffany windows, the warmth of a crowded community get-together on a cold night, and hot chocolate and cider on tap for those who brought mugs from home. All in all, a 10 out of 10. 

To hear these artists locally, check out: 

https://calebhacker.com (upcoming gig at Harris Teeter)

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=griefcat+events&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 (upcoming performance on March 12)

https://www.sarahfridrich.com