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June 2021
Nest of Singing Birds: Ballads with Sheila Kay Adams, Melanie Rice Penland & Donna Rae Norton
A seventh-generation ballad singer, storyteller, and claw-hammer banjo player, Sheila Kay Adams was born and raised in the Sodom Laurel community of Madison County, North Carolina, where she learned to sing from her great aunt and other notable singers. Her devotion to preserving and perpetuating her heritage is both audible and palpable. She’ll be joined by her daughter Melanie Rice Penland and her cousin Donna Ray Norton as they carry on her devotion.
Stories from the Liars Club – Adirondack Tall Tales with Joseph & James Bruchac
For over forty years, Joe Bruchac has been creating literature and music that reflect his indigenous heritage and traditions. He is a proud Nulhegan Abenaki citizen and respected elder among his people. Although his American Indian heritage is only one part of an ethnic background that includes Slovak and English blood, those Native roots are the ones by which he has been most nourished. He continues to work extensively in projects involving the preservation of Abenaki culture, language and traditional Native skills. His son Jim—author, storyteller, cultural and wilderness educator—will join him this year.
John Roberts
John Roberts has been singing English folk songs since the early 1960s, when he joined a local folk club in his native Worcestershire. In America since 1968, he joined with Tony Barrand to form a duo which has lasted ever since. Singing in unaccompanied harmony, or with concertina or banjo, their entertaining style has delighted audiences. These days, he mostly performs solo, with long-time partner Lisa Preston, or in tandem with Debra Cowan. He presents a selection of songs (music of the sea is one of his specialties), some well-known to folk aficionados and others less so.
English Clog with Simon Harmer
Simon Harmer has been teaching and performing a range of step-dance styles for over 30 years. Starting with English clog steps, he has over the years expanded his repertoire to include steps and styles from Appalachian clogging; from Quebec, Ontario, and particularly Cape Breton Island; from southern England, particularly Sussex and Hampshire, including Romany and informal social stepping; from sailors aboard ship; and—because he just can’t stop—21st century street and hip-hop dance!
Blind Willie Johnson Sing-Along with Frank Lee & Allie Burbrink
Frank Lee and Allie Burbrink are a vocal-driven old-time duo from western North Carolina. They showcase Frank’s signature clawhammer-banjo sound on steel-string and nylon-string banjos. Or some slide guitar and harmonica blues pieces. Then there’s Maybelle Carter-inspired country guitar, or cross-tuned old-time fiddling à la Fiddlin’ John Carson. And Frank & Allie’s voices in harmony tying it all together!
Scott Ainslie
Steeped in traditional music from both sides of the color line, Scott Ainslie is a renowned acoustic blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, with expertise in Piedmont and Delta Blues as well as Southern Appalachian fiddle and banjo traditions. Armed with a variety of instruments—vintage guitars; a fretless gourd banjo; a one-string diddley bow (aka cigar box guitar)—Ainslie brings the history, roots music, and sounds of America alive.
Andy Cohen
Andy Cohen is a blues musician who plays, for the most part, Southeastern music that used to be found on 78’s, including blues, gospel, country dance music, fiddle tunes, monologues, ballads, classic rags, ditties, country songs, and boogies. As well as a virtuoso finger-style guitarist, he is also an enthusiastic proponent of the dolceola, a kind of miniature (Schroeder-sized) grand piano. andycohenmusic.com
French songs not from France and Songs from France not in French with Windborne
Windborne is a group of vocal chameleons who specialize in close harmony singing, shifting effortlessly between drastically different styles of traditional music within the same concert. Their musical knowledge spans many continents and cultures, but they remain deeply rooted in American folk-singing traditions. Lynn Mahoney Rowan, Will Thomas Rowan, Lauren Breunig, and Jeremy Carter-Gordon share a vibrant energy onstage— their connection to each other and to the music is clearly evident. They educate as they entertain, telling stories about the music and explaining the characteristics and stylistic elements of the traditions in which they sing.
Irish Sean-nos with Emma O’Sullivan
Emma O’Sullivan hails from Connemara, Co. Galway, in the West of Ireland. An All-Ireland Champion, she has toured the globe with many of the top names in traditional Irish music. She is an experienced workshop facilitator and has spent over ten years sharing this beautiful tradition, both as a performer and through her Sean Nós Dance Classes. Emma is best known for her energetic street performances and viral videos which have been shared by over twenty million people worldwide. emmaosullivan.com
John Kirk & Trish Miller
John Kirk & Trish Miller present fiery fiddle tunes, folksongs, and fancy footwork to audiences of all ages. John’s lyric voice, good sense of humor, and versatile instrumental skills — fiddle, mandolin, and several other instruments—have earned him widespread recognition in folk and traditional music circles. Trish is best known for her clogging, guitar, and banjo. Both of them call square dances and have taught folk music and dance programs for over two decades together.