About

Ron Israel– Writing songs and playing music comes naturally to me. It is something I started doing instinctively when I was twelve years old. It is my natural way of interpreting the world, and understanding the things that happen to me in life.Recently much of my work has  focused on social justice and protest songs. In these difficult times I believe it is important for artists to use our skills to interpret what is happening and to stand up for justice. 
My work has been recognized by the late John Hammond Sr of Columbia Records, Susan Stamberg of NPR, Barry McGuire, the late Ritchie Havens and the actor Peter Coyote. I have recorded 11 CDs including “Homeless and America” and “Tribal War” available through CD Baby and Spotify. Learn more at www.ronisraelmusic.com

Howie Altholtz– Howie Altholtz was most recently a shareholder of Ruberto, Israel & Weiner and Chief Marketing Officer. In his 18 years at the firm, he managed the firm’s marketing and business development, and worked with a number of select client matters.

Howie’s career spans law, music and business development. As an attorney, he practiced for 10 years at Nixon Peabody and led its Entertainment Law practice. One of the first Law firm Marketing Directors in New England, he created the Marketing Department at then Peabody & Brown, which grew from 50 to nearly 200, then into Nixon Peabody with over 700 lawyers. His efforts set industry standards for law firm marketing. Howie was recently a nominee for the Legal Marketing Hall of Fame.

A well-known music industry veteran, he worked with legends like Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records, and 10 years in Woodstock, NY as an acclaimed songwriter, producer, performer, and founder of the renowned 70’s pop/punk band The Test Tube Babies. He has worked with Jimi Hendrix’s bass player Noel Redding, Spin Doctors guitarist Eric Schenkman, Corky Laing, drummer for Mountain, Joan Jett, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, among others.

Howie left Nixon Peabody in 2000, to become counsel at the venture fund running Napster, after which he led several other Internet Music companies, and ran his own law practice in Cohasset, where he raised two daughters.

His creative projects include screenplays, songwriting, and live performances. His published musical works can be found on Soundcloud.com He taught a music class at the State University of New York, and served on the Board of Overseers of Citi Performing Arts Center (CPAC).

Howie is a lifelong advocate for social justice and related issues, including women’s reproductive health, income equality, gun safety, climate change, voting rights, migrant worker rights, and universal healthcare. He has written extensively on these subjects and, “walked the walk” in marches and rallies across America, including well-known civil rights actions in Washington, and the May Day March in DC to end the Vietnam War.

Public sector experience includes the NYS Department of labor migrant farmworker division, and NYS Department of Social Services. Howie’s community service, includes establishing food co-ops, recycling committees, and as a volunteer and elected official in local town governments, including a member of the Democratic Town Committee. He has served as a soccer coach and music teacher for community children, and helped stage theatrical performances for social justice themed plays.

Steve Azzaro– Steve, at fifteen got his first guitar as a gift from his uncle and learned to pick the melody of “Tom Dooley” popular at the time. He was and is influenced by country/western tunes and the folk song movement of the 1950-60’s and favors the Merle Travis fingerpickin’ style. He has sung tenor in the Greater Middletown Chorale and Lead in the Connecticut Yankee Chorus for many years. Currently Steve sings lead in his barbershop quartet, FIREAWAY! Some years ago he began writing original songs and now you can find over 50 of them produced as videos on his YouTube channel, THESTEFANOJAY. He formed his group, “Anything Goes” (with Marian Bairstow on ukulele and Bob Lee on bass) and perform at local senior and community centers and open mics. He records his original songs at Valley Shore Community TV (VSCTV.com), the community access station in Westbrook, CT where you can find over 70 compositions ON DEMAND at “Tales and Tunes”. When Ukraine was invaded he decided to write “Slava I Svoboda Ukraine” dedicated to all the people of the world who cherish freedom and especially for the Ukrainians. He believes music can unite people, contribute to the greater good and defend freedom.

Neal Braverman– You know Neal as the host of the Roslindale Open Mike (ROM) for the last eleven years. You may know that he was the founder of ROM, and the executive producer, director, fund-raiser, church  & School liaison, community coordinator, and food pantry volunteer. And you may also know that he is a kind and caring, ever-helpful, person, who would do anything for everybody. You may not know he is a retired EMT for Boston EMS and is the Founder of the first ever Union based EMS Peer Support Team in  the United States in 1985. In addition, he is the Founder and now President Emeritus of  The Metro-Boston Critical Incident Support Management Team since 1986. He is also a Trained Trainer for the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation out of Ellicott City Maryland. To this day he remains a Current & Certified EMT offering to come out of Retirement to assist Boston EMS during this Pandemic. 

Kathe Donlan- Kathe retired from a long career with a national insurance software firm in 2014 and since then has focused on assisting non-profits with their valuable work, volunteering with Lakota Kidz, New England Wildlife Center’s Catbird Café and Musicians for the Greater Good.

Melanie Gubernik- I am from St. Louis, MO and a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in Journalism and Strategic Communications. In my free time, I love to spend time with friends and family, work out, and listen to music. I am incredibly excited to intern with Musicians for the Greater Good!

Stephen B Martin– Singer/songwriter/journalist/author Stephen B Martin is a lifelong activist who can sing Anne Feeney’s “Have You Been to Jail for Justice” with authority, having been arrested more than once during direct actions. A one-time member of Boston Sound band Orpheus, Stephen still writes, performs, and records  and produces. He produced Liberator, a Redress of Grievances, a compilation of Massachusetts artists performing songs of social justice, available on MGG Records.

TOM MAYNARD is a singer-songwriter from the Greater Boston area. He has been writing and performing in the local music scene for 20+ years. His songs are grounded in his family life and the natural world, as well as inspired by current or historical events, often addressing social and cultural inequities. He has two albums of original music, and is most recently found performing at various virtual open mics.

Andrea Kulish Wilhelm– Andrea is an Artist and Graphic Design Professional based in Asheville, North Carolina, where she served as Marketing Chair for the River Arts District Artists for six years. As a teenager, she helped her father raise money and medical supplies for the Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, and has been volunteering her time to worthy causes ever since. Highlights include donating design work to the Human Rights Campaign, and over the past few years, helping to organize art exhibitions to raise awareness for the environment, gun control, and justice and equity. Since 2020 she has created multiple series of Pysanky eggs with Black Lives Matter themes, 100% of sales to benefit Movement for Black Lives, as part of the In Solidarity exhibition at the Pink Dog Gallery. Andrea is an active member of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America and is now fundraising to help Ukraine, with sales of pysanky eggs, stickers and t-shirts, 100% going directly to Ukraine. Andrea’s working studio/gallery, Studio A, is located at Pink Dog Creative in the River Arts District of Asheville, NC. Her artwork and pysanky eggs are in collections around the world, including the Pysanka Museum in Kolomyia, Ukraine. She used to play piano and French Horn, and sometimes co-writes songs with her songwriter husband Chris Wilhelm. ashevillestudioa.com Instagram: @avlstudioa

Sherman Whipple–Singer, songwriter and political activist since 1968 beginning with the anti-war movement, music and folk festivals in New York, Long Island Cares benefits, relocating to Massachusetts in 1976.