CT River & Roots Concert Series: Sadie Gustafson-Zook

Every time Sadie Gustafson-Zook carves a linoleum block, sews a pencil case out of scraps, or admires the way the ink in her Pilot G-2 glides over her journal, she thinks, “I should be doing this all the time.” The act of creating something tangible is the air Sadie breathes. Her songwriting is the same- weaving an internal dialogue, the stories she tells herself, warm melodies and clever chords into something real, something she can physically feel with her hands and her throat. And chances are that you’ll be able to feel them too.

With a voice often likened to Joni Mitchell, Sadie’s performances alternate between flowing melodies accompanied by purposeful guitar, and stories that hold the audience with warmth and levity. She has performed at festivals across the country, most notably including the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, Kerrville Folk Festival, Anchorage Folk Festival, Sister’s Folk Fest, Walnut Valley Festival, and Blissfest. An acclaimed songwriter, Sadie has charmed judges at some of the most notorious folk songwriting contests, including Kerrville’s New Folk Contest (2022), Rocky Mountain Folk Festival’s Songwriter Showcase (2022), Newsong+LEAF Songwriting Contest (2022), and the Acorn Theatre’s Singer Songwriter Competition (2024).

When Sadie is not on tour, she enjoys living in Minneapolis where she teaches online music lessons, goes on walks at the park, participates in a garage band, attends craft nights at her friends’ houses, contra dances, plays fiddle at old-time jams, and organizes community events.