Connected by Music Comes to Longmont April 25 to Support Recovery Café Longmont

On April 25, Connected by Music will bring an afternoon of live, local songwriting to Central Longmont Presbyterian Church to support Recovery Café Longmont.

At the heart of this event is Marilyn Walker, whose dedication to community and strength as a songwriter have come together to make this concert happen.

Marilyn first connected with the Café through former Board President Lawson Drinkard after the two met at a songwriting workshop in Carbondale. When she later visited the Café for lunch and an open mic, something clicked.

“I just felt such a sense of safety,” she says.

As the daughter of a single mother who struggled with alcohol-use disorder, Marilyn understands how deeply recovery touches families. While her mother eventually found sobriety, the earlier years left a lasting impression.

What Marilyn recognized at the Café was something powerful: a community built around belonging, honesty, and real human connection.

The open mics especially stayed with her – spaces that felt open in the truest sense.

“It wasn’t just about the music,” she says. “It was about being seen and heard.”

That experience is what led Marilyn, through her initiative Connected by Music, to step forward and organize this benefit in support of the Café’s work.

Marilyn is both a scientist by training and a songwriter by calling — but more than anything, she describes herself as “a kind person with an overload of compassion.”

Through Connected by Music, she focuses on creating spaces where live music fosters connection in real time – between performers, audiences, and community.

Because when music happens in the same room, something shifts – and that’s exactly what she hopes to create on April 25.

Get an early taste of the lineup at an impromptu preview show featuring Marilyn Walker, Karen Horan, and Robby Layton:

Longmont Public Media
Sunday, February 22 | 4 PM

And join us for the main event, Connected by Music’s Benefit Concert on April 25.

Saturday,  April 25, 2026
4 PM – 5:30 PM MST
Central Longmont Presbyterian Church
402 Kimbark St, Longmont, CO

Featuring:

• Marilyn Walker
• Karen Horan
• Robby Layton

This special afternoon of music supports Recovery Café Longmont’s general operating fund, helping sustain peer support, recovery programs, shared meals, and the steady, welcoming space our community depends on. Tickets are free, but reserving your seat helps us plan ahead – and fill the room with good people.

Save your spot and join us.