Fiddler’s Green Archives

This is an archive of past Fiddler’s Green Coffeehouses. Peruse these pages to get a view of the artists that graced Fiddler’s in past Events. Also, if you attended one of these coffeehouses and want to know more about a performer you saw there, check the announcement for that month. You’ll find brief write-ups of the scheduled artists, and usually links to one or more websites that contain more information.

May 20, 2023

DIEDRE MCCALLA     Deidre McCalla doesn’t merely take the stage – she owns it. Her songs embody hope and celebration, struggle, loss, and longing – sometimes all in one song! A dreadlocked singer-songwriter for close to five decades,  Deidre McCalla – Black woman, mother, lesbian, feminist – has long been in the forefront of Black artists reconfiguring perceptions of how Black folk do folk. Deidre McCalla is riding high on the success of her latest release Endless Grace, which dominated the June 2022 Folk Radio Charts as the #1 Album with the #1and #3 songs and finished for the year as the #13 Top Album. PopMatters, Rhythms Magazine, and the Folk Alley Listener Favorites Poll ranked Endless Grace one of the 10 Best Folk albums for 2022 and 2023. Deidre’s song Shoulder To The Wheel won the 19th Annual International Acoustic Music Award for Best Folk/Americana/Roots Song. Deidre McCalla’s powerful songwriting reveals an unyieldingly honest perspective expressed with a lyric touch that fearlessly celebrates the power and diversity of the human spirit. Sing Out! names Deidre one of our generation’s most important singer-songwriters. Deidre McCalla has touched audiences from Maui to Maine, church basements and college coffeehouses to Carnegie Hall. In 2021 Deidre was recognized with the SERFA Award from the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance for distinguished service and exceptional contributions to folk music in the Southeast region of Folk Alliance International. http://www.deidremccalla.com

NICHOLAS EDWARD WILLIAMS                                                                                                       Host of the popular roots music history podcast American Songcatcher, Nicholas Edward Williams is a multi-instrumentalist and storyteller who is dedicated to “playing it forward” by preserving the songs and styles that have shaped our country: ragtime, Piedmont blues, traditional folk, old time and early country. Williams has spent the last 15 years touring around the US, the UK, Western Europe and Australia, blending the roots music spectrum in his own style. He’s opened for Taj Mahal, The Wood Brothers, Dom Flemons, CAAMP, John Paul White, Town Mountain, John Craigie, Rachel Baiman and Lucy Daucus, and has performed at festivals on three continents.   William’s debut record As I Go Ramblin’ Around made the International Folk Radio DJ Charts in 2019 with the #6 Top Album, #7 Top Song. His critically acclaimed sophomore release Folk Songs For Old Times’ Sake, unveiled in November of 2021, has been heralded by the likes of Grammy-winning musician David Holt, who said: “With tasteful guitar arrangements and a voice that draws you right in, Nicholas’ recordings roll along like a mountain stream.”  Williams has his own brand of satire, simple honesty, and vivid imagery that translates into energetic live shows, harnessing rhythmic fingerpicking, soaring vocals, rolling harmonica, heart-thumping stomp box and charismatic whistling. All of which is backed with engaging descriptions and infectious personality between songs.  https://nicholasedwardwilliams.com/

April 15, 2023

BLACKFOOT DAISY     Blackfoot daisies are hearty wild flowers that grow on the prairies of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. You can find them growing naturally in the Texas Blackland prairie, which runs from the Red River to the Texas-Oklahoma border. Blackfoot Daisy is a humble trio (sometimes duo) that plays original, Americana-style music. Based in the Atlanta metro area, they describe themselves as “a little haunted by the prairie, the wind, the shifting of tall grasses, the sound of crickets, and a lonesome train whistle drifting through the night.” The group consists of: Don Sechelski – guitar, vocals, songwriting. Don has been writing and performing music for over 30 years,  from Atlanta to New Orleans to Chicago and back to Atlanta still chasing the buffalo. Wendy DuMond – guitar, vocals, songwriting. Wendy has the soul of a poet and the vision of an artist. From Montana, through Oklahoma, to New York and back to Atlanta, she follows the bucking horse moon. Tom Wolf – guitar, mandolin, vocals, songwriting. Tom has played so many venues around the city of Atlanta, it would be easier to list places he hasn’t played. Quick with a joke or a sizzling riff, Tom is the stick that stirs the drink. http://www.blackfootdaisymusic.com

FRICTION FARM                                                                                                       The modern-folk duo Friction Farm is a husband-and-wife team of internationally traveling troubadours. Aidan Quinn and Christine Stay combine storytelling, social commentary and humor to create songs of everyday life, local heroes, and quirky observations. From ballads to anthems, each song is filled with harmony and hope. Friction Farm’s lyrically rich, harmony-driven songs have earned them spots as Kerrville New Folk Finalists and Falcon Ridge Emerging Artists. They are winners of the South Florida Folk Festival songwriter competition and have performed as official showcase artists at Regional Folk Alliance Conferences. Friction Farm feels at home on the road and on stage. Audiences lean into their stories, laugh at their humor, are inspired to do a little good in the world, and sing along once in a while. Aidan and Christine read. A lot. Friction Farm released a CD of songs inspired by books and continue to use books as a source of inspiration. In order to help promote a love of reading and promote literacy among children under age ten, Friction Farm has also written and recorded a collection of songs inspired by children’s books. He’s from Berkeley CA, she’s from Woodstock NY. When not touring Aidan does some woodworking and Christine bakes. They have a big garden and a small orchard at the sustainable home they designed and built in South Carolina. That they bother to garden though away from home half the year tells you all you really need to know about these two. Once upon a time they had the sort of careers their parents could brag about. Aidan has a degree in geology and managed to put people first in his corporate career. Christine was once a materials engineer but much prefers studying the molecular bonds of words and music. https://frictionfarm.com/about/

March 18, 2023

REDWINE JAM     Despite its name, Redwine Jam is not a sweet alcoholic concoction suitable for spreading on toast. Still, folk music fans find it appetizing and heady! A performance by the folk band Redwine Jam carries the audience on an emotional rollercoaster complete with high-spirited roots music, wry humor, gripping story songs, love ballads, and the sheer joy of homemade music. Redwine Jam is an Atlanta-based folk music trio comprised of Chris and Carol Moser and Brenda Lloyd. They perform a wide range of North American and Celtic folk songs and tunes, from traditional material to newly written compositions by contemporary folk legends. They accompany their vocals with guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, flute, pennywhistle, bodhran and harp (not all at the same time). For Fiddler’s Green in March, they will mix Irish music with other selections from their eclectic repertoire. Redwine Jam has developed a strong following at coffeehouses, festivals, private parties and other events in the Atlanta area and elsewhere in the Southeast. Whether they’re performing a program of American folk, Celtic, a mixture of both, or their multi-media concert exploring the American Folk Revival, an evening with Redwine Jam is a delectable treat. www.redwinejam.com

THE IRISH BROTHERS                                                                                                     In the early 1960s, long before the rich abundance of top-tier Irish folk recording artists familiar to us today, the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem introduced Irish traditional song to the American Folk Revival. The Irish Brothers are the leading performers carrying on their legacy in the Atlanta area. The Irish Brothers are Sandy “Sandyman” Flynn and “Captain” George Hergen. It’s a unique team – Sandyman comes from the mountains of Western North Carolina with the Captain hailing from the canyons of New York City.  The two started performing together thirty-five years ago when they worked ‘suit’ jobs at IBM. Both draw from their Irish heritage for material, from traditional Irish ballads, to original songs of love, drinking, revolution and redemption. Their music practically maps the Irish cultural integration into the “new country.” Sandy is a former songwriter on Music Row (Tree-Sony/ATV) in Nashville, and toured nationally and internationally with the band Cullowhee for 10 years, sharing the stage with the likes of The Kingston Trio and Jimmy Buffett. George started singing and playing after his first visit to New York’s Greenwich Village in the mid-1960s. George honed his craft by traveling throughout Ireland with the great Tommy Makem.  The team received the name “Irish Brothers” following a performance at The Folk Alliance International in Memphis, Tennessee. They are regulars at Irishfest Atlanta, Fiddler’s Green St. Patrick’s Day celebration and many others. George Hergen https://www.facebook.com/george.hergen  Sandyman Flynn http://redheadscape.com

February 18, 2023

MOCKINGBIRD’S WING     Mockingbird’s Wing is an organically grown acoustic band made up of four diverse musicians: Barbara Hotz is a singer/songwriter with deep roots in Mexico and a love of the old standards. Jonathan McBee is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter out of Chicago IL. If it’s got strings, Jonathan is looking to add it to the Mockingbird sound. Paul Pendery is a Montana/Alaska/Texas singer/songwriter whose songs evoke soulful stirrings and happy feet. Suzy Schultz, when not at her day job as a full-time artist, adds vocals/flute/cello to the Mockingbird sound. Like the mockingbird herself, all the different voices and styles come together for a unique, inimitable  sound that has gained Mockingbird’s Wing a strong following at local coffeehouses and festivals. https://www.facebook.com/people/Mockingbirds-Wing/100066826201735/

CJ JONES AND THE SPIRIT BONES                                                                                                           CJ Jones & The Spirit Bones play original songs that sound like Commander Cody, Mojo Nixon and Hunter S. Thompson had a three-way mutant love child. Their first CD “The Odyssey of Cledus Jeremiah Jones” is a concept album based on the Legend of Appalachian Prophet Cledus Jeremiah Jones. Read the full story at cledusjeremiahjones.com. Link to social media and YouTube at bottom of that page or search any streaming service to preview “CJ Jones & The Spirit Bones” music. The second album follows the Cledus questionable cost benefit analysis during life’s teachable moments – the chill vs. the giddy. Band Leader and songwriter Ted Pettus (alter ego of Cledus) keeps his day job teaching anatomy and neuroscience at Emory University. But his alter ego, Cledus, plays with some of Atlanta’s finest musicians who bring these songs to a new level of funkabilly at notable venues such as Clermont Lounge, Red Light Café, The Earl, Inman Park Festival and Lake Claire Land Trust, to name a few. The group also features Craig Rafuse/guitar, Andy Weiskoff/bass and Doug Landsburg/drums.  Aside from the sound, the album covers (and associated website) have works from several of the south’s finest visionary folk artists.

December 17, 2022

TOM EURE & AMELIA OSBORNE   

The folk duo of Tom Eure & Amelia Osborne offer up a heartfelt fusion of Celtic, Appalachian and spiritual influences that instantly has listeners tapping their toes and singing along. The pair believe in the power of music and art, often combining the two into programming designed to inspire creativity, community and justice. These Charlotte NC music and art scene veterans swirl together fiddles, banjos, mandolins, guitars, bodhráns, and rousing vocal harmonies, painting a musical picture that’s fresh and up-lifting. No Depression Magazine said their music “…comes off as the result of genuine artists pouring old wine into new bottles and making listeners believe.”

With a professional musician pedigree in Cajun, Celtic, Old Time, Rock, Gospel, and Americana, Tom & Amelia create a sound that is new yet familiar, risky yet comfortable, with that rare ability to shine a light on the heart. For this special Fiddlers Green December show expect fun and up-lifting tunes from their Christmas album, A Promise Of Hope (2019) which stands as a timeless celebration of the season. 

 

 BALALAIKA FANTASIE  

The five musicians of Balalaika Fantasie draw their inspiration from their life-long passion for Slavic folk music and their diverse cultural backgrounds. Performing on authentic folk instruments, the Atlanta group’s repertoire includes Slavic, Ukrainian, Gypsy and Jewish folk music.

Angelina Galashenkova-Reed (domra) has toured the world as a soloist with the Andreyev Russian Folk Orchestra of St. Petersburg, performing with them at Carnegie Hall’s 100th anniversary. A virtuoso of the three-string domra, she is a winner of the prestigious “Cup of the North” competition, and holds the title of “Laureate of International Competitions of Professional Folk Artists.” 

David C. Cooper (balalaika, domra, vocals) has been recognized by Slavic virtuosi for his artistry as a balalaika soloist. Pennsylvania-born, Mr. Cooper is an authority on Slavic folk instruments (he plays them all), studied conducting and performance at the Glier Institute of Kyiv, Ukraine, and is the artistic director and conductor of the Atlanta Balalaika Society Orchestra. 

Gregory Carageorge has been a professional contrabass balalaika and string bass player for over 30 years, performing in numerous ethnic music groups such as the Berkeley, CA based Klezmorim and Troika Balalaikas, The Massenkoff Folk Festival, and several very popular touring Greek folk music bands. He was the leader of the house band at New York’s Russian Tea Room, and has appeared with numerous folk, bluegrass, and jazz ensembles.

Natalia Rezvan (tenor domra), before immigrating to the United States in 2008, was concert master for the Folk Instruments Orchestra in Kharkiv, Ukraine. She was a member of that orchestra for 29 years and served as concertmaster for the last 7 years under the direction of Valentina Nikolayevna Belenkaya. 

Kiril Chernoff (alto balalaika, prima balalaika, and vocals) grew up playing prima balalaika with the Atlanta Balalaika Society Orchestra since age 13. He studied balalaika under various professionals both here in Atlanta, Georgia as well as in Kirov, and in his birthplace of St Petersburg. 

All musicians of Balalaika Fantasie are members of the Atlanta Balalaika Society Orchestra.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1815533331926951/ 

November 19, 2022

THE CUNNINGHAM/HENSON DUO

Guitarist Steve Cunningham and bassist Rob Henson formed a “duo of musical gumbo” to express an artistry separate from their careers as in-demand sidemen and session musicians. The Cunningham / Henson duo offers a unique instrumental approach where they present familiar melodies and songs of all styles in a way that sounds fresh, exciting and at the same time understated.

Steve Cunningham
One of the most in-demand guitarists on the Atlanta scene, Steve has played with Grammy winner Susan Tedeschi, long-time members of the James Brown band, and Grammy Award winner William Bell, as well as opening for Jeff Beck, Barenaked Ladies, Kool and the Gang, Dream Theatre, The Four Tops, Chuck Mangione, and Blondie. Steve is a first-call session player, playing on hundreds of local and national CD releases, TV and radio commercials, and movie soundtracks. He has recorded for Coca-Cola, Ford, IBM, Cartoon Network, Microsoft, CNN, NASCAR and others, as well as recording with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Rob Henson
Equally fluent in the musical styles of rock, jazz, bluegrass and classical, bassist Rob Henson has performed with an incredible diversity of artists such as The Who, Vince Gill, Shawn Mullins, the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, David Ryan Harris, The Atlanta Ballet, The Drifters, and Broadway tours of Wicked and Phantom of the Opera. From 2006 – 2012 Rob recorded and toured the United States with singer/songwriter Corey Smith and played over 150 shows a year.  He has recorded 5 CDs, and opened for acts including ZZ Top, Willie Nelson, Cheap Trick, Snoop Dog, and Merle Haggard. Currently Robert manages and leads the very popular Atlanta trio Lilac Wine, delighting audiences with three voices in harmony performing uniquely arranged songs of all genres and elegantly backed by a driving acoustic guitar and a punchy upright bass.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-henson-04122b49 

 

Rick Diamond

Rick Diamond has always been a writer:  short stories in third grade, co-writing his first structurally sound song, “Follow Me,” in eighth grade with band mate Steve Hagler. (Imagine two kids urging the world to follow them… Where to, the playground?)  In his late teens and early 20s, Rick wrote a few songs for his Illinois rock band. In his 30s he wrote his first novel — long before he had anything worth saying. In his early 40s he wrote his second novel; and then five years later when he got the nerve up to submit it to a New York literary agent he met at a writers’ conference, he landed a deal and lost a deal all within three weeks. Not one to try harder, he turned his hand to screenwriting and knocked out a couple of movie scripts and then a TV pilot. Then wanting to know what happened to those characters, he wrote nine more episodes. During all those years, Rick managed to write more than a hundred songs about love, life, politics, and whatever else at that moment was bothering him.

Rick Diamond has played in venues from Illinois to New York, from Florida to Tennessee, from one Carolina to the next, from Texas to Alabama, and here in Georgia for more than a few years. His songs can be sampled and downloaded at Rick Diamond Reverbnation and listened to in better fidelity at writersroomcafe.com — but only if you have great big studio monitors for speakers on your computer (seriously, don’t do the phone thing).

www.reverbnation.com/rickdiamond 
www.writersroomcafe.com

 

October 15, 2022

THE 4-MAN STRING BAND TRIO

The 4-Man String Band Trio combin​es the vocal and instrumental talents of three seasoned musicians with ties to Atlanta: Charles Absher on guitar, Clark Brown on mandolin and guitar, and George Eckard on guitar, banjo, mandolin, and harmonicas. Their Fiddler’s Green set will include Americana-style original songs by Absher and Eckard. George Eckard’s 2021 CD release Love the Land and Charles Absher’s 2018 CD release This Garden of Sunshine and Rain showcase their songwriting talents.

Since its inception in 2019, the group has appeared at various venues in the area, including Waller’s Coffee Shop, Lena’s Place, and Intown Coffee House, and at Woodlands Garden, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Briarlake Forest Park, and Frazier-Rowe Park. They also have played at the Central Dekalb Senior Center and a number of area retirement communities and were the subject of an article in Senior Living magazine in 2021.
https://www.facebook.com/4ManStringBand/ 

 

VERONIKA JACKSON

Veronika Jackson started her music career singing in school choirs at the age of ten. She was raised by a musically influenced family in St. Petersburg, Florida. In her teens, her love for acoustic folk and R&B music grew as she followed such artists as Odetta, Dolly Parton, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Joan Baez, Ella Fitzgerald, and, later, Diamond Teeth Mary, a blues performer who inspired many folk artists through her performances at the Florida Folk Festival.

Veronika has combined acoustic folk music and R&B to create her own unique music.  She has shared her musical talents with audiences at venues and festivals throughout the South and Northeastern states and across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Woman I Am, her latest CD, is a compilation of her original compositions and some favorite songs she enjoys performing. Her reputation as an entertainer and consummate artist continues to grow.  Her stage presence and sound have a sincerity that will grace your heart.  Her performances take you to another place and time.

Critics have called Veronika’s appeal 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 an old spiritual – entertains and brings joy and hope to people’s lives.
https://veronikajackson.com/ 

 

September 17, 2022

Hailed as a “Celtic guitar god” by Baltimore City Paper and “one of the best folk instrumentalists in the business” by Sing Out! Magazine, Robin Bullock is one of the preeminent acoustic music masters of our time.

His virtuosity on guitar, cittern, and mandolin blends the ancient melodies of the Celtic lands, their vigorous American descendants, and the masterworks of the Baroque and Renaissance eras into one powerful musical vision. The 17th-century harp tunes of legendary Irish bard Turlough O’Carolan, the spirited jigs and reels of rural Ireland, the haunting ballads of the southern Appalachians, and the timeless compositions of Bach, Dowland, and Francesco da Milano all find a musical common ground in Robin’s music, where lightning-fast fingerwork one moment is perfectly balanced with tender, quiet intimacy the next. A warm, friendly presence onstage, Robin effortlessly creates a magical world for the audience with his multi-instrumental wizardry, taking them on an unforgettable journey into the deep heart’s core and through the music of the spheres.
https://robinbullock.com/ 

August 20, 2022

ALEX COMMINS & TODD PRUSIN

Alex Commins and Todd Prusin are well-known in the Atlanta music scene. Alex was an original member of AAFFM and has played for years in bluegrass groups, including 15 years with The Sorghum Syrup Soppers Old-Time String Band. He has also played in many diverse musical situations, from the Galax Old-Time Fiddler’s Convention to rock and roll bands. Todd started out drumming in high school bands and has since played professionally as a drummer, guitarist, and bassist. He has played various Atlanta venues with such bands as Charm School, Stickfight, The Barrow Boys, Prusin Reep Jones, The Serenaders, The Porch Bottom Boys, and Suspicious Package.

Alex and Todd met at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch in the Ohio River Valley. The love and respect for music that was germinated blossomed into a musical embrace here in Atlanta, an embrace that seems to grab and include those within earshot. The interplay between Alex’s acoustic fingerpicking and Todd’s melodic bass guitar has garnered very positive notices.

 

 

GEORGIA GRASS

Georgia Grass is one of the longest-running and most venerable bluegrass bands in Georgia. Founded in 1973 by guitarist Dan Daniel, Georgia Grass has played many bluegrass festivals throughout Georgia and the Southeast, as well as various clubs and private events in and around Atlanta. In 1976 Georgia Grass was chosen to play for the grand opening of the Georgia World Congress Center. Today Georgia Grass is still going strong as a local bluegrass powerhouse. Its three members have all been inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.

Band leader Dan Daniel plays acoustic guitar and sings lead vocals on most of their songs. Dan is the President of the Southeastern Bluegrass Association and a lifetime member of the Bonded Brothers of Bluegrass. His awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta Society of Entertainers and the Fiddlin’ John Carson Award for his contributions to the music industry in the State of Georgia.

James McKinney is considered one of the world’s foremost masters of the five-string banjo. James has played both on stage and in recordings with great artists such as Bill Monroe, Vassar Clements, and John Hartford, among many others. He received the Musician’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta Society of Entertainers in 2018. Niki Portmann plays upright bass and also sings vocals. She is an accomplished and respected bass artist of many years. Niki was awarded the Musician’s Lifetime Achievement Award by the Atlanta Society of Entertainers in 2018.

Georgia Grass is a modern bluegrass band with roots deep in traditional bluegrass and Americana folk but with a refreshing and modern take on many traditional favorites as well as original works.

 

July 16, 2022

JOHN CABLE & THE GEORGIA MOUNTAIN STRING BAND

John Cable is a veteran musician who began his career in the late 60s. After serving as lead guitarist and vocalist for Texas country rock pioneers Colours, John became a member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In 1977 they became the first American band in history to perform in the Soviet Union. John became the first American to lecture at the Moscow Conservatory of Music on the history of Western Blues and Rock music.

John has performed on The Tonight Show, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, The Midnight Special, Austin City Limits and the Grand Ole Opry. He has performed in some of the great concert venues, as well, including Wolftrap, Carnegie Hall and Red Rocks. John is currently playing and touring with John McEuen and The String Wizards.

John is excited to be bringing the Georgia Mountain Stringband to accompany him at Fiddler’s Green. Formed in 2015 by Jason Waller, the Georgia Mountain Stringband has quickly become one of the leading original Bluegrass acts in the Southeast. The group was recently voted Best Bluegrass Band in Atlanta for 2019 by Creative Loafing readers.The 5-piece is stacked with Waller on guitar, David Stephens on banjo, Brendan Held on fiddle, Eddie Kesler on mandolin and Robert Green on upright bass.
www.johncable.com
https://pleaserock.com/tribute/georgia-mountain-string-band/

JIM CULLITON & CLEAR CREEK

The multi-instrumental gifted talent of Jim Culliton has delighted Fiddlers Green audiences for many years. In Clear Creek, Jim’s mandolin, fiddle and vocals share the stage with Joel Glogowski (upright bass) and Russell Weeks (guitar/vocals). This high-energy trio offers an eclectic blend of different genres, mixing instrumental improvisation with traditional sounds and vocals.

Jim has played at the Fox Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Hall, and many other concert venues. He was one of the early innovators in the New String Acoustic Movement – incorporating jazz, bluegrass, world music, rock, classical, and vocals. With the formation of Clear Creek, he leads a trio that continues to deliver a truly innovative, entertaining, and dynamic acoustic sound. 

jimcullitonmusic.com
Facebook: Jim Culliton & Clear Creek

 

June 18, 2022

THE REEL SISTERS

The Reel Sisters offer an intimate performance of tunes and stories from the Celtic lands and Appalachia. Harp, pipes, whistle, and voice combine to create a magical Celtic soundscape full of both joy and mystery.

The Reel Sisters are a duo steeped in the musical tradition of Scottish harp and smallpipes. Piper Rosalind Buda and harpist Kelly Brzozowski share lifetimes of experience in the traditional music community and the technical expertise of classical training. A duo since 2018, The Reel Sisters have performed stage shows, festivals, and house concerts from New Mexico to New York. They have been heard multiple times on Pan Harmonia’s Celtic Corner Series and have been featured at the acclaimed Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC, the Red Clay Theater in Duluth, GA, and the Atlanta Celtic Christmas concert at the Rialto. Rosalind and Kelly are professional educators as well as performers and are in demand as clinicians at harp and bagpipe workshops across the US.

The Reel Sisters’ music is uplifting, stirring, and just sweet fun. Their approachable, lighthearted personalities create a unique and intimate musical experience that connects them deeply with the spirit of the music and with their audiences.

reelsistersmusic.com

HARM’S WAY

Harm’s Way began back in the 1970s. Scot Boze, Dennis Keefe, and Harmon Koeltz had been playing guitar-driven music at each other’s homes, parties, and the like when they began playing an after-hours place called Little Annie Fannies. They split $7.50 a night and dined on chili, spaghetti, and milkshakes, which was about all the place had to offer. A patron one evening heard them and must have liked them, as he offered them a gig at Billy Lothridge’s Taco Kid in Sandy Springs. They needed a name to go up on the marquee, and Dennis named the group Harm’s Way. The pay was better, and they had beer!

More parties, and even more practice followed. Dennis was a jock at WPLO-FM and had access to the studio where we could go on the weekends or after hours and record our music. More parties and jams followed. Then they got serious and started contacting venues and began performing. Through the years, new members joined the group while others left, mostly to return. They were now playing coffee shops, wineries, restaurants, corporate events, private events, festivals, and all the local monthly concert series, including Fiddler’s Green. They perform with conviction, a sense of humor, and rich harmonies. While they don’t take themselves too seriously, they do take the music very seriously and feel it is to be enjoyed and shared. They are available for house concerts, yacht christenings, shuttle launch parties, etc. and would love to play your next event.

On a somber note, Scot’s last performance was right here in February of 2020, just before the pandemic. He was taken by Covid that summer. The line-up for Fiddler’s Green will be Phil Griffin, Barbara Hotz, Jonathan McBee, Harmon Koeltz, and making her debut with the group, Liz Bradley.

 

May 21, 2022

THE RESONANT ROGUES

Asheville, North Carolina’s genre hopping songwriters, The Resonant Rogues, have been winning over audiences worldwide with their signature blend of string band music since 2013. Following their musical inspirations from the Appalachian mountains to the Balkans, through Paris by way of New Orleans, their original songs speak to the heart with poetic lyrics, and appeal to the ears with stellar musicianship and arrangement.

www.theresonantrogues.com

CHARLEY WOODS

A Nashville native, recording artist Charley Woods is making a lasting impact on the music mecca she calls home. With her instantly identifiable voice and her stylistic blend of contemporary folk and Americana, she is in a league all her own. She has performed and collaborated with many talented and influential figures in today’s country music including Brad Paisley, Chris Young, David Nail, Wil Nance, Mark Nesler, and many more. Since releasing her second single “Half The Girl.” Charley has proven herself as one of Nashville’s must-watch artists.

Charley last performed at Fiddler’s Green in January 2019. She has been garnering attention and praise since high school, at none other than the prestigious Nashville School of the Arts. Already a mainstay in the Nashville songwriters’ community, Charley’s dream is to share her songs with the world.

www.charleywoods.com

 

April 16, 2022

CLAUDIA NYGAARD

Claudia Nygaard is a mesmerizing storyteller and a cinematic lyricist who writes songs that are heartfelt, humorous, scrappy, and sensual, And she does so with a daredevil’s vulnerability and a complete lack of self-censorship. Nygaard, with her powerful, resonant, and deeply emotive amber honey voice, is a master at putting a tear in your eye with a song that breaks your heart; and then with a quick wit and an outlandish sense of humor, she’ll replace it with tears of laughter.

Claudia is a quick witted and charismatic performer, with a twinkle in her eye that convinces everyone in her audience that she is sharing a secret with them alone. And her storytelling doesn’t end when the song does. Sharing both the inspiration behind the tunes, and also frequently creating outlandish, irreverent, and humorous monologues, her patter is as important a part of her performances as the songs themselves.

Building on the craft she learned while a staff songwriter on Nashville’s Music Row, she has won numerous awards including the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival Songwriting Competition, and with the title cut of her latest album “Lucky Girl”, the Tumbleweed Music Festival Songwriting Competition. “Lucky Girl” charted at #3 on the Folk Alliance Radio song chart and #5 on the album chart, and it gave her a significant debut on the Americana chart. It also received impressive reviews from the press. Legendary folk music magazine “Sing Out” claimed the songs “rival the likes of Guy Clark or Ian Tyson.”
www.claudinygaard.com

BLACKFOOT DAISY

Blackfoot daisies are hearty wild flowers that grow on the prairies of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. You can find them growing naturally in the Texas Blackland prairie, which runs from the Red River to the Texas-Oklahoma border. Blackfoot Daisy is a humble trio (sometimes duo) that plays original, Americana style music. Based in the Atlanta metro area, they describe themselves as “a little haunted by the prairie, the wind, the shifting of tall grasses, the sound of crickets, and a lonesome train whistle drifting through the night.”

The group consists of:
Don Sechelski – guitar, vocals, songwriting. Don has been writing and performing music for over 30 years. From Atlanta to New Orleans to Chicago and back to Atlanta still chasing the buffalo. Wendy DuMond – guitar, vocals, songwriting. Wendy has the soul of a poet and the vision of an artist. From Montana, through Oklahoma, to New York and back to Atlanta, she follows the bucking horse moon.; Tom Wolf – guitar, mandolin, vocals, songwriting. Tom has played so many venues around the city of Atlanta, it would be easier to list places he hasn’t played. Quick with a joke or a sizzling riff, Tom is the stick that stirs the drink.
www.blackfootdaisymusic.com

March 19, 2022

The Colcannon Society

The Irish Brothers

 

 

 

February 15, 2022

The Moon and You

The Moon and You is a charismatic husband-and-wife team based in Asheville NC.  Melissa Hyman plays cello, Ryan Furstenberg plays guitar and banjo, and both sing in “voices that sound like they were made for one another” (Bill DeYoung, Connect Savannah).  At once excitingly inventive and cozily familiar, the Moon & You has crafted a sound all their own.

Furstenberg and Hyman mix up a fresh blend of influences from very different backgrounds. Melissa grew up in the NYC area studying classical cello. Ryan was born and raised among the Eastern NC tobacco fields, learning classic country and 70s rock on harmonica and then guitar. His rich country baritone and easy Southern style bring an undeniable Americana flavor to the table.  

Together, the two form a sound that is warm and inviting, atmospheric and playful. Each is a well developed songwriter with a distinctive voice, and their songs range in style from classic to quirky.   their ever-evolving output encompasses a wide range of American roots music. Live on stage they are 100 percent themselves — funny, charming and slightly odd; communing with their audiences, warts and all.   Their performances evoke joyful eruptions of laughter, occasional tears, and moments of breathless awe. 

Photo: EvokeEmotion Photography

www.themoonandyou.com 

Harm’s Way

Harm’s Way performs with rich harmony, conviction, and a sense of humor. While the group has been together more than ten years, some of the members have been performing together all of their adult lives. Their music is influenced by several genres: roots, Americana, folk, blues, and more.  For this performance Harm’s Way includes Harmon Koeltz on lead vocals and guitar, Scot Boze on vocals, and Jonathan McBee, bass player for Mockingbird’s Wing.

This acoustic driven group relies on tight harmonies, thoughtful songs and lyrics, and a belief that the music should be shared. These guys have fun performing and can be found at festivals, private events, restaurants, coffee shops, corporate events, and church functions.  The core members of this group have been playing music together since before Woodstock. They have fun playing, check their egos at the door, and – while they take music very seriously – don’t take themselves seriously at all!

www.reverbnation.com/harmonkoeltz

 

 

January 18, 2020

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker

December 21, 2019

Four Shillings Short

November 16, 2019

Dana Cooper

Dana Cooper has logged millions of miles as a renowned songwriter and story teller. This song poet engages and inspires audiences around the world with his quick wit, insightful stories and commanding presence. He has performed on Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage and the Kerrville Music Festival, where he was nominated for their Hall of Fame. Dana’s songs have been recorded by top-notch artists such as bluegrass star Claire Lynch and Irish vocalist Maura O’Connell. His mixture of flat-picking, finger-picking and percussive strumming style is legend among other guitarists.

Dana was awarded the Spirit of Folk Award by Folk Alliance International, and he is the recipient of the 2014 Heritage Series Musician Award for his contributions to the Kansas City’s musical heritage. Dana released his 26th CD Incendiary Kid on Travania Records in 2017.

“Innovative, eclectic and unforgettable.” Heather Johnson, Performing Songwriter

“Dana, still full from last night’s show. I was sitting there listening to your songs thinking, I’m in the room with one of the best living songwriters in the world. Your brilliance took us all on a ride into the ineffable parts of existence. I can’t thank you enough! What a night.”  Minton Sparks

www.danacoopermusic.com

 

 

Friction Farm

Modern-folk duo Friction Farm is a husband and wife team of traveling troubadours. Aidan Quinn and Christine Stay combine storytelling, social commentary and humor to create songs of everyday life, local heroes, and quirky observations.

They have toured internationally and have been Kerrville New Folk Finalists, Falcon Ridge Emerging Artists, and South Florida Folk Festival Songwriter winners. Friction Farm’s latest CD So Many Stars, which reached #6 on the Folk Chart, was inspired by their travels across the country witnessing the collision of strong political polarity with personal kindness, the intersection of fragility and breathtaking beauty. From ballads to anthems, each song is filled with harmony and hope.

He’s from Berkeley CA, and she’s from Woodstock NY. When not touring, Aidan enjoys woodworking and Christine bakes. They have a big garden and a small orchard at the sustainable home they designed and built in South Carolina.

“infectiously hummable tunes.”  New Times Magazine Miami FL

“intricate harmonies which are reminiscent of 1960s classics with a modern twist.”  Sun Journal New Bern NC

“They were utterly charming. Their well-written songs cover a wide gamut and their delivery is spot on. They should be much better known.”  Rich Warren, Host WFMT’s Folk Stage and Midnight Special

http://frictionfarm.com

October 19, 2019

Jefferson Ross

Southern folk artist Jefferson Ross is a songwriter, singer, guitar slinger and painter weaving stories for the ears and the eyes. Based in The Peach State, Jefferson travels throughout the U.S. and Europe performing his original music, and he displays his art at festivals and galleries across the South.

For years Jefferson lived in Nashville playing for recording artists including Canada’s Entertainer of the Decade, Terri Clark, and sharing the stage with country music greats such as George Strait, Toby Keith and Vince Gill. He worked as a staff writer for a number of publishers on Music Row including Curb Music, one of the top music publishers in the world. In 2010 he returned to live in Georgia with his wife and daughter.  He maintains a home and office in Nashville as well.

An evening with Jefferson Ross is a homespun southern experience that you’re unlikely to forget.

www.jeffersonross.com

 

The Rough & Tumble

The Rough & Tumble are as easy to detect as a stray dog on your doorstep– and as difficult to send home. The dumpster-folk, thriftstore-Americana duo, consisting of Mallory Graham & Scott Tyler, have been hobbling around the country in their 16-foot camper since 2015. They picked up a couple of actual strays along the way– two 100-pound dogs, Puddle & Magpie Mae– and have been making themselves at home in living rooms, bars, theaters, and festivals across the country. They’ve been recognized as a Feature Showcase Artist at 2018 SERFA, and a 2018 honorable mention for the Listening Room Network.

Since their start in 2011, The Rough & Tumble have been writing illustrative songs, arranging each with a menagerie of instruments ranging from acoustic guitars to mailbox snares to a banjulele.  “Their Americana music is restorative, their performance highly entertaining, their orchestra of unusual instruments intriguing, and… jokes and stories are worthy of an HBO special.” (Linda Bolton, Cozy Cabin House Concerts).

The stray folkies are as industrious as they are scrappy, releasing five EPs and two albums in their eight years. Their 2018 release, We Made Ourselves a Home When We Didn’t Know, brought the listener to the road and the road to their home — an album “as cozy, comfortable and inviting as a well-worn couch” (Bill Kopp, Mountain Xpress).  All this in addition to their weekly livecast, a monthly blog, a Cook & Color Book, a food blog, 2018 SERFA Official Showcase Artist, and playing upwards of 150 shows a year.

The Rough & Tumble released their new studio album Howling Back at the Wounded Dog, on September 6, 2019.

www.theroughandtumble.com

 

September 21, 2019

Michael Jonathan

Folksinger Michael Johnathon has a long-standing career in the arts as a songwriter, musician, author, playwright, composer of the opera Woody: For the People, and host of the live audience broadcast of the WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour. The show has a radio audience of more than two million listeners each week on 500 public radio stations, public television coast-to-coast, American Forces Radio Network in 173 nations, and now Friday evenings on RFD-TV.

Michael helped organize the national WoodSongs Front Porch Association to help organize rural and community music and a massive educational program. Members of the WFPA are called “SongFarmers.” His 14th album release, MoonFire, comes on the heels of Mousie HiWay: The Adventures of Banjo Mouse in Appalachia, his fully illustrated book that introduces bluegrass music to kids. The MoonFire CD is a 23-song album in honor of the banjo.

Michael released three new projects this year: the CD Dazed & Confuzed, the book WoodSongs 4 and the orchestrated concert tour Songs of Rural America.

In addition to his albums, books, concerts and other projects, the Martin Guitar Company introduced the Michael Johnathon signature model 0000-28s “WoodSongs Quad” guitar.

Michael lives in a log cabin on a hill surrounded by meadows, streams and woods outside of Lexington, Kentucky.

www.michaeljohnathon.com

Blackfoot Daisy

Blackfoot Daisy is a popular local trio comprised of Don Sechelski, Jim Kirkland, Wendy DuMond. They write and perform songs about love, loss, family, horses, dogs, and “things we have yet to ask for forgiveness for.” By day Don is an educator, and Wendy works for a law firm. Don and Wendy met on a songwriter website message board and started writing songs together. Jim Kirkland rounded out the trio with his jazzy multi-instrumentalism, and the result is Blackfoot Daisy.

Blackfoot Daisy formed in 2012 when long-time collaborators and songwriters Wendy and Don decided to begin performing together on a regular basis. Don spent most of his early childhood in Texas and Wendy hails from Montana but grew up in Oklahoma. They chose to name the band after a deer, drought, and pest-resistant prairie flower.

Don is a 30-plus year native of the Atlanta music scene and has also worked as a studio musician. Don has been a regular on the Atlanta coffeehouse/acoustic music scene since the old Freight Room days. He has played venues such as the Dogwood Festival, Hungry Ear Coffeehouse, Lena’s Place and many more.

Wendy began writing songs and performing in 2009. She released a solo EP in 2012. Wendy’s songs have been featured on the Women of Substance radio podcast. Her song Catching Fireflies was used as music for a book trailer to promote All Bears Need Love, a children’s book about interracial adoption.

Blackfoot Daisy has played Smith’s Old Bar, Steve’s Live Music, the Red Light Café and many other local Atlanta live music venues. The band has opened for Nashville songwriter Kurt Fortmeyer, The Rosin Sisters, Copper into Steel, Vientos Del Pueblo, and Little Country Giants, to name a few. They have also performed at Snellville Days, the Chastain Park Arts Festival, the Duluth Fall Festival, the Little 5 Arts Alive Concert series, and Oakhurst Porchfest.

The band released a three-song EP in 2015 and is currently working on a full-length album.

http://www.blackfootdaisymusic.com

August 17, 2019

David Leinweber

David Leinweber has performed widely at festivals, concert venues and clubs for years, including international appearances abroad where he was dubbed “The Flatpicking Professor.” He has also performed widely in refined higher-educational settings like bars and honky-tonks, to say nothing of numerous universities, civic groups and college campuses. He has placed in numerous flatpicking, fingerpicking and songwriting competitions. 

David’s repertoire ranges from traditional music of Appalachia and the British Isles, to Spanish ballads, to folkadelic rock and acoustic blues. Many of his songs tell compelling stories and feature distinctive idioms of guitar-playing and songwriting. But most of all, he’s just out to entertain and have a good time.  His performances intersperse intricate guitar work and vocals with joke-cracking and occasional commentaries – a good fit for audiences of all stripes and tastes.

Just Be’Cause

Jerry Brunner, Bruce Gilbert and Cyndi Craven are Just Be’Cause … just don’t ask them why.

Jerry Brunner and Cyndi Craven, long-time members of the Atlanta acoustic/folk music scene, have been performing together since the 1980’s.  In 2007, they met up with Bruce Gilbert when he moved to Atlanta from California where he’d been wowing the music scene there for years.  The music they produce together is the result of profound friendship, heaping helpings of creativity, and decades of playing, singing and writing together and on their own. Their shows have been described by fans as an evening of “comfort music” with vocal “harmonies that will roll your socks down.” Come hear for yourself!More at: https://www.reverbnation.com/brucegilbert and  https://www.reverbnation.com/cyndicraven

July 20, 2019

The Radio Rangers

The Radio Rangers are an Americana band based in Atlanta. Their original music connects with the heartland of America – stories about small towns, railroads, love, broken hearts and life’s special moments. The music is melodic with an emphasis on vocal harmony and an old timey feel. The band is influenced by John Prine, Towns Van Zandt, Blaze Foley and Bob Dylan. It’s comprised of Dan Foster (vocals, guitar), Mark Ewald (vocals, guitar), and Tom Molloy (percussion).

Dan Foster is the songwriter and leader of the band. A seasoned lead guitarist, his song writing led to the creation of The Radio Rangers in 2014. “I try to write songs that people can emotionally connect with. Songs about love, heartbreak, growing up and railroads. The goal is to paint a picture with a good story and melody. It’s very special when people like what you have created.” Dan grew up in Michigan (too cold), moved to Florida (too hot) and moved to Atlanta in 1989 (just right).

Mark “the ear” Ewald is the musical director. Being friends for over 20 years, Dan says he has never known anyone who can arrange a song, moving in exactly the right direction the way Mark does. Mark’s nickname comes from his vocal harmony abilities but he is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, piano, mandolin, bass guitar, banjo, harmonica and drums. (not all at the same time). Mark is from Buffalo, New York and still loves hot-wings.

Tom Molloy is the drummer/percussionist for the group. Tom is the glue that holds everything together while adding that special energy to the songs. Tom’s sense of humor always keeps things loose making even the ordinary much more fun. Tom grew up in Queens, New York which will become apparent when you speak with him. (what accent?) Just don’t tell him he looks like Rodney Dangerfield.

https://www.theradiorangers.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theradiorangers

Redwine Jam

Despite its name, Redwine Jam is not a sweet alcoholic concoction suitable for spreading on toast. Still, folk music fans find it appetizing and heady! A performance by the folk band Redwine Jam carries the audience on an emotional roller coaster complete with high-spirited roots music, wry humor, gripping story songs, love ballads, and the sheer joy of homemade music.

Redwine Jam is an Atlanta-based folk music trio comprised of Chris and Carol Moser and singer Brenda Lloyd. They perform a wide range of North American and Celtic folk songs and tunes, from traditional material to newly written compositions by contemporary folk legends. They accompany their vocals with guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, flute, pennywhistle, bodhran and harp (not all at the same time).

Redwine Jam has developed a strong following at coffeehouses, festivals, private parties and other events in the Atlanta area and elsewhere in the Southeast. Whether they’re performing a program of American folk, Celtic, a mixture of both, or their multi-media concert exploring the American Folk Revival, an evening with Redwine Jam is a delectable treat.

www.redwinejam.com

June 15, 2019

 

Tina and Her Pony

The Indie Appalachian folk duo Tina & Her Pony originated in Asheville, North Carolina in 2009. Tina Collins (tenor banjo, tenor ukulele, guitar, vocals) and Quetzal Jordan (cello, guitar, vocals) spent two years holed up in the high desert mountain town of Taos, New Mexico, making music and friends.  They became one of the iconic artist colony’s most beloved performing acts.

Tina and Her Pony released their full length, self-titled debut album in March 2012. After touring the U.S. and Canada, they established a new home base in Asheville and began recording their second album, Champion. The album draws inspiration from and meditates on dreams, the subconscious, and death.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Collins grew up listening to such folk legends as Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt and Nick Drake, as well as Appalachian musicians such as Loretta Lynn, The Carter family and Doc Watson.  Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and raised in Tampa FL by her Guatemalan single mother, Jordan spent her young life salsa dancing at family parties and singing hymns in her church choir. She started her classical training at the age of eight and began writing music when 14 years old, largely influenced by Russian Romantic Composers and artists such as Radiohead, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash.

Collins and Jordan’s songwriting incorporates complexities in harmony and arrangement that queer the American folk tradition. Their unique sound draws inspiration from artists such as Nickel Creek, Sarah Jarosz, Gillian Welch and Crooked Still.

tinaandherpony.com

Acoustic Bridge

The Atlanta group Acoustic Bridge will also be making its first Fiddler’s Green appearance. Celia McDermott, Mike Cerra, and Kevin Walsh offer an eclectic set of creative arrangements ranging from Americana to folk to popular, plus their own unique blend of original music.

An early love of singing inspired Celia McDermott to study arranging and vocals at Berklee College of Music. She performed in the Boston, New York, and Atlanta areas for years in various groups, featuring many styles of music. She served several years as an assistant choir director for a vibrant music ministry and spent ten years directing and singing in the a cappella group Cheaper Than Therapy.  Celia has been a featured singer on a number of recordings and has performed with many different musicians in the Atlanta area, crossing genres spanning from jazz to rock to Americana to gospel. For several years she was a featured soloist for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Gospel Choir.

Mike Cerra has been playing and writing “longer than I should probably admit in mixed company,” he says. This talented multi-instrumentalist and singer has performed with several electric bands as well as acoustically for both vocal and solo instrumental music.

Bassist and vocalist Kevin Walsh performs in a wide variety of styles – R&B, rock & roll, folk and Americana. Kevin has recorded and toured in the U.S. and Canada with the acoustic group Windfall. He has done two tours of Ireland with the Americana group Rhythm Road. He is has lived and performed as a singer, guitarist and bassist in the Atlanta area for the last seven years.

Acoustic Bridge Online

May 18, 2019

 

Adam Miller

 

One of the premier autoharpists in the world, Adam Miller is a renowned American folksinger and natural-born storyteller from Oregon. Miller accompanies his rich, resonant baritone voice with lively finger-picking acoustic guitar and stunningly beautiful autoharp melodies. A masterful entertainer who never fails to get his audience singing along, he has distinguished himself as one of the great interpreters of American folksongs and folktales, and as a performer who appeals to audiences of all ages.

George Winston calls him “one of the great autoharpists and folksingers of our times.” Pete Seeger praised his “wonderful storytelling!” The Walnut Valley Festival described his performance as, “An outstanding slice of American folksongs performed with his perfectly suited voice and tasty autoharp accompaniment.” As a concert promoter in Melbourne Beach, Florida, observed, “It will charm even the most die-hard iPod-loving kids or reluctant significant-others.”

Adam began his lifelong pursuit of collecting old songs while still in grade school. Armed with an audio-graphic memory and an uncommonly good ear for melody, his childhood ambition was to learn every song he heard. An accomplished folklorist, historian, and song-collector, he has now amassed a remarkable repertoire of over 5,000 songs.  Miller’s repertoire evokes a by-gone time when entertainment was homemade. A master of the art of storytelling, he skillfully interweaves folksongs and the stories behind them with the elegance of a documentary filmmaker.

Traveling 70,000 miles a year, this 21st-century troubadour performs over 200 concerts annually, from the Everglades to the Arctic Circle.  More than1.5 million American K-12 students have attended his Singing Through History! school assembly programs.  He has performed in more than 2,000 American public libraries in 48 states.

He has recorded six CDs that receive airplay across North America and Europe. His numerous appearances at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival, the Brookdale Bluegrass Festival, the Tumbleweed Music Festival, the California Traditional Music Society’s Summer Solstice Festival, and the Kentucky Music Weekend have made him a national favorite.

Miller’s folk songs and ballads are the songs of America’s heritage: a window into the soul of our nation in its youth.  Frank Hamilton, co-founder of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, former member of the folk quartet The Weavers, and co-founder of Atlanta’s Frank Hamilton School, says, “His performance is truly entertaining and riveting. He’s doing a real service for folk music: defending the treasury of American tradition.”

www.folksinging.org

Mark Dvorak

When Chicago-based singer-songwriter Mark Dvorak began his career in music, he knew right away he was in it for the long haul.  Thirty-four years later he’s still on the road, performing and recording.

“He’s the real deal,” said James Tomasello of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, where Dvorak has been on the faculty for 30 years.  “Mark has made music his life and livelihood. His performances are elegant, rich and powerful. He is one of the Old Town School’s Distinguished Teaching Artists.”

Mark Dvorak is the third son of four, born to a working class family on Chicago’s southwest side. After reading Anthony Scaduto’s biography of Bob Dylan in high school, his interest in American folk music was born. Soon the recordings of Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and Pete Seeger found their way into his collection.  He purchased his first acoustic guitar and enrolled in classes at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music after a summer of touring the country by motorcycle. In 1982 Dvorak borrowed a five string banjo and began teaching himself how to play, mastering the claw-hammer stroke. In 1986 Dvorak joined Old Town School faculty.

In December of 2013, Mark published his first collection of essays and poems, Bowling for Christmas and Other Tales from the Road. The book sold out of its initial printing in nine days and received glowing reviews.

Dvorak has performed in 38 states and in parts of Europe and Canada.  He has released 17 albums and has won awards for journalism and children’s music.  He received the Woodstock Folk Festival Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the Lantern Bearer Award from Folk Alliance International in 2013.  In 2012 WFMT 98.7 FM Midnight Special host Rich Warren named him Chicago’s “official troubadour.”

www.markdvorak.com

 

April 20, 2019

Carla Ulbrich, Professional Smart Alec

Carla Ulbrich is a comical singer-songwriter and guitarist whose biggest musical influences were Sesame Street,
camp songs, and cat food commercials. She has a love of the absurdities
of ordinary life, a somewhat twisted viewpoint, and a way with words.
Her songs cover topics from the mundane to insane: Waffle House,
Klingons, psycho exes, how rich she would be if she had a copyright on
the F-word, and so on.

Carla’s six CDs have been aired on the BBC, Dr. Demento, Sirius XM Radio and NPR.  She also appeared in Sharknado 2 (as a human) and once opened for Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel.

Carla has been performing since the late 90s in venues small and
smaller, from the Clothing Optional Folk Festival to Nashville’s famed
Bluebird Cafe.  She has appeared as a musical guest on the TV shows The Revolution (canceled) and Up All Night with Rhonda
(canceled).  Walk, don’t run, and look both ways before crossing, then
go hear Carla before the venue she is playing in closes up shop.

Carla has been a Fiddler’s Green audience favorite throughout her
career.  “She is very talented, very funny, very personable, and an easy
act to work with. We would be hard pressed to imagine anyone not
enjoying a set,” says our former manager, Seegar Swanson.  “Her
thoughtful and intelligent, clever observations about life, written in
an often wry and humorous manner, are placed over very strong melodies
and guitar work that is recognized as some of the best in her genre.”

Carla has shared the stage with such luminaries as Cheryl Wheeler,
Vance Gilbert, Modern Man, The Bobs, Bob Malone, David Massengill, Lou
and Peter Berryman, The Austin Lounge Lizards, and Rev. Billy C Wirtz.
Other venues she has played include the Falcon Ridge Festival,
Kerrville Folk Festival, Club Med, Eddie’s Attic, The Minstrel and First
Night. We’re delighted to have her back!

http://www.carlau.com/

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March 16, 2019

Will Payne Harrison

Since moving from Louisiana to Nashville, Will Payne Harrison has
toured the South and East coasts, performed at festivals, made radio
appearances, packed out listening rooms, hosted songwriter’s nights and
even co-wrote a song landing in the feature film Black Beauty starring Luke Perry. Harrison’s first single from the album Louisiana Summer, “Clarity,” was featured as a Daily Discovery by American Songwriter magazine.

After its May release East Nashville Blues reached the top
200 on Americana radio charts in 2017.  Harrison is following up the
album with a six-song companion EP of covers with the likes of John
Prine, Hank Williams and Steve Earle, as well as an original track.  Blue is the common thread of the new EP, with each song containing the word in the track.

Here’s what reviewers are saying about East Nashville Blues:
“Easy, clean and humble, this, his follow-up to Louisiana Summer, is well-written but simple.” – Offbeat, New Orleans, LA.
“Harrison
follows in the footsteps of his heroes, telling stories that can make
you smile right before they make you cry. Willie Nelson and John Prine
would be proud.” – Mother Church Pew, Nashville, TN.
“Harrison
has unveiled smooth, sweet vocals to match the heartfelt lyrics on the
new album.” — Herman Fusilier, The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA.

www.willpayneharrison.com

The Irish Brothers

The Irish Brothers may be Atlanta’s most popular and
proficient performers of the beloved genre of traditional Irish music
the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem introduced to the American Folk
Revival.  Sandy “Sandyman” Flynn and “Captain” George Hergen are a
unique team. Sandyman comes from the mountains of Western North
Carolina, while the Captain hails from the canyons of New York City.
The two started performing together 35 years ago when they worked “suit”
jobs at IBM.  Both draw from their Irish heritage for material. Their
music practically maps the Irish cultural integration into the “new
country” – from traditional Irish ballads to original songs of love,
drinking, revolution and redemption.

Sandy is a former songwriter on Music Row (Tree-Sony/ATV) in
Nashville.  He was a founding member of the band Cullowhee, which toured
nationally and internationally for ten years in the 70s and 80s. George
started singing and playing after his first visit to New York’s
Greenwich Village in the mid-1960s.  He honed his craft by traveling
throughout Ireland with the great Tommy Makem. The team received the
name “Irish Brothers” following a performance at The Folk Alliance
several years ago in Memphis, Tennessee.

Sandyman Flynn http://redheadscape.com/

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February 16, 2019

Jim Culliton & Clear Creek Band

Multi-instrumental virtuoso Jim Culliton has been a favorite of Fiddler’s Green audiences for many years.  In the Jim Culliton & Clear Creek Band, his
guitar, mandolin, fiddle and vocals share the stage with Walter Dean’s
dobro and Joel Glogowski’s upright bass.  This high-energy trio offers
an eclectic blend of different acoustic genres, mixing instrumental
improvisation with traditional sounds and vocals.

Jim Culliton has performed throughout Georgia and the Southeast over
the past decade. His philosophy of no stylistic boundaries always keeps
the music fresh and exciting.  Jim has played     at The Fox Theatre,
Symphony Hall, and many other concert venues.  He was one of the early
innovators in the New String Acoustic Movement, incorporating jazz,
bluegrass, world music,   rock, and classical with occasional vocals in
the mix. Put all of this in a high-speed blender and you get a truly
innovative, entertaining, and dynamic musician.  Jim was chosen to be a
Musician in Residence for the National Endowment of the Arts and
Humanities. He’s a former instructor of music at Huntingdon College and
Auburn University (AUM).

Walter Dean is known locally as “dean of the dobro.”  Joel Glogowski
is a highly accomplished upright bass player whose talent graces this
trio and other Atlanta area bands including Caroline & The Ramblers.

The band is in demand at various Atlanta area venues, including the
Pullman in Kirkwood, where they’ll be playing for Sunday brunch January
27, 12-2 pm. http://www.facebook.com/clearcreekatlanta

The Justin Sams Band

The Justin Sams Band was formed in late 2015 as the
result of four friends experimenting with a mixture of original songs
and esoteric covers.  What began as a tentative musical grouping soon
evolved into a unique and refined band that could still approach its
music and performances in the spirit of  open collaboration and genuine
friendship. Drawing inspiration from folk music, country blues,
psychedelic rock, and good old-fashioned storytelling, The Justin Sams
Band defies convenient categorization; however, one might describe the
band’s sound as eclectic-electric-folk-rock.

The band enjoys arranging and performing covers, enabling it to
participate in tribute events such  as Jerry Day at Terminal West and
Bob Dylan Tribute nights at the Red Light Café and the Lake Clare
Community Land Trust.  Yet the band’s greatest musical strength is its
extensive catalog of original material drawn from the independent
efforts of the group’s two songwriters, Tom Spach and Lindsay Petsch.
This unlikely pairing of these writers’ musical backgrounds and styles
has resulted in an interesting and rare counterpoint, one of the
reasons The Justin Sams Band is frequently complemented for musical
variety.  The band’s first album of original material, Ghosts  of the Day, was released in April of 2018.  They’re presently recording their next album, The Miracle Cure, which will be released in the early summer of 2019.

https://www.justinsamsband.com

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January 19, 2019

CHARLEY WOODS

Nashville native Charley Woods
has been garnering attention and praise for her instantly recognizable
voice and stylistic blend of country and Americana since she was in high
school, at none other than the prestigious Nashville School of the
Arts. Already a mainstay in the Nashville songwriters’ community,
Charley’s dream is to share her songs with the world.

Charley has performed and
collaborated with many talented and influential figures in today’s
country music including Brad Paisley, Chris Young, David Nail, Wil
Nance, Mark Nesler, and many more. She appeared
on Good Morning America and world-renown stages such as The Grand Ole
Opry and The Ryman Auditorium – all before the tender age of 18. Her
single Half the Girl
has now claimed the attention of leading music editorials and radio
stations around the world and accumulated more than 5,000 streams on
Spotify.

www.charleywoods.com https://www.patreon.com/charleywoods

THE NEW HARVEY FAMILY SINGERS

The New Harvey Family Singers is
an evolving group of Atlanta troubadours performing contemporary and
traditional music. The band is made up of John Harvey, Seth Langer, Jimi
Cusick and Eryk Fisher.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, John
Harvey appears regularly in the Frank Hamilton School band and brings
previous experience playing with house bands. Atlanta native Eryk Fisher
is a professional basement musician who “sings to walls, plays
harmonica, and strums three chord songs until mama tells me dinner’s
ready.” Seth Langer is an actor, musician, and odd-jobber from Decatur.
He plays at political rallies, weddings, birthdays, funerals — wherever
there’s singing to be done! Jimi Cusick, from Atlanta, brings a musical
background that includes orchestra, rock, and a Beatles cover band. Jimi
loves to challenge himself musically to learn new things and play with
new people as much as possible.

December 15, 2018

JIM SHARKEY

Singer-songwriter Jim Sharkey
is an Irish and Americana folk musician making his second Fiddler’s
Green appearance. Jim grew up in County Roscommon, Ireland. He came to
the U.S. in 1982 after joining the U.S. Navy in London, England. He
spent five years as a photographer on the USS Dixon in San Diego,
California, and ten years working in television and video production in
North Carolina and Maine. He taught children with special needs in
Westbrook, Maine, and Roanoke, Virginia. He currently teaches at The
Arts Based School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and he continues to
play two or three times a month in Virginia, North and South Carolina,
Maryland, and Washington DC, accompanying himself on guitar, harmonica,
and bodhran (Irish drum). Jim’s original songs blend Celtic traditional
ballad influences with contemporary issues that are often set in the
area he resides.

Jim has recorded three CDs: Misty Morning Rain, Sweet Anne’s Road and
Black Is the Color. He’ll include some seasonal songs in his set –
among them, his 2017 release The Christmas Comet.

www.jimsharkeymusic.com

The Clams

The Clams,
an Atlanta-based jazz quintet led by legendary folk/jazz musician Frank
Hamilton, takes its name from the humorous reference to mistakes made
on recordings, a name given to this by Bix Beiderbecke. This
extraordinary band will ring in the New Year a couple of weeks early for
our Fiddler’s Green patrons.

Early jazz emanated from New Orleans. At the end of the Civil War,
band instruments used in military marching bands wound up in pawn shops
throughout the country. In New Orleans African-American musicians found
them and incorporated them into a new marching band dance form called,
in those days, “jass.”

At the same time a section of New Orleans contained sporting houses
of prostitution. Musicians found work in these establishments to
generate that business. As with the name “rock”, “jass” was a euphemism
for sexual activity. Eventually the word’s spelling became “jazz.”
One of these famous sporting houses, Lulu White’s Mahogany Hall, was
presided over by Alderman Story. Hence, the red light area became known
as Storyville. Many great jazz musicians started out in jazz marching
bands and in these houses. The Navy shut these brothels were shut down
in 1915 due to rampant venereal disease, but the music survived.

Alongside the marching bands and the cat house pianists, there were
string bands with guitars, mandolin, banjos and upright basses and horns
in combinations that prevail to this day in the form of what is called a
jazz combo. The Clams carry on this music tradition. Their influences
include the cornet playing of Bix Beiderbecke, the banjo and guitar
stylings of Eddie Lang, and piano styles from Fats Waller to Jelly Roll
Morton. The Clams play and sing this jazz that millions joyfully danced
to from the early 1900s through the 40s.

Five stellar Atlanta musicians comprise the Clams. Bill Rutan is a
legendary tenor banjo player who has traveled over the world playing
with various New Orleans jazz groups and driving every one of them with
his impeccable rhythm and extensive vocal repertoire of songs. L.A.
Tuten is a versatile musician who has recording credits and is known for
being in demand as a local musician; he’s also a former director of
Atlanta’s Marching Abominables. Matt Phillips is a multi-talented
performer who plays cornet in the style of Bix, plays mandolin and works
as an expert repairman of quality violins; he’s also a visual artist
known for his drawings and paintings. Mick Kinney is a master of many
instruments and a swinging jazz style; he’s an accomplished fiddler,
pianist, teacher and musical director. Frank Hamilton’s career spans
many years as a folk and early jazz guitar player and singer; he was
co-founder of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and the Frank
Hamilton School in Atlanta.

www.frankhamiltonschool.org

November 17, 2018

Joe Penland

Joe has been deemed a “cultural treasure” by The Asheville Citizen Times. AAFFM is proud to lure him from “the farm” for his second full-concert appearance at Fiddler’s Green.

Deep in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, there’s a front porch that has been the destination of many folk who love these mountains, their music and their stories. Grammy winners and kids with their first guitar, banjo or fiddle, Hollywood producers, writers, and folk music collectors from all over the world have made their way to the place Joe Penland simply calls “the farm.”

Joe Penland was born and raised in rural Madison County in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. He is the proud steward of twelve generations and over 350 years of the rich oral tradition of his Scottish and English ancestors. From his birth he has listened to and learned the stories and ballads these travelers brought with them across the ocean, then southwest to the narrow coves and high meadows that many consider the richest repository of Great Britain’s folk songs in the world. He inherited the instruments of his grandfather who died long before his birth and was taught to play by his aunts.

Joe was content to continue this tradition in his front room, the porch or campfires of his secluded farm. But eventually his daughter Laurin and lifelong friends Sheila Adams, Mary Eagle and David Holt convinced him to share his life and music with a broader audience. Since then he has appeared at numerous festivals, toured Great Britain eight times, and received the coveted Bascom Lunsford Award (named for his cousin and founder of the longest running folk festival in America) for his “significant contribution to preserving our mountain music.”

We first saw Joe when he captivated a grateful Atlanta audience at the 2012 Emory University symposium “Making Connections: The Celtic Roots of Southern Music,” organized by Prof. James W. Flannery. Joe has recorded four CDs including his latest, The Mary Sands Project, Volume 1.

Determined that folk music includes the present as well as the past, Joe also writes and sings his own songs, which he calls “just more stories of love and life here in the mountains.” Whether singing the traditional ballads of the mountains of western North Carolina or performing his original and stirring folk songs, Joe Penland offers an honesty and power that is a testament to both his unique character and our shared humanity.

October 20, 2018

ALEX HUNNICUTT

With his own signature style, Greenville S.C.-based performing songwriter Alex Hunnicutt serves up blues, R&B and soul (with a little bit of jazz and reggae thrown in as well) in his new album titled Honey. “Honey is the latest release from smooth rock and blues guitarist Alex Hunnicutt. Each one of the album’s eight tracks is endowed with a funky groove that serves to underscore Hunnicutt’s soulful singing and highlight his technical proficiency on the guitar,” according to the Houdini Mansions website.  “As a collection of songs, it is extremely appealing to both pop and light rock sensibilities.” Many diverse listeners from different musical backgrounds have been drawn towards Hunnicutt’s uniquely groovy and rhythmic songwriting style and vocal textures.

Most of the time you’ll find Alex playing solo shows with nothing more than an acoustic guitar (and maybe a loop pedal).  “I love smaller shows because they’re more intimate and you can spend more time connecting with individual people than you can at a larger show where you have to go back and forth between a lot of people.” That’s not to say that you won’t catch him playing at these larger events, festivals, and concert venues with his duo or trio. This past year Hunnicutt has opened for Chase Bryant at The Greer Family festival, Marc Broussard at Downtown Greenville’s Artisphere Festival, and Casey James from American Idol at The Radio Room in Greenville.  He has been a guest celebrity judge and performer at Greer Idol and played hundreds of other shows from Tennessee to Myrtle Beach. He plans on constantly expanding the territories he performs in and expanding on his knowledge of and love for writing music that connects with all kinds of people.

www.alexhunnicutt.com

THE PORCH BOTTOM BOYS

The Porch Bottom Boys, a Decatur group, play bluegrass, newgrass, and other styles seasoned with the diverse backgrounds of their members.  Guitarist and vocalist Steve Gorbatkin was born on the south side of Chicago, and his years in the Windy City left an indelible blues-inflected mark on his singing. Atlanta native Jim Thompson spent time living and working in the coal towns of Virginia, and his experiences as a founding member of the Poetown Ramblers and playing with bluegrass groups in Nashville gives the band its deep bluegrass roots. Mandolinist and vocalist Patrick Jackson hails from Northwest Georgia and adds melodic mandolin and piercing high tenor harmonies to the mix.  From jazz to rockabilly to bluegrass, bassist Joel Glogowski uses his wide musical background and impeccable fashion sense to hold it all down with his rollicking, thumping, good-time beat on the doghouse bass fiddle. Charlie O’Neill rounds out the Boys with his tasty licks on the five-string banjo.

Charlie’s front porch in Decatur gives the band their name and serves as their home base. Long-time band member Denis Gainty was a talented musician and song writer who was an inspiration to all the group and remains so despite his untimely passing in 2017.

The Porch Bottom Boys play in a variety of local venues and have been featured multiple times on WRFG radio. They have also appeared in many nearby festivals, including the Decatur BBQ Blues and Bluegrass Festival, the Decatur Arts Festival, the Oakhurst Arts Festival, and Stomp and Chomp in Cabbagetown.  Committed to the Decatur community, they frequently play for local fundraisers and other programs.

www.porchbottomboys.com

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September 15, 2018

SOUTH FOR WINTER

With elements of gypsy, folk, jazz and blues, the Nashville-based trio South for Winter offers an eclectic sound united by delicate harmonies, intricate guitar work, and earthy vocals.

Four years after meeting in Peru and writing what would later become their first single, Whisper in the Trees, Colorado singer-songwriter Dani Cichon and New Zealand musician Nick Stone officially joined in March 2017 as the duo South for Winter.  With Nashville TN as their home base, the two formed a trio with cellist Alex Stradal and crafted South for Winter’s distinctive sound.

The band released its self-titled debut EP in January 2018.  That led to Nashville’s Lightning 100 radio station naming the trio as a top up-and-coming independent artist in its 2018 Music City Mayhem competition, and it connected the band with the Grammy-nominated producer of their second EP.  The trio released this EP in August and will tour nationally through more than 14 states before returning to Nashville to begin work on their first full-length studio album.

www.southforwintermusic.com

HARM’S WAY

Harm’s Way performs with rich harmony, conviction, and a sense of humor. While the group has been together over ten years, some of the members have been performing together all of their adult lives. Their music is influenced by several genres: roots, Americana, folk, blues, and more. Harm’s Way includes Harmon Koeltz on lead vocals and guitar, Scot Boze on vocals, and Phil Griffin on lead guitar.  For this performance they’ll be joined by Jonathan McBee, bass player for Mockingbird’s Wing.

This acoustic driven group relies on tight harmonies, thoughtful songs and lyrics, and a belief that the music should be shared. These guys have fun performing and can be found at festivals, private events, restaurants, coffee shops, corporate events, and church functions.

The core members of this group have been playing music together since before Woodstock.  They have fun playing, check their egos at the door, and – while they take music very seriously – don’t take themselves seriously at all!

www.reverbnation.com/harmonkoeltz

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August 18, 2018

THE JANUARY DUO

The January Duo was founded in January of 2015 when multi-instrumentalist Payton Scott and classically trained singer Sara Grace Carmical met in high school.Shortly after, Chris Scott, bassist, trumpet player, and Atlanta Symphony Chorus alum (and Payton’s dad) joined up to accompany the Duo. They have enjoyed playing traditional music from all over the world for audiences on two continents.

Sara Grace Carmical has ten years of classical voice training and is currently a sophomore voice and biology major at Emory University. Payton Scott started playing banjo in the ninth grade. Soon after that he expanded to the guitar, accordion, mandolin, bass, Celtic drum, and dulcimer. Payton has honed his craft under the tutelage of Frank Hamilton and Jens Krüger. He currently serves as an instructor at the Frank Hamilton Folk School.

From folk to bluegrass to old-time to gospel and blues, the January Duo look forward to bringing their arrangements of a wide range of classic tunes to their first appearance at Fiddler’ Green.

CJ JONES AND THE SPIRIT BONES

The local band CJ Jones and the Spirit Bones will also make its Fiddler’s Green debut.  The group plays original songs that “sound like Commander Cody, Mojo Nixon and Hunter S. Thompson had a three-way mutant love child with an intellectual edge,” according to Candler Park resident and Emory professor Ted Pettus. the band leader.

Their concept album The Odyssey of Cledus Jeremiah Jones is built around Pettus’s creation, an Appalachian prophet of that name.  Jones’ pronouncements on spirituality (“It ain’t religion if it ain’t got snakes”) and spirits (“Smoke away my memory, drink away my pain”) have attracted an eclectic following in Atlanta’s funky Americana music scene.  Pettus composed the songs.

Four other brilliant musicians put meat on the Spirit Bones:

• Singer/guitarist Craig Rafuse has been performing songs with social significance in 1963  while also playing in dance bands. In addition to the Spirit Bones, he currently appears with Expand Band, Owls and Kahootz.
• Drummer Bobby Andre has played in jazz, blues, rock, pop and country bands. He has recorded with several bands including Glenn Phillips and has toured with Billy Joe Royal, Glenn Phillips and Aviva and the Flying Penguins among others.
• Bassist Andy Weiskoff has played in rock, blues, and contra bands. His musical epiphany came one day at a traffic light while listening to a Baroque string quartet, when a car playing hip-hop pulled up beside him, and the two musical selections merged seamlessly!
• Keyboard player Alan Dynin has performed concerts for the Jazz and World Music Association, the Atlanta Symphony Associates, and many other house concert series. He is one of the more diverse pianists in the Southeast, playing and composing in jazz, Latin, blues and boogie, ragtime, concert classical, gospel, free improvisational, and now… Funkabilly.

CJ Jones and the Spirit Bones has been seen around Atlanta at the Clermont Lounge, Red Light Café, The Earl, Inman Park Festival and Lake Claire Land Trust, among other venues.

www.cledusjeremiahjones.com

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July 21, 2018

GEORGIA GRASS

Since Dan Daniel founded Georgia Grass in 1973, this professional bluegrass band has played for many bluegrass festivals and events in Georgia and around the Southeast. By1976 they were so highly reputed that they were chosen to play for the Grand opening of the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Dan plays guitar and sings most of the lead vocals for the group. He’s a member of the Bonded Brothers of Bluegrass and President and CEO of the Southeastern Bluegrass Association. In 2009 Dan was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2017 the Atlanta Society of Entertainers presented him with the Musician’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Banjo player James Mckinney also sings harmony and some leads. James won the South US Banjo Championship at the age of 14. He went on to win first-place awards in other states and in 1982 was named Grand National Banjo Champion of the United States at the annual awards in Winfield, Kansas. James has played with such legends as Bill Monroe, Vassar Clements and John Hartford. He has worked as a studio musician in Nashville and is rated as one of the top banjo players in the country. James was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.

Bass player Niki Portmann is also a singer. Her love of music from a young age led her to try several different instruments before deciding on the upright acoustic bass. She was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

www.facebook.com/dan.daniel.754

CHAMBLESS AND MUSE

For more than 25 years, Alabama natives Jil Chambless and Scooter Muse have been performing the music of Scotland, Ireland and America with various ensembles in a wide variety
of venues, from simple house concerts to festivals and concert halls. Jil and Scooter have worked alongside many of the finest artists in Celtic music. In 2010 Chambless & Muse began performing as a duo to promote their individual solo projects. Since then they have released several CDs: The Laverock Sang (2011), Passing Tales & Glories (2014), Live @ NTIF with John Taylor (2016), The Lang Awa’ Ships (2017), and Nollaig Chridheil, Songs of the Christmas Season with Ed Miller (2017).

As singer and flute player, Jil Chambless has performed across the US as well as in Canada, Scotland, and Israel with the band Henri’s Notions, Chambless & Muse, Scottish singer Ed
Miller, Scottish fiddler John Taylor, the band Vulcan Eejits!, The Mairtin deCogain Project, the John Whelan Trio, the Vogt Family Contra Band, and others. In 2009 Jil released her first solo CD, The Ladies Go Dancing, produced by the legendary Brian McNeill. Jil brings to any audience a wonderful listening experience from haunting ballads to upbeat songs with a smooth delivery that never fails to bring both smiles and tears in each and every performance. See www.jilchambless.com.

Although Scooter Muse has his roots in bluegrass and is quite an accomplished five-string banjo
player, in the late 1980s he moved into the world of Celtic guitar. He soon founded the Full
Moon Ensemble, performing for eight years across the US and in Scotland, before joining Henri’s Notions in 2003. In 2005 Scooter released his first solo recording of original guitar instrumentals, Saddell Abbey, which was purchased by the Scottish Tourist Board in Kintyre.
The Saddell Abbey Trust of Scotland calls the recording “a haunting and beautiful piece of
music.” See www.scootermuse.com.

“Jil and Scooter are brilliant musicians on flute and guitar and Jil has one of the loveliest folk
voices around today…” ~Seamus Kennedy, singer, guitarist, songwriter, performer, and yodeler.

“…Wonderful guitar …fine Celtic traditional vocals and flute, in my opinion, would be a great
addition to any stage …. beautiful music!” ~Alex Beaton, Scottish recording artist.

“For me, quite simply as good as it gets!” ~Alex McKinven, Mull of Kintyre Music & Arts Association, Scotland.

“Exquisite vocals, oh-so-tasteful guitar and a lilting flute – a deceptively simple, beautiful and
gentle combination!” ~Ed Miller, Scottish recording artist, folklorist and radio host.

www.facebook.com/chamblessandmuse

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June 16, 2018

MARK STUART

Nashville-based performing songwriter Mark Stuart will be making his second appearance at Fiddler’s Green. Onstage, his focus is on the songs he has penned and recorded, delivered with a soulful singing voice and highly memorable guitar playing.

After many years on the Americana/folk circuit, Stuart has cultivated a very rounded performance. His show consists of storytelling, flashy guitar “chops”, and songs that seem to draw from his rock, blues, country, and folk music roots. Mostly, this artist from Tennessee has toured solo or in a notable duo with his wife (“Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart”). There were stints
along the way as a sideman, though (for Steve Forbert, Freddy Fender, Steve Earle, and Joan Baez). If placed on the bill with a contemporary artist he is usually asked to play guitar on their portion of the show. Just ask Jason Ringenberg, Ray Wylie Hubbard, or Jimmy LaFave.

One can find Mark Stuart on any given night in a small theater, coffeehouse, house concert, festival stage, club, or church auditorium, giving it his all. Aside from that, he could be instructing at a guitar clinic or songwriting workshop, or playing on someone’s recording session. As co-owner of Gearle Records, he has produced or co-produced many albums. Over several decades Stuart’s career has repeatedly taken him to all of the USA, Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom.

www.markstuart.net

MOCKINGBIRD’S WING

Mockingbird’s Wing has cultivated a strong following at Atlanta area coffeehouses and other acoustic venues with its adroitly delivered folk, rock, soul and pop repertoire. The group features four diverse musicians:

Barbara Hotz is a singer/songwriter with deep roots in Mexico and a love of the old standards.
Jonathan McBee is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter out of Chicago, IL. If it’s got strings, Jonathan is looking to add it to the Mockingbird sound.

Paul Pendery is a Montana/Alaska/Texas singer/songwriter whose songs evoke soulful stirrings and happy feet.
Suzy Schultz, when she is not at her day job as a full-time artist, adds vocals/flute/cello to the Mockingbird sound.

Like the mockingbird herself, all the different voices and styles come together for a unique sound – the inimitable Mockingbird’s Wing sound.

Mockingbird’s Wing on Facebook

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May 19, 2018

WRITER’S VOICE

Writer’s Voice offers original acoustic contemporary folk tunes with a few sing along covers in the mix. Fritz Rauschenberg leads the group, accompanied by long time member Scott Wiman on guitar, with vocalist Debbie Foster and George Uterhardt on bass to round it out.

Fritz Rauschenberg has played and taught guitar for over 40 years and has performed folk music and “songs of the heart” in halls, coffee houses and bars for about as long as a singer/songwriter. He has taught private and group lessons in local music shops and currently teaches guitar at the Frank Hamilton School. Fritz also enjoys playing ukulele, octave mandolin, mandola and harmonica. His luthier work includes restoring and repairing acoustic stringed instruments in the violin, guitar and mandolin families.

Scott Wyman is an accomplished guitarist and mandolin player as well as a software writer. Scott and Fritz have played together many years in different types of venues. Fritz admires Scott’s expertise in the studio in arranging and recording.

Vocalist Debbie Foster delivers harmonies to the mix. “She’s a spark plug of energy and encouragement for us as well,” says Fritz. “Debbie and I have sung together for several years when opportunities arise.”
George Uterhardt is a 25+-year Navy veteran who played bass and tuba in bands in and out of the service. On bass George has the ear needed to know how to blend with any type of music. He’s comfortable with anything from country to jazz. He and Fritz have worked together for a short few years.

The tunes delivered by Writer’s Voice are of journeys and thoughts that most of us have seen or experienced presented in pleasing melodies and stories. You may part with a tune echoing in your memory.

CALEDONIA SWING

The Atlanta/North Georgia-based band Caledonia Swing performs a unique style of Celtic music with a jazzy twist. Marie Dunkle (violin, cello, mandolin) and Margie Swint (vocals, guitar) founded the group in 2004 with Ken Shearer (guitar). With a variety of guest musicians, Caledonia Swing have performed their eclectic musical mix at venues throughout Georgia and the Carolinas. The band’s inspirations are traditional Celtic music, Celtic swing, 30’s/40’s American classics, the sweet sounds of Scotland, and gypsy jazz greats Django Rheinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. With musical stylings from elegant to toe-tapping, Caledonia Swing has entertained audiences for over 12 years.

Band principals Marie Dunkle and Margie Swint currently perform as a duo and with talented guest musicians at festivals, coffeehouses, wineries, weddings and private parties. Marie is also a gifted storyteller and will be weaving in a few Scottish myths and legends at Fiddlers Green.

www.caledoniaswing.com

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April 21, 2018

MICHAEL JOHNATHON

Folksinger Michael Johnathon has a long-standing career in the arts as a songwriter, musician, author, playwright, composer of the opera Woody: For the People, and host of the live audience broadcast of the WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour.  The show has a radio audience of more than two million listeners each week on 500 public radio stations, public television coast-to-coast, American Forces Radio Network in 173 nations, and now Friday evenings on RFD-TV.

Recently, Michael helped organize the national WoodSongs Front Porch Association to help organize rural and community music and a massive educational program. Members of the WFPA are called “SongFarmers.”  His 14th album release, MoonFire, comes on the heels of Mousie HiWay: The Adventures of Banjo Mouse in Appalachia, his fully illustrated book that introduces bluegrass music to kids. The MoonFire CD is a 23-song album in honor of the banjo.

In addition to his albums, books, concerts and other projects, the Martin Guitar Company introduced the Michael Johnathon signature model 0000-28s “WoodSongs Quad” guitar.

Michael lives in a log cabin on a hill surrounded by meadows, streams and woods outside of Lexington, Kentucky.  We’re delighted to pull him away from his pastoral environs for his second appearance at Fiddler’s Green.

www.michaeljohnathon.com

THE LOST BOYS

The delightful, incomparable local Rennie-rock band The Lost Boys will also be performing for us  the second time. The Lost Boys formed in 1999 at the GA Renaissance Festival.  They have since released five CDs and performed at Ren Faires in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and North Dakota, as well as countless independent concerts and convention appearances.

Throughout the course of their ongoing 19-year history, the Lost Boys have continually pushed the boundaries of Renaissance Festival music by combining elements of period music with hard driving rock-and-roll, vocal harmonies with instrumental prowess, and hilarious parody lyrics with Shakespearean language.  They wrap it all in a physical, highly energetic stage presentation, consistently delivering a challenging and entertaining show onstage and a groundbreaking body of work drawn from their five CD releases.

https://www.facebook.com/LostBoys1599

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March 17, 2018

THE NEARLY NORMAL STRING BAND

The Nearly Normal String Band consists of Viva and Neil Araki, two of the Atlanta traditional music community’s most respected veterans. Neil plays acoustic guitar, fiddle and mandolin in several styles, including blues, bluegrass, Celtic, and old time Appalachian. He has played guitar since he was nine years old, in both finger style and flat pick style. Viva sings and plays guitar and old time banjo and sings in a variety of musical styles. She studied guitar from the age of five and began learning old time Appalachian style banjo about 30 years ago. She is primarily a finger picker on guitar.

Neil and Viva have played together for 26 years. They’re still learning new songs, genres and styles of music. The duo plays at coffeehouses, state parks and music festivals across north Georgia, and for parties, weddings and other private engagements. They have long been active member and supporters of AAFFM. They’ll be drawing mostly from their Irish and Scottish traditional repertoire for this St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

THE IRISH BROTHERS

The Irish Brothers may be Atlanta’s most popular and proficient performers of the beloved genre of traditional Irish music the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem introduced to the American Folk Revival. Sandy “Sandyman” Flynn and “Captain” George Hergen are a unique team. Sandyman comes from the mountains Western North Carolina, while the Captain hails from the canyons of New York City. The two started performing together 35 years ago when they worked “suit” jobs at IBM. Both draw from their Irish heritage for material. Their music practically maps the Irish cultural integration into the “new country” – from traditional Irish ballads to original songs of love, drinking, revolution and redemption.

Sandy is a former songwriter on Music Row (Tree-Sony/ATV) in Nashville. He was a founding member of the band Cullowhee, which toured nationally and internationally for ten years in the 70s and 80s. George started singing and playing after his first visit to New York’s Greenwich Village in the mid-1960s. He honed his craft by traveling throughout Ireland with the great Tommy Makem. The team received the name “Irish Brothers” following a performance at The Folk Alliance several years ago in Memphis, Tennessee.

http://www.gorddcymru.org/atlanta/music/cmd/hergen_george.htm

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February 17, 2018

JEFFERSON ROSS

Southern folk artist Jefferson Ross is a songwriter, singer, guitar slinger and painter, weaving stories for the ears and the eyes. Based in The Peach State, Jefferson travels throughout the U.S. and Europe performing his original music and displaying his art at festivals and galleries across the South.

For years Jefferson lived in Nashville playing for recording artists including Canada’s Entertainer of the Decade, Terri Clark.  He has shared the stage with country music greats such as George Strait, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire and Vince Gill.  He worked as a staff writer for a number of publishers on Music Row including Curb Music, one of the top music publishers in the world.  In 2010 he returned to live in Georgia with his wife and daughter and maintains a home and office in Nashville as well.

An evening with Jefferson Ross is an inspirational, homespun southern experience that you’re unlikely to forget.

www.jeffersonross.com

JIM CULLITON

Jim Culliton has performed throughout Georgia over the past decade with his unique high-energy blend of instrumental string music and stylistic vocals. His philosophy of no stylistic boundaries always keeps the music fresh and exciting.

Jim has performing experience at The Fox Theatre, Symphony Hall, and many other concert venues.  This versatile multi-instrumentalist is one of the early innovators in the New String Acoustic Movement, incorporating jazz, bluegrass, world music, rock, and classical with occasional vocals in the mix.  Put all of this in a high speed blender and you get truly an innovative, entertaining, and dynamic musician.  Jim was chosen to be a Musician in Residence for the National Endowment of the Arts and Humanities, and is a former instructor of music at Huntingdon College and Auburn University (AUM).

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January 20, 2018

THREE QUARTER ALE

Three Quarter Ale is an Atlanta-based acoustic band whose unique blend of folk-rock, traditional Celtic music, and 16th-century madrigals have enthralled a large and devoted fan base for more than ten years.

This dynamic trio combines tight vocal harmonies with harp, flute, guitar, ethnic percussion, and a distinctly theatrical performance style to electrify and enchant their audiences. Their three internationally-selling CDs have earned the band five-star accolades.

Performing in full period costume as Renaissance-era characters Ariana Pellayle, Rosemary Quench, and Wicked Pete Speakeasy, the band’s lively banter and keen comic timing are as much a part of their draw as their stellar musicianship.

Whether onstage at the enormous Dragon*Con sci-fi convention, in crowded pubs during Atlanta’s annual PiratePalooza event, as finalists on the Georgia Lottery’s All Access Music Search live TV special, at intimate weddings or coffeehouses, or at their own three-day performing arts festival AleCon, Three Quarter Ale delivers a masterful, engaging, truly
top-notch show.

www.threequarterale.com

THE RADIO RANGERS

The Radio Rangers are an Atlanta-based Americana band. Their music is a mix of country, rock, folk and blues, telling stories from the American heartland. Melodic, rhythmic and energetic, the Radio Rangers appeal to young, old and anyone in between. The band is comprised of Dan Foster (vocals, guitar), Mark Ewald vocals, guitar), and Tom Molloy (percussion).

Dan Foster is the songwriter and leader of the band. A seasoned lead guitarist, his song writing led to the creation of The Radio Rangers in 2014. I try to write songs that people can emotionally connect with. Songs about love, heartbreak, growing up and railroads. The goal is to paint a picture with a good story and melody. It’s very special when people like what you have created. Dan grew up in Michigan (too cold), moved to Florida (too hot) and now lives in Atlanta in 1989. (just right).

Mark “the ear” Ewald is the musical director. Being friends for over 20 years, Dan says he has never known anyone who can arrange a song, moving in exactly the right direction the way Mark does. Mark’s nickname comes from his vocal harmony abilities but he is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, piano, mandolin, bass guitar, banjo, harmonica and drums. (not all at the same time) Mark is from Buffalo, New York and still loves hot-wings.

Tom Molloy is the drummer/percussionist for the group. Tom is the glue that holds everything together while adding that special energy to the songs. Tom’s sense of humor always keeps things loose making even the ordinary much more fun Tom grew up in Queens, New York which will become apparent when ou speak with him. (what accent?) Don’t make the mistake of telling him he looks like Rodney Dangerfield.

www.theradiorangers.com

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November 18, 2017

THE MCLAUCHLANS

Duncan and Glaucia McLauchlan are talented, entertaining musicians providing spirited live performances of traditional and contemporary Scottish and Irish and music throughout Atlanta and the Southeast.

Duncan is a talented Scottish singer and songwriter, as well as multi-instrumentalist with a wealth of experience. His solo CD The Road to Destiny has received substantial air-play on Celtic radio programs across the USA, including Atlanta WRFG’s The Celtic Show and the internationally broadcast public radio program The Thistle and Shamrock.

Glaucia is a spirited percussionist from Sao Paulo, Brazil. After meeting “Dunc” at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, she swapped her background of classical piano for a life on the Celtic scene. Soon they were making beautiful music together.

Duncan sings and plays his songs with a passion that complements his clever and sensitive, poetic style. His delicate lyrics weave a colorful tapestry on the back-cloth of his tunes and rhythms, evoking a range of emotions from laughter to tears and back again. He employs a variety of instruments and his natural Scottish accent to produce a solid, yet atmospheric feel in his music. His musical armory includes acoustic and electric guitars, bass, bodhran, mandolins, banjo, keyboards, and various percussion instruments.

BLACKFOOT DAISY

Blackfoot Daisy formed in 2012 when long-time collaborators and songwriters Wendy DuMond and Don Sechelski decided to begin performing together on a regular basis. Don spent most of his early childhood in Texas and Wendy hails from Montana but grew-up in Oklahoma. They chose to name the band after a deer, drought, and pest-resistant prairie flower.

Don is a 30-plus year native of the Atlanta music scene and has also worked as a studio musician. He has performed as a solo act and also performed with his son Adam Sechelski, who sits-in with Blackfoot Daisy as singer, guitarist, and percussionist when available. Don has been a regular on the Atlanta coffeehouse/acoustic music scene since the old Freight Room days. He has played venues such as the Dogwood Festival, Hungry Ear Coffeehouse, Lena’s Place and many more.

Wendy began writing songs and performing in 2009. She released a solo EP in 2012. Wendy’s songs have been featured on the Women of Substance radio podcast. Her song Catching Fireflies was used as music for a book trailer to promote All Bears Need Love, a children’s book about interracial adoption.

As a duo the band has played various venues in the Southeast, including Charles & Myrtle’s in Chattanooga TN, Berkeley Bob’s Coffeehouse in Cullman AL, and others in South Carolina and Georgia.

In November 2015 Bobby Moore joined the band, rounding out the sound. Bobby is a native of Virginia, multi-instrumentalist, and award-winning old-time fiddle and banjo player. Bobby took honors at the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Virginia for bluegrass banjo in 1980 and bluegrass fiddle in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2002.

The full band has played Smith’s Old Bar, Steve’s Live Music, the Red Light Café and many other local Atlanta live music venues. The band has opened for Nashville songwriter Kurt Fortmeyer, The Rosin Sisters, Copper into Steel, Vientos Del Pueblo, and Little Country Giants, to name a few. They have also performed at Snellville Days, the Chastain Park Arts Festival, the Duluth Fall Festival, the Little 5 Arts Alive Concert series, and Oakhurst Porchfest.

The band released a three-song EP in 2015 and are currently working on a full-length album.

www.blackfootdaisymusic.com

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October 21, 2017

LAUREN LAPOINTE

Lauren Lapointe is a Savannah GA-based singer/songwriter who has been gaining recognition across the country for her soulful songs, unique voice, and strong live performances. Her third and newest CD “Superhero” was produced by Thomm Jutz (Nanci Griffith, Mary Gauthier) in Nashville and features twelve original Americana, rootsrock, pop, and old country songs supported by world-class musicians.

“Superhero” debuted at #6 on the Cashbox Magazine/Roots Music Report’s Georgia Airplay chart and #16 on the Cashbox Magazine/Root’s Music Report’s Country/Americana Internet Airplay Top 50. It has since been played on over 100 stations in the U.S. and is receiving much international radioplay. Leicester Bangs in the UK described it as “an engaging combination of classic country, narrative songwriting, and plentiful hooks.” In November 2013 Lufthansa Airlines selected her song “The Ghost of Elvis” for their inflight program.

Lapointe continues to make a name for herself as a strong and versatile live performer and has played at many renowned listening rooms across the nation such as the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, the Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, the Jefferson Freedom Cafe in Ft. Worth TX, and Anderson Fair in Houston TX.

“This is just pure, honest music here, created with talent and passion and deserving of wider spread notice.”- Music Morsels
“A gifted and openhearted storyteller with a flair for melody.” —Sloan Wainwright, Derby Disc Music recording artist

www.laurenl.com

OUT OF THE RAIN

Ron Hipp w/Carol Statella ~ Out of the Rain ~ is a folk duo noted for innovative arrangements and unusual expressive power. Ron Hipp has been known in the Atlanta area as an accomplished solo artist, and Carol Statella has played and sung in various groups over the years. Their joining forces to regularly perform and record music together has created a compelling, poignant sound that is both timeless and fresh.

Ron 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, consummate fingerpicking, and mesmerizing songs 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.

Carol (multi-instrumentalist/singer) has played in backup orchestras for Joni Mitchell, The Moody Blues, and Brian Wilson. She’s been a music journalist, radio announcer, and clinician. In the classical realm, she’s played in the Atlanta Opera Orchestra and sang for seventeen seasons with the Atlanta Symphony Chorus/Chamber Chorus. Carol’s also a gifted songwriter.

Ron and Carol have known each other and crossed paths musically for two decades, through many artistic and personal evolutions. Their sound is warm, eloquent, and vivid. Onstage, Ron and Carol draw audiences in with artful musicality, occasionally inane humor, and absolute focus on bringing the listener into the depths of a song.

“Musically delightful, emotionally involving work … ” ~ Sing Out! Magazine
Your beautiful CD was just what I needed to hear today! So lyrical and soothing, with lovely instrumentals and vocals.” ~ Sharon Isbin, GRAMMY award-winning classical guitarist

www.outoftherainmusic.net

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September 16, 2017

STEVEN DARSEY

Steven Darsey is a singer, collector, and scholar of folk song. Believing that folk music conveys fundamental cultural truths, he strives to make these real for contemporary listeners. With a straightforward style
in the tradition of balladeers Tommy Makem and Burl Ives, he sings little-known songs such as “Leather Winged Bat,” comic songs like “Three Nights Drunk,” spirituals like “I’m Goin’ Home,” classics like
“Danny Boy,” and his own folk-style compositions, as in his setting of Sidney Lanier’s “Song of the Chattahoochee.” A seventh generation Georgian, he also shares southern wit and wisdom.

For nine years Steven was privileged to sing songs to complement Fred Craddock’s stories in their Winged for the Heart programs in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their collaborations were featured in a statewide radio
broadcast on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s On Stage, in a GPB videocast and in several programs produced by Sally Sears and broadcast by the GPB affiliate at North Georgia College. Their concerts are available
on seven CDs. By profession a church musician, Steven holds the Doctor of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music.

http://www.meridianherald.org/leadership.html

JEFF MOSIER

Scrugg’s-style banjo picker “The Rev” Jeff Mosier is one of the earliest music pioneers who merged bluegrass instruments and traditional tunes with the magnetic energy of rock and roll. He founded the jamgrass band Blueground Undergrass (BGUG) in 1998 after years of crafting his banjo skills in various bands, playing everything from bluegrass with his brother Johnny (Good Medicine) to experimental rock (Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit) to jazz-fusion (The Ear Reverents). Blueground Undergrass, the band he fronted for more than a decade, recorded four albums and built a sizable national following by combining bluegrass purism with a jam band sensibility. Later, as the jamband scene became more jam-tronica and less roots-driven, he formed a more song-driven rock/bluegrass ensemble, The Mosier Brothers band, that performed at festivals, theaters, and private events throughout the region. His solo performances further showcase his outstanding vocals, banjo picking, and songwriting mingled with both amusing and poignant storytelling known to evoke both laughter and tears. Currently, in addition to performing solo and with various other artists, he can be found in the recording studio or on the set hosting his most recent video project, “The Search for the Southern Sound”.

Mosier draws from a variety of influences ranging from bluegrass and jazz to psychedelic folk-rock and alt-country. Having shared the stage with such legends as Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, Col. Bruce Hampton, Phish, Leftover Salmon, and Widespread Panic, Mosier has always been a versatile artist who is as comfortable performing on a stage full of musicians as he is playing solo. His superb vocal mastery and unique banjo picking combine to deliver a special experience highlighting his original tunes as well as some familiar traditionals and lesser known covers. Whether traveling through acoustic ballads, thought-provoking and humorous banter, or high-energy bluegrass, each Jeff Mosier show is a musical journey sending the listener on an enjoyable foot-tapping jaunt out on the road and back home again.

“Perhaps no guest artist has had as great an influence on the band’s music as the Rev. Jeff Mosier…” – The Phish Companion

https://www.facebook.com/Jeff.Mosier.Banjo

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August 19, 2017

JUST BE’CAUSE

Jerry Brunner, Bruce Gilbert and Cyndi Craven are Just Be’Cause … just don’t ask them why.

Jerry Brunner and Cyndi Craven, long-time members of the Atlanta acoustic/folk music scene, have been performing together since the 1980’s. In 2007, they met up with Bruce Gilbert when he moved to Atlanta from California where he’d been wowing the music scene there for years. The music they produce together is the result of profound friendship, heaping helpings of creativity, and decades of playing, singing and writing together and on their own. Their shows have been described by fans as an evening of “comfort music” with vocal “harmonies that will roll your socks down.” Come hear for yourself!

http://cyndicraven.com

HARM’S WAY

Harm’s Way performs with rich harmony, conviction, and a sense of humor. While the group has been together over ten years, some of the members have been performing together all of their adult lives. Their music is influenced by several genres: roots, Americana, folk, blues, and more. Harm’s Way includes Harmon Koeltz on lead vocals and guitar, Scot Boze on vocals, and Phil Griffin on lead guitar.

This acoustic driven group relies on tight harmonies, thoughtful songs and lyrics, and a belief that the music should be shared. These guys have fun performing and can be found at festivals, private events, restaurants, coffee shops, corporate events, and church functions.
The core members of this group have been playing music together since before Woodstock. They have fun playing, check their egos at the door, and – while they take music very seriously – don’t take themselves seriously at all!

www.reverbnation.com/harmonkoeltz

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July 15, 2017

SPARKY and RHONDA RUCKER

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform throughout the U.S. as well as overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. Sparky Rucker has been performing over forty years, and AAFFM has been proudly presenting him almost since the beginning. He is internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller, and author. He accompanies himself with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo, and spoons. Rhonda Rucker is a musician, children’s author, storyteller, and songwriter. Her blues-style harmonica, piano, old-time banjo, and bones add musical versatility to their performances.

Sparky and Rhonda are sure to deliver an uplifting presentation of toe-tapping music spiced with humor, history, and tall tales. They take their audience on an educational and emotional journey that ranges from poignant stories of slavery and war to an amusing rendition of a Brer Rabbit tale or their witty commentaries on current events. Their music includes a variety of old-time blues, slave songs, Appalachian music, spirituals, ballads, work songs, Civil War music, railroad songs, and a few of their own original compositions.

Over forty years of performing, Sparky and Rhonda have performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as NPR’s On Point, Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, and Morning Edition. Their recording, Treasures & Tears, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, and their music is also included on the Grammy-nominated anthology, Singing Through the Hard Times.

The Ruckers have been featured tellers at the International Storytelling Center and Festival. Sparky is a natural storyteller, having grown up hearing his father, uncles, and other family members endlessly telling tales. Sparky and Rhonda each tell solo stories, but they also tell stories together (in tandem), always adding life and humor to the characters and tricksters in their Brer Rabbit tales, Jack tales, High John the Conqueror stories, preacher tales, and family stories.

Sparky and Rhonda weave their music into captivating stories that the history books don’t always tell, and they share this knowledge in many schools, colleges, and libraries. Their educational programs span over three centuries of African-American history, including slavery, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the birth of blues music, and the civil rights movement. Each era is interspersed with stories and popular songs from the time period, celebrating the diversity of the nation’s history. They are also available for author visits to schools and libraries.

www.sparkyandrhonda.com

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June 17, 2017

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

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

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.

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March 19, 2011

ELISE WITT  “Global, Local & Homemade Songs”

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

DEIDRE McCALLA

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

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February 19, 2011

THE NEARLY NORMAL STRING BAND

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

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 & HER KOSMOPOLITAN KLEZTET

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.

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January 15 , 2011

THE JIM CULLITON TRIO

Eclectic acoustic instrumentals and vocals, from high-energy tunes to engaging ballads, performed by three of the area’s elite players. Leader Jim Culliton is a local professional musican highly acclaimed for his virtuosity on various acoustic instruments, in genres including folk, old-time, bluegrass, Celtic, pop and jazz.
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.

RHYTHM RANCH

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.

Berné Poliakoff (aka Frenchy) and Kathleen Hatfield (aka Buffalo K) were the lead singers of the hugely popular all female western band, Cowboy Envy. Their work has garnered much praise and multiple awards, including the “Best Harmony” award from the Western Music Association (twice). Their vocals have been described as “heavenly…with harmonies to die for” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). Together, Frenchy and Buffalo K have performed at festivals and concerts from Alaska to South Carolina. Their history has been highlighted by appearances at Spoleto Festival, Detroit Arts Festival, Music Midtown and two concerts at the Kennedy Center. They have toured with The Indigo Girls and performed with numerous acts including Riders in the Sky, Shelby Lynn, Confederate Railroad and Sweethearts Of The Rodeo.

Rhythm Ranch was heartbroken by the passing of their amazing fiddle player and exquisite human being,“Alamo” Al Pieper. Together with their extraordinary bassist/vocalist, L.A. “Darn” Tuten and the supremely talented and lovely Leah Calvert on fiddle and vocals, they hope to keep Al’s beautiful spirit alive. Rhythm Ranch delivers dynamic performances filled with wonderful music and great humor, delighting audiences of all ages. For more info: www.rhythmranch.com

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Thursday, December 6, 2007
An AAFFM Special Edition Concert

SPARKY AND RHONDA RUCKER

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform throughout the U.S. as well as overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. Sparky Rucker has been performing over forty years and is internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller, and author. He accompanies himself with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo, and spoons. Rhonda Rucker is an accomplished harmonica, piano, banjo, and bones player, and also adds vocal harmonies to their songs.

Sparky and Rhonda are sure to deliver an uplifting presentation of toe-tapping music spiced with humor, history, and tall tales. They take their audience on an educational and emotional journey that ranges from poignant stories of slavery and war to an amusing rendition of a Brer Rabbit tale or their witty commentaries on current events. Their music includes a variety of old-time blues, slave songs, Appalachian music, spirituals, ballads, work songs, Civil War music, cowboy music, railroad songs, and a few of their own original compositions.

Sparky and Rhonda have numerous recordings, and their 1991 release, Treasures and Tears, was nominated for the W.C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Recording. They have also contributed music to the syndicated television miniseries The Wild West (directed by Keith Merrill). Sparky’s unique renditions of John Henry and Jesse James were used in the National Geographic Society’s 1994 video entitled Storytelling in North America. Sparky Rucker has also appeared on numerous radio programs, including National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, Prairie Home Companion, and Mountain Stage. He also performed in Carry It On and Amazing Grace: Music in America, two videos produced by the Public Broadcasting System.

Sparky is a natural storyteller, having grown up hearing his father, uncles, and other family members endlessly telling tales. Sparky tells stories by himself, but Sparky and Rhonda also tell stories together (in tandem), always adding life and humor to the characters and tricksters in their Brer Rabbit tales, Jack tales, High John the Conqueror stories, preacher tales, and family stories.

“Sparky Rucker is unique! He’ll make you glad to be alive and struggling.” Pete Seeger

See www.sparkyandrhonda.com for more information. See www.eddiesattic.com for information on how to purchase a ticket. Note that AAFFM members will receive a $2 discount off food and drink order (per table) upon presentation of your current AAFFM newsletter with address label attached.

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October 27, 2007

BRYAN BOWERS

“Bryan Bowers is more than the finest autoharp player on the circuit today. He’s a great songwriter and singer, a wonderful storyteller and a delightful guy to spend an evening with. And not incidentally, he revolutionized the autoharp…not just how we all play, but retuning and redesigning to a point that nearly every builder and player today is in his debt. I know I am.” — John McCutcheon

From his rather unglamorous beginning as a street singer, Bryan Bowers has become a major artist on the traditional music circuit. 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. His towering six foot four inch frame can be wild and zany on stage while playing a song like `Dixie’ and five minutes later he can have the same audience singing `Will The Circle Be Unbroken’ in quiet reverence and delight.

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. He has a technique DVD and eight albums including his new storytelling CD, “September in Alaska .”
Bowers’ 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 along side other luminaries, such as Chet Atkins, David Grisman, Stephan Grappelli, Itzhak Perlman, Tony Rice, Rob Wasserman and Mark O’Connor, recognized for their personal accomplishments. In 1993, Bryan was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame to stand only with Maybelle Carter, Kilby Snow, and Sara Carter. See www.bryanbowers.com for more information about this wonderful performer.

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November 18, 2006

LOU AND PETER BERRYMAN

Lou and Peter Berryman have been performing together since the sixties, and have produced twelve albums of their original music. They blend Midwestern culture with intelligent observation in whimsical and wonderfully accessible performances. They have been compared to Tom Lehrer, Flanders and Swann, and Burns and Allen.

By the eighties, they had established themselves as a prominent feature of the songwriting subculture of Wisconsin’s capital, playing their original material every week for almost ten years in the run-down but trendy music room of Madison’s Club de Wash. They gained national attention with appearances on such programs as Public Radio’s A Prairie Home Companion, and NPR’s Weekend Edition. In 1999 and again in 2001 they were chosen to represent the state of Wisconsin with performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Regular appearances at festivals and folk music clubs all across the country now serve as venues for the songs contained in their recordings and three songbooks. Their songs have been performed Garrison Keillor, Peggy Seeger, and Peter, Paul and Mary, to mention a few. The popularity of Lou and Peter Berryman is a testament to their intelligent and wickedly funny material that is never bawdy or risque, but is rich with word-play and witty images.

The duo is not to be missed! See their website at www.hometown.aol.com/berrymanp/

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August 19, 2006

THE HUNGRY MONKS

The Hungry Monks perform traditional, contemporary, and original acoustic songs and instrumentals in the Celtic tradition on guitars, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, whistle, bohdran, and vocals. They draw from a wide range of influences, including Medieval & Renaissance, folk, blues, classical and jazz. This group combines strong original songs and instrumental compositions with an ear toward improvisation. The Hungry Monks weave a rich tapestry of sound, melodic and rhythmic, grounded in the folk traditions of many cultures. Combined with the traditions and techniques of Western classical music, this eclectic mix produces an exciting blend of acoustic sound and harmonious vocals.

The Hungry Monks, from Charleston SC , combine the creative talents of Hazel Ketchum and John Holenko. Hazel and John have played music together for more than 20 years and have been featured on TV and radio throughout the US . This group has performed in clubs and at contra dances as well as festivals and concert halls. The Hungry Monks have released several CD recordings on their own label, Hungry Monk Recordings. As well as being active performers, The Hungry Monks are music educators and publish their own work through Hungry Monk Publications. See their website at www.hungrymonkmusic.com.
Dirty Linen says, “The songs are mostly original first-person reflections with distinctive melodies and strong, creative accompaniment… a tasty combination of crisp, creative fiddle/ mandolin/guitar instrumentals… a dreamy, melodic fiddle piece that visits several peaceful musical neighborhoods… a lively, percussive reel that includes some hot mandolin improvisations.” Oct/Nov 2004 SING OUT Magazine says, “Ketchum holds great tension and expressiveness in her voice. Ketchum sings as if nothing else in the world matters.”

AMANDA KAPOUSOUZ

The Hungry Monks will be joined for this month’s Fiddler’s Green show by the multi-talented Athens, GA fiddler and singer-songwriter Amanda Kapousouz. Taking her band’s name from the tip cup dangling from her fiddle case, Amanda Kapousouz (aka the Tin Cup Prophette) is no stranger to the stage. Once hailing from New York City , this “busker extraordinaire” entertained thousands of commuters daily on subway platforms for small change. Working her way above ground, Amanda began to play with various bands in the city ranging in style from traditional Irish and heavy metal bluegrass to jazz, Dixieland, and rock-n-roll. She has composed music for modern dance, arranged music for film and toured extensively on the Irish music circuit.

Early this century (or was it late last century), Amanda moved to music-friendly Athens, GA to pursue her own creative work, and has appeared in the Atlanta/Athens area at Smith’s Olde Bar, the 40 Watt, and Eddie’s Attic. She will make her second appearance at the Kansas City Irish Festival this September. Amanda re-joins Hazel and John at this month’s Fiddler’s to perform material from their earlier Celtic/old-time work together in the band, Donnybrook Legacy, as well as material from the Hungry Monks’ CD “Organic Tangerines,” as well as other delightful offerings. See www.tincupprophette.com for more information on Amanda.

Special guests: Mike Simpson and Doug Murray — Mike Simpson is a local multi-instrumentalist and teacher on fiddler, Irish flute, tin whistle, guitar, tenor banjo and bodhran. A former member of The New Road and The Long Drop, Mike has performed at Atlanta Symphony Hall, the High Museum of Art, the Fox Theater, and numerous other venues around Atlanta. Mike is currently the music director of Irish Music Traditions.
Doug Murray is a veteran of the Atlanta traditional music scene. He plays bouzouki (a fairly new instrument to Irish music) and old time banjo. He has played with The New Road, The Buddy O’Reilly Band, Music in the Glen, and other Atlanta area groups, and he has accompanied most of the city’s Irish musicians at one time or another.

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April 15, 2006

DAVID LAMOTTE

Fiddlers Green is delighted to welcome singer-songwriter David LaMotte as our feature performer for the April 15 show. A typical evening of performance with David includes everything from lyrically challenging, high-energy percussive songs in strange alternate tunings to more traditional songs of home, hope and inspiration. He weaves the evening together in a fabric of vivid – often hilarious – stories, and throws in an occasional impressive instrumental piece.

In the past fourteen years, David has released eight albums and performed over sixteen hundred shows in forty-five states and ten countries, sharing stages along the way with artists like Arlo Guthrie, Shawn Mullins, Buddy Miles, Gillian Welch, John Gorka, Jez Lowe and David Wilcox. In addition to performing throughout the U.S., David tours Europe almost every year. His three tours to Australia and New Zealand have included mainstage performances at Australia’s National Folk Festival and a spot as the headline act for the 2004 Auckland Folk Festival, the largest folk fest in New Zealand

He was also featured along with Bruce Springsteen, Aimee Mann, Ray Manzarek, Grace Slick and Suzanne Vega on the Songs Inspired By Literature, Chapter 1, a project to benefit adult literacy campaigns. His children’s recording, S.S. Bathtub, recently won its fourth national award, and work is in progress on a children’s book based on the title track.
Aside from being a new husband, touring, promoting his current CD and leading occasional workshops, David’s current passion is a new non-profit corporation he has created to aid Guatemalan schools, PEG (Proyecto para las Escuelas Guatemaltecas).
For more about David, visit his website at www.davidlamotte.com.

SHERI KLING

We are very pleased to welcome Sheri Kling back to the Fiddlers Stage. Sheri is an accomplished singer/songwriter, guitarist and long-time spiritual sojourner whose music—built on rich vocals and dynamic guitar—resonates with a certain organic authenticity that’s heart-rooted and spirit-seeking. Each song is another way of looking at what is real, what is true, and what invites us all into a more passionate and well-lived life.

With her rich voice and distinctive guitar style, Kling has been heard at such acclaimed venues as Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, Atlanta’s Eddie’s Attic and Variety Playhouse, and many more across the country. Sheri is also developing new audiences through her “Music & Message” speaking engagements, “keynote concerts” and school-based Arts-in-Education programs, while women are responding enthusiastically to her “Waking Woman” celebrations and workshops. Visit Sheri’s website at www.sherikling.com.

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This is an archive of past Fiddler’s Green Coffeehouses. Peruse these pages to get a view of the artists that graced Fiddler’s in past Events. Also, if you attended one of these coffeehouses and want to know more about a performer you saw there, check the announcement for that month. You’ll find brief write-ups of the scheduled artists, and usually links to one or more websites that contain more information.

KATHY REED & LONESOME REDWING

ATLANTA MANDOLIN ORCHESTRA

The Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra is the performing unit of the Atlanta Mandolin Society, Inc., established in 1994. AMS has been organized to perpetuate knowledge and appreciation of music written for the mandolin and related instruments. The Atlanta Mandolin Society is proud to have revived the mandolin orchestra in Atlanta. For over 30 years, beginning in the early 20th Century, there was a very fine mandolin orchestra in Atlanta under the direction of William Griffith. Mr. Griffith created quite a rage for the mandolin during the first decades of the previous century and is fondly remembered by many. The Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra is establishing its own history today under the direction of conductor Robb Smith. Robb has been a life-long musician and is a graduate of the Geneva Conservatory of Music, and has been with AMO since 1994. https://www.atlantamandolins.com/

November 19, 2022

THE CUNNINGHAM/HENSON DUO

Guitarist Steve Cunningham and bassist Rob Henson formed a “duo of musical gumbo” to express an artistry separate from their careers as in-demand sidemen and session musicians. The Cunningham / Henson duo offers a unique instrumental approach where they present familiar melodies and songs of all styles in a way that sounds fresh, exciting and at the same time understated.

Steve Cunningham
One of the most in-demand guitarists on the Atlanta scene, Steve has played with Grammy winner Susan Tedeschi, long-time members of the James Brown band, and Grammy Award winner William Bell, as well as opening for Jeff Beck, Barenaked Ladies, Kool and the Gang, Dream Theatre, The Four Tops, Chuck Mangione, and Blondie. Steve is a first-call session player, playing on hundreds of local and national CD releases, TV and radio commercials, and movie soundtracks. He has recorded for Coca-Cola, Ford, IBM, Cartoon Network, Microsoft, CNN, NASCAR and others, as well as recording with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Rob Henson
Equally fluent in the musical styles of rock, jazz, bluegrass and classical, bassist Rob Henson has performed with an incredible diversity of artists such as The Who, Vince Gill, Shawn Mullins, the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, David Ryan Harris, The Atlanta Ballet, The Drifters, and Broadway tours of Wicked and Phantom of the Opera. From 2006 – 2012 Rob recorded and toured the United States with singer/songwriter Corey Smith and played over 150 shows a year.  He has recorded 5 CDs, and opened for acts including ZZ Top, Willie Nelson, Cheap Trick, Snoop Dog, and Merle Haggard. Currently Robert manages and leads the very popular Atlanta trio Lilac Wine, delighting audiences with three voices in harmony performing uniquely arranged songs of all genres and elegantly backed by a driving acoustic guitar and a punchy upright bass.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-henson-04122b49 

 

Rick Diamond

Rick Diamond has always been a writer:  short stories in third grade, co-writing his first structurally sound song, “Follow Me,” in eighth grade with band mate Steve Hagler. (Imagine two kids urging the world to follow them… Where to, the playground?)  In his late teens and early 20s, Rick wrote a few songs for his Illinois rock band. In his 30s he wrote his first novel — long before he had anything worth saying. In his early 40s he wrote his second novel; and then five years later when he got the nerve up to submit it to a New York literary agent he met at a writers’ conference, he landed a deal and lost a deal all within three weeks. Not one to try harder, he turned his hand to screenwriting and knocked out a couple of movie scripts and then a TV pilot. Then wanting to know what happened to those characters, he wrote nine more episodes. During all those years, Rick managed to write more than a hundred songs about love, life, politics, and whatever else at that moment was bothering him.

Rick Diamond has played in venues from Illinois to New York, from Florida to Tennessee, from one Carolina to the next, from Texas to Alabama, and here in Georgia for more than a few years. His songs can be sampled and downloaded at Rick Diamond Reverbnation and listened to in better fidelity at writersroomcafe.com — but only if you have great big studio monitors for speakers on your computer (seriously, don’t do the phone thing).

www.reverbnation.com/rickdiamond 
www.writersroomcafe.com

 

October 15, 2022

THE 4-MAN STRING BAND TRIO

The 4-Man String Band Trio combin​es the vocal and instrumental talents of three seasoned musicians with ties to Atlanta: Charles Absher on guitar, Clark Brown on mandolin and guitar, and George Eckard on guitar, banjo, mandolin, and harmonicas. Their Fiddler’s Green set will include Americana-style original songs by Absher and Eckard. George Eckard’s 2021 CD release Love the Land and Charles Absher’s 2018 CD release This Garden of Sunshine and Rain showcase their songwriting talents.

Since its inception in 2019, the group has appeared at various venues in the area, including Waller’s Coffee Shop, Lena’s Place, and Intown Coffee House, and at Woodlands Garden, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Briarlake Forest Park, and Frazier-Rowe Park. They also have played at the Central Dekalb Senior Center and a number of area retirement communities and were the subject of an article in Senior Living magazine in 2021.
https://www.facebook.com/4ManStringBand/ 

 

VERONIKA JACKSON

Veronika Jackson started her music career singing in school choirs at the age of ten. She was raised by a musically influenced family in St. Petersburg, Florida. In her teens, her love for acoustic folk and R&B music grew as she followed such artists as Odetta, Dolly Parton, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Joan Baez, Ella Fitzgerald, and, later, Diamond Teeth Mary, a blues performer who inspired many folk artists through her performances at the Florida Folk Festival.

Veronika has combined acoustic folk music and R&B to create her own unique music.  She has shared her musical talents with audiences at venues and festivals throughout the South and Northeastern states and across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Woman I Am, her latest CD, is a compilation of her original compositions and some favorite songs she enjoys performing. Her reputation as an entertainer and consummate artist continues to grow.  Her stage presence and sound have a sincerity that will grace your heart.  Her performances take you to another place and time.

Critics have called Veronika’s appeal 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 an old spiritual – entertains and brings joy and hope to people’s lives.
https://veronikajackson.com/ 

 

KATHY REED & LONESOME REDWING

ATLANTA MANDOLIN ORCHESTRA

The Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra is the performing unit of the Atlanta Mandolin Society, Inc., established in 1994. AMS has been organized to perpetuate knowledge and appreciation of music written for the mandolin and related instruments. The Atlanta Mandolin Society is proud to have revived the mandolin orchestra in Atlanta. For over 30 years, beginning in the early 20th Century, there was a very fine mandolin orchestra in Atlanta under the direction of William Griffith. Mr. Griffith created quite a rage for the mandolin during the first decades of the previous century and is fondly remembered by many. The Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra is establishing its own history today under the direction of conductor Robb Smith. Robb has been a life-long musician and is a graduate of the Geneva Conservatory of Music, and has been with AMO since 1994. https://www.atlantamandolins.com/

August 20, 2022

ALEX COMMINS & TODD PRUSIN

Alex Commins and Todd Prusin are well-known in the Atlanta music scene. Alex was an original member of AAFFM and has played for years in bluegrass groups, including 15 years with The Sorghum Syrup Soppers Old-Time String Band. He has also played in many diverse musical situations, from the Galax Old-Time Fiddler’s Convention to rock and roll bands. Todd started out drumming in high school bands and has since played professionally as a drummer, guitarist, and bassist. He has played various Atlanta venues with such bands as Charm School, Stickfight, The Barrow Boys, Prusin Reep Jones, The Serenaders, The Porch Bottom Boys, and Suspicious Package.

Alex and Todd met at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch in the Ohio River Valley. The love and respect for music that was germinated blossomed into a musical embrace here in Atlanta, an embrace that seems to grab and include those within earshot. The interplay between Alex’s acoustic fingerpicking and Todd’s melodic bass guitar has garnered very positive notices.

 

 

GEORGIA GRASS

Georgia Grass is one of the longest-running and most venerable bluegrass bands in Georgia. Founded in 1973 by guitarist Dan Daniel, Georgia Grass has played many bluegrass festivals throughout Georgia and the Southeast, as well as various clubs and private events in and around Atlanta. In 1976 Georgia Grass was chosen to play for the grand opening of the Georgia World Congress Center. Today Georgia Grass is still going strong as a local bluegrass powerhouse. Its three members have all been inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.

Band leader Dan Daniel plays acoustic guitar and sings lead vocals on most of their songs. Dan is the President of the Southeastern Bluegrass Association and a lifetime member of the Bonded Brothers of Bluegrass. His awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta Society of Entertainers and the Fiddlin’ John Carson Award for his contributions to the music industry in the State of Georgia.

James McKinney is considered one of the world’s foremost masters of the five-string banjo. James has played both on stage and in recordings with great artists such as Bill Monroe, Vassar Clements, and John Hartford, among many others. He received the Musician’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta Society of Entertainers in 2018. Niki Portmann plays upright bass and also sings vocals. She is an accomplished and respected bass artist of many years. Niki was awarded the Musician’s Lifetime Achievement Award by the Atlanta Society of Entertainers in 2018.

Georgia Grass is a modern bluegrass band with roots deep in traditional bluegrass and Americana folk but with a refreshing and modern take on many traditional favorites as well as original works.

 

July 16, 2022

JOHN CABLE & THE GEORGIA MOUNTAIN STRING BAND

John Cable is a veteran musician who began his career in the late 60s. After serving as lead guitarist and vocalist for Texas country rock pioneers Colours, John became a member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In 1977 they became the first American band in history to perform in the Soviet Union. John became the first American to lecture at the Moscow Conservatory of Music on the history of Western Blues and Rock music.

John has performed on The Tonight Show, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, The Midnight Special, Austin City Limits and the Grand Ole Opry. He has performed in some of the great concert venues, as well, including Wolftrap, Carnegie Hall and Red Rocks. John is currently playing and touring with John McEuen and The String Wizards.

John is excited to be bringing the Georgia Mountain Stringband to accompany him at Fiddler’s Green. Formed in 2015 by Jason Waller, the Georgia Mountain Stringband has quickly become one of the leading original Bluegrass acts in the Southeast. The group was recently voted Best Bluegrass Band in Atlanta for 2019 by Creative Loafing readers.The 5-piece is stacked with Waller on guitar, David Stephens on banjo, Brendan Held on fiddle, Eddie Kesler on mandolin and Robert Green on upright bass.
www.johncable.com
https://pleaserock.com/tribute/georgia-mountain-string-band/

JIM CULLITON & CLEAR CREEK

The multi-instrumental gifted talent of Jim Culliton has delighted Fiddlers Green audiences for many years. In Clear Creek, Jim’s mandolin, fiddle and vocals share the stage with Joel Glogowski (upright bass) and Russell Weeks (guitar/vocals). This high-energy trio offers an eclectic blend of different genres, mixing instrumental improvisation with traditional sounds and vocals.

Jim has played at the Fox Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Hall, and many other concert venues. He was one of the early innovators in the New String Acoustic Movement – incorporating jazz, bluegrass, world music, rock, classical, and vocals. With the formation of Clear Creek, he leads a trio that continues to deliver a truly innovative, entertaining, and dynamic acoustic sound. 

jimcullitonmusic.com
Facebook: Jim Culliton & Clear Creek

 

June 18, 2022

THE REEL SISTERS

The Reel Sisters offer an intimate performance of tunes and stories from the Celtic lands and Appalachia. Harp, pipes, whistle, and voice combine to create a magical Celtic soundscape full of both joy and mystery.

The Reel Sisters are a duo steeped in the musical tradition of Scottish harp and smallpipes. Piper Rosalind Buda and harpist Kelly Brzozowski share lifetimes of experience in the traditional music community and the technical expertise of classical training. A duo since 2018, The Reel Sisters have performed stage shows, festivals, and house concerts from New Mexico to New York. They have been heard multiple times on Pan Harmonia’s Celtic Corner Series and have been featured at the acclaimed Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC, the Red Clay Theater in Duluth, GA, and the Atlanta Celtic Christmas concert at the Rialto. Rosalind and Kelly are professional educators as well as performers and are in demand as clinicians at harp and bagpipe workshops across the US.

The Reel Sisters’ music is uplifting, stirring, and just sweet fun. Their approachable, lighthearted personalities create a unique and intimate musical experience that connects them deeply with the spirit of the music and with their audiences.

reelsistersmusic.com

HARM’S WAY

Harm’s Way began back in the 1970s. Scot Boze, Dennis Keefe, and Harmon Koeltz had been playing guitar-driven music at each other’s homes, parties, and the like when they began playing an after-hours place called Little Annie Fannies. They split $7.50 a night and dined on chili, spaghetti, and milkshakes, which was about all the place had to offer. A patron one evening heard them and must have liked them, as he offered them a gig at Billy Lothridge’s Taco Kid in Sandy Springs. They needed a name to go up on the marquee, and Dennis named the group Harm’s Way. The pay was better, and they had beer!

More parties, and even more practice followed. Dennis was a jock at WPLO-FM and had access to the studio where we could go on the weekends or after hours and record our music. More parties and jams followed. Then they got serious and started contacting venues and began performing. Through the years, new members joined the group while others left, mostly to return. They were now playing coffee shops, wineries, restaurants, corporate events, private events, festivals, and all the local monthly concert series, including Fiddler’s Green. They perform with conviction, a sense of humor, and rich harmonies. While they don’t take themselves too seriously, they do take the music very seriously and feel it is to be enjoyed and shared. They are available for house concerts, yacht christenings, shuttle launch parties, etc. and would love to play your next event.

On a somber note, Scot’s last performance was right here in February of 2020, just before the pandemic. He was taken by Covid that summer. The line-up for Fiddler’s Green will be Phil Griffin, Barbara Hotz, Jonathan McBee, Harmon Koeltz, and making her debut with the group, Liz Bradley.

 

May 21, 2022

THE RESONANT ROGUES

Asheville, North Carolina’s genre hopping songwriters, The Resonant Rogues, have been winning over audiences worldwide with their signature blend of string band music since 2013. Following their musical inspirations from the Appalachian mountains to the Balkans, through Paris by way of New Orleans, their original songs speak to the heart with poetic lyrics, and appeal to the ears with stellar musicianship and arrangement.

www.theresonantrogues.com

CHARLEY WOODS

A Nashville native, recording artist Charley Woods is making a lasting impact on the music mecca she calls home. With her instantly identifiable voice and her stylistic blend of contemporary folk and Americana, she is in a league all her own. She has performed and collaborated with many talented and influential figures in today’s country music including Brad Paisley, Chris Young, David Nail, Wil Nance, Mark Nesler, and many more. Since releasing her second single “Half The Girl.” Charley has proven herself as one of Nashville’s must-watch artists.

Charley last performed at Fiddler’s Green in January 2019. She has been garnering attention and praise since high school, at none other than the prestigious Nashville School of the Arts. Already a mainstay in the Nashville songwriters’ community, Charley’s dream is to share her songs with the world.

www.charleywoods.com

 

April 16, 2022

CLAUDIA NYGAARD

Claudia Nygaard is a mesmerizing storyteller and a cinematic lyricist who writes songs that are heartfelt, humorous, scrappy, and sensual, And she does so with a daredevil’s vulnerability and a complete lack of self-censorship. Nygaard, with her powerful, resonant, and deeply emotive amber honey voice, is a master at putting a tear in your eye with a song that breaks your heart; and then with a quick wit and an outlandish sense of humor, she’ll replace it with tears of laughter.

Claudia is a quick witted and charismatic performer, with a twinkle in her eye that convinces everyone in her audience that she is sharing a secret with them alone. And her storytelling doesn’t end when the song does. Sharing both the inspiration behind the tunes, and also frequently creating outlandish, irreverent, and humorous monologues, her patter is as important a part of her performances as the songs themselves.

Building on the craft she learned while a staff songwriter on Nashville’s Music Row, she has won numerous awards including the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival Songwriting Competition, and with the title cut of her latest album “Lucky Girl”, the Tumbleweed Music Festival Songwriting Competition. “Lucky Girl” charted at #3 on the Folk Alliance Radio song chart and #5 on the album chart, and it gave her a significant debut on the Americana chart. It also received impressive reviews from the press. Legendary folk music magazine “Sing Out” claimed the songs “rival the likes of Guy Clark or Ian Tyson.”
www.claudinygaard.com

BLACKFOOT DAISY

Blackfoot daisies are hearty wild flowers that grow on the prairies of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. You can find them growing naturally in the Texas Blackland prairie, which runs from the Red River to the Texas-Oklahoma border. Blackfoot Daisy is a humble trio (sometimes duo) that plays original, Americana style music. Based in the Atlanta metro area, they describe themselves as “a little haunted by the prairie, the wind, the shifting of tall grasses, the sound of crickets, and a lonesome train whistle drifting through the night.”

The group consists of:
Don Sechelski – guitar, vocals, songwriting. Don has been writing and performing music for over 30 years. From Atlanta to New Orleans to Chicago and back to Atlanta still chasing the buffalo. Wendy DuMond – guitar, vocals, songwriting. Wendy has the soul of a poet and the vision of an artist. From Montana, through Oklahoma, to New York and back to Atlanta, she follows the bucking horse moon.; Tom Wolf – guitar, mandolin, vocals, songwriting. Tom has played so many venues around the city of Atlanta, it would be easier to list places he hasn’t played. Quick with a joke or a sizzling riff, Tom is the stick that stirs the drink.
www.blackfootdaisymusic.com

March 19, 2022

The Colcannon Society

The Irish Brothers

 

 

 

February 15, 2022

The Moon and You

The Moon and You is a charismatic husband-and-wife team based in Asheville NC.  Melissa Hyman plays cello, Ryan Furstenberg plays guitar and banjo, and both sing in “voices that sound like they were made for one another” (Bill DeYoung, Connect Savannah).  At once excitingly inventive and cozily familiar, the Moon & You has crafted a sound all their own.

Furstenberg and Hyman mix up a fresh blend of influences from very different backgrounds. Melissa grew up in the NYC area studying classical cello. Ryan was born and raised among the Eastern NC tobacco fields, learning classic country and 70s rock on harmonica and then guitar. His rich country baritone and easy Southern style bring an undeniable Americana flavor to the table.  

Together, the two form a sound that is warm and inviting, atmospheric and playful. Each is a well developed songwriter with a distinctive voice, and their songs range in style from classic to quirky.   their ever-evolving output encompasses a wide range of American roots music. Live on stage they are 100 percent themselves — funny, charming and slightly odd; communing with their audiences, warts and all.   Their performances evoke joyful eruptions of laughter, occasional tears, and moments of breathless awe. 

Photo: EvokeEmotion Photography

www.themoonandyou.com 

Harm’s Way

Harm’s Way performs with rich harmony, conviction, and a sense of humor. While the group has been together more than ten years, some of the members have been performing together all of their adult lives. Their music is influenced by several genres: roots, Americana, folk, blues, and more.  For this performance Harm’s Way includes Harmon Koeltz on lead vocals and guitar, Scot Boze on vocals, and Jonathan McBee, bass player for Mockingbird’s Wing.

This acoustic driven group relies on tight harmonies, thoughtful songs and lyrics, and a belief that the music should be shared. These guys have fun performing and can be found at festivals, private events, restaurants, coffee shops, corporate events, and church functions.  The core members of this group have been playing music together since before Woodstock. They have fun playing, check their egos at the door, and – while they take music very seriously – don’t take themselves seriously at all!

www.reverbnation.com/harmonkoeltz

 

 

January 18, 2020

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker

December 21, 2019

Four Shillings Short

November 16, 2019

Dana Cooper

Dana Cooper has logged millions of miles as a renowned songwriter and story teller. This song poet engages and inspires audiences around the world with his quick wit, insightful stories and commanding presence. He has performed on Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage and the Kerrville Music Festival, where he was nominated for their Hall of Fame. Dana’s songs have been recorded by top-notch artists such as bluegrass star Claire Lynch and Irish vocalist Maura O’Connell. His mixture of flat-picking, finger-picking and percussive strumming style is legend among other guitarists.

Dana was awarded the Spirit of Folk Award by Folk Alliance International, and he is the recipient of the 2014 Heritage Series Musician Award for his contributions to the Kansas City’s musical heritage. Dana released his 26th CD Incendiary Kid on Travania Records in 2017.

“Innovative, eclectic and unforgettable.” Heather Johnson, Performing Songwriter

“Dana, still full from last night’s show. I was sitting there listening to your songs thinking, I’m in the room with one of the best living songwriters in the world. Your brilliance took us all on a ride into the ineffable parts of existence. I can’t thank you enough! What a night.”  Minton Sparks

www.danacoopermusic.com

 

 

Friction Farm

Modern-folk duo Friction Farm is a husband and wife team of traveling troubadours. Aidan Quinn and Christine Stay combine storytelling, social commentary and humor to create songs of everyday life, local heroes, and quirky observations.

They have toured internationally and have been Kerrville New Folk Finalists, Falcon Ridge Emerging Artists, and South Florida Folk Festival Songwriter winners. Friction Farm’s latest CD So Many Stars, which reached #6 on the Folk Chart, was inspired by their travels across the country witnessing the collision of strong political polarity with personal kindness, the intersection of fragility and breathtaking beauty. From ballads to anthems, each song is filled with harmony and hope.

He’s from Berkeley CA, and she’s from Woodstock NY. When not touring, Aidan enjoys woodworking and Christine bakes. They have a big garden and a small orchard at the sustainable home they designed and built in South Carolina.

“infectiously hummable tunes.”  New Times Magazine Miami FL

“intricate harmonies which are reminiscent of 1960s classics with a modern twist.”  Sun Journal New Bern NC

“They were utterly charming. Their well-written songs cover a wide gamut and their delivery is spot on. They should be much better known.”  Rich Warren, Host WFMT’s Folk Stage and Midnight Special

http://frictionfarm.com

October 19, 2019

Jefferson Ross

Southern folk artist Jefferson Ross is a songwriter, singer, guitar slinger and painter weaving stories for the ears and the eyes. Based in The Peach State, Jefferson travels throughout the U.S. and Europe performing his original music, and he displays his art at festivals and galleries across the South.

For years Jefferson lived in Nashville playing for recording artists including Canada’s Entertainer of the Decade, Terri Clark, and sharing the stage with country music greats such as George Strait, Toby Keith and Vince Gill. He worked as a staff writer for a number of publishers on Music Row including Curb Music, one of the top music publishers in the world. In 2010 he returned to live in Georgia with his wife and daughter.  He maintains a home and office in Nashville as well.

An evening with Jefferson Ross is a homespun southern experience that you’re unlikely to forget.

www.jeffersonross.com

 

The Rough & Tumble

The Rough & Tumble are as easy to detect as a stray dog on your doorstep– and as difficult to send home. The dumpster-folk, thriftstore-Americana duo, consisting of Mallory Graham & Scott Tyler, have been hobbling around the country in their 16-foot camper since 2015. They picked up a couple of actual strays along the way– two 100-pound dogs, Puddle & Magpie Mae– and have been making themselves at home in living rooms, bars, theaters, and festivals across the country. They’ve been recognized as a Feature Showcase Artist at 2018 SERFA, and a 2018 honorable mention for the Listening Room Network.

Since their start in 2011, The Rough & Tumble have been writing illustrative songs, arranging each with a menagerie of instruments ranging from acoustic guitars to mailbox snares to a banjulele.  “Their Americana music is restorative, their performance highly entertaining, their orchestra of unusual instruments intriguing, and… jokes and stories are worthy of an HBO special.” (Linda Bolton, Cozy Cabin House Concerts).

The stray folkies are as industrious as they are scrappy, releasing five EPs and two albums in their eight years. Their 2018 release, We Made Ourselves a Home When We Didn’t Know, brought the listener to the road and the road to their home — an album “as cozy, comfortable and inviting as a well-worn couch” (Bill Kopp, Mountain Xpress).  All this in addition to their weekly livecast, a monthly blog, a Cook & Color Book, a food blog, 2018 SERFA Official Showcase Artist, and playing upwards of 150 shows a year.

The Rough & Tumble released their new studio album Howling Back at the Wounded Dog, on September 6, 2019.

www.theroughandtumble.com

 

September 21, 2019

Michael Jonathan

Folksinger Michael Johnathon has a long-standing career in the arts as a songwriter, musician, author, playwright, composer of the opera Woody: For the People, and host of the live audience broadcast of the WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour. The show has a radio audience of more than two million listeners each week on 500 public radio stations, public television coast-to-coast, American Forces Radio Network in 173 nations, and now Friday evenings on RFD-TV.

Michael helped organize the national WoodSongs Front Porch Association to help organize rural and community music and a massive educational program. Members of the WFPA are called “SongFarmers.” His 14th album release, MoonFire, comes on the heels of Mousie HiWay: The Adventures of Banjo Mouse in Appalachia, his fully illustrated book that introduces bluegrass music to kids. The MoonFire CD is a 23-song album in honor of the banjo.

Michael released three new projects this year: the CD Dazed & Confuzed, the book WoodSongs 4 and the orchestrated concert tour Songs of Rural America.

In addition to his albums, books, concerts and other projects, the Martin Guitar Company introduced the Michael Johnathon signature model 0000-28s “WoodSongs Quad” guitar.

Michael lives in a log cabin on a hill surrounded by meadows, streams and woods outside of Lexington, Kentucky.

www.michaeljohnathon.com

Blackfoot Daisy

Blackfoot Daisy is a popular local trio comprised of Don Sechelski, Jim Kirkland, Wendy DuMond. They write and perform songs about love, loss, family, horses, dogs, and “things we have yet to ask for forgiveness for.” By day Don is an educator, and Wendy works for a law firm. Don and Wendy met on a songwriter website message board and started writing songs together. Jim Kirkland rounded out the trio with his jazzy multi-instrumentalism, and the result is Blackfoot Daisy.

Blackfoot Daisy formed in 2012 when long-time collaborators and songwriters Wendy and Don decided to begin performing together on a regular basis. Don spent most of his early childhood in Texas and Wendy hails from Montana but grew up in Oklahoma. They chose to name the band after a deer, drought, and pest-resistant prairie flower.

Don is a 30-plus year native of the Atlanta music scene and has also worked as a studio musician. Don has been a regular on the Atlanta coffeehouse/acoustic music scene since the old Freight Room days. He has played venues such as the Dogwood Festival, Hungry Ear Coffeehouse, Lena’s Place and many more.

Wendy began writing songs and performing in 2009. She released a solo EP in 2012. Wendy’s songs have been featured on the Women of Substance radio podcast. Her song Catching Fireflies was used as music for a book trailer to promote All Bears Need Love, a children’s book about interracial adoption.

Blackfoot Daisy has played Smith’s Old Bar, Steve’s Live Music, the Red Light Café and many other local Atlanta live music venues. The band has opened for Nashville songwriter Kurt Fortmeyer, The Rosin Sisters, Copper into Steel, Vientos Del Pueblo, and Little Country Giants, to name a few. They have also performed at Snellville Days, the Chastain Park Arts Festival, the Duluth Fall Festival, the Little 5 Arts Alive Concert series, and Oakhurst Porchfest.

The band released a three-song EP in 2015 and is currently working on a full-length album.

http://www.blackfootdaisymusic.com

August 17, 2019

David Leinweber

David Leinweber has performed widely at festivals, concert venues and clubs for years, including international appearances abroad where he was dubbed “The Flatpicking Professor.” He has also performed widely in refined higher-educational settings like bars and honky-tonks, to say nothing of numerous universities, civic groups and college campuses. He has placed in numerous flatpicking, fingerpicking and songwriting competitions. 

David’s repertoire ranges from traditional music of Appalachia and the British Isles, to Spanish ballads, to folkadelic rock and acoustic blues. Many of his songs tell compelling stories and feature distinctive idioms of guitar-playing and songwriting. But most of all, he’s just out to entertain and have a good time.  His performances intersperse intricate guitar work and vocals with joke-cracking and occasional commentaries – a good fit for audiences of all stripes and tastes.

Just Be’Cause

Jerry Brunner, Bruce Gilbert and Cyndi Craven are Just Be’Cause … just don’t ask them why.

Jerry Brunner and Cyndi Craven, long-time members of the Atlanta acoustic/folk music scene, have been performing together since the 1980’s.  In 2007, they met up with Bruce Gilbert when he moved to Atlanta from California where he’d been wowing the music scene there for years.  The music they produce together is the result of profound friendship, heaping helpings of creativity, and decades of playing, singing and writing together and on their own. Their shows have been described by fans as an evening of “comfort music” with vocal “harmonies that will roll your socks down.” Come hear for yourself!More at: https://www.reverbnation.com/brucegilbert and  https://www.reverbnation.com/cyndicraven

July 20, 2019

The Radio Rangers

The Radio Rangers are an Americana band based in Atlanta. Their original music connects with the heartland of America – stories about small towns, railroads, love, broken hearts and life’s special moments. The music is melodic with an emphasis on vocal harmony and an old timey feel. The band is influenced by John Prine, Towns Van Zandt, Blaze Foley and Bob Dylan. It’s comprised of Dan Foster (vocals, guitar), Mark Ewald (vocals, guitar), and Tom Molloy (percussion).

Dan Foster is the songwriter and leader of the band. A seasoned lead guitarist, his song writing led to the creation of The Radio Rangers in 2014. “I try to write songs that people can emotionally connect with. Songs about love, heartbreak, growing up and railroads. The goal is to paint a picture with a good story and melody. It’s very special when people like what you have created.” Dan grew up in Michigan (too cold), moved to Florida (too hot) and moved to Atlanta in 1989 (just right).

Mark “the ear” Ewald is the musical director. Being friends for over 20 years, Dan says he has never known anyone who can arrange a song, moving in exactly the right direction the way Mark does. Mark’s nickname comes from his vocal harmony abilities but he is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, piano, mandolin, bass guitar, banjo, harmonica and drums. (not all at the same time). Mark is from Buffalo, New York and still loves hot-wings.

Tom Molloy is the drummer/percussionist for the group. Tom is the glue that holds everything together while adding that special energy to the songs. Tom’s sense of humor always keeps things loose making even the ordinary much more fun. Tom grew up in Queens, New York which will become apparent when you speak with him. (what accent?) Just don’t tell him he looks like Rodney Dangerfield.

https://www.theradiorangers.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theradiorangers

Redwine Jam

Despite its name, Redwine Jam is not a sweet alcoholic concoction suitable for spreading on toast. Still, folk music fans find it appetizing and heady! A performance by the folk band Redwine Jam carries the audience on an emotional roller coaster complete with high-spirited roots music, wry humor, gripping story songs, love ballads, and the sheer joy of homemade music.

Redwine Jam is an Atlanta-based folk music trio comprised of Chris and Carol Moser and singer Brenda Lloyd. They perform a wide range of North American and Celtic folk songs and tunes, from traditional material to newly written compositions by contemporary folk legends. They accompany their vocals with guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, flute, pennywhistle, bodhran and harp (not all at the same time).

Redwine Jam has developed a strong following at coffeehouses, festivals, private parties and other events in the Atlanta area and elsewhere in the Southeast. Whether they’re performing a program of American folk, Celtic, a mixture of both, or their multi-media concert exploring the American Folk Revival, an evening with Redwine Jam is a delectable treat.

www.redwinejam.com

June 15, 2019

 

Tina and Her Pony

The Indie Appalachian folk duo Tina & Her Pony originated in Asheville, North Carolina in 2009. Tina Collins (tenor banjo, tenor ukulele, guitar, vocals) and Quetzal Jordan (cello, guitar, vocals) spent two years holed up in the high desert mountain town of Taos, New Mexico, making music and friends.  They became one of the iconic artist colony’s most beloved performing acts.

Tina and Her Pony released their full length, self-titled debut album in March 2012. After touring the U.S. and Canada, they established a new home base in Asheville and began recording their second album, Champion. The album draws inspiration from and meditates on dreams, the subconscious, and death.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Collins grew up listening to such folk legends as Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt and Nick Drake, as well as Appalachian musicians such as Loretta Lynn, The Carter family and Doc Watson.  Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and raised in Tampa FL by her Guatemalan single mother, Jordan spent her young life salsa dancing at family parties and singing hymns in her church choir. She started her classical training at the age of eight and began writing music when 14 years old, largely influenced by Russian Romantic Composers and artists such as Radiohead, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash.

Collins and Jordan’s songwriting incorporates complexities in harmony and arrangement that queer the American folk tradition. Their unique sound draws inspiration from artists such as Nickel Creek, Sarah Jarosz, Gillian Welch and Crooked Still.

tinaandherpony.com

Acoustic Bridge

The Atlanta group Acoustic Bridge will also be making its first Fiddler’s Green appearance. Celia McDermott, Mike Cerra, and Kevin Walsh offer an eclectic set of creative arrangements ranging from Americana to folk to popular, plus their own unique blend of original music.

An early love of singing inspired Celia McDermott to study arranging and vocals at Berklee College of Music. She performed in the Boston, New York, and Atlanta areas for years in various groups, featuring many styles of music. She served several years as an assistant choir director for a vibrant music ministry and spent ten years directing and singing in the a cappella group Cheaper Than Therapy.  Celia has been a featured singer on a number of recordings and has performed with many different musicians in the Atlanta area, crossing genres spanning from jazz to rock to Americana to gospel. For several years she was a featured soloist for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Gospel Choir.

Mike Cerra has been playing and writing “longer than I should probably admit in mixed company,” he says. This talented multi-instrumentalist and singer has performed with several electric bands as well as acoustically for both vocal and solo instrumental music.

Bassist and vocalist Kevin Walsh performs in a wide variety of styles – R&B, rock & roll, folk and Americana. Kevin has recorded and toured in the U.S. and Canada with the acoustic group Windfall. He has done two tours of Ireland with the Americana group Rhythm Road. He is has lived and performed as a singer, guitarist and bassist in the Atlanta area for the last seven years.

Acoustic Bridge Online

May 18, 2019

 

Adam Miller

 

One of the premier autoharpists in the world, Adam Miller is a renowned American folksinger and natural-born storyteller from Oregon. Miller accompanies his rich, resonant baritone voice with lively finger-picking acoustic guitar and stunningly beautiful autoharp melodies. A masterful entertainer who never fails to get his audience singing along, he has distinguished himself as one of the great interpreters of American folksongs and folktales, and as a performer who appeals to audiences of all ages.

George Winston calls him “one of the great autoharpists and folksingers of our times.” Pete Seeger praised his “wonderful storytelling!” The Walnut Valley Festival described his performance as, “An outstanding slice of American folksongs performed with his perfectly suited voice and tasty autoharp accompaniment.” As a concert promoter in Melbourne Beach, Florida, observed, “It will charm even the most die-hard iPod-loving kids or reluctant significant-others.”

Adam began his lifelong pursuit of collecting old songs while still in grade school. Armed with an audio-graphic memory and an uncommonly good ear for melody, his childhood ambition was to learn every song he heard. An accomplished folklorist, historian, and song-collector, he has now amassed a remarkable repertoire of over 5,000 songs.  Miller’s repertoire evokes a by-gone time when entertainment was homemade. A master of the art of storytelling, he skillfully interweaves folksongs and the stories behind them with the elegance of a documentary filmmaker.

Traveling 70,000 miles a year, this 21st-century troubadour performs over 200 concerts annually, from the Everglades to the Arctic Circle.  More than1.5 million American K-12 students have attended his Singing Through History! school assembly programs.  He has performed in more than 2,000 American public libraries in 48 states.

He has recorded six CDs that receive airplay across North America and Europe. His numerous appearances at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival, the Brookdale Bluegrass Festival, the Tumbleweed Music Festival, the California Traditional Music Society’s Summer Solstice Festival, and the Kentucky Music Weekend have made him a national favorite.

Miller’s folk songs and ballads are the songs of America’s heritage: a window into the soul of our nation in its youth.  Frank Hamilton, co-founder of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, former member of the folk quartet The Weavers, and co-founder of Atlanta’s Frank Hamilton School, says, “His performance is truly entertaining and riveting. He’s doing a real service for folk music: defending the treasury of American tradition.”

www.folksinging.org

Mark Dvorak

When Chicago-based singer-songwriter Mark Dvorak began his career in music, he knew right away he was in it for the long haul.  Thirty-four years later he’s still on the road, performing and recording.

“He’s the real deal,” said James Tomasello of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, where Dvorak has been on the faculty for 30 years.  “Mark has made music his life and livelihood. His performances are elegant, rich and powerful. He is one of the Old Town School’s Distinguished Teaching Artists.”

Mark Dvorak is the third son of four, born to a working class family on Chicago’s southwest side. After reading Anthony Scaduto’s biography of Bob Dylan in high school, his interest in American folk music was born. Soon the recordings of Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and Pete Seeger found their way into his collection.  He purchased his first acoustic guitar and enrolled in classes at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music after a summer of touring the country by motorcycle. In 1982 Dvorak borrowed a five string banjo and began teaching himself how to play, mastering the claw-hammer stroke. In 1986 Dvorak joined Old Town School faculty.

In December of 2013, Mark published his first collection of essays and poems, Bowling for Christmas and Other Tales from the Road. The book sold out of its initial printing in nine days and received glowing reviews.

Dvorak has performed in 38 states and in parts of Europe and Canada.  He has released 17 albums and has won awards for journalism and children’s music.  He received the Woodstock Folk Festival Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the Lantern Bearer Award from Folk Alliance International in 2013.  In 2012 WFMT 98.7 FM Midnight Special host Rich Warren named him Chicago’s “official troubadour.”

www.markdvorak.com

 

April 20, 2019

Carla Ulbrich, Professional Smart Alec

Carla Ulbrich is a comical singer-songwriter and guitarist whose biggest musical influences were Sesame Street,
camp songs, and cat food commercials. She has a love of the absurdities
of ordinary life, a somewhat twisted viewpoint, and a way with words.
Her songs cover topics from the mundane to insane: Waffle House,
Klingons, psycho exes, how rich she would be if she had a copyright on
the F-word, and so on.

Carla’s six CDs have been aired on the BBC, Dr. Demento, Sirius XM Radio and NPR.  She also appeared in Sharknado 2 (as a human) and once opened for Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel.

Carla has been performing since the late 90s in venues small and
smaller, from the Clothing Optional Folk Festival to Nashville’s famed
Bluebird Cafe.  She has appeared as a musical guest on the TV shows The Revolution (canceled) and Up All Night with Rhonda
(canceled).  Walk, don’t run, and look both ways before crossing, then
go hear Carla before the venue she is playing in closes up shop.

Carla has been a Fiddler’s Green audience favorite throughout her
career.  “She is very talented, very funny, very personable, and an easy
act to work with. We would be hard pressed to imagine anyone not
enjoying a set,” says our former manager, Seegar Swanson.  “Her
thoughtful and intelligent, clever observations about life, written in
an often wry and humorous manner, are placed over very strong melodies
and guitar work that is recognized as some of the best in her genre.”

Carla has shared the stage with such luminaries as Cheryl Wheeler,
Vance Gilbert, Modern Man, The Bobs, Bob Malone, David Massengill, Lou
and Peter Berryman, The Austin Lounge Lizards, and Rev. Billy C Wirtz.
Other venues she has played include the Falcon Ridge Festival,
Kerrville Folk Festival, Club Med, Eddie’s Attic, The Minstrel and First
Night. We’re delighted to have her back!

http://www.carlau.com/

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March 16, 2019

Will Payne Harrison

Since moving from Louisiana to Nashville, Will Payne Harrison has
toured the South and East coasts, performed at festivals, made radio
appearances, packed out listening rooms, hosted songwriter’s nights and
even co-wrote a song landing in the feature film Black Beauty starring Luke Perry. Harrison’s first single from the album Louisiana Summer, “Clarity,” was featured as a Daily Discovery by American Songwriter magazine.

After its May release East Nashville Blues reached the top
200 on Americana radio charts in 2017.  Harrison is following up the
album with a six-song companion EP of covers with the likes of John
Prine, Hank Williams and Steve Earle, as well as an original track.  Blue is the common thread of the new EP, with each song containing the word in the track.

Here’s what reviewers are saying about East Nashville Blues:
“Easy, clean and humble, this, his follow-up to Louisiana Summer, is well-written but simple.” – Offbeat, New Orleans, LA.
“Harrison
follows in the footsteps of his heroes, telling stories that can make
you smile right before they make you cry. Willie Nelson and John Prine
would be proud.” – Mother Church Pew, Nashville, TN.
“Harrison
has unveiled smooth, sweet vocals to match the heartfelt lyrics on the
new album.” — Herman Fusilier, The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA.

www.willpayneharrison.com

The Irish Brothers

The Irish Brothers may be Atlanta’s most popular and
proficient performers of the beloved genre of traditional Irish music
the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem introduced to the American Folk
Revival.  Sandy “Sandyman” Flynn and “Captain” George Hergen are a
unique team. Sandyman comes from the mountains of Western North
Carolina, while the Captain hails from the canyons of New York City.
The two started performing together 35 years ago when they worked “suit”
jobs at IBM.  Both draw from their Irish heritage for material. Their
music practically maps the Irish cultural integration into the “new
country” – from traditional Irish ballads to original songs of love,
drinking, revolution and redemption.

Sandy is a former songwriter on Music Row (Tree-Sony/ATV) in
Nashville.  He was a founding member of the band Cullowhee, which toured
nationally and internationally for ten years in the 70s and 80s. George
started singing and playing after his first visit to New York’s
Greenwich Village in the mid-1960s.  He honed his craft by traveling
throughout Ireland with the great Tommy Makem. The team received the
name “Irish Brothers” following a performance at The Folk Alliance
several years ago in Memphis, Tennessee.

Sandyman Flynn http://redheadscape.com/

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February 16, 2019

Jim Culliton & Clear Creek Band

Multi-instrumental virtuoso Jim Culliton has been a favorite of Fiddler’s Green audiences for many years.  In the Jim Culliton & Clear Creek Band, his
guitar, mandolin, fiddle and vocals share the stage with Walter Dean’s
dobro and Joel Glogowski’s upright bass.  This high-energy trio offers
an eclectic blend of different acoustic genres, mixing instrumental
improvisation with traditional sounds and vocals.

Jim Culliton has performed throughout Georgia and the Southeast over
the past decade. His philosophy of no stylistic boundaries always keeps
the music fresh and exciting.  Jim has played     at The Fox Theatre,
Symphony Hall, and many other concert venues.  He was one of the early
innovators in the New String Acoustic Movement, incorporating jazz,
bluegrass, world music,   rock, and classical with occasional vocals in
the mix. Put all of this in a high-speed blender and you get a truly
innovative, entertaining, and dynamic musician.  Jim was chosen to be a
Musician in Residence for the National Endowment of the Arts and
Humanities. He’s a former instructor of music at Huntingdon College and
Auburn University (AUM).

Walter Dean is known locally as “dean of the dobro.”  Joel Glogowski
is a highly accomplished upright bass player whose talent graces this
trio and other Atlanta area bands including Caroline & The Ramblers.

The band is in demand at various Atlanta area venues, including the
Pullman in Kirkwood, where they’ll be playing for Sunday brunch January
27, 12-2 pm. http://www.facebook.com/clearcreekatlanta

The Justin Sams Band

The Justin Sams Band was formed in late 2015 as the
result of four friends experimenting with a mixture of original songs
and esoteric covers.  What began as a tentative musical grouping soon
evolved into a unique and refined band that could still approach its
music and performances in the spirit of  open collaboration and genuine
friendship. Drawing inspiration from folk music, country blues,
psychedelic rock, and good old-fashioned storytelling, The Justin Sams
Band defies convenient categorization; however, one might describe the
band’s sound as eclectic-electric-folk-rock.

The band enjoys arranging and performing covers, enabling it to
participate in tribute events such  as Jerry Day at Terminal West and
Bob Dylan Tribute nights at the Red Light Café and the Lake Clare
Community Land Trust.  Yet the band’s greatest musical strength is its
extensive catalog of original material drawn from the independent
efforts of the group’s two songwriters, Tom Spach and Lindsay Petsch.
This unlikely pairing of these writers’ musical backgrounds and styles
has resulted in an interesting and rare counterpoint, one of the
reasons The Justin Sams Band is frequently complemented for musical
variety.  The band’s first album of original material, Ghosts  of the Day, was released in April of 2018.  They’re presently recording their next album, The Miracle Cure, which will be released in the early summer of 2019.

https://www.justinsamsband.com

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January 19, 2019

CHARLEY WOODS

Nashville native Charley Woods
has been garnering attention and praise for her instantly recognizable
voice and stylistic blend of country and Americana since she was in high
school, at none other than the prestigious Nashville School of the
Arts. Already a mainstay in the Nashville songwriters’ community,
Charley’s dream is to share her songs with the world.

Charley has performed and
collaborated with many talented and influential figures in today’s
country music including Brad Paisley, Chris Young, David Nail, Wil
Nance, Mark Nesler, and many more. She appeared
on Good Morning America and world-renown stages such as The Grand Ole
Opry and The Ryman Auditorium – all before the tender age of 18. Her
single Half the Girl
has now claimed the attention of leading music editorials and radio
stations around the world and accumulated more than 5,000 streams on
Spotify.

www.charleywoods.com https://www.patreon.com/charleywoods

THE NEW HARVEY FAMILY SINGERS

The New Harvey Family Singers is
an evolving group of Atlanta troubadours performing contemporary and
traditional music. The band is made up of John Harvey, Seth Langer, Jimi
Cusick and Eryk Fisher.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, John
Harvey appears regularly in the Frank Hamilton School band and brings
previous experience playing with house bands. Atlanta native Eryk Fisher
is a professional basement musician who “sings to walls, plays
harmonica, and strums three chord songs until mama tells me dinner’s
ready.” Seth Langer is an actor, musician, and odd-jobber from Decatur.
He plays at political rallies, weddings, birthdays, funerals — wherever
there’s singing to be done! Jimi Cusick, from Atlanta, brings a musical
background that includes orchestra, rock, and a Beatles cover band. Jimi
loves to challenge himself musically to learn new things and play with
new people as much as possible.

December 15, 2018

JIM SHARKEY

Singer-songwriter Jim Sharkey
is an Irish and Americana folk musician making his second Fiddler’s
Green appearance. Jim grew up in County Roscommon, Ireland. He came to
the U.S. in 1982 after joining the U.S. Navy in London, England. He
spent five years as a photographer on the USS Dixon in San Diego,
California, and ten years working in television and video production in
North Carolina and Maine. He taught children with special needs in
Westbrook, Maine, and Roanoke, Virginia. He currently teaches at The
Arts Based School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and he continues to
play two or three times a month in Virginia, North and South Carolina,
Maryland, and Washington DC, accompanying himself on guitar, harmonica,
and bodhran (Irish drum). Jim’s original songs blend Celtic traditional
ballad influences with contemporary issues that are often set in the
area he resides.

Jim has recorded three CDs: Misty Morning Rain, Sweet Anne’s Road and
Black Is the Color. He’ll include some seasonal songs in his set –
among them, his 2017 release The Christmas Comet.

www.jimsharkeymusic.com

The Clams

The Clams,
an Atlanta-based jazz quintet led by legendary folk/jazz musician Frank
Hamilton, takes its name from the humorous reference to mistakes made
on recordings, a name given to this by Bix Beiderbecke. This
extraordinary band will ring in the New Year a couple of weeks early for
our Fiddler’s Green patrons.

Early jazz emanated from New Orleans. At the end of the Civil War,
band instruments used in military marching bands wound up in pawn shops
throughout the country. In New Orleans African-American musicians found
them and incorporated them into a new marching band dance form called,
in those days, “jass.”

At the same time a section of New Orleans contained sporting houses
of prostitution. Musicians found work in these establishments to
generate that business. As with the name “rock”, “jass” was a euphemism
for sexual activity. Eventually the word’s spelling became “jazz.”
One of these famous sporting houses, Lulu White’s Mahogany Hall, was
presided over by Alderman Story. Hence, the red light area became known
as Storyville. Many great jazz musicians started out in jazz marching
bands and in these houses. The Navy shut these brothels were shut down
in 1915 due to rampant venereal disease, but the music survived.

Alongside the marching bands and the cat house pianists, there were
string bands with guitars, mandolin, banjos and upright basses and horns
in combinations that prevail to this day in the form of what is called a
jazz combo. The Clams carry on this music tradition. Their influences
include the cornet playing of Bix Beiderbecke, the banjo and guitar
stylings of Eddie Lang, and piano styles from Fats Waller to Jelly Roll
Morton. The Clams play and sing this jazz that millions joyfully danced
to from the early 1900s through the 40s.

Five stellar Atlanta musicians comprise the Clams. Bill Rutan is a
legendary tenor banjo player who has traveled over the world playing
with various New Orleans jazz groups and driving every one of them with
his impeccable rhythm and extensive vocal repertoire of songs. L.A.
Tuten is a versatile musician who has recording credits and is known for
being in demand as a local musician; he’s also a former director of
Atlanta’s Marching Abominables. Matt Phillips is a multi-talented
performer who plays cornet in the style of Bix, plays mandolin and works
as an expert repairman of quality violins; he’s also a visual artist
known for his drawings and paintings. Mick Kinney is a master of many
instruments and a swinging jazz style; he’s an accomplished fiddler,
pianist, teacher and musical director. Frank Hamilton’s career spans
many years as a folk and early jazz guitar player and singer; he was
co-founder of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and the Frank
Hamilton School in Atlanta.

www.frankhamiltonschool.org

November 17, 2018

Joe Penland

Joe has been deemed a “cultural treasure” by The Asheville Citizen Times. AAFFM is proud to lure him from “the farm” for his second full-concert appearance at Fiddler’s Green.

Deep in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, there’s a front porch that has been the destination of many folk who love these mountains, their music and their stories. Grammy winners and kids with their first guitar, banjo or fiddle, Hollywood producers, writers, and folk music collectors from all over the world have made their way to the place Joe Penland simply calls “the farm.”

Joe Penland was born and raised in rural Madison County in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. He is the proud steward of twelve generations and over 350 years of the rich oral tradition of his Scottish and English ancestors. From his birth he has listened to and learned the stories and ballads these travelers brought with them across the ocean, then southwest to the narrow coves and high meadows that many consider the richest repository of Great Britain’s folk songs in the world. He inherited the instruments of his grandfather who died long before his birth and was taught to play by his aunts.

Joe was content to continue this tradition in his front room, the porch or campfires of his secluded farm. But eventually his daughter Laurin and lifelong friends Sheila Adams, Mary Eagle and David Holt convinced him to share his life and music with a broader audience. Since then he has appeared at numerous festivals, toured Great Britain eight times, and received the coveted Bascom Lunsford Award (named for his cousin and founder of the longest running folk festival in America) for his “significant contribution to preserving our mountain music.”

We first saw Joe when he captivated a grateful Atlanta audience at the 2012 Emory University symposium “Making Connections: The Celtic Roots of Southern Music,” organized by Prof. James W. Flannery. Joe has recorded four CDs including his latest, The Mary Sands Project, Volume 1.

Determined that folk music includes the present as well as the past, Joe also writes and sings his own songs, which he calls “just more stories of love and life here in the mountains.” Whether singing the traditional ballads of the mountains of western North Carolina or performing his original and stirring folk songs, Joe Penland offers an honesty and power that is a testament to both his unique character and our shared humanity.

October 20, 2018

ALEX HUNNICUTT

With his own signature style, Greenville S.C.-based performing songwriter Alex Hunnicutt serves up blues, R&B and soul (with a little bit of jazz and reggae thrown in as well) in his new album titled Honey. “Honey is the latest release from smooth rock and blues guitarist Alex Hunnicutt. Each one of the album’s eight tracks is endowed with a funky groove that serves to underscore Hunnicutt’s soulful singing and highlight his technical proficiency on the guitar,” according to the Houdini Mansions website.  “As a collection of songs, it is extremely appealing to both pop and light rock sensibilities.” Many diverse listeners from different musical backgrounds have been drawn towards Hunnicutt’s uniquely groovy and rhythmic songwriting style and vocal textures.

Most of the time you’ll find Alex playing solo shows with nothing more than an acoustic guitar (and maybe a loop pedal).  “I love smaller shows because they’re more intimate and you can spend more time connecting with individual people than you can at a larger show where you have to go back and forth between a lot of people.” That’s not to say that you won’t catch him playing at these larger events, festivals, and concert venues with his duo or trio. This past year Hunnicutt has opened for Chase Bryant at The Greer Family festival, Marc Broussard at Downtown Greenville’s Artisphere Festival, and Casey James from American Idol at The Radio Room in Greenville.  He has been a guest celebrity judge and performer at Greer Idol and played hundreds of other shows from Tennessee to Myrtle Beach. He plans on constantly expanding the territories he performs in and expanding on his knowledge of and love for writing music that connects with all kinds of people.

www.alexhunnicutt.com

THE PORCH BOTTOM BOYS

The Porch Bottom Boys, a Decatur group, play bluegrass, newgrass, and other styles seasoned with the diverse backgrounds of their members.  Guitarist and vocalist Steve Gorbatkin was born on the south side of Chicago, and his years in the Windy City left an indelible blues-inflected mark on his singing. Atlanta native Jim Thompson spent time living and working in the coal towns of Virginia, and his experiences as a founding member of the Poetown Ramblers and playing with bluegrass groups in Nashville gives the band its deep bluegrass roots. Mandolinist and vocalist Patrick Jackson hails from Northwest Georgia and adds melodic mandolin and piercing high tenor harmonies to the mix.  From jazz to rockabilly to bluegrass, bassist Joel Glogowski uses his wide musical background and impeccable fashion sense to hold it all down with his rollicking, thumping, good-time beat on the doghouse bass fiddle. Charlie O’Neill rounds out the Boys with his tasty licks on the five-string banjo.

Charlie’s front porch in Decatur gives the band their name and serves as their home base. Long-time band member Denis Gainty was a talented musician and song writer who was an inspiration to all the group and remains so despite his untimely passing in 2017.

The Porch Bottom Boys play in a variety of local venues and have been featured multiple times on WRFG radio. They have also appeared in many nearby festivals, including the Decatur BBQ Blues and Bluegrass Festival, the Decatur Arts Festival, the Oakhurst Arts Festival, and Stomp and Chomp in Cabbagetown.  Committed to the Decatur community, they frequently play for local fundraisers and other programs.

www.porchbottomboys.com

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September 15, 2018

SOUTH FOR WINTER

With elements of gypsy, folk, jazz and blues, the Nashville-based trio South for Winter offers an eclectic sound united by delicate harmonies, intricate guitar work, and earthy vocals.

Four years after meeting in Peru and writing what would later become their first single, Whisper in the Trees, Colorado singer-songwriter Dani Cichon and New Zealand musician Nick Stone officially joined in March 2017 as the duo South for Winter.  With Nashville TN as their home base, the two formed a trio with cellist Alex Stradal and crafted South for Winter’s distinctive sound.

The band released its self-titled debut EP in January 2018.  That led to Nashville’s Lightning 100 radio station naming the trio as a top up-and-coming independent artist in its 2018 Music City Mayhem competition, and it connected the band with the Grammy-nominated producer of their second EP.  The trio released this EP in August and will tour nationally through more than 14 states before returning to Nashville to begin work on their first full-length studio album.

www.southforwintermusic.com

HARM’S WAY

Harm’s Way performs with rich harmony, conviction, and a sense of humor. While the group has been together over ten years, some of the members have been performing together all of their adult lives. Their music is influenced by several genres: roots, Americana, folk, blues, and more. Harm’s Way includes Harmon Koeltz on lead vocals and guitar, Scot Boze on vocals, and Phil Griffin on lead guitar.  For this performance they’ll be joined by Jonathan McBee, bass player for Mockingbird’s Wing.

This acoustic driven group relies on tight harmonies, thoughtful songs and lyrics, and a belief that the music should be shared. These guys have fun performing and can be found at festivals, private events, restaurants, coffee shops, corporate events, and church functions.

The core members of this group have been playing music together since before Woodstock.  They have fun playing, check their egos at the door, and – while they take music very seriously – don’t take themselves seriously at all!

www.reverbnation.com/harmonkoeltz

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August 18, 2018

THE JANUARY DUO

The January Duo was founded in January of 2015 when multi-instrumentalist Payton Scott and classically trained singer Sara Grace Carmical met in high school.Shortly after, Chris Scott, bassist, trumpet player, and Atlanta Symphony Chorus alum (and Payton’s dad) joined up to accompany the Duo. They have enjoyed playing traditional music from all over the world for audiences on two continents.

Sara Grace Carmical has ten years of classical voice training and is currently a sophomore voice and biology major at Emory University. Payton Scott started playing banjo in the ninth grade. Soon after that he expanded to the guitar, accordion, mandolin, bass, Celtic drum, and dulcimer. Payton has honed his craft under the tutelage of Frank Hamilton and Jens Krüger. He currently serves as an instructor at the Frank Hamilton Folk School.

From folk to bluegrass to old-time to gospel and blues, the January Duo look forward to bringing their arrangements of a wide range of classic tunes to their first appearance at Fiddler’ Green.

CJ JONES AND THE SPIRIT BONES

The local band CJ Jones and the Spirit Bones will also make its Fiddler’s Green debut.  The group plays original songs that “sound like Commander Cody, Mojo Nixon and Hunter S. Thompson had a three-way mutant love child with an intellectual edge,” according to Candler Park resident and Emory professor Ted Pettus. the band leader.

Their concept album The Odyssey of Cledus Jeremiah Jones is built around Pettus’s creation, an Appalachian prophet of that name.  Jones’ pronouncements on spirituality (“It ain’t religion if it ain’t got snakes”) and spirits (“Smoke away my memory, drink away my pain”) have attracted an eclectic following in Atlanta’s funky Americana music scene.  Pettus composed the songs.

Four other brilliant musicians put meat on the Spirit Bones:

• Singer/guitarist Craig Rafuse has been performing songs with social significance in 1963  while also playing in dance bands. In addition to the Spirit Bones, he currently appears with Expand Band, Owls and Kahootz.
• Drummer Bobby Andre has played in jazz, blues, rock, pop and country bands. He has recorded with several bands including Glenn Phillips and has toured with Billy Joe Royal, Glenn Phillips and Aviva and the Flying Penguins among others.
• Bassist Andy Weiskoff has played in rock, blues, and contra bands. His musical epiphany came one day at a traffic light while listening to a Baroque string quartet, when a car playing hip-hop pulled up beside him, and the two musical selections merged seamlessly!
• Keyboard player Alan Dynin has performed concerts for the Jazz and World Music Association, the Atlanta Symphony Associates, and many other house concert series. He is one of the more diverse pianists in the Southeast, playing and composing in jazz, Latin, blues and boogie, ragtime, concert classical, gospel, free improvisational, and now… Funkabilly.

CJ Jones and the Spirit Bones has been seen around Atlanta at the Clermont Lounge, Red Light Café, The Earl, Inman Park Festival and Lake Claire Land Trust, among other venues.

www.cledusjeremiahjones.com

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July 21, 2018

GEORGIA GRASS

Since Dan Daniel founded Georgia Grass in 1973, this professional bluegrass band has played for many bluegrass festivals and events in Georgia and around the Southeast. By1976 they were so highly reputed that they were chosen to play for the Grand opening of the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Dan plays guitar and sings most of the lead vocals for the group. He’s a member of the Bonded Brothers of Bluegrass and President and CEO of the Southeastern Bluegrass Association. In 2009 Dan was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2017 the Atlanta Society of Entertainers presented him with the Musician’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Banjo player James Mckinney also sings harmony and some leads. James won the South US Banjo Championship at the age of 14. He went on to win first-place awards in other states and in 1982 was named Grand National Banjo Champion of the United States at the annual awards in Winfield, Kansas. James has played with such legends as Bill Monroe, Vassar Clements and John Hartford. He has worked as a studio musician in Nashville and is rated as one of the top banjo players in the country. James was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.

Bass player Niki Portmann is also a singer. Her love of music from a young age led her to try several different instruments before deciding on the upright acoustic bass. She was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

www.facebook.com/dan.daniel.754

CHAMBLESS AND MUSE

For more than 25 years, Alabama natives Jil Chambless and Scooter Muse have been performing the music of Scotland, Ireland and America with various ensembles in a wide variety
of venues, from simple house concerts to festivals and concert halls. Jil and Scooter have worked alongside many of the finest artists in Celtic music. In 2010 Chambless & Muse began performing as a duo to promote their individual solo projects. Since then they have released several CDs: The Laverock Sang (2011), Passing Tales & Glories (2014), Live @ NTIF with John Taylor (2016), The Lang Awa’ Ships (2017), and Nollaig Chridheil, Songs of the Christmas Season with Ed Miller (2017).

As singer and flute player, Jil Chambless has performed across the US as well as in Canada, Scotland, and Israel with the band Henri’s Notions, Chambless & Muse, Scottish singer Ed
Miller, Scottish fiddler John Taylor, the band Vulcan Eejits!, The Mairtin deCogain Project, the John Whelan Trio, the Vogt Family Contra Band, and others. In 2009 Jil released her first solo CD, The Ladies Go Dancing, produced by the legendary Brian McNeill. Jil brings to any audience a wonderful listening experience from haunting ballads to upbeat songs with a smooth delivery that never fails to bring both smiles and tears in each and every performance. See www.jilchambless.com.

Although Scooter Muse has his roots in bluegrass and is quite an accomplished five-string banjo
player, in the late 1980s he moved into the world of Celtic guitar. He soon founded the Full
Moon Ensemble, performing for eight years across the US and in Scotland, before joining Henri’s Notions in 2003. In 2005 Scooter released his first solo recording of original guitar instrumentals, Saddell Abbey, which was purchased by the Scottish Tourist Board in Kintyre.
The Saddell Abbey Trust of Scotland calls the recording “a haunting and beautiful piece of
music.” See www.scootermuse.com.

“Jil and Scooter are brilliant musicians on flute and guitar and Jil has one of the loveliest folk
voices around today…” ~Seamus Kennedy, singer, guitarist, songwriter, performer, and yodeler.

“…Wonderful guitar …fine Celtic traditional vocals and flute, in my opinion, would be a great
addition to any stage …. beautiful music!” ~Alex Beaton, Scottish recording artist.

“For me, quite simply as good as it gets!” ~Alex McKinven, Mull of Kintyre Music & Arts Association, Scotland.

“Exquisite vocals, oh-so-tasteful guitar and a lilting flute – a deceptively simple, beautiful and
gentle combination!” ~Ed Miller, Scottish recording artist, folklorist and radio host.

www.facebook.com/chamblessandmuse

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June 16, 2018

MARK STUART

Nashville-based performing songwriter Mark Stuart will be making his second appearance at Fiddler’s Green. Onstage, his focus is on the songs he has penned and recorded, delivered with a soulful singing voice and highly memorable guitar playing.

After many years on the Americana/folk circuit, Stuart has cultivated a very rounded performance. His show consists of storytelling, flashy guitar “chops”, and songs that seem to draw from his rock, blues, country, and folk music roots. Mostly, this artist from Tennessee has toured solo or in a notable duo with his wife (“Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart”). There were stints
along the way as a sideman, though (for Steve Forbert, Freddy Fender, Steve Earle, and Joan Baez). If placed on the bill with a contemporary artist he is usually asked to play guitar on their portion of the show. Just ask Jason Ringenberg, Ray Wylie Hubbard, or Jimmy LaFave.

One can find Mark Stuart on any given night in a small theater, coffeehouse, house concert, festival stage, club, or church auditorium, giving it his all. Aside from that, he could be instructing at a guitar clinic or songwriting workshop, or playing on someone’s recording session. As co-owner of Gearle Records, he has produced or co-produced many albums. Over several decades Stuart’s career has repeatedly taken him to all of the USA, Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom.

www.markstuart.net

MOCKINGBIRD’S WING

Mockingbird’s Wing has cultivated a strong following at Atlanta area coffeehouses and other acoustic venues with its adroitly delivered folk, rock, soul and pop repertoire. The group features four diverse musicians:

Barbara Hotz is a singer/songwriter with deep roots in Mexico and a love of the old standards.
Jonathan McBee is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter out of Chicago, IL. If it’s got strings, Jonathan is looking to add it to the Mockingbird sound.

Paul Pendery is a Montana/Alaska/Texas singer/songwriter whose songs evoke soulful stirrings and happy feet.
Suzy Schultz, when she is not at her day job as a full-time artist, adds vocals/flute/cello to the Mockingbird sound.

Like the mockingbird herself, all the different voices and styles come together for a unique sound – the inimitable Mockingbird’s Wing sound.

Mockingbird’s Wing on Facebook

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May 19, 2018

WRITER’S VOICE

Writer’s Voice offers original acoustic contemporary folk tunes with a few sing along covers in the mix. Fritz Rauschenberg leads the group, accompanied by long time member Scott Wiman on guitar, with vocalist Debbie Foster and George Uterhardt on bass to round it out.

Fritz Rauschenberg has played and taught guitar for over 40 years and has performed folk music and “songs of the heart” in halls, coffee houses and bars for about as long as a singer/songwriter. He has taught private and group lessons in local music shops and currently teaches guitar at the Frank Hamilton School. Fritz also enjoys playing ukulele, octave mandolin, mandola and harmonica. His luthier work includes restoring and repairing acoustic stringed instruments in the violin, guitar and mandolin families.

Scott Wyman is an accomplished guitarist and mandolin player as well as a software writer. Scott and Fritz have played together many years in different types of venues. Fritz admires Scott’s expertise in the studio in arranging and recording.

Vocalist Debbie Foster delivers harmonies to the mix. “She’s a spark plug of energy and encouragement for us as well,” says Fritz. “Debbie and I have sung together for several years when opportunities arise.”
George Uterhardt is a 25+-year Navy veteran who played bass and tuba in bands in and out of the service. On bass George has the ear needed to know how to blend with any type of music. He’s comfortable with anything from country to jazz. He and Fritz have worked together for a short few years.

The tunes delivered by Writer’s Voice are of journeys and thoughts that most of us have seen or experienced presented in pleasing melodies and stories. You may part with a tune echoing in your memory.

CALEDONIA SWING

The Atlanta/North Georgia-based band Caledonia Swing performs a unique style of Celtic music with a jazzy twist. Marie Dunkle (violin, cello, mandolin) and Margie Swint (vocals, guitar) founded the group in 2004 with Ken Shearer (guitar). With a variety of guest musicians, Caledonia Swing have performed their eclectic musical mix at venues throughout Georgia and the Carolinas. The band’s inspirations are traditional Celtic music, Celtic swing, 30’s/40’s American classics, the sweet sounds of Scotland, and gypsy jazz greats Django Rheinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. With musical stylings from elegant to toe-tapping, Caledonia Swing has entertained audiences for over 12 years.

Band principals Marie Dunkle and Margie Swint currently perform as a duo and with talented guest musicians at festivals, coffeehouses, wineries, weddings and private parties. Marie is also a gifted storyteller and will be weaving in a few Scottish myths and legends at Fiddlers Green.

www.caledoniaswing.com

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April 21, 2018

MICHAEL JOHNATHON

Folksinger Michael Johnathon has a long-standing career in the arts as a songwriter, musician, author, playwright, composer of the opera Woody: For the People, and host of the live audience broadcast of the WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour.  The show has a radio audience of more than two million listeners each week on 500 public radio stations, public television coast-to-coast, American Forces Radio Network in 173 nations, and now Friday evenings on RFD-TV.

Recently, Michael helped organize the national WoodSongs Front Porch Association to help organize rural and community music and a massive educational program. Members of the WFPA are called “SongFarmers.”  His 14th album release, MoonFire, comes on the heels of Mousie HiWay: The Adventures of Banjo Mouse in Appalachia, his fully illustrated book that introduces bluegrass music to kids. The MoonFire CD is a 23-song album in honor of the banjo.

In addition to his albums, books, concerts and other projects, the Martin Guitar Company introduced the Michael Johnathon signature model 0000-28s “WoodSongs Quad” guitar.

Michael lives in a log cabin on a hill surrounded by meadows, streams and woods outside of Lexington, Kentucky.  We’re delighted to pull him away from his pastoral environs for his second appearance at Fiddler’s Green.

www.michaeljohnathon.com

THE LOST BOYS

The delightful, incomparable local Rennie-rock band The Lost Boys will also be performing for us  the second time. The Lost Boys formed in 1999 at the GA Renaissance Festival.  They have since released five CDs and performed at Ren Faires in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and North Dakota, as well as countless independent concerts and convention appearances.

Throughout the course of their ongoing 19-year history, the Lost Boys have continually pushed the boundaries of Renaissance Festival music by combining elements of period music with hard driving rock-and-roll, vocal harmonies with instrumental prowess, and hilarious parody lyrics with Shakespearean language.  They wrap it all in a physical, highly energetic stage presentation, consistently delivering a challenging and entertaining show onstage and a groundbreaking body of work drawn from their five CD releases.

https://www.facebook.com/LostBoys1599

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March 17, 2018

THE NEARLY NORMAL STRING BAND

The Nearly Normal String Band consists of Viva and Neil Araki, two of the Atlanta traditional music community’s most respected veterans. Neil plays acoustic guitar, fiddle and mandolin in several styles, including blues, bluegrass, Celtic, and old time Appalachian. He has played guitar since he was nine years old, in both finger style and flat pick style. Viva sings and plays guitar and old time banjo and sings in a variety of musical styles. She studied guitar from the age of five and began learning old time Appalachian style banjo about 30 years ago. She is primarily a finger picker on guitar.

Neil and Viva have played together for 26 years. They’re still learning new songs, genres and styles of music. The duo plays at coffeehouses, state parks and music festivals across north Georgia, and for parties, weddings and other private engagements. They have long been active member and supporters of AAFFM. They’ll be drawing mostly from their Irish and Scottish traditional repertoire for this St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

THE IRISH BROTHERS

The Irish Brothers may be Atlanta’s most popular and proficient performers of the beloved genre of traditional Irish music the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem introduced to the American Folk Revival. Sandy “Sandyman” Flynn and “Captain” George Hergen are a unique team. Sandyman comes from the mountains Western North Carolina, while the Captain hails from the canyons of New York City. The two started performing together 35 years ago when they worked “suit” jobs at IBM. Both draw from their Irish heritage for material. Their music practically maps the Irish cultural integration into the “new country” – from traditional Irish ballads to original songs of love, drinking, revolution and redemption.

Sandy is a former songwriter on Music Row (Tree-Sony/ATV) in Nashville. He was a founding member of the band Cullowhee, which toured nationally and internationally for ten years in the 70s and 80s. George started singing and playing after his first visit to New York’s Greenwich Village in the mid-1960s. He honed his craft by traveling throughout Ireland with the great Tommy Makem. The team received the name “Irish Brothers” following a performance at The Folk Alliance several years ago in Memphis, Tennessee.

http://www.gorddcymru.org/atlanta/music/cmd/hergen_george.htm

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February 17, 2018

JEFFERSON ROSS

Southern folk artist Jefferson Ross is a songwriter, singer, guitar slinger and painter, weaving stories for the ears and the eyes. Based in The Peach State, Jefferson travels throughout the U.S. and Europe performing his original music and displaying his art at festivals and galleries across the South.

For years Jefferson lived in Nashville playing for recording artists including Canada’s Entertainer of the Decade, Terri Clark.  He has shared the stage with country music greats such as George Strait, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire and Vince Gill.  He worked as a staff writer for a number of publishers on Music Row including Curb Music, one of the top music publishers in the world.  In 2010 he returned to live in Georgia with his wife and daughter and maintains a home and office in Nashville as well.

An evening with Jefferson Ross is an inspirational, homespun southern experience that you’re unlikely to forget.

www.jeffersonross.com

JIM CULLITON

Jim Culliton has performed throughout Georgia over the past decade with his unique high-energy blend of instrumental string music and stylistic vocals. His philosophy of no stylistic boundaries always keeps the music fresh and exciting.

Jim has performing experience at The Fox Theatre, Symphony Hall, and many other concert venues.  This versatile multi-instrumentalist is one of the early innovators in the New String Acoustic Movement, incorporating jazz, bluegrass, world music, rock, and classical with occasional vocals in the mix.  Put all of this in a high speed blender and you get truly an innovative, entertaining, and dynamic musician.  Jim was chosen to be a Musician in Residence for the National Endowment of the Arts and Humanities, and is a former instructor of music at Huntingdon College and Auburn University (AUM).

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January 20, 2018

THREE QUARTER ALE

Three Quarter Ale is an Atlanta-based acoustic band whose unique blend of folk-rock, traditional Celtic music, and 16th-century madrigals have enthralled a large and devoted fan base for more than ten years.

This dynamic trio combines tight vocal harmonies with harp, flute, guitar, ethnic percussion, and a distinctly theatrical performance style to electrify and enchant their audiences. Their three internationally-selling CDs have earned the band five-star accolades.

Performing in full period costume as Renaissance-era characters Ariana Pellayle, Rosemary Quench, and Wicked Pete Speakeasy, the band’s lively banter and keen comic timing are as much a part of their draw as their stellar musicianship.

Whether onstage at the enormous Dragon*Con sci-fi convention, in crowded pubs during Atlanta’s annual PiratePalooza event, as finalists on the Georgia Lottery’s All Access Music Search live TV special, at intimate weddings or coffeehouses, or at their own three-day performing arts festival AleCon, Three Quarter Ale delivers a masterful, engaging, truly
top-notch show.

www.threequarterale.com

THE RADIO RANGERS

The Radio Rangers are an Atlanta-based Americana band. Their music is a mix of country, rock, folk and blues, telling stories from the American heartland. Melodic, rhythmic and energetic, the Radio Rangers appeal to young, old and anyone in between. The band is comprised of Dan Foster (vocals, guitar), Mark Ewald vocals, guitar), and Tom Molloy (percussion).

Dan Foster is the songwriter and leader of the band. A seasoned lead guitarist, his song writing led to the creation of The Radio Rangers in 2014. I try to write songs that people can emotionally connect with. Songs about love, heartbreak, growing up and railroads. The goal is to paint a picture with a good story and melody. It’s very special when people like what you have created. Dan grew up in Michigan (too cold), moved to Florida (too hot) and now lives in Atlanta in 1989. (just right).

Mark “the ear” Ewald is the musical director. Being friends for over 20 years, Dan says he has never known anyone who can arrange a song, moving in exactly the right direction the way Mark does. Mark’s nickname comes from his vocal harmony abilities but he is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, piano, mandolin, bass guitar, banjo, harmonica and drums. (not all at the same time) Mark is from Buffalo, New York and still loves hot-wings.

Tom Molloy is the drummer/percussionist for the group. Tom is the glue that holds everything together while adding that special energy to the songs. Tom’s sense of humor always keeps things loose making even the ordinary much more fun Tom grew up in Queens, New York which will become apparent when ou speak with him. (what accent?) Don’t make the mistake of telling him he looks like Rodney Dangerfield.

www.theradiorangers.com

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November 18, 2017

THE MCLAUCHLANS

Duncan and Glaucia McLauchlan are talented, entertaining musicians providing spirited live performances of traditional and contemporary Scottish and Irish and music throughout Atlanta and the Southeast.

Duncan is a talented Scottish singer and songwriter, as well as multi-instrumentalist with a wealth of experience. His solo CD The Road to Destiny has received substantial air-play on Celtic radio programs across the USA, including Atlanta WRFG’s The Celtic Show and the internationally broadcast public radio program The Thistle and Shamrock.

Glaucia is a spirited percussionist from Sao Paulo, Brazil. After meeting “Dunc” at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, she swapped her background of classical piano for a life on the Celtic scene. Soon they were making beautiful music together.

Duncan sings and plays his songs with a passion that complements his clever and sensitive, poetic style. His delicate lyrics weave a colorful tapestry on the back-cloth of his tunes and rhythms, evoking a range of emotions from laughter to tears and back again. He employs a variety of instruments and his natural Scottish accent to produce a solid, yet atmospheric feel in his music. His musical armory includes acoustic and electric guitars, bass, bodhran, mandolins, banjo, keyboards, and various percussion instruments.

BLACKFOOT DAISY

Blackfoot Daisy formed in 2012 when long-time collaborators and songwriters Wendy DuMond and Don Sechelski decided to begin performing together on a regular basis. Don spent most of his early childhood in Texas and Wendy hails from Montana but grew-up in Oklahoma. They chose to name the band after a deer, drought, and pest-resistant prairie flower.

Don is a 30-plus year native of the Atlanta music scene and has also worked as a studio musician. He has performed as a solo act and also performed with his son Adam Sechelski, who sits-in with Blackfoot Daisy as singer, guitarist, and percussionist when available. Don has been a regular on the Atlanta coffeehouse/acoustic music scene since the old Freight Room days. He has played venues such as the Dogwood Festival, Hungry Ear Coffeehouse, Lena’s Place and many more.

Wendy began writing songs and performing in 2009. She released a solo EP in 2012. Wendy’s songs have been featured on the Women of Substance radio podcast. Her song Catching Fireflies was used as music for a book trailer to promote All Bears Need Love, a children’s book about interracial adoption.

As a duo the band has played various venues in the Southeast, including Charles & Myrtle’s in Chattanooga TN, Berkeley Bob’s Coffeehouse in Cullman AL, and others in South Carolina and Georgia.

In November 2015 Bobby Moore joined the band, rounding out the sound. Bobby is a native of Virginia, multi-instrumentalist, and award-winning old-time fiddle and banjo player. Bobby took honors at the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Virginia for bluegrass banjo in 1980 and bluegrass fiddle in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2002.

The full band has played Smith’s Old Bar, Steve’s Live Music, the Red Light Café and many other local Atlanta live music venues. The band has opened for Nashville songwriter Kurt Fortmeyer, The Rosin Sisters, Copper into Steel, Vientos Del Pueblo, and Little Country Giants, to name a few. They have also performed at Snellville Days, the Chastain Park Arts Festival, the Duluth Fall Festival, the Little 5 Arts Alive Concert series, and Oakhurst Porchfest.

The band released a three-song EP in 2015 and are currently working on a full-length album.

www.blackfootdaisymusic.com

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October 21, 2017

LAUREN LAPOINTE

Lauren Lapointe is a Savannah GA-based singer/songwriter who has been gaining recognition across the country for her soulful songs, unique voice, and strong live performances. Her third and newest CD “Superhero” was produced by Thomm Jutz (Nanci Griffith, Mary Gauthier) in Nashville and features twelve original Americana, rootsrock, pop, and old country songs supported by world-class musicians.

“Superhero” debuted at #6 on the Cashbox Magazine/Roots Music Report’s Georgia Airplay chart and #16 on the Cashbox Magazine/Root’s Music Report’s Country/Americana Internet Airplay Top 50. It has since been played on over 100 stations in the U.S. and is receiving much international radioplay. Leicester Bangs in the UK described it as “an engaging combination of classic country, narrative songwriting, and plentiful hooks.” In November 2013 Lufthansa Airlines selected her song “The Ghost of Elvis” for their inflight program.

Lapointe continues to make a name for herself as a strong and versatile live performer and has played at many renowned listening rooms across the nation such as the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, the Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, the Jefferson Freedom Cafe in Ft. Worth TX, and Anderson Fair in Houston TX.

“This is just pure, honest music here, created with talent and passion and deserving of wider spread notice.”- Music Morsels
“A gifted and openhearted storyteller with a flair for melody.” —Sloan Wainwright, Derby Disc Music recording artist

www.laurenl.com

OUT OF THE RAIN

Ron Hipp w/Carol Statella ~ Out of the Rain ~ is a folk duo noted for innovative arrangements and unusual expressive power. Ron Hipp has been known in the Atlanta area as an accomplished solo artist, and Carol Statella has played and sung in various groups over the years. Their joining forces to regularly perform and record music together has created a compelling, poignant sound that is both timeless and fresh.

Ron 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, consummate fingerpicking, and mesmerizing songs 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.

Carol (multi-instrumentalist/singer) has played in backup orchestras for Joni Mitchell, The Moody Blues, and Brian Wilson. She’s been a music journalist, radio announcer, and clinician. In the classical realm, she’s played in the Atlanta Opera Orchestra and sang for seventeen seasons with the Atlanta Symphony Chorus/Chamber Chorus. Carol’s also a gifted songwriter.

Ron and Carol have known each other and crossed paths musically for two decades, through many artistic and personal evolutions. Their sound is warm, eloquent, and vivid. Onstage, Ron and Carol draw audiences in with artful musicality, occasionally inane humor, and absolute focus on bringing the listener into the depths of a song.

“Musically delightful, emotionally involving work … ” ~ Sing Out! Magazine
Your beautiful CD was just what I needed to hear today! So lyrical and soothing, with lovely instrumentals and vocals.” ~ Sharon Isbin, GRAMMY award-winning classical guitarist

www.outoftherainmusic.net

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September 16, 2017

STEVEN DARSEY

Steven Darsey is a singer, collector, and scholar of folk song. Believing that folk music conveys fundamental cultural truths, he strives to make these real for contemporary listeners. With a straightforward style
in the tradition of balladeers Tommy Makem and Burl Ives, he sings little-known songs such as “Leather Winged Bat,” comic songs like “Three Nights Drunk,” spirituals like “I’m Goin’ Home,” classics like
“Danny Boy,” and his own folk-style compositions, as in his setting of Sidney Lanier’s “Song of the Chattahoochee.” A seventh generation Georgian, he also shares southern wit and wisdom.

For nine years Steven was privileged to sing songs to complement Fred Craddock’s stories in their Winged for the Heart programs in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their collaborations were featured in a statewide radio
broadcast on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s On Stage, in a GPB videocast and in several programs produced by Sally Sears and broadcast by the GPB affiliate at North Georgia College. Their concerts are available
on seven CDs. By profession a church musician, Steven holds the Doctor of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music.

http://www.meridianherald.org/leadership.html

JEFF MOSIER

Scrugg’s-style banjo picker “The Rev” Jeff Mosier is one of the earliest music pioneers who merged bluegrass instruments and traditional tunes with the magnetic energy of rock and roll. He founded the jamgrass band Blueground Undergrass (BGUG) in 1998 after years of crafting his banjo skills in various bands, playing everything from bluegrass with his brother Johnny (Good Medicine) to experimental rock (Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit) to jazz-fusion (The Ear Reverents). Blueground Undergrass, the band he fronted for more than a decade, recorded four albums and built a sizable national following by combining bluegrass purism with a jam band sensibility. Later, as the jamband scene became more jam-tronica and less roots-driven, he formed a more song-driven rock/bluegrass ensemble, The Mosier Brothers band, that performed at festivals, theaters, and private events throughout the region. His solo performances further showcase his outstanding vocals, banjo picking, and songwriting mingled with both amusing and poignant storytelling known to evoke both laughter and tears. Currently, in addition to performing solo and with various other artists, he can be found in the recording studio or on the set hosting his most recent video project, “The Search for the Southern Sound”.

Mosier draws from a variety of influences ranging from bluegrass and jazz to psychedelic folk-rock and alt-country. Having shared the stage with such legends as Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, Col. Bruce Hampton, Phish, Leftover Salmon, and Widespread Panic, Mosier has always been a versatile artist who is as comfortable performing on a stage full of musicians as he is playing solo. His superb vocal mastery and unique banjo picking combine to deliver a special experience highlighting his original tunes as well as some familiar traditionals and lesser known covers. Whether traveling through acoustic ballads, thought-provoking and humorous banter, or high-energy bluegrass, each Jeff Mosier show is a musical journey sending the listener on an enjoyable foot-tapping jaunt out on the road and back home again.

“Perhaps no guest artist has had as great an influence on the band’s music as the Rev. Jeff Mosier…” – The Phish Companion

https://www.facebook.com/Jeff.Mosier.Banjo

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August 19, 2017

JUST BE’CAUSE

Jerry Brunner, Bruce Gilbert and Cyndi Craven are Just Be’Cause … just don’t ask them why.

Jerry Brunner and Cyndi Craven, long-time members of the Atlanta acoustic/folk music scene, have been performing together since the 1980’s. In 2007, they met up with Bruce Gilbert when he moved to Atlanta from California where he’d been wowing the music scene there for years. The music they produce together is the result of profound friendship, heaping helpings of creativity, and decades of playing, singing and writing together and on their own. Their shows have been described by fans as an evening of “comfort music” with vocal “harmonies that will roll your socks down.” Come hear for yourself!

http://cyndicraven.com

HARM’S WAY

Harm’s Way performs with rich harmony, conviction, and a sense of humor. While the group has been together over ten years, some of the members have been performing together all of their adult lives. Their music is influenced by several genres: roots, Americana, folk, blues, and more. Harm’s Way includes Harmon Koeltz on lead vocals and guitar, Scot Boze on vocals, and Phil Griffin on lead guitar.

This acoustic driven group relies on tight harmonies, thoughtful songs and lyrics, and a belief that the music should be shared. These guys have fun performing and can be found at festivals, private events, restaurants, coffee shops, corporate events, and church functions.
The core members of this group have been playing music together since before Woodstock. They have fun playing, check their egos at the door, and – while they take music very seriously – don’t take themselves seriously at all!

www.reverbnation.com/harmonkoeltz

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July 15, 2017

SPARKY and RHONDA RUCKER

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform throughout the U.S. as well as overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. Sparky Rucker has been performing over forty years, and AAFFM has been proudly presenting him almost since the beginning. He is internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller, and author. He accompanies himself with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo, and spoons. Rhonda Rucker is a musician, children’s author, storyteller, and songwriter. Her blues-style harmonica, piano, old-time banjo, and bones add musical versatility to their performances.

Sparky and Rhonda are sure to deliver an uplifting presentation of toe-tapping music spiced with humor, history, and tall tales. They take their audience on an educational and emotional journey that ranges from poignant stories of slavery and war to an amusing rendition of a Brer Rabbit tale or their witty commentaries on current events. Their music includes a variety of old-time blues, slave songs, Appalachian music, spirituals, ballads, work songs, Civil War music, railroad songs, and a few of their own original compositions.

Over forty years of performing, Sparky and Rhonda have performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as NPR’s On Point, Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, and Morning Edition. Their recording, Treasures & Tears, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, and their music is also included on the Grammy-nominated anthology, Singing Through the Hard Times.

The Ruckers have been featured tellers at the International Storytelling Center and Festival. Sparky is a natural storyteller, having grown up hearing his father, uncles, and other family members endlessly telling tales. Sparky and Rhonda each tell solo stories, but they also tell stories together (in tandem), always adding life and humor to the characters and tricksters in their Brer Rabbit tales, Jack tales, High John the Conqueror stories, preacher tales, and family stories.

Sparky and Rhonda weave their music into captivating stories that the history books don’t always tell, and they share this knowledge in many schools, colleges, and libraries. Their educational programs span over three centuries of African-American history, including slavery, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the birth of blues music, and the civil rights movement. Each era is interspersed with stories and popular songs from the time period, celebrating the diversity of the nation’s history. They are also available for author visits to schools and libraries.

www.sparkyandrhonda.com

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June 17, 2017

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

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

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.

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March 19, 2011

ELISE WITT  “Global, Local & Homemade Songs”

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

DEIDRE McCALLA

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

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February 19, 2011

THE NEARLY NORMAL STRING BAND

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

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 & HER KOSMOPOLITAN KLEZTET

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.

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January 15 , 2011

THE JIM CULLITON TRIO

Eclectic acoustic instrumentals and vocals, from high-energy tunes to engaging ballads, performed by three of the area’s elite players. Leader Jim Culliton is a local professional musican highly acclaimed for his virtuosity on various acoustic instruments, in genres including folk, old-time, bluegrass, Celtic, pop and jazz.
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.

RHYTHM RANCH

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.

Berné Poliakoff (aka Frenchy) and Kathleen Hatfield (aka Buffalo K) were the lead singers of the hugely popular all female western band, Cowboy Envy. Their work has garnered much praise and multiple awards, including the “Best Harmony” award from the Western Music Association (twice). Their vocals have been described as “heavenly…with harmonies to die for” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). Together, Frenchy and Buffalo K have performed at festivals and concerts from Alaska to South Carolina. Their history has been highlighted by appearances at Spoleto Festival, Detroit Arts Festival, Music Midtown and two concerts at the Kennedy Center. They have toured with The Indigo Girls and performed with numerous acts including Riders in the Sky, Shelby Lynn, Confederate Railroad and Sweethearts Of The Rodeo.

Rhythm Ranch was heartbroken by the passing of their amazing fiddle player and exquisite human being,“Alamo” Al Pieper. Together with their extraordinary bassist/vocalist, L.A. “Darn” Tuten and the supremely talented and lovely Leah Calvert on fiddle and vocals, they hope to keep Al’s beautiful spirit alive. Rhythm Ranch delivers dynamic performances filled with wonderful music and great humor, delighting audiences of all ages. For more info: www.rhythmranch.com

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Thursday, December 6, 2007
An AAFFM Special Edition Concert

SPARKY AND RHONDA RUCKER

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform throughout the U.S. as well as overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. Sparky Rucker has been performing over forty years and is internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller, and author. He accompanies himself with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo, and spoons. Rhonda Rucker is an accomplished harmonica, piano, banjo, and bones player, and also adds vocal harmonies to their songs.

Sparky and Rhonda are sure to deliver an uplifting presentation of toe-tapping music spiced with humor, history, and tall tales. They take their audience on an educational and emotional journey that ranges from poignant stories of slavery and war to an amusing rendition of a Brer Rabbit tale or their witty commentaries on current events. Their music includes a variety of old-time blues, slave songs, Appalachian music, spirituals, ballads, work songs, Civil War music, cowboy music, railroad songs, and a few of their own original compositions.

Sparky and Rhonda have numerous recordings, and their 1991 release, Treasures and Tears, was nominated for the W.C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Recording. They have also contributed music to the syndicated television miniseries The Wild West (directed by Keith Merrill). Sparky’s unique renditions of John Henry and Jesse James were used in the National Geographic Society’s 1994 video entitled Storytelling in North America. Sparky Rucker has also appeared on numerous radio programs, including National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, Prairie Home Companion, and Mountain Stage. He also performed in Carry It On and Amazing Grace: Music in America, two videos produced by the Public Broadcasting System.

Sparky is a natural storyteller, having grown up hearing his father, uncles, and other family members endlessly telling tales. Sparky tells stories by himself, but Sparky and Rhonda also tell stories together (in tandem), always adding life and humor to the characters and tricksters in their Brer Rabbit tales, Jack tales, High John the Conqueror stories, preacher tales, and family stories.

“Sparky Rucker is unique! He’ll make you glad to be alive and struggling.” Pete Seeger

See www.sparkyandrhonda.com for more information. See www.eddiesattic.com for information on how to purchase a ticket. Note that AAFFM members will receive a $2 discount off food and drink order (per table) upon presentation of your current AAFFM newsletter with address label attached.

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October 27, 2007

BRYAN BOWERS

“Bryan Bowers is more than the finest autoharp player on the circuit today. He’s a great songwriter and singer, a wonderful storyteller and a delightful guy to spend an evening with. And not incidentally, he revolutionized the autoharp…not just how we all play, but retuning and redesigning to a point that nearly every builder and player today is in his debt. I know I am.” — John McCutcheon

From his rather unglamorous beginning as a street singer, Bryan Bowers has become a major artist on the traditional music circuit. 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. His towering six foot four inch frame can be wild and zany on stage while playing a song like `Dixie’ and five minutes later he can have the same audience singing `Will The Circle Be Unbroken’ in quiet reverence and delight.

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. He has a technique DVD and eight albums including his new storytelling CD, “September in Alaska .”
Bowers’ 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 along side other luminaries, such as Chet Atkins, David Grisman, Stephan Grappelli, Itzhak Perlman, Tony Rice, Rob Wasserman and Mark O’Connor, recognized for their personal accomplishments. In 1993, Bryan was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame to stand only with Maybelle Carter, Kilby Snow, and Sara Carter. See www.bryanbowers.com for more information about this wonderful performer.

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November 18, 2006

LOU AND PETER BERRYMAN

Lou and Peter Berryman have been performing together since the sixties, and have produced twelve albums of their original music. They blend Midwestern culture with intelligent observation in whimsical and wonderfully accessible performances. They have been compared to Tom Lehrer, Flanders and Swann, and Burns and Allen.

By the eighties, they had established themselves as a prominent feature of the songwriting subculture of Wisconsin’s capital, playing their original material every week for almost ten years in the run-down but trendy music room of Madison’s Club de Wash. They gained national attention with appearances on such programs as Public Radio’s A Prairie Home Companion, and NPR’s Weekend Edition. In 1999 and again in 2001 they were chosen to represent the state of Wisconsin with performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Regular appearances at festivals and folk music clubs all across the country now serve as venues for the songs contained in their recordings and three songbooks. Their songs have been performed Garrison Keillor, Peggy Seeger, and Peter, Paul and Mary, to mention a few. The popularity of Lou and Peter Berryman is a testament to their intelligent and wickedly funny material that is never bawdy or risque, but is rich with word-play and witty images.

The duo is not to be missed! See their website at www.hometown.aol.com/berrymanp/

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August 19, 2006

THE HUNGRY MONKS

The Hungry Monks perform traditional, contemporary, and original acoustic songs and instrumentals in the Celtic tradition on guitars, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, whistle, bohdran, and vocals. They draw from a wide range of influences, including Medieval & Renaissance, folk, blues, classical and jazz. This group combines strong original songs and instrumental compositions with an ear toward improvisation. The Hungry Monks weave a rich tapestry of sound, melodic and rhythmic, grounded in the folk traditions of many cultures. Combined with the traditions and techniques of Western classical music, this eclectic mix produces an exciting blend of acoustic sound and harmonious vocals.

The Hungry Monks, from Charleston SC , combine the creative talents of Hazel Ketchum and John Holenko. Hazel and John have played music together for more than 20 years and have been featured on TV and radio throughout the US . This group has performed in clubs and at contra dances as well as festivals and concert halls. The Hungry Monks have released several CD recordings on their own label, Hungry Monk Recordings. As well as being active performers, The Hungry Monks are music educators and publish their own work through Hungry Monk Publications. See their website at www.hungrymonkmusic.com.
Dirty Linen says, “The songs are mostly original first-person reflections with distinctive melodies and strong, creative accompaniment… a tasty combination of crisp, creative fiddle/ mandolin/guitar instrumentals… a dreamy, melodic fiddle piece that visits several peaceful musical neighborhoods… a lively, percussive reel that includes some hot mandolin improvisations.” Oct/Nov 2004 SING OUT Magazine says, “Ketchum holds great tension and expressiveness in her voice. Ketchum sings as if nothing else in the world matters.”

AMANDA KAPOUSOUZ

The Hungry Monks will be joined for this month’s Fiddler’s Green show by the multi-talented Athens, GA fiddler and singer-songwriter Amanda Kapousouz. Taking her band’s name from the tip cup dangling from her fiddle case, Amanda Kapousouz (aka the Tin Cup Prophette) is no stranger to the stage. Once hailing from New York City , this “busker extraordinaire” entertained thousands of commuters daily on subway platforms for small change. Working her way above ground, Amanda began to play with various bands in the city ranging in style from traditional Irish and heavy metal bluegrass to jazz, Dixieland, and rock-n-roll. She has composed music for modern dance, arranged music for film and toured extensively on the Irish music circuit.

Early this century (or was it late last century), Amanda moved to music-friendly Athens, GA to pursue her own creative work, and has appeared in the Atlanta/Athens area at Smith’s Olde Bar, the 40 Watt, and Eddie’s Attic. She will make her second appearance at the Kansas City Irish Festival this September. Amanda re-joins Hazel and John at this month’s Fiddler’s to perform material from their earlier Celtic/old-time work together in the band, Donnybrook Legacy, as well as material from the Hungry Monks’ CD “Organic Tangerines,” as well as other delightful offerings. See www.tincupprophette.com for more information on Amanda.

Special guests: Mike Simpson and Doug Murray — Mike Simpson is a local multi-instrumentalist and teacher on fiddler, Irish flute, tin whistle, guitar, tenor banjo and bodhran. A former member of The New Road and The Long Drop, Mike has performed at Atlanta Symphony Hall, the High Museum of Art, the Fox Theater, and numerous other venues around Atlanta. Mike is currently the music director of Irish Music Traditions.
Doug Murray is a veteran of the Atlanta traditional music scene. He plays bouzouki (a fairly new instrument to Irish music) and old time banjo. He has played with The New Road, The Buddy O’Reilly Band, Music in the Glen, and other Atlanta area groups, and he has accompanied most of the city’s Irish musicians at one time or another.

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April 15, 2006

DAVID LAMOTTE

Fiddlers Green is delighted to welcome singer-songwriter David LaMotte as our feature performer for the April 15 show. A typical evening of performance with David includes everything from lyrically challenging, high-energy percussive songs in strange alternate tunings to more traditional songs of home, hope and inspiration. He weaves the evening together in a fabric of vivid – often hilarious – stories, and throws in an occasional impressive instrumental piece.

In the past fourteen years, David has released eight albums and performed over sixteen hundred shows in forty-five states and ten countries, sharing stages along the way with artists like Arlo Guthrie, Shawn Mullins, Buddy Miles, Gillian Welch, John Gorka, Jez Lowe and David Wilcox. In addition to performing throughout the U.S., David tours Europe almost every year. His three tours to Australia and New Zealand have included mainstage performances at Australia’s National Folk Festival and a spot as the headline act for the 2004 Auckland Folk Festival, the largest folk fest in New Zealand

He was also featured along with Bruce Springsteen, Aimee Mann, Ray Manzarek, Grace Slick and Suzanne Vega on the Songs Inspired By Literature, Chapter 1, a project to benefit adult literacy campaigns. His children’s recording, S.S. Bathtub, recently won its fourth national award, and work is in progress on a children’s book based on the title track.
Aside from being a new husband, touring, promoting his current CD and leading occasional workshops, David’s current passion is a new non-profit corporation he has created to aid Guatemalan schools, PEG (Proyecto para las Escuelas Guatemaltecas).
For more about David, visit his website at www.davidlamotte.com.

SHERI KLING

We are very pleased to welcome Sheri Kling back to the Fiddlers Stage. Sheri is an accomplished singer/songwriter, guitarist and long-time spiritual sojourner whose music—built on rich vocals and dynamic guitar—resonates with a certain organic authenticity that’s heart-rooted and spirit-seeking. Each song is another way of looking at what is real, what is true, and what invites us all into a more passionate and well-lived life.

With her rich voice and distinctive guitar style, Kling has been heard at such acclaimed venues as Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, Atlanta’s Eddie’s Attic and Variety Playhouse, and many more across the country. Sheri is also developing new audiences through her “Music & Message” speaking engagements, “keynote concerts” and school-based Arts-in-Education programs, while women are responding enthusiastically to her “Waking Woman” celebrations and workshops. Visit Sheri’s website at www.sherikling.com.

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This is an archive of past Fiddler’s Green Coffeehouses. Peruse these pages to get a view of the artists that graced Fiddler’s in past Events. Also, if you attended one of these coffeehouses and want to know more about a performer you saw there, check the announcement for that month. You’ll find brief write-ups of the scheduled artists, and usually links to one or more websites that contain more information.

KATHY REED & LONESOME REDWING

ATLANTA MANDOLIN ORCHESTRA

The Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra is the performing unit of the Atlanta Mandolin Society, Inc., established in 1994. AMS has been organized to perpetuate knowledge and appreciation of music written for the mandolin and related instruments. The Atlanta Mandolin Society is proud to have revived the mandolin orchestra in Atlanta. For over 30 years, beginning in the early 20th Century, there was a very fine mandolin orchestra in Atlanta under the direction of William Griffith. Mr. Griffith created quite a rage for the mandolin during the first decades of the previous century and is fondly remembered by many. The Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra is establishing its own history today under the direction of conductor Robb Smith. Robb has been a life-long musician and is a graduate of the Geneva Conservatory of Music, and has been with AMO since 1994. https://www.atlantamandolins.com/

November 19, 2022

THE CUNNINGHAM/HENSON DUO

Guitarist Steve Cunningham and bassist Rob Henson formed a “duo of musical gumbo” to express an artistry separate from their careers as in-demand sidemen and session musicians. The Cunningham / Henson duo offers a unique instrumental approach where they present familiar melodies and songs of all styles in a way that sounds fresh, exciting and at the same time understated.

Steve Cunningham
One of the most in-demand guitarists on the Atlanta scene, Steve has played with Grammy winner Susan Tedeschi, long-time members of the James Brown band, and Grammy Award winner William Bell, as well as opening for Jeff Beck, Barenaked Ladies, Kool and the Gang, Dream Theatre, The Four Tops, Chuck Mangione, and Blondie. Steve is a first-call session player, playing on hundreds of local and national CD releases, TV and radio commercials, and movie soundtracks. He has recorded for Coca-Cola, Ford, IBM, Cartoon Network, Microsoft, CNN, NASCAR and others, as well as recording with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Rob Henson
Equally fluent in the musical styles of rock, jazz, bluegrass and classical, bassist Rob Henson has performed with an incredible diversity of artists such as The Who, Vince Gill, Shawn Mullins, the Atlanta Opera Orchestra, David Ryan Harris, The Atlanta Ballet, The Drifters, and Broadway tours of Wicked and Phantom of the Opera. From 2006 – 2012 Rob recorded and toured the United States with singer/songwriter Corey Smith and played over 150 shows a year.  He has recorded 5 CDs, and opened for acts including ZZ Top, Willie Nelson, Cheap Trick, Snoop Dog, and Merle Haggard. Currently Robert manages and leads the very popular Atlanta trio Lilac Wine, delighting audiences with three voices in harmony performing uniquely arranged songs of all genres and elegantly backed by a driving acoustic guitar and a punchy upright bass.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-henson-04122b49 

 

Rick Diamond

Rick Diamond has always been a writer:  short stories in third grade, co-writing his first structurally sound song, “Follow Me,” in eighth grade with band mate Steve Hagler. (Imagine two kids urging the world to follow them… Where to, the playground?)  In his late teens and early 20s, Rick wrote a few songs for his Illinois rock band. In his 30s he wrote his first novel — long before he had anything worth saying. In his early 40s he wrote his second novel; and then five years later when he got the nerve up to submit it to a New York literary agent he met at a writers’ conference, he landed a deal and lost a deal all within three weeks. Not one to try harder, he turned his hand to screenwriting and knocked out a couple of movie scripts and then a TV pilot. Then wanting to know what happened to those characters, he wrote nine more episodes. During all those years, Rick managed to write more than a hundred songs about love, life, politics, and whatever else at that moment was bothering him.

Rick Diamond has played in venues from Illinois to New York, from Florida to Tennessee, from one Carolina to the next, from Texas to Alabama, and here in Georgia for more than a few years. His songs can be sampled and downloaded at Rick Diamond Reverbnation and listened to in better fidelity at writersroomcafe.com — but only if you have great big studio monitors for speakers on your computer (seriously, don’t do the phone thing).

www.reverbnation.com/rickdiamond 
www.writersroomcafe.com

 

October 15, 2022

THE 4-MAN STRING BAND TRIO

The 4-Man String Band Trio combin​es the vocal and instrumental talents of three seasoned musicians with ties to Atlanta: Charles Absher on guitar, Clark Brown on mandolin and guitar, and George Eckard on guitar, banjo, mandolin, and harmonicas. Their Fiddler’s Green set will include Americana-style original songs by Absher and Eckard. George Eckard’s 2021 CD release Love the Land and Charles Absher’s 2018 CD release This Garden of Sunshine and Rain showcase their songwriting talents.

Since its inception in 2019, the group has appeared at various venues in the area, including Waller’s Coffee Shop, Lena’s Place, and Intown Coffee House, and at Woodlands Garden, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Briarlake Forest Park, and Frazier-Rowe Park. They also have played at the Central Dekalb Senior Center and a number of area retirement communities and were the subject of an article in Senior Living magazine in 2021.
https://www.facebook.com/4ManStringBand/ 

 

VERONIKA JACKSON

Veronika Jackson started her music career singing in school choirs at the age of ten. She was raised by a musically influenced family in St. Petersburg, Florida. In her teens, her love for acoustic folk and R&B music grew as she followed such artists as Odetta, Dolly Parton, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Joan Baez, Ella Fitzgerald, and, later, Diamond Teeth Mary, a blues performer who inspired many folk artists through her performances at the Florida Folk Festival.

Veronika has combined acoustic folk music and R&B to create her own unique music.  She has shared her musical talents with audiences at venues and festivals throughout the South and Northeastern states and across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Woman I Am, her latest CD, is a compilation of her original compositions and some favorite songs she enjoys performing. Her reputation as an entertainer and consummate artist continues to grow.  Her stage presence and sound have a sincerity that will grace your heart.  Her performances take you to another place and time.

Critics have called Veronika’s appeal 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 an old spiritual – entertains and brings joy and hope to people’s lives.
https://veronikajackson.com/ 

 

KATHY REED & LONESOME REDWING

ATLANTA MANDOLIN ORCHESTRA

The Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra is the performing unit of the Atlanta Mandolin Society, Inc., established in 1994. AMS has been organized to perpetuate knowledge and appreciation of music written for the mandolin and related instruments. The Atlanta Mandolin Society is proud to have revived the mandolin orchestra in Atlanta. For over 30 years, beginning in the early 20th Century, there was a very fine mandolin orchestra in Atlanta under the direction of William Griffith. Mr. Griffith created quite a rage for the mandolin during the first decades of the previous century and is fondly remembered by many. The Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra is establishing its own history today under the direction of conductor Robb Smith. Robb has been a life-long musician and is a graduate of the Geneva Conservatory of Music, and has been with AMO since 1994. https://www.atlantamandolins.com/

August 20, 2022

ALEX COMMINS & TODD PRUSIN

Alex Commins and Todd Prusin are well-known in the Atlanta music scene. Alex was an original member of AAFFM and has played for years in bluegrass groups, including 15 years with The Sorghum Syrup Soppers Old-Time String Band. He has also played in many diverse musical situations, from the Galax Old-Time Fiddler’s Convention to rock and roll bands. Todd started out drumming in high school bands and has since played professionally as a drummer, guitarist, and bassist. He has played various Atlanta venues with such bands as Charm School, Stickfight, The Barrow Boys, Prusin Reep Jones, The Serenaders, The Porch Bottom Boys, and Suspicious Package.

Alex and Todd met at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch in the Ohio River Valley. The love and respect for music that was germinated blossomed into a musical embrace here in Atlanta, an embrace that seems to grab and include those within earshot. The interplay between Alex’s acoustic fingerpicking and Todd’s melodic bass guitar has garnered very positive notices.

 

 

GEORGIA GRASS

Georgia Grass is one of the longest-running and most venerable bluegrass bands in Georgia. Founded in 1973 by guitarist Dan Daniel, Georgia Grass has played many bluegrass festivals throughout Georgia and the Southeast, as well as various clubs and private events in and around Atlanta. In 1976 Georgia Grass was chosen to play for the grand opening of the Georgia World Congress Center. Today Georgia Grass is still going strong as a local bluegrass powerhouse. Its three members have all been inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame.

Band leader Dan Daniel plays acoustic guitar and sings lead vocals on most of their songs. Dan is the President of the Southeastern Bluegrass Association and a lifetime member of the Bonded Brothers of Bluegrass. His awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta Society of Entertainers and the Fiddlin’ John Carson Award for his contributions to the music industry in the State of Georgia.

James McKinney is considered one of the world’s foremost masters of the five-string banjo. James has played both on stage and in recordings with great artists such as Bill Monroe, Vassar Clements, and John Hartford, among many others. He received the Musician’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta Society of Entertainers in 2018. Niki Portmann plays upright bass and also sings vocals. She is an accomplished and respected bass artist of many years. Niki was awarded the Musician’s Lifetime Achievement Award by the Atlanta Society of Entertainers in 2018.

Georgia Grass is a modern bluegrass band with roots deep in traditional bluegrass and Americana folk but with a refreshing and modern take on many traditional favorites as well as original works.

 

July 16, 2022

JOHN CABLE & THE GEORGIA MOUNTAIN STRING BAND

John Cable is a veteran musician who began his career in the late 60s. After serving as lead guitarist and vocalist for Texas country rock pioneers Colours, John became a member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In 1977 they became the first American band in history to perform in the Soviet Union. John became the first American to lecture at the Moscow Conservatory of Music on the history of Western Blues and Rock music.

John has performed on The Tonight Show, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, The Midnight Special, Austin City Limits and the Grand Ole Opry. He has performed in some of the great concert venues, as well, including Wolftrap, Carnegie Hall and Red Rocks. John is currently playing and touring with John McEuen and The String Wizards.

John is excited to be bringing the Georgia Mountain Stringband to accompany him at Fiddler’s Green. Formed in 2015 by Jason Waller, the Georgia Mountain Stringband has quickly become one of the leading original Bluegrass acts in the Southeast. The group was recently voted Best Bluegrass Band in Atlanta for 2019 by Creative Loafing readers.The 5-piece is stacked with Waller on guitar, David Stephens on banjo, Brendan Held on fiddle, Eddie Kesler on mandolin and Robert Green on upright bass.
www.johncable.com
https://pleaserock.com/tribute/georgia-mountain-string-band/

JIM CULLITON & CLEAR CREEK

The multi-instrumental gifted talent of Jim Culliton has delighted Fiddlers Green audiences for many years. In Clear Creek, Jim’s mandolin, fiddle and vocals share the stage with Joel Glogowski (upright bass) and Russell Weeks (guitar/vocals). This high-energy trio offers an eclectic blend of different genres, mixing instrumental improvisation with traditional sounds and vocals.

Jim has played at the Fox Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Hall, and many other concert venues. He was one of the early innovators in the New String Acoustic Movement – incorporating jazz, bluegrass, world music, rock, classical, and vocals. With the formation of Clear Creek, he leads a trio that continues to deliver a truly innovative, entertaining, and dynamic acoustic sound. 

jimcullitonmusic.com
Facebook: Jim Culliton & Clear Creek

 

June 18, 2022

THE REEL SISTERS

The Reel Sisters offer an intimate performance of tunes and stories from the Celtic lands and Appalachia. Harp, pipes, whistle, and voice combine to create a magical Celtic soundscape full of both joy and mystery.

The Reel Sisters are a duo steeped in the musical tradition of Scottish harp and smallpipes. Piper Rosalind Buda and harpist Kelly Brzozowski share lifetimes of experience in the traditional music community and the technical expertise of classical training. A duo since 2018, The Reel Sisters have performed stage shows, festivals, and house concerts from New Mexico to New York. They have been heard multiple times on Pan Harmonia’s Celtic Corner Series and have been featured at the acclaimed Isis Music Hall in Asheville, NC, the Red Clay Theater in Duluth, GA, and the Atlanta Celtic Christmas concert at the Rialto. Rosalind and Kelly are professional educators as well as performers and are in demand as clinicians at harp and bagpipe workshops across the US.

The Reel Sisters’ music is uplifting, stirring, and just sweet fun. Their approachable, lighthearted personalities create a unique and intimate musical experience that connects them deeply with the spirit of the music and with their audiences.

reelsistersmusic.com

HARM’S WAY

Harm’s Way began back in the 1970s. Scot Boze, Dennis Keefe, and Harmon Koeltz had been playing guitar-driven music at each other’s homes, parties, and the like when they began playing an after-hours place called Little Annie Fannies. They split $7.50 a night and dined on chili, spaghetti, and milkshakes, which was about all the place had to offer. A patron one evening heard them and must have liked them, as he offered them a gig at Billy Lothridge’s Taco Kid in Sandy Springs. They needed a name to go up on the marquee, and Dennis named the group Harm’s Way. The pay was better, and they had beer!

More parties, and even more practice followed. Dennis was a jock at WPLO-FM and had access to the studio where we could go on the weekends or after hours and record our music. More parties and jams followed. Then they got serious and started contacting venues and began performing. Through the years, new members joined the group while others left, mostly to return. They were now playing coffee shops, wineries, restaurants, corporate events, private events, festivals, and all the local monthly concert series, including Fiddler’s Green. They perform with conviction, a sense of humor, and rich harmonies. While they don’t take themselves too seriously, they do take the music very seriously and feel it is to be enjoyed and shared. They are available for house concerts, yacht christenings, shuttle launch parties, etc. and would love to play your next event.

On a somber note, Scot’s last performance was right here in February of 2020, just before the pandemic. He was taken by Covid that summer. The line-up for Fiddler’s Green will be Phil Griffin, Barbara Hotz, Jonathan McBee, Harmon Koeltz, and making her debut with the group, Liz Bradley.

 

May 21, 2022

THE RESONANT ROGUES

Asheville, North Carolina’s genre hopping songwriters, The Resonant Rogues, have been winning over audiences worldwide with their signature blend of string band music since 2013. Following their musical inspirations from the Appalachian mountains to the Balkans, through Paris by way of New Orleans, their original songs speak to the heart with poetic lyrics, and appeal to the ears with stellar musicianship and arrangement.

www.theresonantrogues.com

CHARLEY WOODS

A Nashville native, recording artist Charley Woods is making a lasting impact on the music mecca she calls home. With her instantly identifiable voice and her stylistic blend of contemporary folk and Americana, she is in a league all her own. She has performed and collaborated with many talented and influential figures in today’s country music including Brad Paisley, Chris Young, David Nail, Wil Nance, Mark Nesler, and many more. Since releasing her second single “Half The Girl.” Charley has proven herself as one of Nashville’s must-watch artists.

Charley last performed at Fiddler’s Green in January 2019. She has been garnering attention and praise since high school, at none other than the prestigious Nashville School of the Arts. Already a mainstay in the Nashville songwriters’ community, Charley’s dream is to share her songs with the world.

www.charleywoods.com

 

April 16, 2022

CLAUDIA NYGAARD

Claudia Nygaard is a mesmerizing storyteller and a cinematic lyricist who writes songs that are heartfelt, humorous, scrappy, and sensual, And she does so with a daredevil’s vulnerability and a complete lack of self-censorship. Nygaard, with her powerful, resonant, and deeply emotive amber honey voice, is a master at putting a tear in your eye with a song that breaks your heart; and then with a quick wit and an outlandish sense of humor, she’ll replace it with tears of laughter.

Claudia is a quick witted and charismatic performer, with a twinkle in her eye that convinces everyone in her audience that she is sharing a secret with them alone. And her storytelling doesn’t end when the song does. Sharing both the inspiration behind the tunes, and also frequently creating outlandish, irreverent, and humorous monologues, her patter is as important a part of her performances as the songs themselves.

Building on the craft she learned while a staff songwriter on Nashville’s Music Row, she has won numerous awards including the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival Songwriting Competition, and with the title cut of her latest album “Lucky Girl”, the Tumbleweed Music Festival Songwriting Competition. “Lucky Girl” charted at #3 on the Folk Alliance Radio song chart and #5 on the album chart, and it gave her a significant debut on the Americana chart. It also received impressive reviews from the press. Legendary folk music magazine “Sing Out” claimed the songs “rival the likes of Guy Clark or Ian Tyson.”
www.claudinygaard.com

BLACKFOOT DAISY

Blackfoot daisies are hearty wild flowers that grow on the prairies of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. You can find them growing naturally in the Texas Blackland prairie, which runs from the Red River to the Texas-Oklahoma border. Blackfoot Daisy is a humble trio (sometimes duo) that plays original, Americana style music. Based in the Atlanta metro area, they describe themselves as “a little haunted by the prairie, the wind, the shifting of tall grasses, the sound of crickets, and a lonesome train whistle drifting through the night.”

The group consists of:
Don Sechelski – guitar, vocals, songwriting. Don has been writing and performing music for over 30 years. From Atlanta to New Orleans to Chicago and back to Atlanta still chasing the buffalo. Wendy DuMond – guitar, vocals, songwriting. Wendy has the soul of a poet and the vision of an artist. From Montana, through Oklahoma, to New York and back to Atlanta, she follows the bucking horse moon.; Tom Wolf – guitar, mandolin, vocals, songwriting. Tom has played so many venues around the city of Atlanta, it would be easier to list places he hasn’t played. Quick with a joke or a sizzling riff, Tom is the stick that stirs the drink.
www.blackfootdaisymusic.com

March 19, 2022

The Colcannon Society

The Irish Brothers

 

 

 

February 15, 2022

The Moon and You

The Moon and You is a charismatic husband-and-wife team based in Asheville NC.  Melissa Hyman plays cello, Ryan Furstenberg plays guitar and banjo, and both sing in “voices that sound like they were made for one another” (Bill DeYoung, Connect Savannah).  At once excitingly inventive and cozily familiar, the Moon & You has crafted a sound all their own.

Furstenberg and Hyman mix up a fresh blend of influences from very different backgrounds. Melissa grew up in the NYC area studying classical cello. Ryan was born and raised among the Eastern NC tobacco fields, learning classic country and 70s rock on harmonica and then guitar. His rich country baritone and easy Southern style bring an undeniable Americana flavor to the table.  

Together, the two form a sound that is warm and inviting, atmospheric and playful. Each is a well developed songwriter with a distinctive voice, and their songs range in style from classic to quirky.   their ever-evolving output encompasses a wide range of American roots music. Live on stage they are 100 percent themselves — funny, charming and slightly odd; communing with their audiences, warts and all.   Their performances evoke joyful eruptions of laughter, occasional tears, and moments of breathless awe. 

Photo: EvokeEmotion Photography

www.themoonandyou.com 

Harm’s Way

Harm’s Way performs with rich harmony, conviction, and a sense of humor. While the group has been together more than ten years, some of the members have been performing together all of their adult lives. Their music is influenced by several genres: roots, Americana, folk, blues, and more.  For this performance Harm’s Way includes Harmon Koeltz on lead vocals and guitar, Scot Boze on vocals, and Jonathan McBee, bass player for Mockingbird’s Wing.

This acoustic driven group relies on tight harmonies, thoughtful songs and lyrics, and a belief that the music should be shared. These guys have fun performing and can be found at festivals, private events, restaurants, coffee shops, corporate events, and church functions.  The core members of this group have been playing music together since before Woodstock. They have fun playing, check their egos at the door, and – while they take music very seriously – don’t take themselves seriously at all!

www.reverbnation.com/harmonkoeltz

 

 

January 18, 2020

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker

December 21, 2019

Four Shillings Short

November 16, 2019

Dana Cooper

Dana Cooper has logged millions of miles as a renowned songwriter and story teller. This song poet engages and inspires audiences around the world with his quick wit, insightful stories and commanding presence. He has performed on Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage and the Kerrville Music Festival, where he was nominated for their Hall of Fame. Dana’s songs have been recorded by top-notch artists such as bluegrass star Claire Lynch and Irish vocalist Maura O’Connell. His mixture of flat-picking, finger-picking and percussive strumming style is legend among other guitarists.

Dana was awarded the Spirit of Folk Award by Folk Alliance International, and he is the recipient of the 2014 Heritage Series Musician Award for his contributions to the Kansas City’s musical heritage. Dana released his 26th CD Incendiary Kid on Travania Records in 2017.

“Innovative, eclectic and unforgettable.” Heather Johnson, Performing Songwriter

“Dana, still full from last night’s show. I was sitting there listening to your songs thinking, I’m in the room with one of the best living songwriters in the world. Your brilliance took us all on a ride into the ineffable parts of existence. I can’t thank you enough! What a night.”  Minton Sparks

www.danacoopermusic.com

 

 

Friction Farm

Modern-folk duo Friction Farm is a husband and wife team of traveling troubadours. Aidan Quinn and Christine Stay combine storytelling, social commentary and humor to create songs of everyday life, local heroes, and quirky observations.

They have toured internationally and have been Kerrville New Folk Finalists, Falcon Ridge Emerging Artists, and South Florida Folk Festival Songwriter winners. Friction Farm’s latest CD So Many Stars, which reached #6 on the Folk Chart, was inspired by their travels across the country witnessing the collision of strong political polarity with personal kindness, the intersection of fragility and breathtaking beauty. From ballads to anthems, each song is filled with harmony and hope.

He’s from Berkeley CA, and she’s from Woodstock NY. When not touring, Aidan enjoys woodworking and Christine bakes. They have a big garden and a small orchard at the sustainable home they designed and built in South Carolina.

“infectiously hummable tunes.”  New Times Magazine Miami FL

“intricate harmonies which are reminiscent of 1960s classics with a modern twist.”  Sun Journal New Bern NC

“They were utterly charming. Their well-written songs cover a wide gamut and their delivery is spot on. They should be much better known.”  Rich Warren, Host WFMT’s Folk Stage and Midnight Special

http://frictionfarm.com

October 19, 2019

Jefferson Ross

Southern folk artist Jefferson Ross is a songwriter, singer, guitar slinger and painter weaving stories for the ears and the eyes. Based in The Peach State, Jefferson travels throughout the U.S. and Europe performing his original music, and he displays his art at festivals and galleries across the South.

For years Jefferson lived in Nashville playing for recording artists including Canada’s Entertainer of the Decade, Terri Clark, and sharing the stage with country music greats such as George Strait, Toby Keith and Vince Gill. He worked as a staff writer for a number of publishers on Music Row including Curb Music, one of the top music publishers in the world. In 2010 he returned to live in Georgia with his wife and daughter.  He maintains a home and office in Nashville as well.

An evening with Jefferson Ross is a homespun southern experience that you’re unlikely to forget.

www.jeffersonross.com

 

The Rough & Tumble

The Rough & Tumble are as easy to detect as a stray dog on your doorstep– and as difficult to send home. The dumpster-folk, thriftstore-Americana duo, consisting of Mallory Graham & Scott Tyler, have been hobbling around the country in their 16-foot camper since 2015. They picked up a couple of actual strays along the way– two 100-pound dogs, Puddle & Magpie Mae– and have been making themselves at home in living rooms, bars, theaters, and festivals across the country. They’ve been recognized as a Feature Showcase Artist at 2018 SERFA, and a 2018 honorable mention for the Listening Room Network.

Since their start in 2011, The Rough & Tumble have been writing illustrative songs, arranging each with a menagerie of instruments ranging from acoustic guitars to mailbox snares to a banjulele.  “Their Americana music is restorative, their performance highly entertaining, their orchestra of unusual instruments intriguing, and… jokes and stories are worthy of an HBO special.” (Linda Bolton, Cozy Cabin House Concerts).

The stray folkies are as industrious as they are scrappy, releasing five EPs and two albums in their eight years. Their 2018 release, We Made Ourselves a Home When We Didn’t Know, brought the listener to the road and the road to their home — an album “as cozy, comfortable and inviting as a well-worn couch” (Bill Kopp, Mountain Xpress).  All this in addition to their weekly livecast, a monthly blog, a Cook & Color Book, a food blog, 2018 SERFA Official Showcase Artist, and playing upwards of 150 shows a year.

The Rough & Tumble released their new studio album Howling Back at the Wounded Dog, on September 6, 2019.

www.theroughandtumble.com

 

September 21, 2019

Michael Jonathan

Folksinger Michael Johnathon has a long-standing career in the arts as a songwriter, musician, author, playwright, composer of the opera Woody: For the People, and host of the live audience broadcast of the WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour. The show has a radio audience of more than two million listeners each week on 500 public radio stations, public television coast-to-coast, American Forces Radio Network in 173 nations, and now Friday evenings on RFD-TV.

Michael helped organize the national WoodSongs Front Porch Association to help organize rural and community music and a massive educational program. Members of the WFPA are called “SongFarmers.” His 14th album release, MoonFire, comes on the heels of Mousie HiWay: The Adventures of Banjo Mouse in Appalachia, his fully illustrated book that introduces bluegrass music to kids. The MoonFire CD is a 23-song album in honor of the banjo.

Michael released three new projects this year: the CD Dazed & Confuzed, the book WoodSongs 4 and the orchestrated concert tour Songs of Rural America.

In addition to his albums, books, concerts and other projects, the Martin Guitar Company introduced the Michael Johnathon signature model 0000-28s “WoodSongs Quad” guitar.

Michael lives in a log cabin on a hill surrounded by meadows, streams and woods outside of Lexington, Kentucky.

www.michaeljohnathon.com

Blackfoot Daisy

Blackfoot Daisy is a popular local trio comprised of Don Sechelski, Jim Kirkland, Wendy DuMond. They write and perform songs about love, loss, family, horses, dogs, and “things we have yet to ask for forgiveness for.” By day Don is an educator, and Wendy works for a law firm. Don and Wendy met on a songwriter website message board and started writing songs together. Jim Kirkland rounded out the trio with his jazzy multi-instrumentalism, and the result is Blackfoot Daisy.

Blackfoot Daisy formed in 2012 when long-time collaborators and songwriters Wendy and Don decided to begin performing together on a regular basis. Don spent most of his early childhood in Texas and Wendy hails from Montana but grew up in Oklahoma. They chose to name the band after a deer, drought, and pest-resistant prairie flower.

Don is a 30-plus year native of the Atlanta music scene and has also worked as a studio musician. Don has been a regular on the Atlanta coffeehouse/acoustic music scene since the old Freight Room days. He has played venues such as the Dogwood Festival, Hungry Ear Coffeehouse, Lena’s Place and many more.

Wendy began writing songs and performing in 2009. She released a solo EP in 2012. Wendy’s songs have been featured on the Women of Substance radio podcast. Her song Catching Fireflies was used as music for a book trailer to promote All Bears Need Love, a children’s book about interracial adoption.

Blackfoot Daisy has played Smith’s Old Bar, Steve’s Live Music, the Red Light Café and many other local Atlanta live music venues. The band has opened for Nashville songwriter Kurt Fortmeyer, The Rosin Sisters, Copper into Steel, Vientos Del Pueblo, and Little Country Giants, to name a few. They have also performed at Snellville Days, the Chastain Park Arts Festival, the Duluth Fall Festival, the Little 5 Arts Alive Concert series, and Oakhurst Porchfest.

The band released a three-song EP in 2015 and is currently working on a full-length album.

http://www.blackfootdaisymusic.com

August 17, 2019

David Leinweber

David Leinweber has performed widely at festivals, concert venues and clubs for years, including international appearances abroad where he was dubbed “The Flatpicking Professor.” He has also performed widely in refined higher-educational settings like bars and honky-tonks, to say nothing of numerous universities, civic groups and college campuses. He has placed in numerous flatpicking, fingerpicking and songwriting competitions. 

David’s repertoire ranges from traditional music of Appalachia and the British Isles, to Spanish ballads, to folkadelic rock and acoustic blues. Many of his songs tell compelling stories and feature distinctive idioms of guitar-playing and songwriting. But most of all, he’s just out to entertain and have a good time.  His performances intersperse intricate guitar work and vocals with joke-cracking and occasional commentaries – a good fit for audiences of all stripes and tastes.

Just Be’Cause

Jerry Brunner, Bruce Gilbert and Cyndi Craven are Just Be’Cause … just don’t ask them why.

Jerry Brunner and Cyndi Craven, long-time members of the Atlanta acoustic/folk music scene, have been performing together since the 1980’s.  In 2007, they met up with Bruce Gilbert when he moved to Atlanta from California where he’d been wowing the music scene there for years.  The music they produce together is the result of profound friendship, heaping helpings of creativity, and decades of playing, singing and writing together and on their own. Their shows have been described by fans as an evening of “comfort music” with vocal “harmonies that will roll your socks down.” Come hear for yourself!More at: https://www.reverbnation.com/brucegilbert and  https://www.reverbnation.com/cyndicraven

July 20, 2019

The Radio Rangers

The Radio Rangers are an Americana band based in Atlanta. Their original music connects with the heartland of America – stories about small towns, railroads, love, broken hearts and life’s special moments. The music is melodic with an emphasis on vocal harmony and an old timey feel. The band is influenced by John Prine, Towns Van Zandt, Blaze Foley and Bob Dylan. It’s comprised of Dan Foster (vocals, guitar), Mark Ewald (vocals, guitar), and Tom Molloy (percussion).

Dan Foster is the songwriter and leader of the band. A seasoned lead guitarist, his song writing led to the creation of The Radio Rangers in 2014. “I try to write songs that people can emotionally connect with. Songs about love, heartbreak, growing up and railroads. The goal is to paint a picture with a good story and melody. It’s very special when people like what you have created.” Dan grew up in Michigan (too cold), moved to Florida (too hot) and moved to Atlanta in 1989 (just right).

Mark “the ear” Ewald is the musical director. Being friends for over 20 years, Dan says he has never known anyone who can arrange a song, moving in exactly the right direction the way Mark does. Mark’s nickname comes from his vocal harmony abilities but he is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, piano, mandolin, bass guitar, banjo, harmonica and drums. (not all at the same time). Mark is from Buffalo, New York and still loves hot-wings.

Tom Molloy is the drummer/percussionist for the group. Tom is the glue that holds everything together while adding that special energy to the songs. Tom’s sense of humor always keeps things loose making even the ordinary much more fun. Tom grew up in Queens, New York which will become apparent when you speak with him. (what accent?) Just don’t tell him he looks like Rodney Dangerfield.

https://www.theradiorangers.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theradiorangers

Redwine Jam

Despite its name, Redwine Jam is not a sweet alcoholic concoction suitable for spreading on toast. Still, folk music fans find it appetizing and heady! A performance by the folk band Redwine Jam carries the audience on an emotional roller coaster complete with high-spirited roots music, wry humor, gripping story songs, love ballads, and the sheer joy of homemade music.

Redwine Jam is an Atlanta-based folk music trio comprised of Chris and Carol Moser and singer Brenda Lloyd. They perform a wide range of North American and Celtic folk songs and tunes, from traditional material to newly written compositions by contemporary folk legends. They accompany their vocals with guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, mountain dulcimer, flute, pennywhistle, bodhran and harp (not all at the same time).

Redwine Jam has developed a strong following at coffeehouses, festivals, private parties and other events in the Atlanta area and elsewhere in the Southeast. Whether they’re performing a program of American folk, Celtic, a mixture of both, or their multi-media concert exploring the American Folk Revival, an evening with Redwine Jam is a delectable treat.

www.redwinejam.com

June 15, 2019

 

Tina and Her Pony

The Indie Appalachian folk duo Tina & Her Pony originated in Asheville, North Carolina in 2009. Tina Collins (tenor banjo, tenor ukulele, guitar, vocals) and Quetzal Jordan (cello, guitar, vocals) spent two years holed up in the high desert mountain town of Taos, New Mexico, making music and friends.  They became one of the iconic artist colony’s most beloved performing acts.

Tina and Her Pony released their full length, self-titled debut album in March 2012. After touring the U.S. and Canada, they established a new home base in Asheville and began recording their second album, Champion. The album draws inspiration from and meditates on dreams, the subconscious, and death.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Collins grew up listening to such folk legends as Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt and Nick Drake, as well as Appalachian musicians such as Loretta Lynn, The Carter family and Doc Watson.  Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and raised in Tampa FL by her Guatemalan single mother, Jordan spent her young life salsa dancing at family parties and singing hymns in her church choir. She started her classical training at the age of eight and began writing music when 14 years old, largely influenced by Russian Romantic Composers and artists such as Radiohead, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash.

Collins and Jordan’s songwriting incorporates complexities in harmony and arrangement that queer the American folk tradition. Their unique sound draws inspiration from artists such as Nickel Creek, Sarah Jarosz, Gillian Welch and Crooked Still.

tinaandherpony.com

Acoustic Bridge

The Atlanta group Acoustic Bridge will also be making its first Fiddler’s Green appearance. Celia McDermott, Mike Cerra, and Kevin Walsh offer an eclectic set of creative arrangements ranging from Americana to folk to popular, plus their own unique blend of original music.

An early love of singing inspired Celia McDermott to study arranging and vocals at Berklee College of Music. She performed in the Boston, New York, and Atlanta areas for years in various groups, featuring many styles of music. She served several years as an assistant choir director for a vibrant music ministry and spent ten years directing and singing in the a cappella group Cheaper Than Therapy.  Celia has been a featured singer on a number of recordings and has performed with many different musicians in the Atlanta area, crossing genres spanning from jazz to rock to Americana to gospel. For several years she was a featured soloist for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Gospel Choir.

Mike Cerra has been playing and writing “longer than I should probably admit in mixed company,” he says. This talented multi-instrumentalist and singer has performed with several electric bands as well as acoustically for both vocal and solo instrumental music.

Bassist and vocalist Kevin Walsh performs in a wide variety of styles – R&B, rock & roll, folk and Americana. Kevin has recorded and toured in the U.S. and Canada with the acoustic group Windfall. He has done two tours of Ireland with the Americana group Rhythm Road. He is has lived and performed as a singer, guitarist and bassist in the Atlanta area for the last seven years.

Acoustic Bridge Online

May 18, 2019

 

Adam Miller

 

One of the premier autoharpists in the world, Adam Miller is a renowned American folksinger and natural-born storyteller from Oregon. Miller accompanies his rich, resonant baritone voice with lively finger-picking acoustic guitar and stunningly beautiful autoharp melodies. A masterful entertainer who never fails to get his audience singing along, he has distinguished himself as one of the great interpreters of American folksongs and folktales, and as a performer who appeals to audiences of all ages.

George Winston calls him “one of the great autoharpists and folksingers of our times.” Pete Seeger praised his “wonderful storytelling!” The Walnut Valley Festival described his performance as, “An outstanding slice of American folksongs performed with his perfectly suited voice and tasty autoharp accompaniment.” As a concert promoter in Melbourne Beach, Florida, observed, “It will charm even the most die-hard iPod-loving kids or reluctant significant-others.”

Adam began his lifelong pursuit of collecting old songs while still in grade school. Armed with an audio-graphic memory and an uncommonly good ear for melody, his childhood ambition was to learn every song he heard. An accomplished folklorist, historian, and song-collector, he has now amassed a remarkable repertoire of over 5,000 songs.  Miller’s repertoire evokes a by-gone time when entertainment was homemade. A master of the art of storytelling, he skillfully interweaves folksongs and the stories behind them with the elegance of a documentary filmmaker.

Traveling 70,000 miles a year, this 21st-century troubadour performs over 200 concerts annually, from the Everglades to the Arctic Circle.  More than1.5 million American K-12 students have attended his Singing Through History! school assembly programs.  He has performed in more than 2,000 American public libraries in 48 states.

He has recorded six CDs that receive airplay across North America and Europe. His numerous appearances at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival, the Brookdale Bluegrass Festival, the Tumbleweed Music Festival, the California Traditional Music Society’s Summer Solstice Festival, and the Kentucky Music Weekend have made him a national favorite.

Miller’s folk songs and ballads are the songs of America’s heritage: a window into the soul of our nation in its youth.  Frank Hamilton, co-founder of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, former member of the folk quartet The Weavers, and co-founder of Atlanta’s Frank Hamilton School, says, “His performance is truly entertaining and riveting. He’s doing a real service for folk music: defending the treasury of American tradition.”

www.folksinging.org

Mark Dvorak

When Chicago-based singer-songwriter Mark Dvorak began his career in music, he knew right away he was in it for the long haul.  Thirty-four years later he’s still on the road, performing and recording.

“He’s the real deal,” said James Tomasello of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, where Dvorak has been on the faculty for 30 years.  “Mark has made music his life and livelihood. His performances are elegant, rich and powerful. He is one of the Old Town School’s Distinguished Teaching Artists.”

Mark Dvorak is the third son of four, born to a working class family on Chicago’s southwest side. After reading Anthony Scaduto’s biography of Bob Dylan in high school, his interest in American folk music was born. Soon the recordings of Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and Pete Seeger found their way into his collection.  He purchased his first acoustic guitar and enrolled in classes at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music after a summer of touring the country by motorcycle. In 1982 Dvorak borrowed a five string banjo and began teaching himself how to play, mastering the claw-hammer stroke. In 1986 Dvorak joined Old Town School faculty.

In December of 2013, Mark published his first collection of essays and poems, Bowling for Christmas and Other Tales from the Road. The book sold out of its initial printing in nine days and received glowing reviews.

Dvorak has performed in 38 states and in parts of Europe and Canada.  He has released 17 albums and has won awards for journalism and children’s music.  He received the Woodstock Folk Festival Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the Lantern Bearer Award from Folk Alliance International in 2013.  In 2012 WFMT 98.7 FM Midnight Special host Rich Warren named him Chicago’s “official troubadour.”

www.markdvorak.com

 

April 20, 2019

Carla Ulbrich, Professional Smart Alec

Carla Ulbrich is a comical singer-songwriter and guitarist whose biggest musical influences were Sesame Street,
camp songs, and cat food commercials. She has a love of the absurdities
of ordinary life, a somewhat twisted viewpoint, and a way with words.
Her songs cover topics from the mundane to insane: Waffle House,
Klingons, psycho exes, how rich she would be if she had a copyright on
the F-word, and so on.

Carla’s six CDs have been aired on the BBC, Dr. Demento, Sirius XM Radio and NPR.  She also appeared in Sharknado 2 (as a human) and once opened for Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel.

Carla has been performing since the late 90s in venues small and
smaller, from the Clothing Optional Folk Festival to Nashville’s famed
Bluebird Cafe.  She has appeared as a musical guest on the TV shows The Revolution (canceled) and Up All Night with Rhonda
(canceled).  Walk, don’t run, and look both ways before crossing, then
go hear Carla before the venue she is playing in closes up shop.

Carla has been a Fiddler’s Green audience favorite throughout her
career.  “She is very talented, very funny, very personable, and an easy
act to work with. We would be hard pressed to imagine anyone not
enjoying a set,” says our former manager, Seegar Swanson.  “Her
thoughtful and intelligent, clever observations about life, written in
an often wry and humorous manner, are placed over very strong melodies
and guitar work that is recognized as some of the best in her genre.”

Carla has shared the stage with such luminaries as Cheryl Wheeler,
Vance Gilbert, Modern Man, The Bobs, Bob Malone, David Massengill, Lou
and Peter Berryman, The Austin Lounge Lizards, and Rev. Billy C Wirtz.
Other venues she has played include the Falcon Ridge Festival,
Kerrville Folk Festival, Club Med, Eddie’s Attic, The Minstrel and First
Night. We’re delighted to have her back!

http://www.carlau.com/

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March 16, 2019

Will Payne Harrison

Since moving from Louisiana to Nashville, Will Payne Harrison has
toured the South and East coasts, performed at festivals, made radio
appearances, packed out listening rooms, hosted songwriter’s nights and
even co-wrote a song landing in the feature film Black Beauty starring Luke Perry. Harrison’s first single from the album Louisiana Summer, “Clarity,” was featured as a Daily Discovery by American Songwriter magazine.

After its May release East Nashville Blues reached the top
200 on Americana radio charts in 2017.  Harrison is following up the
album with a six-song companion EP of covers with the likes of John
Prine, Hank Williams and Steve Earle, as well as an original track.  Blue is the common thread of the new EP, with each song containing the word in the track.

Here’s what reviewers are saying about East Nashville Blues:
“Easy, clean and humble, this, his follow-up to Louisiana Summer, is well-written but simple.” – Offbeat, New Orleans, LA.
“Harrison
follows in the footsteps of his heroes, telling stories that can make
you smile right before they make you cry. Willie Nelson and John Prine
would be proud.” – Mother Church Pew, Nashville, TN.
“Harrison
has unveiled smooth, sweet vocals to match the heartfelt lyrics on the
new album.” — Herman Fusilier, The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette, LA.

www.willpayneharrison.com

The Irish Brothers

The Irish Brothers may be Atlanta’s most popular and
proficient performers of the beloved genre of traditional Irish music
the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem introduced to the American Folk
Revival.  Sandy “Sandyman” Flynn and “Captain” George Hergen are a
unique team. Sandyman comes from the mountains of Western North
Carolina, while the Captain hails from the canyons of New York City.
The two started performing together 35 years ago when they worked “suit”
jobs at IBM.  Both draw from their Irish heritage for material. Their
music practically maps the Irish cultural integration into the “new
country” – from traditional Irish ballads to original songs of love,
drinking, revolution and redemption.

Sandy is a former songwriter on Music Row (Tree-Sony/ATV) in
Nashville.  He was a founding member of the band Cullowhee, which toured
nationally and internationally for ten years in the 70s and 80s. George
started singing and playing after his first visit to New York’s
Greenwich Village in the mid-1960s.  He honed his craft by traveling
throughout Ireland with the great Tommy Makem. The team received the
name “Irish Brothers” following a performance at The Folk Alliance
several years ago in Memphis, Tennessee.

Sandyman Flynn http://redheadscape.com/

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February 16, 2019

Jim Culliton & Clear Creek Band

Multi-instrumental virtuoso Jim Culliton has been a favorite of Fiddler’s Green audiences for many years.  In the Jim Culliton & Clear Creek Band, his
guitar, mandolin, fiddle and vocals share the stage with Walter Dean’s
dobro and Joel Glogowski’s upright bass.  This high-energy trio offers
an eclectic blend of different acoustic genres, mixing instrumental
improvisation with traditional sounds and vocals.

Jim Culliton has performed throughout Georgia and the Southeast over
the past decade. His philosophy of no stylistic boundaries always keeps
the music fresh and exciting.  Jim has played     at The Fox Theatre,
Symphony Hall, and many other concert venues.  He was one of the early
innovators in the New String Acoustic Movement, incorporating jazz,
bluegrass, world music,   rock, and classical with occasional vocals in
the mix. Put all of this in a high-speed blender and you get a truly
innovative, entertaining, and dynamic musician.  Jim was chosen to be a
Musician in Residence for the National Endowment of the Arts and
Humanities. He’s a former instructor of music at Huntingdon College and
Auburn University (AUM).

Walter Dean is known locally as “dean of the dobro.”  Joel Glogowski
is a highly accomplished upright bass player whose talent graces this
trio and other Atlanta area bands including Caroline & The Ramblers.

The band is in demand at various Atlanta area venues, including the
Pullman in Kirkwood, where they’ll be playing for Sunday brunch January
27, 12-2 pm. http://www.facebook.com/clearcreekatlanta

The Justin Sams Band

The Justin Sams Band was formed in late 2015 as the
result of four friends experimenting with a mixture of original songs
and esoteric covers.  What began as a tentative musical grouping soon
evolved into a unique and refined band that could still approach its
music and performances in the spirit of  open collaboration and genuine
friendship. Drawing inspiration from folk music, country blues,
psychedelic rock, and good old-fashioned storytelling, The Justin Sams
Band defies convenient categorization; however, one might describe the
band’s sound as eclectic-electric-folk-rock.

The band enjoys arranging and performing covers, enabling it to
participate in tribute events such  as Jerry Day at Terminal West and
Bob Dylan Tribute nights at the Red Light Café and the Lake Clare
Community Land Trust.  Yet the band’s greatest musical strength is its
extensive catalog of original material drawn from the independent
efforts of the group’s two songwriters, Tom Spach and Lindsay Petsch.
This unlikely pairing of these writers’ musical backgrounds and styles
has resulted in an interesting and rare counterpoint, one of the
reasons The Justin Sams Band is frequently complemented for musical
variety.  The band’s first album of original material, Ghosts  of the Day, was released in April of 2018.  They’re presently recording their next album, The Miracle Cure, which will be released in the early summer of 2019.

https://www.justinsamsband.com

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January 19, 2019

CHARLEY WOODS

Nashville native Charley Woods
has been garnering attention and praise for her instantly recognizable
voice and stylistic blend of country and Americana since she was in high
school, at none other than the prestigious Nashville School of the
Arts. Already a mainstay in the Nashville songwriters’ community,
Charley’s dream is to share her songs with the world.

Charley has performed and
collaborated with many talented and influential figures in today’s
country music including Brad Paisley, Chris Young, David Nail, Wil
Nance, Mark Nesler, and many more. She appeared
on Good Morning America and world-renown stages such as The Grand Ole
Opry and The Ryman Auditorium – all before the tender age of 18. Her
single Half the Girl
has now claimed the attention of leading music editorials and radio
stations around the world and accumulated more than 5,000 streams on
Spotify.

www.charleywoods.com https://www.patreon.com/charleywoods

THE NEW HARVEY FAMILY SINGERS

The New Harvey Family Singers is
an evolving group of Atlanta troubadours performing contemporary and
traditional music. The band is made up of John Harvey, Seth Langer, Jimi
Cusick and Eryk Fisher.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, John
Harvey appears regularly in the Frank Hamilton School band and brings
previous experience playing with house bands. Atlanta native Eryk Fisher
is a professional basement musician who “sings to walls, plays
harmonica, and strums three chord songs until mama tells me dinner’s
ready.” Seth Langer is an actor, musician, and odd-jobber from Decatur.
He plays at political rallies, weddings, birthdays, funerals — wherever
there’s singing to be done! Jimi Cusick, from Atlanta, brings a musical
background that includes orchestra, rock, and a Beatles cover band. Jimi
loves to challenge himself musically to learn new things and play with
new people as much as possible.

December 15, 2018

JIM SHARKEY

Singer-songwriter Jim Sharkey
is an Irish and Americana folk musician making his second Fiddler’s
Green appearance. Jim grew up in County Roscommon, Ireland. He came to
the U.S. in 1982 after joining the U.S. Navy in London, England. He
spent five years as a photographer on the USS Dixon in San Diego,
California, and ten years working in television and video production in
North Carolina and Maine. He taught children with special needs in
Westbrook, Maine, and Roanoke, Virginia. He currently teaches at The
Arts Based School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and he continues to
play two or three times a month in Virginia, North and South Carolina,
Maryland, and Washington DC, accompanying himself on guitar, harmonica,
and bodhran (Irish drum). Jim’s original songs blend Celtic traditional
ballad influences with contemporary issues that are often set in the
area he resides.

Jim has recorded three CDs: Misty Morning Rain, Sweet Anne’s Road and
Black Is the Color. He’ll include some seasonal songs in his set –
among them, his 2017 release The Christmas Comet.

www.jimsharkeymusic.com

The Clams

The Clams,
an Atlanta-based jazz quintet led by legendary folk/jazz musician Frank
Hamilton, takes its name from the humorous reference to mistakes made
on recordings, a name given to this by Bix Beiderbecke. This
extraordinary band will ring in the New Year a couple of weeks early for
our Fiddler’s Green patrons.

Early jazz emanated from New Orleans. At the end of the Civil War,
band instruments used in military marching bands wound up in pawn shops
throughout the country. In New Orleans African-American musicians found
them and incorporated them into a new marching band dance form called,
in those days, “jass.”

At the same time a section of New Orleans contained sporting houses
of prostitution. Musicians found work in these establishments to
generate that business. As with the name “rock”, “jass” was a euphemism
for sexual activity. Eventually the word’s spelling became “jazz.”
One of these famous sporting houses, Lulu White’s Mahogany Hall, was
presided over by Alderman Story. Hence, the red light area became known
as Storyville. Many great jazz musicians started out in jazz marching
bands and in these houses. The Navy shut these brothels were shut down
in 1915 due to rampant venereal disease, but the music survived.

Alongside the marching bands and the cat house pianists, there were
string bands with guitars, mandolin, banjos and upright basses and horns
in combinations that prevail to this day in the form of what is called a
jazz combo. The Clams carry on this music tradition. Their influences
include the cornet playing of Bix Beiderbecke, the banjo and guitar
stylings of Eddie Lang, and piano styles from Fats Waller to Jelly Roll
Morton. The Clams play and sing this jazz that millions joyfully danced
to from the early 1900s through the 40s.

Five stellar Atlanta musicians comprise the Clams. Bill Rutan is a
legendary tenor banjo player who has traveled over the world playing
with various New Orleans jazz groups and driving every one of them with
his impeccable rhythm and extensive vocal repertoire of songs. L.A.
Tuten is a versatile musician who has recording credits and is known for
being in demand as a local musician; he’s also a former director of
Atlanta’s Marching Abominables. Matt Phillips is a multi-talented
performer who plays cornet in the style of Bix, plays mandolin and works
as an expert repairman of quality violins; he’s also a visual artist
known for his drawings and paintings. Mick Kinney is a master of many
instruments and a swinging jazz style; he’s an accomplished fiddler,
pianist, teacher and musical director. Frank Hamilton’s career spans
many years as a folk and early jazz guitar player and singer; he was
co-founder of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and the Frank
Hamilton School in Atlanta.

www.frankhamiltonschool.org

November 17, 2018

Joe Penland

Joe has been deemed a “cultural treasure” by The Asheville Citizen Times. AAFFM is proud to lure him from “the farm” for his second full-concert appearance at Fiddler’s Green.

Deep in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, there’s a front porch that has been the destination of many folk who love these mountains, their music and their stories. Grammy winners and kids with their first guitar, banjo or fiddle, Hollywood producers, writers, and folk music collectors from all over the world have made their way to the place Joe Penland simply calls “the farm.”

Joe Penland was born and raised in rural Madison County in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. He is the proud steward of twelve generations and over 350 years of the rich oral tradition of his Scottish and English ancestors. From his birth he has listened to and learned the stories and ballads these travelers brought with them across the ocean, then southwest to the narrow coves and high meadows that many consider the richest repository of Great Britain’s folk songs in the world. He inherited the instruments of his grandfather who died long before his birth and was taught to play by his aunts.

Joe was content to continue this tradition in his front room, the porch or campfires of his secluded farm. But eventually his daughter Laurin and lifelong friends Sheila Adams, Mary Eagle and David Holt convinced him to share his life and music with a broader audience. Since then he has appeared at numerous festivals, toured Great Britain eight times, and received the coveted Bascom Lunsford Award (named for his cousin and founder of the longest running folk festival in America) for his “significant contribution to preserving our mountain music.”

We first saw Joe when he captivated a grateful Atlanta audience at the 2012 Emory University symposium “Making Connections: The Celtic Roots of Southern Music,” organized by Prof. James W. Flannery. Joe has recorded four CDs including his latest, The Mary Sands Project, Volume 1.

Determined that folk music includes the present as well as the past, Joe also writes and sings his own songs, which he calls “just more stories of love and life here in the mountains.” Whether singing the traditional ballads of the mountains of western North Carolina or performing his original and stirring folk songs, Joe Penland offers an honesty and power that is a testament to both his unique character and our shared humanity.

October 20, 2018

ALEX HUNNICUTT

With his own signature style, Greenville S.C.-based performing songwriter Alex Hunnicutt serves up blues, R&B and soul (with a little bit of jazz and reggae thrown in as well) in his new album titled Honey. “Honey is the latest release from smooth rock and blues guitarist Alex Hunnicutt. Each one of the album’s eight tracks is endowed with a funky groove that serves to underscore Hunnicutt’s soulful singing and highlight his technical proficiency on the guitar,” according to the Houdini Mansions website.  “As a collection of songs, it is extremely appealing to both pop and light rock sensibilities.” Many diverse listeners from different musical backgrounds have been drawn towards Hunnicutt’s uniquely groovy and rhythmic songwriting style and vocal textures.

Most of the time you’ll find Alex playing solo shows with nothing more than an acoustic guitar (and maybe a loop pedal).  “I love smaller shows because they’re more intimate and you can spend more time connecting with individual people than you can at a larger show where you have to go back and forth between a lot of people.” That’s not to say that you won’t catch him playing at these larger events, festivals, and concert venues with his duo or trio. This past year Hunnicutt has opened for Chase Bryant at The Greer Family festival, Marc Broussard at Downtown Greenville’s Artisphere Festival, and Casey James from American Idol at The Radio Room in Greenville.  He has been a guest celebrity judge and performer at Greer Idol and played hundreds of other shows from Tennessee to Myrtle Beach. He plans on constantly expanding the territories he performs in and expanding on his knowledge of and love for writing music that connects with all kinds of people.

www.alexhunnicutt.com

THE PORCH BOTTOM BOYS

The Porch Bottom Boys, a Decatur group, play bluegrass, newgrass, and other styles seasoned with the diverse backgrounds of their members.  Guitarist and vocalist Steve Gorbatkin was born on the south side of Chicago, and his years in the Windy City left an indelible blues-inflected mark on his singing. Atlanta native Jim Thompson spent time living and working in the coal towns of Virginia, and his experiences as a founding member of the Poetown Ramblers and playing with bluegrass groups in Nashville gives the band its deep bluegrass roots. Mandolinist and vocalist Patrick Jackson hails from Northwest Georgia and adds melodic mandolin and piercing high tenor harmonies to the mix.  From jazz to rockabilly to bluegrass, bassist Joel Glogowski uses his wide musical background and impeccable fashion sense to hold it all down with his rollicking, thumping, good-time beat on the doghouse bass fiddle. Charlie O’Neill rounds out the Boys with his tasty licks on the five-string banjo.

Charlie’s front porch in Decatur gives the band their name and serves as their home base. Long-time band member Denis Gainty was a talented musician and song writer who was an inspiration to all the group and remains so despite his untimely passing in 2017.

The Porch Bottom Boys play in a variety of local venues and have been featured multiple times on WRFG radio. They have also appeared in many nearby festivals, including the Decatur BBQ Blues and Bluegrass Festival, the Decatur Arts Festival, the Oakhurst Arts Festival, and Stomp and Chomp in Cabbagetown.  Committed to the Decatur community, they frequently play for local fundraisers and other programs.

www.porchbottomboys.com

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September 15, 2018

SOUTH FOR WINTER

With elements of gypsy, folk, jazz and blues, the Nashville-based trio South for Winter offers an eclectic sound united by delicate harmonies, intricate guitar work, and earthy vocals.

Four years after meeting in Peru and writing what would later become their first single, Whisper in the Trees, Colorado singer-songwriter Dani Cichon and New Zealand musician Nick Stone officially joined in March 2017 as the duo South for Winter.  With Nashville TN as their home base, the two formed a trio with cellist Alex Stradal and crafted South for Winter’s distinctive sound.

The band released its self-titled debut EP in January 2018.  That led to Nashville’s Lightning 100 radio station naming the trio as a top up-and-coming independent artist in its 2018 Music City Mayhem competition, and it connected the band with the Grammy-nominated producer of their second EP.  The trio released this EP in August and will tour nationally through more than 14 states before returning to Nashville to begin work on their first full-length studio album.

www.southforwintermusic.com

HARM’S WAY

Harm’s Way performs with rich harmony, conviction, and a sense of humor. While the group has been together over ten years, some of the members have been performing together all of their adult lives. Their music is influenced by several genres: roots, Americana, folk, blues, and more. Harm’s Way includes Harmon Koeltz on lead vocals and guitar, Scot Boze on vocals, and Phil Griffin on lead guitar.  For this performance they’ll be joined by Jonathan McBee, bass player for Mockingbird’s Wing.

This acoustic driven group relies on tight harmonies, thoughtful songs and lyrics, and a belief that the music should be shared. These guys have fun performing and can be found at festivals, private events, restaurants, coffee shops, corporate events, and church functions.

The core members of this group have been playing music together since before Woodstock.  They have fun playing, check their egos at the door, and – while they take music very seriously – don’t take themselves seriously at all!

www.reverbnation.com/harmonkoeltz

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August 18, 2018

THE JANUARY DUO

The January Duo was founded in January of 2015 when multi-instrumentalist Payton Scott and classically trained singer Sara Grace Carmical met in high school.Shortly after, Chris Scott, bassist, trumpet player, and Atlanta Symphony Chorus alum (and Payton’s dad) joined up to accompany the Duo. They have enjoyed playing traditional music from all over the world for audiences on two continents.

Sara Grace Carmical has ten years of classical voice training and is currently a sophomore voice and biology major at Emory University. Payton Scott started playing banjo in the ninth grade. Soon after that he expanded to the guitar, accordion, mandolin, bass, Celtic drum, and dulcimer. Payton has honed his craft under the tutelage of Frank Hamilton and Jens Krüger. He currently serves as an instructor at the Frank Hamilton Folk School.

From folk to bluegrass to old-time to gospel and blues, the January Duo look forward to bringing their arrangements of a wide range of classic tunes to their first appearance at Fiddler’ Green.

CJ JONES AND THE SPIRIT BONES

The local band CJ Jones and the Spirit Bones will also make its Fiddler’s Green debut.  The group plays original songs that “sound like Commander Cody, Mojo Nixon and Hunter S. Thompson had a three-way mutant love child with an intellectual edge,” according to Candler Park resident and Emory professor Ted Pettus. the band leader.

Their concept album The Odyssey of Cledus Jeremiah Jones is built around Pettus’s creation, an Appalachian prophet of that name.  Jones’ pronouncements on spirituality (“It ain’t religion if it ain’t got snakes”) and spirits (“Smoke away my memory, drink away my pain”) have attracted an eclectic following in Atlanta’s funky Americana music scene.  Pettus composed the songs.

Four other brilliant musicians put meat on the Spirit Bones:

• Singer/guitarist Craig Rafuse has been performing songs with social significance in 1963  while also playing in dance bands. In addition to the Spirit Bones, he currently appears with Expand Band, Owls and Kahootz.
• Drummer Bobby Andre has played in jazz, blues, rock, pop and country bands. He has recorded with several bands including Glenn Phillips and has toured with Billy Joe Royal, Glenn Phillips and Aviva and the Flying Penguins among others.
• Bassist Andy Weiskoff has played in rock, blues, and contra bands. His musical epiphany came one day at a traffic light while listening to a Baroque string quartet, when a car playing hip-hop pulled up beside him, and the two musical selections merged seamlessly!
• Keyboard player Alan Dynin has performed concerts for the Jazz and World Music Association, the Atlanta Symphony Associates, and many other house concert series. He is one of the more diverse pianists in the Southeast, playing and composing in jazz, Latin, blues and boogie, ragtime, concert classical, gospel, free improvisational, and now… Funkabilly.

CJ Jones and the Spirit Bones has been seen around Atlanta at the Clermont Lounge, Red Light Café, The Earl, Inman Park Festival and Lake Claire Land Trust, among other venues.

www.cledusjeremiahjones.com

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July 21, 2018

GEORGIA GRASS

Since Dan Daniel founded Georgia Grass in 1973, this professional bluegrass band has played for many bluegrass festivals and events in Georgia and around the Southeast. By1976 they were so highly reputed that they were chosen to play for the Grand opening of the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Dan plays guitar and sings most of the lead vocals for the group. He’s a member of the Bonded Brothers of Bluegrass and President and CEO of the Southeastern Bluegrass Association. In 2009 Dan was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2017 the Atlanta Society of Entertainers presented him with the Musician’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Banjo player James Mckinney also sings harmony and some leads. James won the South US Banjo Championship at the age of 14. He went on to win first-place awards in other states and in 1982 was named Grand National Banjo Champion of the United States at the annual awards in Winfield, Kansas. James has played with such legends as Bill Monroe, Vassar Clements and John Hartford. He has worked as a studio musician in Nashville and is rated as one of the top banjo players in the country. James was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015.

Bass player Niki Portmann is also a singer. Her love of music from a young age led her to try several different instruments before deciding on the upright acoustic bass. She was inducted into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

www.facebook.com/dan.daniel.754

CHAMBLESS AND MUSE

For more than 25 years, Alabama natives Jil Chambless and Scooter Muse have been performing the music of Scotland, Ireland and America with various ensembles in a wide variety
of venues, from simple house concerts to festivals and concert halls. Jil and Scooter have worked alongside many of the finest artists in Celtic music. In 2010 Chambless & Muse began performing as a duo to promote their individual solo projects. Since then they have released several CDs: The Laverock Sang (2011), Passing Tales & Glories (2014), Live @ NTIF with John Taylor (2016), The Lang Awa’ Ships (2017), and Nollaig Chridheil, Songs of the Christmas Season with Ed Miller (2017).

As singer and flute player, Jil Chambless has performed across the US as well as in Canada, Scotland, and Israel with the band Henri’s Notions, Chambless & Muse, Scottish singer Ed
Miller, Scottish fiddler John Taylor, the band Vulcan Eejits!, The Mairtin deCogain Project, the John Whelan Trio, the Vogt Family Contra Band, and others. In 2009 Jil released her first solo CD, The Ladies Go Dancing, produced by the legendary Brian McNeill. Jil brings to any audience a wonderful listening experience from haunting ballads to upbeat songs with a smooth delivery that never fails to bring both smiles and tears in each and every performance. See www.jilchambless.com.

Although Scooter Muse has his roots in bluegrass and is quite an accomplished five-string banjo
player, in the late 1980s he moved into the world of Celtic guitar. He soon founded the Full
Moon Ensemble, performing for eight years across the US and in Scotland, before joining Henri’s Notions in 2003. In 2005 Scooter released his first solo recording of original guitar instrumentals, Saddell Abbey, which was purchased by the Scottish Tourist Board in Kintyre.
The Saddell Abbey Trust of Scotland calls the recording “a haunting and beautiful piece of
music.” See www.scootermuse.com.

“Jil and Scooter are brilliant musicians on flute and guitar and Jil has one of the loveliest folk
voices around today…” ~Seamus Kennedy, singer, guitarist, songwriter, performer, and yodeler.

“…Wonderful guitar …fine Celtic traditional vocals and flute, in my opinion, would be a great
addition to any stage …. beautiful music!” ~Alex Beaton, Scottish recording artist.

“For me, quite simply as good as it gets!” ~Alex McKinven, Mull of Kintyre Music & Arts Association, Scotland.

“Exquisite vocals, oh-so-tasteful guitar and a lilting flute – a deceptively simple, beautiful and
gentle combination!” ~Ed Miller, Scottish recording artist, folklorist and radio host.

www.facebook.com/chamblessandmuse

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June 16, 2018

MARK STUART

Nashville-based performing songwriter Mark Stuart will be making his second appearance at Fiddler’s Green. Onstage, his focus is on the songs he has penned and recorded, delivered with a soulful singing voice and highly memorable guitar playing.

After many years on the Americana/folk circuit, Stuart has cultivated a very rounded performance. His show consists of storytelling, flashy guitar “chops”, and songs that seem to draw from his rock, blues, country, and folk music roots. Mostly, this artist from Tennessee has toured solo or in a notable duo with his wife (“Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart”). There were stints
along the way as a sideman, though (for Steve Forbert, Freddy Fender, Steve Earle, and Joan Baez). If placed on the bill with a contemporary artist he is usually asked to play guitar on their portion of the show. Just ask Jason Ringenberg, Ray Wylie Hubbard, or Jimmy LaFave.

One can find Mark Stuart on any given night in a small theater, coffeehouse, house concert, festival stage, club, or church auditorium, giving it his all. Aside from that, he could be instructing at a guitar clinic or songwriting workshop, or playing on someone’s recording session. As co-owner of Gearle Records, he has produced or co-produced many albums. Over several decades Stuart’s career has repeatedly taken him to all of the USA, Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom.

www.markstuart.net

MOCKINGBIRD’S WING

Mockingbird’s Wing has cultivated a strong following at Atlanta area coffeehouses and other acoustic venues with its adroitly delivered folk, rock, soul and pop repertoire. The group features four diverse musicians:

Barbara Hotz is a singer/songwriter with deep roots in Mexico and a love of the old standards.
Jonathan McBee is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter out of Chicago, IL. If it’s got strings, Jonathan is looking to add it to the Mockingbird sound.

Paul Pendery is a Montana/Alaska/Texas singer/songwriter whose songs evoke soulful stirrings and happy feet.
Suzy Schultz, when she is not at her day job as a full-time artist, adds vocals/flute/cello to the Mockingbird sound.

Like the mockingbird herself, all the different voices and styles come together for a unique sound – the inimitable Mockingbird’s Wing sound.

Mockingbird’s Wing on Facebook

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May 19, 2018

WRITER’S VOICE

Writer’s Voice offers original acoustic contemporary folk tunes with a few sing along covers in the mix. Fritz Rauschenberg leads the group, accompanied by long time member Scott Wiman on guitar, with vocalist Debbie Foster and George Uterhardt on bass to round it out.

Fritz Rauschenberg has played and taught guitar for over 40 years and has performed folk music and “songs of the heart” in halls, coffee houses and bars for about as long as a singer/songwriter. He has taught private and group lessons in local music shops and currently teaches guitar at the Frank Hamilton School. Fritz also enjoys playing ukulele, octave mandolin, mandola and harmonica. His luthier work includes restoring and repairing acoustic stringed instruments in the violin, guitar and mandolin families.

Scott Wyman is an accomplished guitarist and mandolin player as well as a software writer. Scott and Fritz have played together many years in different types of venues. Fritz admires Scott’s expertise in the studio in arranging and recording.

Vocalist Debbie Foster delivers harmonies to the mix. “She’s a spark plug of energy and encouragement for us as well,” says Fritz. “Debbie and I have sung together for several years when opportunities arise.”
George Uterhardt is a 25+-year Navy veteran who played bass and tuba in bands in and out of the service. On bass George has the ear needed to know how to blend with any type of music. He’s comfortable with anything from country to jazz. He and Fritz have worked together for a short few years.

The tunes delivered by Writer’s Voice are of journeys and thoughts that most of us have seen or experienced presented in pleasing melodies and stories. You may part with a tune echoing in your memory.

CALEDONIA SWING

The Atlanta/North Georgia-based band Caledonia Swing performs a unique style of Celtic music with a jazzy twist. Marie Dunkle (violin, cello, mandolin) and Margie Swint (vocals, guitar) founded the group in 2004 with Ken Shearer (guitar). With a variety of guest musicians, Caledonia Swing have performed their eclectic musical mix at venues throughout Georgia and the Carolinas. The band’s inspirations are traditional Celtic music, Celtic swing, 30’s/40’s American classics, the sweet sounds of Scotland, and gypsy jazz greats Django Rheinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. With musical stylings from elegant to toe-tapping, Caledonia Swing has entertained audiences for over 12 years.

Band principals Marie Dunkle and Margie Swint currently perform as a duo and with talented guest musicians at festivals, coffeehouses, wineries, weddings and private parties. Marie is also a gifted storyteller and will be weaving in a few Scottish myths and legends at Fiddlers Green.

www.caledoniaswing.com

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April 21, 2018

MICHAEL JOHNATHON

Folksinger Michael Johnathon has a long-standing career in the arts as a songwriter, musician, author, playwright, composer of the opera Woody: For the People, and host of the live audience broadcast of the WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour.  The show has a radio audience of more than two million listeners each week on 500 public radio stations, public television coast-to-coast, American Forces Radio Network in 173 nations, and now Friday evenings on RFD-TV.

Recently, Michael helped organize the national WoodSongs Front Porch Association to help organize rural and community music and a massive educational program. Members of the WFPA are called “SongFarmers.”  His 14th album release, MoonFire, comes on the heels of Mousie HiWay: The Adventures of Banjo Mouse in Appalachia, his fully illustrated book that introduces bluegrass music to kids. The MoonFire CD is a 23-song album in honor of the banjo.

In addition to his albums, books, concerts and other projects, the Martin Guitar Company introduced the Michael Johnathon signature model 0000-28s “WoodSongs Quad” guitar.

Michael lives in a log cabin on a hill surrounded by meadows, streams and woods outside of Lexington, Kentucky.  We’re delighted to pull him away from his pastoral environs for his second appearance at Fiddler’s Green.

www.michaeljohnathon.com

THE LOST BOYS

The delightful, incomparable local Rennie-rock band The Lost Boys will also be performing for us  the second time. The Lost Boys formed in 1999 at the GA Renaissance Festival.  They have since released five CDs and performed at Ren Faires in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and North Dakota, as well as countless independent concerts and convention appearances.

Throughout the course of their ongoing 19-year history, the Lost Boys have continually pushed the boundaries of Renaissance Festival music by combining elements of period music with hard driving rock-and-roll, vocal harmonies with instrumental prowess, and hilarious parody lyrics with Shakespearean language.  They wrap it all in a physical, highly energetic stage presentation, consistently delivering a challenging and entertaining show onstage and a groundbreaking body of work drawn from their five CD releases.

https://www.facebook.com/LostBoys1599

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March 17, 2018

THE NEARLY NORMAL STRING BAND

The Nearly Normal String Band consists of Viva and Neil Araki, two of the Atlanta traditional music community’s most respected veterans. Neil plays acoustic guitar, fiddle and mandolin in several styles, including blues, bluegrass, Celtic, and old time Appalachian. He has played guitar since he was nine years old, in both finger style and flat pick style. Viva sings and plays guitar and old time banjo and sings in a variety of musical styles. She studied guitar from the age of five and began learning old time Appalachian style banjo about 30 years ago. She is primarily a finger picker on guitar.

Neil and Viva have played together for 26 years. They’re still learning new songs, genres and styles of music. The duo plays at coffeehouses, state parks and music festivals across north Georgia, and for parties, weddings and other private engagements. They have long been active member and supporters of AAFFM. They’ll be drawing mostly from their Irish and Scottish traditional repertoire for this St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

THE IRISH BROTHERS

The Irish Brothers may be Atlanta’s most popular and proficient performers of the beloved genre of traditional Irish music the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem introduced to the American Folk Revival. Sandy “Sandyman” Flynn and “Captain” George Hergen are a unique team. Sandyman comes from the mountains Western North Carolina, while the Captain hails from the canyons of New York City. The two started performing together 35 years ago when they worked “suit” jobs at IBM. Both draw from their Irish heritage for material. Their music practically maps the Irish cultural integration into the “new country” – from traditional Irish ballads to original songs of love, drinking, revolution and redemption.

Sandy is a former songwriter on Music Row (Tree-Sony/ATV) in Nashville. He was a founding member of the band Cullowhee, which toured nationally and internationally for ten years in the 70s and 80s. George started singing and playing after his first visit to New York’s Greenwich Village in the mid-1960s. He honed his craft by traveling throughout Ireland with the great Tommy Makem. The team received the name “Irish Brothers” following a performance at The Folk Alliance several years ago in Memphis, Tennessee.

http://www.gorddcymru.org/atlanta/music/cmd/hergen_george.htm

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February 17, 2018

JEFFERSON ROSS

Southern folk artist Jefferson Ross is a songwriter, singer, guitar slinger and painter, weaving stories for the ears and the eyes. Based in The Peach State, Jefferson travels throughout the U.S. and Europe performing his original music and displaying his art at festivals and galleries across the South.

For years Jefferson lived in Nashville playing for recording artists including Canada’s Entertainer of the Decade, Terri Clark.  He has shared the stage with country music greats such as George Strait, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire and Vince Gill.  He worked as a staff writer for a number of publishers on Music Row including Curb Music, one of the top music publishers in the world.  In 2010 he returned to live in Georgia with his wife and daughter and maintains a home and office in Nashville as well.

An evening with Jefferson Ross is an inspirational, homespun southern experience that you’re unlikely to forget.

www.jeffersonross.com

JIM CULLITON

Jim Culliton has performed throughout Georgia over the past decade with his unique high-energy blend of instrumental string music and stylistic vocals. His philosophy of no stylistic boundaries always keeps the music fresh and exciting.

Jim has performing experience at The Fox Theatre, Symphony Hall, and many other concert venues.  This versatile multi-instrumentalist is one of the early innovators in the New String Acoustic Movement, incorporating jazz, bluegrass, world music, rock, and classical with occasional vocals in the mix.  Put all of this in a high speed blender and you get truly an innovative, entertaining, and dynamic musician.  Jim was chosen to be a Musician in Residence for the National Endowment of the Arts and Humanities, and is a former instructor of music at Huntingdon College and Auburn University (AUM).

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January 20, 2018

THREE QUARTER ALE

Three Quarter Ale is an Atlanta-based acoustic band whose unique blend of folk-rock, traditional Celtic music, and 16th-century madrigals have enthralled a large and devoted fan base for more than ten years.

This dynamic trio combines tight vocal harmonies with harp, flute, guitar, ethnic percussion, and a distinctly theatrical performance style to electrify and enchant their audiences. Their three internationally-selling CDs have earned the band five-star accolades.

Performing in full period costume as Renaissance-era characters Ariana Pellayle, Rosemary Quench, and Wicked Pete Speakeasy, the band’s lively banter and keen comic timing are as much a part of their draw as their stellar musicianship.

Whether onstage at the enormous Dragon*Con sci-fi convention, in crowded pubs during Atlanta’s annual PiratePalooza event, as finalists on the Georgia Lottery’s All Access Music Search live TV special, at intimate weddings or coffeehouses, or at their own three-day performing arts festival AleCon, Three Quarter Ale delivers a masterful, engaging, truly
top-notch show.

www.threequarterale.com

THE RADIO RANGERS

The Radio Rangers are an Atlanta-based Americana band. Their music is a mix of country, rock, folk and blues, telling stories from the American heartland. Melodic, rhythmic and energetic, the Radio Rangers appeal to young, old and anyone in between. The band is comprised of Dan Foster (vocals, guitar), Mark Ewald vocals, guitar), and Tom Molloy (percussion).

Dan Foster is the songwriter and leader of the band. A seasoned lead guitarist, his song writing led to the creation of The Radio Rangers in 2014. I try to write songs that people can emotionally connect with. Songs about love, heartbreak, growing up and railroads. The goal is to paint a picture with a good story and melody. It’s very special when people like what you have created. Dan grew up in Michigan (too cold), moved to Florida (too hot) and now lives in Atlanta in 1989. (just right).

Mark “the ear” Ewald is the musical director. Being friends for over 20 years, Dan says he has never known anyone who can arrange a song, moving in exactly the right direction the way Mark does. Mark’s nickname comes from his vocal harmony abilities but he is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, piano, mandolin, bass guitar, banjo, harmonica and drums. (not all at the same time) Mark is from Buffalo, New York and still loves hot-wings.

Tom Molloy is the drummer/percussionist for the group. Tom is the glue that holds everything together while adding that special energy to the songs. Tom’s sense of humor always keeps things loose making even the ordinary much more fun Tom grew up in Queens, New York which will become apparent when ou speak with him. (what accent?) Don’t make the mistake of telling him he looks like Rodney Dangerfield.

www.theradiorangers.com

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November 18, 2017

THE MCLAUCHLANS

Duncan and Glaucia McLauchlan are talented, entertaining musicians providing spirited live performances of traditional and contemporary Scottish and Irish and music throughout Atlanta and the Southeast.

Duncan is a talented Scottish singer and songwriter, as well as multi-instrumentalist with a wealth of experience. His solo CD The Road to Destiny has received substantial air-play on Celtic radio programs across the USA, including Atlanta WRFG’s The Celtic Show and the internationally broadcast public radio program The Thistle and Shamrock.

Glaucia is a spirited percussionist from Sao Paulo, Brazil. After meeting “Dunc” at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, she swapped her background of classical piano for a life on the Celtic scene. Soon they were making beautiful music together.

Duncan sings and plays his songs with a passion that complements his clever and sensitive, poetic style. His delicate lyrics weave a colorful tapestry on the back-cloth of his tunes and rhythms, evoking a range of emotions from laughter to tears and back again. He employs a variety of instruments and his natural Scottish accent to produce a solid, yet atmospheric feel in his music. His musical armory includes acoustic and electric guitars, bass, bodhran, mandolins, banjo, keyboards, and various percussion instruments.

BLACKFOOT DAISY

Blackfoot Daisy formed in 2012 when long-time collaborators and songwriters Wendy DuMond and Don Sechelski decided to begin performing together on a regular basis. Don spent most of his early childhood in Texas and Wendy hails from Montana but grew-up in Oklahoma. They chose to name the band after a deer, drought, and pest-resistant prairie flower.

Don is a 30-plus year native of the Atlanta music scene and has also worked as a studio musician. He has performed as a solo act and also performed with his son Adam Sechelski, who sits-in with Blackfoot Daisy as singer, guitarist, and percussionist when available. Don has been a regular on the Atlanta coffeehouse/acoustic music scene since the old Freight Room days. He has played venues such as the Dogwood Festival, Hungry Ear Coffeehouse, Lena’s Place and many more.

Wendy began writing songs and performing in 2009. She released a solo EP in 2012. Wendy’s songs have been featured on the Women of Substance radio podcast. Her song Catching Fireflies was used as music for a book trailer to promote All Bears Need Love, a children’s book about interracial adoption.

As a duo the band has played various venues in the Southeast, including Charles & Myrtle’s in Chattanooga TN, Berkeley Bob’s Coffeehouse in Cullman AL, and others in South Carolina and Georgia.

In November 2015 Bobby Moore joined the band, rounding out the sound. Bobby is a native of Virginia, multi-instrumentalist, and award-winning old-time fiddle and banjo player. Bobby took honors at the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Virginia for bluegrass banjo in 1980 and bluegrass fiddle in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 2002.

The full band has played Smith’s Old Bar, Steve’s Live Music, the Red Light Café and many other local Atlanta live music venues. The band has opened for Nashville songwriter Kurt Fortmeyer, The Rosin Sisters, Copper into Steel, Vientos Del Pueblo, and Little Country Giants, to name a few. They have also performed at Snellville Days, the Chastain Park Arts Festival, the Duluth Fall Festival, the Little 5 Arts Alive Concert series, and Oakhurst Porchfest.

The band released a three-song EP in 2015 and are currently working on a full-length album.

www.blackfootdaisymusic.com

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October 21, 2017

LAUREN LAPOINTE

Lauren Lapointe is a Savannah GA-based singer/songwriter who has been gaining recognition across the country for her soulful songs, unique voice, and strong live performances. Her third and newest CD “Superhero” was produced by Thomm Jutz (Nanci Griffith, Mary Gauthier) in Nashville and features twelve original Americana, rootsrock, pop, and old country songs supported by world-class musicians.

“Superhero” debuted at #6 on the Cashbox Magazine/Roots Music Report’s Georgia Airplay chart and #16 on the Cashbox Magazine/Root’s Music Report’s Country/Americana Internet Airplay Top 50. It has since been played on over 100 stations in the U.S. and is receiving much international radioplay. Leicester Bangs in the UK described it as “an engaging combination of classic country, narrative songwriting, and plentiful hooks.” In November 2013 Lufthansa Airlines selected her song “The Ghost of Elvis” for their inflight program.

Lapointe continues to make a name for herself as a strong and versatile live performer and has played at many renowned listening rooms across the nation such as the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, the Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, the Jefferson Freedom Cafe in Ft. Worth TX, and Anderson Fair in Houston TX.

“This is just pure, honest music here, created with talent and passion and deserving of wider spread notice.”- Music Morsels
“A gifted and openhearted storyteller with a flair for melody.” —Sloan Wainwright, Derby Disc Music recording artist

www.laurenl.com

OUT OF THE RAIN

Ron Hipp w/Carol Statella ~ Out of the Rain ~ is a folk duo noted for innovative arrangements and unusual expressive power. Ron Hipp has been known in the Atlanta area as an accomplished solo artist, and Carol Statella has played and sung in various groups over the years. Their joining forces to regularly perform and record music together has created a compelling, poignant sound that is both timeless and fresh.

Ron 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, consummate fingerpicking, and mesmerizing songs 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.

Carol (multi-instrumentalist/singer) has played in backup orchestras for Joni Mitchell, The Moody Blues, and Brian Wilson. She’s been a music journalist, radio announcer, and clinician. In the classical realm, she’s played in the Atlanta Opera Orchestra and sang for seventeen seasons with the Atlanta Symphony Chorus/Chamber Chorus. Carol’s also a gifted songwriter.

Ron and Carol have known each other and crossed paths musically for two decades, through many artistic and personal evolutions. Their sound is warm, eloquent, and vivid. Onstage, Ron and Carol draw audiences in with artful musicality, occasionally inane humor, and absolute focus on bringing the listener into the depths of a song.

“Musically delightful, emotionally involving work … ” ~ Sing Out! Magazine
Your beautiful CD was just what I needed to hear today! So lyrical and soothing, with lovely instrumentals and vocals.” ~ Sharon Isbin, GRAMMY award-winning classical guitarist

www.outoftherainmusic.net

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September 16, 2017

STEVEN DARSEY

Steven Darsey is a singer, collector, and scholar of folk song. Believing that folk music conveys fundamental cultural truths, he strives to make these real for contemporary listeners. With a straightforward style
in the tradition of balladeers Tommy Makem and Burl Ives, he sings little-known songs such as “Leather Winged Bat,” comic songs like “Three Nights Drunk,” spirituals like “I’m Goin’ Home,” classics like
“Danny Boy,” and his own folk-style compositions, as in his setting of Sidney Lanier’s “Song of the Chattahoochee.” A seventh generation Georgian, he also shares southern wit and wisdom.

For nine years Steven was privileged to sing songs to complement Fred Craddock’s stories in their Winged for the Heart programs in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their collaborations were featured in a statewide radio
broadcast on Georgia Public Broadcasting’s On Stage, in a GPB videocast and in several programs produced by Sally Sears and broadcast by the GPB affiliate at North Georgia College. Their concerts are available
on seven CDs. By profession a church musician, Steven holds the Doctor of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music.

http://www.meridianherald.org/leadership.html

JEFF MOSIER

Scrugg’s-style banjo picker “The Rev” Jeff Mosier is one of the earliest music pioneers who merged bluegrass instruments and traditional tunes with the magnetic energy of rock and roll. He founded the jamgrass band Blueground Undergrass (BGUG) in 1998 after years of crafting his banjo skills in various bands, playing everything from bluegrass with his brother Johnny (Good Medicine) to experimental rock (Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit) to jazz-fusion (The Ear Reverents). Blueground Undergrass, the band he fronted for more than a decade, recorded four albums and built a sizable national following by combining bluegrass purism with a jam band sensibility. Later, as the jamband scene became more jam-tronica and less roots-driven, he formed a more song-driven rock/bluegrass ensemble, The Mosier Brothers band, that performed at festivals, theaters, and private events throughout the region. His solo performances further showcase his outstanding vocals, banjo picking, and songwriting mingled with both amusing and poignant storytelling known to evoke both laughter and tears. Currently, in addition to performing solo and with various other artists, he can be found in the recording studio or on the set hosting his most recent video project, “The Search for the Southern Sound”.

Mosier draws from a variety of influences ranging from bluegrass and jazz to psychedelic folk-rock and alt-country. Having shared the stage with such legends as Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, Col. Bruce Hampton, Phish, Leftover Salmon, and Widespread Panic, Mosier has always been a versatile artist who is as comfortable performing on a stage full of musicians as he is playing solo. His superb vocal mastery and unique banjo picking combine to deliver a special experience highlighting his original tunes as well as some familiar traditionals and lesser known covers. Whether traveling through acoustic ballads, thought-provoking and humorous banter, or high-energy bluegrass, each Jeff Mosier show is a musical journey sending the listener on an enjoyable foot-tapping jaunt out on the road and back home again.

“Perhaps no guest artist has had as great an influence on the band’s music as the Rev. Jeff Mosier…” – The Phish Companion

https://www.facebook.com/Jeff.Mosier.Banjo

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August 19, 2017

JUST BE’CAUSE

Jerry Brunner, Bruce Gilbert and Cyndi Craven are Just Be’Cause … just don’t ask them why.

Jerry Brunner and Cyndi Craven, long-time members of the Atlanta acoustic/folk music scene, have been performing together since the 1980’s. In 2007, they met up with Bruce Gilbert when he moved to Atlanta from California where he’d been wowing the music scene there for years. The music they produce together is the result of profound friendship, heaping helpings of creativity, and decades of playing, singing and writing together and on their own. Their shows have been described by fans as an evening of “comfort music” with vocal “harmonies that will roll your socks down.” Come hear for yourself!

http://cyndicraven.com

HARM’S WAY

Harm’s Way performs with rich harmony, conviction, and a sense of humor. While the group has been together over ten years, some of the members have been performing together all of their adult lives. Their music is influenced by several genres: roots, Americana, folk, blues, and more. Harm’s Way includes Harmon Koeltz on lead vocals and guitar, Scot Boze on vocals, and Phil Griffin on lead guitar.

This acoustic driven group relies on tight harmonies, thoughtful songs and lyrics, and a belief that the music should be shared. These guys have fun performing and can be found at festivals, private events, restaurants, coffee shops, corporate events, and church functions.
The core members of this group have been playing music together since before Woodstock. They have fun playing, check their egos at the door, and – while they take music very seriously – don’t take themselves seriously at all!

www.reverbnation.com/harmonkoeltz

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July 15, 2017

SPARKY and RHONDA RUCKER

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform throughout the U.S. as well as overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. Sparky Rucker has been performing over forty years, and AAFFM has been proudly presenting him almost since the beginning. He is internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller, and author. He accompanies himself with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo, and spoons. Rhonda Rucker is a musician, children’s author, storyteller, and songwriter. Her blues-style harmonica, piano, old-time banjo, and bones add musical versatility to their performances.

Sparky and Rhonda are sure to deliver an uplifting presentation of toe-tapping music spiced with humor, history, and tall tales. They take their audience on an educational and emotional journey that ranges from poignant stories of slavery and war to an amusing rendition of a Brer Rabbit tale or their witty commentaries on current events. Their music includes a variety of old-time blues, slave songs, Appalachian music, spirituals, ballads, work songs, Civil War music, railroad songs, and a few of their own original compositions.

Over forty years of performing, Sparky and Rhonda have performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as NPR’s On Point, Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, and Morning Edition. Their recording, Treasures & Tears, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, and their music is also included on the Grammy-nominated anthology, Singing Through the Hard Times.

The Ruckers have been featured tellers at the International Storytelling Center and Festival. Sparky is a natural storyteller, having grown up hearing his father, uncles, and other family members endlessly telling tales. Sparky and Rhonda each tell solo stories, but they also tell stories together (in tandem), always adding life and humor to the characters and tricksters in their Brer Rabbit tales, Jack tales, High John the Conqueror stories, preacher tales, and family stories.

Sparky and Rhonda weave their music into captivating stories that the history books don’t always tell, and they share this knowledge in many schools, colleges, and libraries. Their educational programs span over three centuries of African-American history, including slavery, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the birth of blues music, and the civil rights movement. Each era is interspersed with stories and popular songs from the time period, celebrating the diversity of the nation’s history. They are also available for author visits to schools and libraries.

www.sparkyandrhonda.com

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June 17, 2017

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

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

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.

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March 19, 2011

ELISE WITT  “Global, Local & Homemade Songs”

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

DEIDRE McCALLA

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

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February 19, 2011

THE NEARLY NORMAL STRING BAND

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

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 & HER KOSMOPOLITAN KLEZTET

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.

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January 15 , 2011

THE JIM CULLITON TRIO

Eclectic acoustic instrumentals and vocals, from high-energy tunes to engaging ballads, performed by three of the area’s elite players. Leader Jim Culliton is a local professional musican highly acclaimed for his virtuosity on various acoustic instruments, in genres including folk, old-time, bluegrass, Celtic, pop and jazz.
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.

RHYTHM RANCH

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.

Berné Poliakoff (aka Frenchy) and Kathleen Hatfield (aka Buffalo K) were the lead singers of the hugely popular all female western band, Cowboy Envy. Their work has garnered much praise and multiple awards, including the “Best Harmony” award from the Western Music Association (twice). Their vocals have been described as “heavenly…with harmonies to die for” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). Together, Frenchy and Buffalo K have performed at festivals and concerts from Alaska to South Carolina. Their history has been highlighted by appearances at Spoleto Festival, Detroit Arts Festival, Music Midtown and two concerts at the Kennedy Center. They have toured with The Indigo Girls and performed with numerous acts including Riders in the Sky, Shelby Lynn, Confederate Railroad and Sweethearts Of The Rodeo.

Rhythm Ranch was heartbroken by the passing of their amazing fiddle player and exquisite human being,“Alamo” Al Pieper. Together with their extraordinary bassist/vocalist, L.A. “Darn” Tuten and the supremely talented and lovely Leah Calvert on fiddle and vocals, they hope to keep Al’s beautiful spirit alive. Rhythm Ranch delivers dynamic performances filled with wonderful music and great humor, delighting audiences of all ages. For more info: www.rhythmranch.com

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Thursday, December 6, 2007
An AAFFM Special Edition Concert

SPARKY AND RHONDA RUCKER

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform throughout the U.S. as well as overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. Sparky Rucker has been performing over forty years and is internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller, and author. He accompanies himself with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo, and spoons. Rhonda Rucker is an accomplished harmonica, piano, banjo, and bones player, and also adds vocal harmonies to their songs.

Sparky and Rhonda are sure to deliver an uplifting presentation of toe-tapping music spiced with humor, history, and tall tales. They take their audience on an educational and emotional journey that ranges from poignant stories of slavery and war to an amusing rendition of a Brer Rabbit tale or their witty commentaries on current events. Their music includes a variety of old-time blues, slave songs, Appalachian music, spirituals, ballads, work songs, Civil War music, cowboy music, railroad songs, and a few of their own original compositions.

Sparky and Rhonda have numerous recordings, and their 1991 release, Treasures and Tears, was nominated for the W.C. Handy Award for Best Traditional Recording. They have also contributed music to the syndicated television miniseries The Wild West (directed by Keith Merrill). Sparky’s unique renditions of John Henry and Jesse James were used in the National Geographic Society’s 1994 video entitled Storytelling in North America. Sparky Rucker has also appeared on numerous radio programs, including National Public Radio’s Morning Edition, Prairie Home Companion, and Mountain Stage. He also performed in Carry It On and Amazing Grace: Music in America, two videos produced by the Public Broadcasting System.

Sparky is a natural storyteller, having grown up hearing his father, uncles, and other family members endlessly telling tales. Sparky tells stories by himself, but Sparky and Rhonda also tell stories together (in tandem), always adding life and humor to the characters and tricksters in their Brer Rabbit tales, Jack tales, High John the Conqueror stories, preacher tales, and family stories.

“Sparky Rucker is unique! He’ll make you glad to be alive and struggling.” Pete Seeger

See www.sparkyandrhonda.com for more information. See www.eddiesattic.com for information on how to purchase a ticket. Note that AAFFM members will receive a $2 discount off food and drink order (per table) upon presentation of your current AAFFM newsletter with address label attached.

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October 27, 2007

BRYAN BOWERS

“Bryan Bowers is more than the finest autoharp player on the circuit today. He’s a great songwriter and singer, a wonderful storyteller and a delightful guy to spend an evening with. And not incidentally, he revolutionized the autoharp…not just how we all play, but retuning and redesigning to a point that nearly every builder and player today is in his debt. I know I am.” — John McCutcheon

From his rather unglamorous beginning as a street singer, Bryan Bowers has become a major artist on the traditional music circuit. 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. His towering six foot four inch frame can be wild and zany on stage while playing a song like `Dixie’ and five minutes later he can have the same audience singing `Will The Circle Be Unbroken’ in quiet reverence and delight.

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. He has a technique DVD and eight albums including his new storytelling CD, “September in Alaska .”
Bowers’ 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 along side other luminaries, such as Chet Atkins, David Grisman, Stephan Grappelli, Itzhak Perlman, Tony Rice, Rob Wasserman and Mark O’Connor, recognized for their personal accomplishments. In 1993, Bryan was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame to stand only with Maybelle Carter, Kilby Snow, and Sara Carter. See www.bryanbowers.com for more information about this wonderful performer.

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November 18, 2006

LOU AND PETER BERRYMAN

Lou and Peter Berryman have been performing together since the sixties, and have produced twelve albums of their original music. They blend Midwestern culture with intelligent observation in whimsical and wonderfully accessible performances. They have been compared to Tom Lehrer, Flanders and Swann, and Burns and Allen.

By the eighties, they had established themselves as a prominent feature of the songwriting subculture of Wisconsin’s capital, playing their original material every week for almost ten years in the run-down but trendy music room of Madison’s Club de Wash. They gained national attention with appearances on such programs as Public Radio’s A Prairie Home Companion, and NPR’s Weekend Edition. In 1999 and again in 2001 they were chosen to represent the state of Wisconsin with performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Regular appearances at festivals and folk music clubs all across the country now serve as venues for the songs contained in their recordings and three songbooks. Their songs have been performed Garrison Keillor, Peggy Seeger, and Peter, Paul and Mary, to mention a few. The popularity of Lou and Peter Berryman is a testament to their intelligent and wickedly funny material that is never bawdy or risque, but is rich with word-play and witty images.

The duo is not to be missed! See their website at www.hometown.aol.com/berrymanp/

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August 19, 2006

THE HUNGRY MONKS

The Hungry Monks perform traditional, contemporary, and original acoustic songs and instrumentals in the Celtic tradition on guitars, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, whistle, bohdran, and vocals. They draw from a wide range of influences, including Medieval & Renaissance, folk, blues, classical and jazz. This group combines strong original songs and instrumental compositions with an ear toward improvisation. The Hungry Monks weave a rich tapestry of sound, melodic and rhythmic, grounded in the folk traditions of many cultures. Combined with the traditions and techniques of Western classical music, this eclectic mix produces an exciting blend of acoustic sound and harmonious vocals.

The Hungry Monks, from Charleston SC , combine the creative talents of Hazel Ketchum and John Holenko. Hazel and John have played music together for more than 20 years and have been featured on TV and radio throughout the US . This group has performed in clubs and at contra dances as well as festivals and concert halls. The Hungry Monks have released several CD recordings on their own label, Hungry Monk Recordings. As well as being active performers, The Hungry Monks are music educators and publish their own work through Hungry Monk Publications. See their website at www.hungrymonkmusic.com.
Dirty Linen says, “The songs are mostly original first-person reflections with distinctive melodies and strong, creative accompaniment… a tasty combination of crisp, creative fiddle/ mandolin/guitar instrumentals… a dreamy, melodic fiddle piece that visits several peaceful musical neighborhoods… a lively, percussive reel that includes some hot mandolin improvisations.” Oct/Nov 2004 SING OUT Magazine says, “Ketchum holds great tension and expressiveness in her voice. Ketchum sings as if nothing else in the world matters.”

AMANDA KAPOUSOUZ

The Hungry Monks will be joined for this month’s Fiddler’s Green show by the multi-talented Athens, GA fiddler and singer-songwriter Amanda Kapousouz. Taking her band’s name from the tip cup dangling from her fiddle case, Amanda Kapousouz (aka the Tin Cup Prophette) is no stranger to the stage. Once hailing from New York City , this “busker extraordinaire” entertained thousands of commuters daily on subway platforms for small change. Working her way above ground, Amanda began to play with various bands in the city ranging in style from traditional Irish and heavy metal bluegrass to jazz, Dixieland, and rock-n-roll. She has composed music for modern dance, arranged music for film and toured extensively on the Irish music circuit.

Early this century (or was it late last century), Amanda moved to music-friendly Athens, GA to pursue her own creative work, and has appeared in the Atlanta/Athens area at Smith’s Olde Bar, the 40 Watt, and Eddie’s Attic. She will make her second appearance at the Kansas City Irish Festival this September. Amanda re-joins Hazel and John at this month’s Fiddler’s to perform material from their earlier Celtic/old-time work together in the band, Donnybrook Legacy, as well as material from the Hungry Monks’ CD “Organic Tangerines,” as well as other delightful offerings. See www.tincupprophette.com for more information on Amanda.

Special guests: Mike Simpson and Doug Murray — Mike Simpson is a local multi-instrumentalist and teacher on fiddler, Irish flute, tin whistle, guitar, tenor banjo and bodhran. A former member of The New Road and The Long Drop, Mike has performed at Atlanta Symphony Hall, the High Museum of Art, the Fox Theater, and numerous other venues around Atlanta. Mike is currently the music director of Irish Music Traditions.
Doug Murray is a veteran of the Atlanta traditional music scene. He plays bouzouki (a fairly new instrument to Irish music) and old time banjo. He has played with The New Road, The Buddy O’Reilly Band, Music in the Glen, and other Atlanta area groups, and he has accompanied most of the city’s Irish musicians at one time or another.

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April 15, 2006

DAVID LAMOTTE

Fiddlers Green is delighted to welcome singer-songwriter David LaMotte as our feature performer for the April 15 show. A typical evening of performance with David includes everything from lyrically challenging, high-energy percussive songs in strange alternate tunings to more traditional songs of home, hope and inspiration. He weaves the evening together in a fabric of vivid – often hilarious – stories, and throws in an occasional impressive instrumental piece.

In the past fourteen years, David has released eight albums and performed over sixteen hundred shows in forty-five states and ten countries, sharing stages along the way with artists like Arlo Guthrie, Shawn Mullins, Buddy Miles, Gillian Welch, John Gorka, Jez Lowe and David Wilcox. In addition to performing throughout the U.S., David tours Europe almost every year. His three tours to Australia and New Zealand have included mainstage performances at Australia’s National Folk Festival and a spot as the headline act for the 2004 Auckland Folk Festival, the largest folk fest in New Zealand

He was also featured along with Bruce Springsteen, Aimee Mann, Ray Manzarek, Grace Slick and Suzanne Vega on the Songs Inspired By Literature, Chapter 1, a project to benefit adult literacy campaigns. His children’s recording, S.S. Bathtub, recently won its fourth national award, and work is in progress on a children’s book based on the title track.
Aside from being a new husband, touring, promoting his current CD and leading occasional workshops, David’s current passion is a new non-profit corporation he has created to aid Guatemalan schools, PEG (Proyecto para las Escuelas Guatemaltecas).
For more about David, visit his website at www.davidlamotte.com.

SHERI KLING

We are very pleased to welcome Sheri Kling back to the Fiddlers Stage. Sheri is an accomplished singer/songwriter, guitarist and long-time spiritual sojourner whose music—built on rich vocals and dynamic guitar—resonates with a certain organic authenticity that’s heart-rooted and spirit-seeking. Each song is another way of looking at what is real, what is true, and what invites us all into a more passionate and well-lived life.

With her rich voice and distinctive guitar style, Kling has been heard at such acclaimed venues as Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe, Atlanta’s Eddie’s Attic and Variety Playhouse, and many more across the country. Sheri is also developing new audiences through her “Music & Message” speaking engagements, “keynote concerts” and school-based Arts-in-Education programs, while women are responding enthusiastically to her “Waking Woman” celebrations and workshops. Visit Sheri’s website at www.sherikling.com.

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