Michigan Songwriter Showcase hosted by Steve Taylor and featuring Jilian Linklater, Dan Tennant and Mar Brisa

Lake Orion, Michigan born singer-songwriter Jilian Linklater had no idea a Taylor Swift Karaoke contest would be the catalyst of her songwriting career in 2008. But when she won a trip to Nashville at 17 and learned “people wrote songs for a living”, she was hooked and never looked back.

Jilian moved to Nashville in 2010 where she attended Belmont University, majoring in Songwriting and Music Business. She studied under Grammy award winning and Songwriter Hall of Fame writers - including two of her now biggest mentors - Dave Ramsey (India.arie) and Tom Douglas (Miranda Lambert, Alabama, George Strait).

Over the next 11 years Jilian penned songs that landed her writing credits with recording artists Jason Gray, JJ Heller, MamaDear, Caroline Kole and more. Her songs have been featured by national brands including Disney, Amazon, and Netflix as well as television shows American Ninja Warrior, Degrassi and many more. Her writing prowess got her into writing rooms with some of Nashville’s top writers and producers including Dave Berg (Keith Urban, Reba) and Cason Cooley (Ben Rector, Ingrid Michaelson) as well as onto coveted Nashville songwriter stages like the famous Bluebird Cafe. Jilian’s self released records and singles have also accumulated over 7 million spins on Spotify.

When covid hit, the self-proclaimed "Queen of Overthinking" and free spirit took to the road in her new home on wheels - a cargo van she converted with her grandfather and lovingly named "Wildflower". Her travels led her to an unplanned three-year stay in Seattle, WA, while simultaneously forming an Americana trio, The Rebel Eves, with her two friends and collaborators Grace Theisen and Katie Greene. She currently resides in her hometown of Lake Orion where she recently returtned to reconnect with family.

Jilian’s honest and authentic voice paired with her conversational and confessional lyrics have captured listeners and artists alike. Hear what two of her mentor's and music business professionals have said about her music...

“I don’t care if you’re rock, pop, indie, folk, country or jazz-fusion, you will love Jilian’s music. You’ll love it because it has a way of cutting through styles and genres, and heading straight for your heart. That’s the kind of music we all love – the kind that connects us to the deepest things that matter most about our lives, and that’s what lies at the core of Jilian’s beautiful gift. Buy this music. Go see her play. She’s one of the rare ones.”

John Mays, VP of A&R, Centricity Music

“As Jill slowly gets more comfortable revealing herself to us we are the beneficiaries of her humor, heartache, eccentricities, and her beauty. She has a way of writing popular music with a depth that makes you listen - you wanna check in instead of checking out!”

Drew Ramsey, Grammy Award winning Songwriter & Producer

Dan Tennant is a banjo-wielding songwriter hailing from Southeast Michigan. Whether performing solo or as a member of The Slouches and The Wheat & The Weeds, Tennant is known for a high-octane delivery that bridges the gap between traditional bluegrass and the raw urgency of punk.

Tennant fuses a love for fast, melodic storytelling with deep-rooted life experience, crafting songs that are as sincere as they are spirited. A veteran of the Michigan music scene—with previous stints in The Salt Miners and The Doornails—he has brought his craft to iconic stages including the Wheatland Music Festival, the Nor-East’r Music & Art Festival, and Detroit’s historic Cliff Bell’s.

Marbrisa is an award winning world-soul music singer/songwriter. Her music embodies stories and influences from various musical landscapes. She curates a national women showcase series called 'queens of the song age' and has studied the roots of musical genres across Detroit, New Orleans, NYC, Guatemala, Cuba, Spain and Mexico.

HOSTED BY:

Steve Taylor graduated from Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music with a degree in Songwriting. After college, Steve returned home to Michigan and became a fixture in the Detroit music scene while earning a Master’s Degree in Music Theory from Wayne State University. Blending soulful music and intimate lyrics, Steve Taylor performs all over Michigan as a solo acoustic artist and with his band, The Steve Taylor Three. Their latest album “Temporary Heart” was released in 2024 all of their five albums is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, or wherever finer music is streamed. The band’s single, “Raining on Christmas”, won the Detroit Music Award for “Outstanding Country Recording” in 2023. “Temporary Heart” won the Michigan Music Award for Best American Album in 2025.