Riley Cotton & the Tin Men

9.8.2025

Mount Ida Preservation Hall

548 Congress St, Troy, NY 12180

Doors open at 6:30pm, show at 7pm

About:

Riley Cotton is a New England Music Award nominated singer/songwriter based in Hartford, CT. Cotton has been described as “…an old-school type of songwriter whose songs and performance are able to cross space and time to touch that part of your brain where love, loss, happiness, and longing all co-exist” (Chip McCabe, The Dad Metal Blog). While growing up in Texas, much of her musical taste was shaped by the voices of the women of country music who so boldly embraced the power of their belt and femininity in the face of an industry that did not embrace them. While writing her own music, Riley aspires to share her lived experiences with, take a stance on the issues that compel her, and utilize the masterful story telling mechanisms so prevalent in the music she grew up on.

“Cotton has a knack for writing songs that seem familiar and comforting, yet deftly push the boundaries of what it means to be "Americana". — Connecticut Magazine

“From the first time I heard [Free Man in Utah], I felt a flood of connections. It reminds me a little of John Prine (specifically “Angel from Montgomery”), then my favorite from 2022 Olivia Ellen Lloyd, but really… this is a sound that captures the spirit of country and Americana music... I bet old Handsome Johnny would love this song, honestly. It feels like a contemporary classic that pays exceptional homage to the legends of the genre.” — Ear to the Ground Music

- 2023 New England Music Award Nominee in the Connecticut Rising Star Category
- 2022 + 2024 Top Connecticut Albums of the Year by the Metal Dad Blog
- 2022 Connecticut Magazine's Top Connecticut Albums Fall Arts Issue

- Rhode Island Folk Festival 2025 - Providence, RI - Capitol Groove Festival 2025 - Hartford, CT - Will Evan's Strawberry Moon Festival 2025 - Groton, CT - Farmington Acoustic Music Festival 2025 - Farmington, CT - Rose Arts Festival 2025 - Norwich, CT - Black Bear Americana Music Festival 2022 + 2023 - Goshen, CT, New England Regional Folk Alliance Curated Showcase Artist 2023 - Asbury Park, NJ, Mercury Lounge - New York, NY, Park City Music Hall - Bridgeport, CT, The Sounding Board - West Hartford, CT