Songs of the Susquehanna: Volume 3 playlist of 20 original river-inspired songs announced: Preorder now!

The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association has selected 20 new original songs from more than 50 submissions for its Songs of the Susquehanna: Volume 3 playlist.

"This project has been extremely rewarding from its beginning in early 2021. We are now on our third annual album and what an incredible mix of sounds, genres, experience levels and unique stories that have been inspired by our river," said Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. "We highly value the incredible number of talented musicians in our watershed and are excited to showcase their skills while also engaging new audiences about the river and the issues it faces."

As a new way to introduce the songs that are on this playlist, a special episode of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Podcast was recently released with the songs and interviews from some of the musicians about their songs.

You can check out the show below. It will also air on WXPI Community Radio in Williamsport (88.5FM) for three different airings during the week leading up to Earth Day (6 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, and Friday, April 21, as well as 2 p.m. Saturday, April 22). It is being shared out with other radio stations for additional exposure.

"I appreciate the time and virtuosity and dedication to a decent-sounding submission," said Leo Armbruster, of Lewisburg, in his online feedback. "I liked the range of submissions -- from the upbeat 'We All Need Water' to the angst of 'Hellbender' -- there is a lot going on in this list!"

Volume 3 CD pre-orders are available now for $15 each and will be available for pickup or mailing in late April. You can also order any combination of two CDs for a special price of $25 or all three together for $35. An online album/song download will be available in the near future for those who no longer use CDs.

All funds collected will go directly into helping the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association achieve its mission of protecting and promoting the river, its tributaries and the creatures that depend on it across a massive 11,000-square-mile watershed.

Songs of the Susquehanna CD albums

$15.00 - $35.00

Purchase one, two or all three volumes of our Songs of the Susquehanna CDs, with 20 different river-inspired songs on each from a wide variety of musicians with different stories, genres and sounds that address the river's recreational, therapeutic, historical and ecological connections and the issues that face our aquatic resources. Cost is $15 per CD album, or you can purchase any two of them for a special price of $25 or all three for $35.

Buy now!

“I feel very strongly about supporting this cause. I live in Pennsylvania, but I know that the Susquehanna River is not on my mind all the time,” said musician Jack Servello, of Tyrone, who collaborated with Bill Dann on the song “Gentle Giant of the Susquehanna." “When we travel and go across the river, we are reminded of how broad this body of water is and why we should preserve not only the river but also what lives in the river and on the river and by the river.
 
“Hopefully when people hear our song, they think of the Susquehanna. That is what this project and your association is trying to do – spark awareness by bringing the Susquehanna back to the forefront of our consciousness at times when we otherwise wouldn’t be thinking about it.”

For a limited time, all 52 submissions for Volume 3 (with artist names) can still be checked out on our Songs of the Susquehanna 2023 landing page: www.middlesusquehannariverkeeper.org/songs-2023.html

"I'd like to personally encourage everyone to check out the submissions and support the many musicians who took the time to be involved with this project," said Zaktansky. "Our region is blessed with a rich, talented pool of musicians and they deserve all the recognition and support we can provide so they can continue to serenade the communities that are built along the Susquehanna River."