Diane Ward, Daphna Rose, Cat Shell and Others Play "Girls With Guitars" Night at the Van Dyke Tomorrow

Cat Shell

Local musical luminary Diane Ward will play the Girls with Guitars songwriter series on Tuesday, July 21 at the Van Dyke on South Beach. She'll appear alongside some of South Florida's finest singer-songwriters of the XX-chromosomed variety -- actually, one is XY -- including Daphna Rose, Sarah Packiam, and Cat Shell. If you're unfamiliar with Ward, she constructs straightforward but beautifully-crafted melodies that sometimes bust the seams of acoustic-rock expectations. While "This Love is Hard" pulls off a softer Melissa Etheridge-type grit, "Wonderlight" blends piano, guitar, and Ward's hearty vocals for an infectious and optimistic rock tune. 

In addition, songwriter Daphna Rose's accomplished piano playing, guitar work, and breezy-blues vocals have the sort of emotional intensity that bend your soul (see "Shining Pieces"). Packiam runs the gamut from soft folkie rock to tough-grrl alternative. And one of the hardest-working singer-songwriters in South Florida, Cat Shell sings the sultry blues, her cheeky voice teasing just enough on numbers like "I'm Torn"; though her music seems to be informed from genres across the musical spectrum including jazz and country.