Welcome internationally acclaimed folk singer/musicians Sara Grey and Kieron Means for this month's performance. For those not yet familiar with Sara Grey, she's an American living in Scotland, where she has studied traditional Scottish song for many years. She and her son Kieron Means have traced the roots of Scottish songs to America and Canada and will be showing the links across the Atlantic by singing bits of Scottish versions while concentrating on singing the American versions. They will perform at Fiddler's Green thanks to a grant to AAFFM from the Georgia Humanities Council.

Please see their excellent website: www.saragrey.net for bios and samples of their music. More info here: News Release.

Veronika Jackson is one of the finest acoustic folk blues artist in the southeast region. Performing for folk festivals, music halls and  community events she has traveled as far as France and back to the northeast regions entertaining many diverse audiences.

Her smooth strong expressive singing voice captures the audience right away and is accompanied by her clean piedmont style guitar picking, which is just what needed to back up her engaging performance.

She is called brave as she stands alone with her guitar and engage the audience with her presence and her performance.

http://www.veronikajackson.com/4.html

King Richard's Sunday Best is not a very good band. Sure, when Atlanta-based musicians Evan Tyor and Luke McGinnis teamed up to form this ludicrously christened duo, they were told by their girlfriends and numerous family members that they were excellent. The phrases "That sounds nice", and "wonderful potential!" were even thrown around. In reality, their music is full of tacky, confusing chord progressions, and annoyingly poetic lyrics. Add cellist Simon Reiter to the mix, and it becomes even worse. I mean seriously, who likes the cello?

Then along came some girl, who can't even play anything (except kazoo). She just stands there and sings. Ok, so, it is rather interesting to see 9 or so instruments being played by 4 people... And yes, they play covers of your favorite songs, with beautiful harmonies and original instrumentation. Fine, they also write really catchy songs. But if you hear King Richard's Sunday Best and consider it good music, you need to reconsider your taste. Hell, you probably also like The Beatles. Get a life.

Evan Tyor -- Guitar, Ukulele, Bass Drum, Piano,
Luke McGinnis -- Ukulele, Percussion, Mandolin, Piano, Xylophone, Guitar,
Simon Reiter -- Cello, Gong, Percussion,
Jessie Lane -- Vocals, Percussion, Kazoo
Joshua Orbulous -- Vocals, theremin
http://www.myspace.com/kingrichardssundaybest

Cameron Horne is excited about the opportunity to do a
solo set featuring his original songs at this month's
Fiddler's Green Coffehouse.

He most recently played with local group Scribblin' Jones. 

Bitsyland String Band - Music and humor guaranteed to make you laugh and tap your toes! Fiddle tunes, pop standards, gospel, and a touch of bluegrass...

Edwin Hall (guitar, mandolin, banjo and vocals), a native of southeastern Kentucky, uses his bent for humor to emcee the Band.

Rachel Friday (upright bass), an Alabama native, is a long-time fan of old-time and folk music. She formerly played bass with the sounds of Appalachia and banjo with an all-girl band, the Sugar Beats.

Ross Friedman (banjo, guitar, and vocals) and Teresa Friedman (mandolin, guitar, and vocals) bring their life-long love of folk music to the sound of our group. This husband and wife team provides close vocal harmony and sparkling instrumental work for every performance.

Dan Byrd (fiddle, banjo, and vocals), a native of mid-town Atlanta and a veteran of the Atlanta area old-time music scene, is capable on most of the traditional string instruments and uses his gift of humor and showmanship to enhance the show.

http://www.bitsyland.com/Bitsyland_Site/Welcome.html

Kim and David Chamberlain - Bright Moments,(formerly known as "Your Parents") is a guitar/vocal/and clarinet duo. They perform classic jazz standards from the Great American Songbook in a way that will make our Coffeehouse sparkle with gentle ambiance. This husband and wife team has a chemistry that creates a relaxed and intimate atmosphere just right for Fiddler's Green!

Kim's vocal style has been compared to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn or Diane Schuur. She has a warm rich vocal tone with a very wide range, and is able to tackle just about any tune with sparkle and charm. Her clarinet playing adds a beautiful contrast for variety, giving the duo a lot of bang for the buck. She also adds flute on some of the pair's songs to add even more flavor.

Dave's archtop guitar playing is fluid and full of energy. Always keying into the subtle nuances of the phrase and the feeling of the lyric, he is the supportive backbone of the duo. Dave sometimes joins Kim to share vocals as well. Kim and Dave's Bright Moments tonight memorable and fun.

Kim Chamberlain - Vocalist/Clarinetist
David Chamberlain - Guitarist/Vocalist
http://www.gigmasters.com/Jazz-Duo/brightmoments/

Doc Stovall is a professional entertainer who provides musical entertainment as well as discussions of the origins of traditional cowboy music as it relates to the Western music we enjoy today.

Stovall also presents programs and conducts seminars on the writing and recitation of cowboy poetry.  He traces the roots back to the beginnings of this phenomenon at the “back of the wagon” on the trail drives north to the rails.

A native Virginian, Doc has been associated with music most of his life.  His earliest influences include the traditional music associated with the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountain areas of the South that was handed down from generation to generation since it’s inception in Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.

He is well-known as a Western singer and cowboy poet throughout America, having performed in twenty-five of the fifty states.  Honored in 2002 as Georgia’s Official Cowboy Balladeer by the Georgia State Legislature, he has entertained audiences both young and old as he strives to keep alive the history of the West in music and song. In November of 2004, Doc was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame, the first cowboy singer so honored.

Jerry Warren, a cowboy poet and a fourth generation rancher, refers to Tennessee's Cumberland foothills as home.

Performing across the United States, Jerry Warren is famous for his poignant, heartfelt cowboy poetry. Of course, he draws on his vast experience as a ranch hand and veteran of the rodeo circuit to support the reality of his writings. Jerry also presents traditional pieces by classic cowboy authors as well as contemporary cowboy poets. Sarcasm and wit along with pure nostalgia are featured in his works that audiences find easy to identify with.

Jerry Warren and friend Joel Hayes founded the Georgia Cowboy Poets association. His writings served to get him recognized by the Georgia State Senate as the "Official Cowboy Poet of the State of Georgia". He and Doc Stovall often perform together. Their tongue-in-cheek performances of their original poetry and music, as well as traditional pieces with their own personal spin make them a much sought after act. He has performed at Elko and Carson City, Nevada and is a regular performer at various WestFest events.

Haggis & Hominy formed as a trio in 2001 consisting of Laurie Simpson, her husband John, and Peggy Martin.  Laurie and John brought to the group their close vocal harmony, guitar, Irish whistle, autoharp, concertina, and hurdy-gurdy.  Peggy brought upright bass, lap dulcimer, and bowed dulcimer. 

The trio’s vocal and instrumental repertoire includes traditional folk, Celtic, and some of John’s own original songs.  Haggis & Hominy has played for Dulcimer Week at the Swannanoa Gathering in North Carolina as well as numerous venues across Georgia.  Its members have also performed with other groups in Georgia and as far away as Newport, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.  Recently the trio lost John Simpson to brain cancer and has regrouped, for now, as a duo. 

“Tonight we want to showcase that magical sound an autoharp and a dulcimer can have when played together, as well as, Laurie’s Singing,” they say.  Peggy hopes to soon add her fiddle to their instrumentation

A concert with Elise takes listeners on a glorious and rollicking journey, visiting lands of gypsy jazz, smoky cabarets, and funky swing, as well as a capella vocalises and poignant ballads. The producer of the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage calls Elise Witt "a performer to remember with international savvy & personal charm."

Elise was born in Switzerland, raised in North Carolina, and since 1977 has made her home in Atlanta. She speaks five languages fluently, sings in over a dozen more, and has been a cultural ambassador to South Africa, Italy, Nicaragua, Switzerland, and China. A songwriter and composer, she recently premiered the Elise Witt Choral Series, and has just released Valise, her 11th recording for EMWorld Records. Elise has studied with vocal masters Bobby McFerrin, Rhiannon, and Ysaye Barnwell, and she sang for 20 years with Robert Shaw in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus. Elise has earned a reputation as a masterful educator, encouraging even the shyest singers to revel in their voices.

As a Teaching Artist, she works with students in elementary schools through universities, as well as with professional ensembles and community groups. Her workshops and concerts use music as a language to celebrate our cultural diversity while appreciating our connections as one human family. She is a longtime AAFFM member and advocate, and her concerts are famous for turning audiences (even self-professed "non-singers") into a glorious chorus.

More about Elise at her website: http://www.elisewitt.com and on YouTube

From the moment Deidre takes the stage, her engaging presence and irresistible blend of folk, country, rock, and pop seize the listeners by the heart and won't let go.

Deidre McCalla came of age in the fiery blaze of NYC's folk heyday - a time when Greenwich Village clubs were filled with the likes of Dylan, Baez, and Ochs; a time when Motown ruled the top of the charts and the streets of America screamed with anger and civil unrest. Her first album, Fur Coats and Blue Jeans, was released when Deidre was 19 and a student at Vassar College. With a theater degree tucked under her belt and an acoustic guitar tossed in the back of a battered Buick station wagon, Deidre McCalla hit the proverbial road and never looked back. Deidre later majored in jazz guitar at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and released three albums with the pioneering women's music label Olivia Records.

More about Deidre on her website: http://deidremccalla.com/ and all over YouTube

The Nearly Normal String Band features Viva and Neil Araki playing an eclectic variety of musical genres, including Blues, bluegrass style, old time (Appalachian), ragtime, contemporary/60's folk, country blues, and Celtic.  Both Neil and Viva play fingerstyle guitar.  Neil also flatpicks guitar, and plays fiddle and mandolin.  Viva plays old time banjo and sings.  They met at a pickin' party of a mutual friend 23 years ago, and immediately discovered a common love for fingerstyle guitar, BB King, and Doc Watson.  Neil has been a blues fan since his college days, and has played in bluegrass bands over the years.  Viva fell in love with Joan Baez while taking classical guitar, and that was the end of a promising career as a classical guitarist (doesn't she wish!).  They both began playing guitar as children.  They have played weddings, funerals, birthday parties, campgrounds, coffeehouses, music festivals, and the Old Courthouse in Blairsville.  Contact them via email at: nearlynormalband@att.net

David Leinweber will be doing a mix of originals and traditionals, including a few songs that were inspired by the great old television show Dark Shadows!

David Leinweber has played in a wide variety of venues and musical styles, ranging from rock, to blues, to folk, to gospel. In both 2006 and 2009 he was featured as the "Flatpicking Professor" Dr. Leinweber at the Scottish Bluegrass Association Festival in Guildtown, Scotland and has also performed widely at regional acoustic music festivals in the South.  He has shared the stage with many fine musicians.

Leinweber’s eclectic approach to music entails many influences -- Dylan, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Neil Young, The Dead, Clapton, Norman Blake and Doc Watson.  Possessing a voluminous repertoire, he loves the singer-songwriter heritage of the sixties and seventies, popular songs, country and bluegrass, rock, and traditional folk music from both North America and the British Isles.  Reviews and publications have variously called him as an “expert guitarist,” as a “master of the fingerpicking and flatpicking styles of guitar,” and as a “seriously talented acoustic musician.”  He has been described as a “nuanced and mature songwriter” whose songs have a “great hook, unforgettable melody and a great chorus.”

Dr. Leinweber has taught piano and guitar for 25 years. He has extensive experience as a studio musician, as a songwriter, and as an arranger. In addition to his solo efforts, he has performed on many records, demos, and CDs by other artists. His music has been featured on radio and in many concerts throughout the Atlanta area.  His original songs on topics ranging from Deadheads, to growing up in Detroit, to the old teleivison program Dark Shadows are always popular. http://www.davidleinweber.com/

Mrs. Schmaltz offers up an eclectic blend of international music, with a particular focus on Yiddish, Klezmer, Eastern European, and Ladino. Lively, festive, and hauntingly beautiful, this music, which is deeply rooted in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, has had a heavy influence on American popular and jazz music. The rich melodies stemming from the Klezmer, Yiddish and Sephardic tradition are timeless in their appeal, and have served as an inspiration to such American music giants as George Gershwin, Benny Goodman, Burt Bacharach, and Stephen Sondheim.

Mrs. Schmaltz a/k/a vocalist Nancy Gaddy and her Kosmopolitan Kleztet -- featuring Dave Cooper on guitar and banjo, Vinny Aleandri on accordion and Greg Caregeorge on bass -- will present a diverse and boisterous blend of world music to include gypsy jazz, borscht belt classics, Yiddish gems, Middle Eastern melodies and traditional klezmer tunes that will have audiences young and old singing, dancing and partying along.

Musical diversity and virtuosity are the hallmarks of The Jim Culliton Trio.   Three of the Atlanta area’s most accomplished acoustic musicians perform eclectic acoustic instrumentals and vocals, from high-energy tunes to engaging ballads.

Professional musician Jim Culliton is well known to many AAFFM members as a wizard on guitar and other instruments.  He performs genres including folk, old-time, bluegrass, Celtic, pop and jazz, sprinkling in his own charming original songs and tunes.  Jim organizes live bluegrass and traditional music for the weekly Sunday brunch at RIRA Irish pub in midtown.  He offers private lessons in guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and bass.  For more info: (404)298-5057.

Western music and cheeky humor from a new group anchored by Berné Poliakoff  and Kathleen Hatfield, two members of the beloved all female western band, Cowboy Envy.  With bassist/vocalist L.A. “Darn” Tuten and fiddler/vocalist Leah Calvert, Rhythm Ranch delivers dynamic performances filled with wonderful music and great humor, delighting audiences of all ages.

“Acoustics at Oak’s End” - House Concerts

Concert series/location is “Acoustics at Oak’s End” 50+ seat ,FAI-licensed venue in Smyrna area in NW Atlanta.  $15 suggested donation. 
Call Gregg or Shirley Averett at 770-971-6696(h) or email:  ghaverett@charter.net for RSVP and directions.  Street parking on the LEFT side only. 

Bring warm socks or slippers and plan to leave shoes outside (carpeted).  Handicap access.  BYOB.  Shared snacks welcome.  Buffet/warming tray counter and full kitchen facilities available. 

Post-performance jamming welcome.

Ron Hipp is an acoustic fingerstyle guitarist/singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. A native of Atlanta, he's been performing both solo and in various band combinations since about the age of 16. His rich baritone voice, intricate fingerpicking, altered guitar tunings, original songs and instrumentals make his shows a memorable experience. Ron has graced many a recording project by other artists over the years as a studio musician and has many CD cover photos to his credit, being a professional photographer as well.

Carol Statella has performed in backup orchestras for Joni Mitchell, The Moody Blues, and Brian Wilson, and on numerous studio recordings. As a freelance writer for High Performance Review in the '80s she interviewed Robert Shaw and composer Joan Tower, and later on she worked as an announcer/producer in public radio. Carol has also played in the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, and sang for seventeen seasons in the Atlanta Symphony Chorus.

Ron and Carol have known each other and crossed paths musically for well over a decade, through many artistic and personal evolutions. Their sound together has been described as warm, eloquent, and vivid. Onstage, Ron and Carol draw audiences in with artful musicality, occasionally inane humor, and absolute focus on inviting the listener into the depths of a song. While performing in intimate southeast venues, Ron (w/Carol) is presenting a new album titled "Two Hearts," which is receiving international airplay and has charted on the Roots Music Report and Airplay Direct. See: www.myspace.com/outoftherainmusic

Veronika Jackson started her music career at an early age, singing in the school choirs at the age of ten. She was raised with a music-influenced family in St. Petersburg, Florida. In her teens, her love for acoustic folk and R&B music grew as she followed such artist as Odetta, Joan Baez, Ella Fitzgerald and many other vocalists who inspired her in her love for music.

Veronika Jackson has taken the acoustic folk guitar and the history of her culture as an African-American, and has generated her own original, authentic and exciting style of music. Her smooth and strong interpretive vocals are very expressive and her clear, clean, rhythmic, Piedmont blues-style guitar picking compliments her performances. Listeners often feel that her music says something, that it educates and inspires them.

Veronika has combined acoustic folk music and R&B to create her own unique music. She has shared her musical talents with audiences in the South, like Merlefest, as well as with music lovers across the Atlantic Ocean where she has performed for various venues and festivals.

She has been wonderfully received everywhere she goes and her reputation as a wonderful entertainer and consummate artist continues to grow. Veronika’s stage presence and sound has a sincerity that will grace your heart, and her performances take you to another place and time.

Veronika is respected for her integrity as an artist and as a person. Reviewers have called her contagious, always leaving audiences wanting more. The joy she feels as an artist comes from knowing that her music, whether an old folk song, a blues composition ,or old spiritual, entertains as well as brings joy and hope to people’s lives. See: veronikajackson.com/

Juliana Finch is a Georgia-based singer/songwriter with strong Americana roots. Juliana earns her spot in a long tradition of storytelling songwriters with a sultry, soothing voice and carefully crafted lyrics.

Raised in the South, in an Italian-American family, listening to Irish music, Juliana developed a songwriting style that reflects a uniquely American cocktail. Above all, her music is about connection and sharing stories. She believes everyone has a story to tell and tries to convey some of that through her lyrics.

Juliana has been featured at the Bele Chere Festival in Asheville, North Carolina, Ladyfest South, The Atlantis Music Conference, and was selected for the prestigious Falcon Ridge Folk Festival's Emerging Artist Showcase in 2008. She has played songwriter showcases throughout the southeast and been featured several years in a row at 99x's Unplugged In The Park Concert Series. She recently opened for Shawn Mullins at a sold out show in Atlanta.

At the moment, Juliana is working on her 3rd album, to be released this Winter, and is working on putting together a series of writing workshops for "average folks" who want to learn about the songwriting process. She is a member of the Folk Alliance and the Nashville Songwriters Association. See: www.julianafinch.com/

WINE TASTING INCLUDED! In addition to this special evening showcasing Atlanta area singer/songwriters, to get in the spirit for the approaching holiday season and in celebration of our second anniversary of get-togethers for fine music, Acoustics at Oak’s End will also host a free professionally-conducted tasting of six wines for all attendees having an interest to so test and delight their palates!

Born and raised in Virginia, Bryan Bowers grew up in the company of field workers and gandy dancers and learned at an early age to sing old call-and-answer songs. Bowers recalls, “I just thought that music was something that everyone did. It was years later that I realized what I'd been raised around."

In the late '60s, Bowers gained his instrumental voice when he took up the guitar. "The roots of the music had gone real deep in me. Music was real fulfilling, unlike anything I had ever done before." It wasn't long before Bowers encountered the autoharp. The instrument became Bryan’s passion and, quickly, his principal musical expression.

Bryan relocated to Seattle, WA, in 1971. While on the road, he came to the attention of The Dillards bluegrass band, traveled with them, and has had a welcome foot in the bluegrass community ever since.

Bryan Bowers is an acclaimed artist on the traditional music circuit and regularly headlines at all the major festivals. He has redefined the autoharp and is also well known as a singer-songwriter. Bryan has a dynamic outgoing personality and an uncanny ability to enchant a crowd in practically any situation with his playing, singing, and storytelling. His towering six foot four inch frame can be wild and zany on stage as his material ranges from the reverently introspective to foot stomping fiddle tunes and let-your-hair-down sing-a-longs.

Bower's creativity and talent have won him induction into Frets Magazine's First Gallery of the Greats after five years of winning the stringed instrument, open category of the magazine’s readers' poll. This distinction put Bowers alongside other luminaries, such as Chet Atkins, David Grisman, Stephan Grappelli, Itzhak Perlman, Tony Rice, Rob Wasserman and Mark O'Connor, similarly recognized for their personal accomplishments. In 1993, Bryan was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame alongside Maybelle Carter, Kilby Snow, and Sara Carter.

For nearly three decades, Bryan Bowers has been to the autoharp what Earl Scruggs was to the five-string banjo. He presents instrumental virtuosity combined with warmth, eloquence, expression and professionalism. See: www.bryanbowers.com/

Tim Grimm walks the fine line between folk and country, while maintaining a strong footing in tradition. We hear the rural rumblings that have shaped his life, but we are also invited in to a bigger picture, as evident in so much of his work. Critics searching for comparisons most often cite Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie and (Nebraska era) Bruce Springsteen.

Tim’s songs are full of the rural scratch experiences that have shaped his life—rich with descriptive details, and sung with warmth and intimacy—recognizing the inextinguishable national romance with the idea of the family farm and its conflict with the vanishing landscape of rural America. Tim is an award-winning songwriter, and actor on stage and screen. 

After several years working in Los Angeles (where he co-starred for 2 seasons on the NBC drama Reasonable Doubts and appeared in several films), Tim returned home to Indiana.  He grew up in the woods and small town settings of southern Indiana, son of schoolteachers and grandson of farmers, and his return home was a conscious choice to live a life of significance rather than one of “success”. He now lives with his wife and sons on an 80 acre farm close to where he grew up.

See more of Tim here: http://www.timgrimm.com