Nashville-based Opus 70 is a folk duo performing original songs, mostly about aging. Mark & Barbara Johnston's CD, all original material, includes six previously unrecorded songs as well as more than a dozen others. Mark took up songwriting late in life as another means of creative expression. A West Virginia native, he grew up in Roanoke, Virginia and – after graduating from the University of Maryland – spent most of his working life in Massachusetts and Florida. He plays guitar, a little 5-string banjo and mandolin. He and his wife Barbara – she grew up in upstate New York – met singing in a church choir and continue that regularly when at home in Florida. While Mark is the chief writer, Barbara is very much involved in editing, arranging and interpreting songs. They perform original material at house concerts and the occasional open mic. Their songs have been described as funny, touching and irreverent. They travel extensively during the summer months and combine visits to bluegrass and Americana music festivals with day hiking, riding bike trails and sponging off their geographically scattered children.