Tom Allen

Tom Allen has been performing around the South Coast for nearly 25 years, both as a solo performer and founding member of such quirky, crowd-pleasing bands as The Jethros, Wabi Sabi, and The Mighty Choice Tomatoes. His recent solo release, The Ballad of Gordon Blue, features some of the area's best musicians, highlighting songs that are snapshots of modern life, spinning tales of social consciousness and affairs of the heart. Whether performing solo or backed up by remarkable players, Tom Allen delights crowds and provokes thought with his attention to the craft of songwriting.

Annalivia

At the cutting edge of acoustic and traditional music, Annalivia fuses old and new world sounds to create an authentic new sound, both steeped in tradition and alive with new energy, innovation and originality.

Drawing from the musical traditions of Appalachia, Cape Breton, Scotland, England and Ireland, the members of Annalivia also write their own material, including inventive, quirky fiddle tunes and lushly arranged songs. Annalivia is made up of seasoned musicians who have toured with the likes of Cathie Ryan, John Whelan, The Glengarry Bhoys, Dewey Balfa, and Adrienne Young.

The members of Annalivia—Liz Simmons, Flynn Cohen, Emerald Rae, Brendan Carey-Block and Stuart Kenney—are equally at home playing a set of traditional Scottish tunes as they are performing a ballad from the Appalachian mountains.

The Beans

The Beans, Jim and Cindy Bean and Steve Sullwold have been performing in New England and along the East Coast for over 20 years. They are best known for their traditional, vocal harmonies, be it a rousing shanty, love song, or Gospel tune—both a cappella and accompanied.

Jim and Cindy first met singing Sacred Harp music. Begun in colonial New England, the music is known for its powerful harmonies. It remained alive in the South where Jim and Cindy have travelled to sing with traditional singers in Alabama. Sacred Harp has enjoyed a resurgence throughout the county and there are now singings in most states. Together with other Sacred Harp singers, The Beans will lead a workshop open to all who want to sing or listen.

The Blackstone Run Band

Blackstone Run is an acoustic string band rooted in Folk, Celtic, and Bluegrass music, performing in the New England area. Originally a trio with Jackie Wheelock on Vocals, guitar and concertina, Phip Wheelock on vocals, guitar and mandolin, and John Gotthardt on bass, Blackstone Run has grown to include local musicians Hope Swift on vocals, mandolin and guitar and Dock Murdock on dobro, banjo, guitar and vocals creating an even richer and more dynamic blend of harmonies and instrumentals.

Matt Borrello

Matt Borrello is a singer-songwriter from Southeastern Massachusetts. For five years Matt has performed regularly in the Boston/Providence area, usually as a solo acoustic act, but also as a sideman for other songwriters and as the leader of his band, the Quality Dogs. Matt's insightful lyrics and passionate performances have earned him recognition in various New England talent showcases and songwriting contests, most notably at the Boston Folk Festival Youth Songwriting Contest in 2007 and 2008. His songs draw their structures from folk, country, blues, and rock music. He is a lover of spontaneous collaborations and his songs have highly malleable arrangements. Matt writes from a personal perspective, but his songs are markedly devoid of boring self-pity. He has several protest songs and no breakup songs.

Matt has opened shows for well known local and national musicians such as John Flynn, Rick Fetters, Don White, and Kevin So. He has been a part of shows at venues including Club Passim, the Somerville Armory, Rick's Music World, Steve's Backstage Pass, the Taunton River Folk Festival, the Union Coffeehouse, and the Soule Homestead Folk Concert Series.

Benoit Bourque

A versatile artist overflowing with energy and a contagious joie de vivre, Benoit Bourque has been winning the public over for more than 25 years. Charismatic, exuberant, warm, funny, limber and a band's sparkplug are a few words that have been used to describe him. A musician, dancer, singer, and caller, Benoit has been a member of different bands with whom he has toured extensively in North America and in Europe. Éritage, Ad vielle que pourra, Hommage á Alfred Montmarquette, Bourque et Bernard, Matapat, Le Vent du Nord, and presently La Bottine Souriant, are all bands that benefited from his talents and unmistakable charisma.

He is a specialist in Quebec traditional dance and has presented lectures and workshops in many camps and festivals. Benoit has also shred his skill in step dancing and bones playing which is a family tradition as his dad and grandfather were both bones players). Benoit is the recipient of multiple awards including 4 Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy).

Barry Brown

Barry Brown has been a performer for nearly on half a century. Growing up in Detroit, by age 15 he was playing at coffee houses and in concerts performing alongside musicians as varied as bluesman Dr. Isaiah Ross, Rick Ruskin, a young Joni Mitchell and Jerry Corbitt (one of the original Youngbloods). In his early 20s, Barry moved to New England, quickly gaining a reputation as a well-respected guitar teacher, back-up guitarist and solo performer. He has appeared on several recordings by other musicians, performed in concerts alongside some of North America's most well-respected artists (Pete Seeger, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Jesse Winchester, Tish Hinojosa, Geoff Muldaur, Leonda, Jonathon Edwards, etc.). He released his first solo CD, Roots & Wings in Jan., 2010

Martha Burns

With an old-time voice that echoes the mountains, Martha Burns sings southern ballads, cowboy songs, comic ditties, turn-of-the-century heart-throbbers, and whatever else strikes her fancy. She's been playing and singing American folk music since the early 1960s growing up in New York's Greenwich Village. A gifted solo performer, she has also appeared in old-time duets and with several top-notch string bands. Martha's reverence for the traditions from which she sings lends a special richness to all her performances. Her easy manner and warm humor have charmed audiences throughout this country, as well as Canada and the UK.

Dave Conlon

For the fourth year in a row, local New Bedford musician Dave Conlon will be performing on the Southcoast Stage at Summerfest. Accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica, Dave's musical influences range from bluegrass to rock. He is one of the favorites at the local Café Arpeggio open-mike—where he has performed over 200 times—as well as at other area cafés, clubs, and festivals such as the Fall River Belmont Club, the New Wave Café, Cuppers Café, the Harvest Café, and the Taunton River Folk Festival. Dave is also a guitarist and vocalist in the duo Fourteen Strings and brings his own sound and style to well-known classics as well as lesser-known songs.

"A veritable treasure trove of great songs"

—Art Tebbetts (New Bedford's Troubadour)

Charlie Cover

Charlie Cover is a singer-songwriter-guitarist who has done shows from Baltimore to Northern Quebec as well as in Europe. His style was once summed up by a reviewer in this way: "Excellent work! It's like a cross between Gregg Brown and Cat Stevens! ...Which is to say genuine, humble and sage—just like the Charlie Cover I know..." His songwriting has received awards from Radio Canada and WGBH, among others.

Truck Croteau & Mary Beth Soares

Truck Croteau has been a string wizard, on guitar, mandolin and bouzouki, since his early days performing at New Bedford's Tryworks Coffee House. He took his music on the road with ClanJamfrey and was a frequent Folk Legacy back-up musician.

Mary Beth Soares only 'came out of the shower' to start singing in the early 90's. She also performs with the SouthCoast trio Tesseract, contributing vocals, harmonies and accompaniement on guitar, uke and autoharp.

Truck Croteau & Mary Beth Soares met musically in Calaban, a seven voice a cappella group that specialized in Celtic songs. Now they come together to share some of their favorites: an eclectic musical mix of trad, the familiar 'chestnuts' and new-found treasures.

Joanne Doherty

Joanne Doherty combines her deft and delicate stylings on guitar and ukulele with a rich smooth voice. She spins her own magic on a wide variety of songs selected from an eclectic catalogue of folk, blues and old standards. A current member of the folk trio Tesseract, and a former member of the Mighty Choice Tomatoes, she has been featured at countless venues in the Massachusetts/Rhode Island folk music circuit.

Antje Duvekot

Antje Duvekot (pronounced: Aunt-ya Doo-va-kot) has won some of the top songwriting awards including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, the prestigious, Kerrville (TX) "Best New Folk Award" and in one of the nation's top music markets, she won the Boston Music Award for "Outstanding Folk Act", three of the top prizes in the singer songwriter world.

Antje has extensive touring experience, criss-crossing the US and Europe several times. She is a compelling live performer and has been invited to play some of the top festivals including The Newport Folk Festival as well as the Mountain Stage, Philadelphia and Kerrville Festivals. In December of 2007, The Bank of America featured Antje's song Merry Go Round in a national TV advertising campaign seen by millions, including a Super Bowl audience. Neil Dorfsman, the producer of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Sting says, "When I first heard Antje I knew I was witnessing something very special. She creates an entire, detailed world in verse, and takes you there with beautiful and understated melody. Her songs are stunning paintings of color and shade and always generate the heat and light that real art should. In an unpoetic and 'in your face' world, she is lyrical and subtle."

Cliff Eberhardt

Red House recording artist Cliff Eberhardt knew by age seven that he was going to be a singer and songwriter. As a child Cliff taught himself to play guitar, piano, bass and drums. In his teens Eberhardt was fortunate enough to live close to the Main Point (one of the best folk clubs on the East Coast), he cut his teeth listening to the likes of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bonnie Raitt, and Mississippi John Hurt—receiving an early and impressive tutorial in acoustic music. At the same time, he was also listening to great pop songwriters like Cole Porter, the Gershwins, and Rodgers and Hart, which explain his penchant for great melodies and clever lyrical twists.

A driving force of the Greenwich Village New Folk movement and well known among his peers, Cliff's songs have been covered by the likes of Richie Havens, Buffy St. Marie, Erasure, Lucy Kaplansky and the folk superstar band Cry, Cry, Cry (Dar Williams, Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky).

Mark Erelli

An American folk singer/songwriter hailing from northwestern Massachusetts, Mark Erelli is quickly gaining popularity with his expert song writing. After Hurricane Katrina he co-wrote a song with Catie Curtis called People Look Around, which won the Grand Prize of the International Songwriting Contest. Mark has maintained his prolific streak with Seven Curses, a collection of murder ballads featuring friend Jeffrey Foucault, and Little Vigils, both released in 2010. He regularly tours in support of Kris Delmhorst, Lori McKenna, and Catie Curtis, playing acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, and lap steel. In June 2007 he toured through the US and Canada supporting Lori McKenna on guitar, mandolin, and backing vocals during the Tim McGraw & Faith Hill Soul2Soul 2007 tour.

Beppe Gambetta

From his unique background as an Italian musician in love with both American roots music as well as the music of his native country, Beppe Gambetta has travelled the world and even crossed the "Iron Curtain" to dazzle and charm music enthusiasts everywhere. With America in his heart and his roots in the sun and the olive trees of the Mediterranean sea, Beppe naturally and seamlessly bridges the shores of the two continents, creating a musical fusion where American root music and Italian tradition, emigration songs and folk ballads, steel string guitars and vintage harp guitars not only co-exist but interact. After eleven CDs, DVDs, teaching books and collaborations with many other top-flight musicians, Beppe Gambetta is increasingly known as one of the true live master innovators of the acoustic guitar.

Eliza Gilkyson

Eliza Gilkyson is a politically minded, poetically gifted singer-songwriter, who has become one of the most respected musicians in roots, folk and Americana circles. The Grammy-nominated artist has appeared on NPR, Austin City Limits and Mountain Stage, and has toured with Richard Thompson, Patty Griffin and Mary Chapin Carpenter. In February of 2003, she was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame. The induction placed Eliza alongside an exclusive list of Austin Music Hall of Fame greats, including Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Nanci Griffith, Billy Joe Shaver, Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and others. Eliza's meditative tune Requiem, written as a prayer for those who lost lives in the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia, was recorded by the nationally recognized choral group Conspirare and was nominated for a Grammy. It was also featured on NPR's All Things Considered.

John Gorka

Rising from a milieu of lovelorn singer/songwriters, John Gorka illuminates instead with his trademark wordplay, twisting, tuning and typing words and phrases in the way a balloon artist creates complex creatures from simple balloons. Few contemporary songwriters coax language as deftly as he does. For over two decades, John's keen ear has picked up the stories of those along his path, folding them into poetry and song. His keen perceptiveness inspires people from all over the world to share their stories. By involving those tales in his music, he escapes the trap of introspection that hobbles less gifted singer/songwriters. John Gorka flies below the pop culture radar with an almost cult-like following that never fails to fill concerts. Speak with any of his fans and one instantly feels their enthusiasm and genuine affection. His shy, almost self-effacing stage presence rightfully focuses attention on the songs. His versatility on guitar and piano keeps his sets musically interesting, while his rich baritone effortlessly executes his bidding. And he's never short of the sly comment or clever joke that invariably ignites his audience.

"The preeminent male singer-songwriter of the New Folk Movement."

—Rolling Stone

"Gorka is widely heralded for the sophisticated intelligence and provocative originality of his songs."

—Boston Globe

Livio Guardi

Livio Guardi was born in Florence, Italy, where he still lives and teaches music. He has been singing and playing guitar, banjo, mandolin and other instruments for about twenty years.ÊLivio has been greatly influenced by American Folk and Blues as well as by Celtic music. He also writes many original tunes which seemlessly bridge the gap between the musical styles of the Mediterranean and those of Northern Europe.

Kim and Reggie Harris

Consummate musicians and storytellers, Kim and Reggie Harris combine a strong folk and gospel legacy with a solid background in classical, rock, jazz and pop music. Creative curiosity, years of road and stage experience and interactions with performers such as Pete Seeger, Jay Leno, Tom Paxton, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Harry Belafonte and others, has led them to produce music that entertains and inspires. As a result of their CDs Steal Away and Get On Board and materials developed in their work with the Kennedy Center, Kim and Reggie have earned wide acclaimed for their contributions to the resources and knowledge base—in historical and educational circles—on the Underground Railroad and the modern civil rights movement. Kim and Reggie are unique in their ability to entertain audiences of any age and background as they blend their talents as singers, songwriters, educators, interpreters of history and cultural advocates.

Thatcher Harrison

Thatcher Harrison was born to play guitar. He began playing before the age of two, started making weekly public performances at the age of five, and made his first open-mic feature performance shortly before turning six. Drawn to the music of the 1960s and 1970s, Thatcher delights audiences with songs by such artists as Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles, Cat Stevens, Donovan, and James Taylor. A regular performer on the open-mic circuit, Thatcher has had feature performances at the Café Arpeggio (New Bedford), the Coffee Deport (Warren), the Planet Café (Westport), Rick's Music World (Raynham), and the Custom House Coffee (Portsmouth). Thatcher has performed in four different years at Rhode Island's Singing Out Against Hunger benefit. And this past summer, he had the pleasure of playing at the Marshfield Fair, at a one-day music festival in Alpena, Michigan, and before a capacity crowd at Mahogany Shoals on Block Island.

Caroline Herring

Caroline Herring's music has been hailed for combining traditional sounds with striking, original observations into modern life and love. The Austin Chronicle proclaimed her album Lantana to be "the best modern Southern Gothic album since Lucinda Williams' Sweet Old World. Her fourth album Golden Apples of the Sun is her most intimate and mature to date. Combining haunting originals with some surprising new takes on old standards, Herring has created an album that at once recalls the folk heyday of the 1960s and 70s while also sounding entirely fresh and new. National Public Radio's All Things Considered agrees and so does Garrison Keillor, who featured Herring on Prairie Home Companion.

David Jacobs-Strain

David Jacobs-Strain is a slide guitarist and modern roots singer-songwriter whose musical journey begins in the wellspring of Delta blues but ranges far afield from there. In his mid-twenties, he already channels age-old wisdom and heartache with such dexterity, energy, and passion that you feel good, even about feeling bad. He tours nationally and has numerous festival credits, which include the Strawberry Music Festival, MerleFest, the Newport Folk Festival, and the Montreal Jazz Festival. He has also served as faculty at guitar workshops, most notably at Jorma Kaukonen's Fur Peace Ranch. In 2008, Boz Scaggs chose him to open for his summer tour.

The Jethros

Drawing on influences from New Orleans, Nashville and Memphis (with a touch of Mariachi thrown in), The Jethros have created a sound all their own. "Mardi Grass" music, as they've come to call it, features compositions by Tom Allen and Rick Smith. At once original and timelessly familiar, the songs are quirky tales of life and love, as well as poignant social commentary.

The Jethros are comprised of Tom Allen (Homer Jethro) on guitar and banjo, Jonathon Danforth (Boney Jethro) on fiddle and percussion, Rick Smith (Rufus Jethro) on trumpet and trombone, and bassist Jeremy Houle (Chester Jethro)

The Jethros are one piece of a vibrant and eclectic folk music scene based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and they have been gathering a growing legion of loyal fans in coffee houses and music clubs throughout Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Music from their CD Love is Everything has been featured on various New England folk radio stations.

Mark Johnson

Mark Johnson Mark Johnson was part of the Greenwich Village new folk resurgence of the 1980s and 1990s that yielded Steve Forbert, Shawn Colvin, Suzanne Vega, The Roches and many other talents. A New York Music Award winner, Johnson, has released such highly prized cult favorite albums as Years, 12 In A Room and Last Night on the Roller Coaster. His songs have been recorded by Dave Edmunds, Paul Butterfield, Robert Gordon, The Smithereens, The Roches, Richard Lloyd, Richard Barone, Lucy Kaplansky, Shawn Colvin and others.

David Jones

David Jones, originally from England and now living in Leonia, New Jersey, gateway to the golden west, has a large repertoire of folksong from both sides of the Atlantic. He has performed in North America, Britain, Australia and Europe, singing at festivals, concert halls, clubs, maritime museums and colleges, presenting songs from the great days of sail, Music Hall favorites, traditional ballads, and the works of contemporary writers. He sings both a capella and with guitar accompaniment and involves his audience in refrains and choruses ranging from boisterous to sentimental.

Diana Jones

Diana Jones left home at the age of 15 in search of her roots, and discovered them in the music of the Eastern Tennessee hills. Upon the release of her third album, My Remembrance of You, Diana broke into the international scene. After the death of her grandfather—a folk musician who played with Chet Atkins—she retreated to a Northeast cabin to write and heal in isolation. The result was a recording marked by timeless emotions and bluesy confessions. With its old-time feel, sparse acoustic accompaniment and Diana Jones' literate, lonely vocals, the disc reached a broad assortment of roots-music audiences. Her latest album is Better Times Will Come, a vivid 11-song collection that's biographical in nature.

The Kennedys

Inspiration is where you find it—and where it finds you. Open to every moment, the much-traveled married duo of Pete and Maura Kennedy have spun their personal experiences, musical influences and philosophical beliefs into nine previous albums of winsome original songs, frequently seasoned with exquisitely-performed cover tunes, that blend acoustic-based folk, rock, country, pop and secular gospel into an inclusively delightful sound that's all their own.

The story of Pete and Maura Kennedy's personal and professional relationship, now in its second decade, is somewhere between fate and a fairytale. How else can you explain a chance meeting in Austin between two East Coast-born musicians that immediately sparked a songwriting collaboration, a first date at Buddy Holly's grave, an enduring romance, and a creative partnership that radiates warmth, positive energy, and captivating music? After Pete and Maura's fateful 1992 meeting (the subject of their first Appleseed CD's title song, "Half a Million Miles") and several years of touring and recording with Nanci Griffith, the duo seceded amicably from Griffith's Blue Moon Orchestra and became The Kennedys, recording CDs that encompass their favorite musical styles while incorporating the naturalistic, transcendental and mythological teachings of Joseph Campbell, Eckhart Tolle, Walt Whitman, and various Eastern-oriented philosophers into their songs and lives. The body of work The Kennedys have created since their 1994 wedding is a reflection of their musical and philosophical influences and experiences separately and as a couple. Their goal is to live in the moment, appreciating every second of sensation, which imbues their music with a constant sense of wonder and freshness.

Le Vent du Nord

Since its inception in August 2002, Le Vent du Nord has been enjoying great success. They have received several prestigious awards, including a Juno Award, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy. The group's current line-up consists of singers/ multi-instrumentalists Nicolas Boulerice, Simon Beaudry, Olivier Demers, and Réjean Brunet. Some of their songs come from traditional folk repertoire, while others are original compositions. On stage, these four friends achieve peaks of happiness they eagerly share with any and all audiences. Le Vend du Nord knows how to deliver music that will move any crowd—to their feet and in their hearts.

Dick and Ian Lewis

Hailing from Freetown, these two home-growns play a variety of folk music encompassing Irish, American traditional and contemporary and a few they haven't been able to pin down. Dick and Ian Lewis are father and son and have developed a solid musical bond stemming from their mutual love of the medium itself and a healthy respect for one another. Ian is adept on guitar and bass, Dick is at home on guitar and 5 string banjo. Close harmonies round out this duos sound.

Zoë Lewis

Originally from England, Zoë Lewis now resides in Provincetown, Cape Cod. She plays jazz, jump jive, latin grooves, swing, international folk and funk originals on anything from the piano to the spoons. She describes her blend of music as "worldbeat-vaudeville." Her music is upbeat, amusing and perfect for all ages. She's a troubadour, storyteller and accomplished musician and has toured internationally, picking up influences along the way. While at once setting listeners off balance with her quirky spin on things she sneaks in simple, potent messages, leaving audiences inspired.

Liz Longley

Just a few months after graduating from Berklee College of Music, Liz Longley is already showing signs of becoming the next acoustic powerhouse. In this year alone, Liz was awarded the 2010 BMI John Lennon Scholarship, 2010 Grand Prize International Acoustic Music Award (amongst 9,000 entries), 2010 Chris Austin Songwriting Award and appeared at the Newport and Rocky Mountain Folk Festivals. Liz is particularly highly regarded for her personal, emotionally engaging songwriting. She is actively touring and has opened for Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole, Nanci Griffith, Amos Lee, Colin Hay, Crowded House, Jesse Colin Young, Jonathan Edwards and Livingston Taylor.

Jez Lowe

Jez Lowe has built an enviable reputation as a songwriter and performer in the world of acoustic music, and as a recognized musical ambassador for his native North East England, with more than a dozen albums and countless live performances around the world over the last twenty years.

Among those who have recorded their own versions of Lowe's songs, are Fairport Convention, The Dubliners, The Tannahill Weavers, Cherish The Ladies, Gordon Bok, The Black Brothers, Liam Clancy and literally hundreds of others. Songs like Back in Durham Gaol, The Bergen, Greek Lightning and These Coal Town Days have generated scores of cover versions around the globe, and are now classics of their kind. The Boston Globe declared, "Some of the best contemporary folk songs since early Richard Thompson are coming from the pen of Jez Lowe."

Danielle Miraglia

A strong steady thumb on an old Gibson guitar is the driving force behind Danielle Miraglia's delta blues influenced guitar style. Add a raw, powerful, whiskey tinged voice and one might be tempted to label her a blues artist. But while Danielle's style pays homage to these blues traditions, her classic rock verve, catchy melodies and eclectic array of song subjects that range from deeply personal to socially relevant give it an original twist that is all her own. Since 2002 she has headlined some of the most renowned blues and folk music venues in Boston, toured major cities from north to south and beyond, while earning street credentials vigorously busking the streets of Harvard Square. A fresh sound along with a sharp wit and a captivating stage presence is gaining her fans all over the map.

NewFound Road

One of the most exciting bands to emerge on the national bluegrass scene in the new millennium, NewFound Road specializes in a powerfully streamlined sound delivered with heartfelt honesty and passion. NewFound Road is contemporary bluegrass at its most soulful and sincere.

"...a sound at once effortlessly modern and deeply traditional."

—AllMusic Guide

"Led by the remarkable lead singing of Tim Shelton, this quartet shines with deep gospel roots and bluesy material, tight harmonies, and a driving groove."

—CMT Magazine

Molly O’Leary

A student at Bishop Stang High School, Molly O’Leary has been playing open mics in New Bedford since she was 13 years old. A guitarist and singer/songwriter who has studied with Rebecca Correia for over four years, Molly has featured at Gallery X, the Narrow’s, and Café Arpeggio’s AHA! Night. Her unique arrangements of covers include songs by Alanis Morissette, Joni Mitchell, Jewel, and more. Molly is also a current member of the Bishop Stang Pep Band and A Cappella Choir.

The Outside Track

A stunning synthesis of virtuosity and energy, The Outside Track's marriage of Canadian, Scottish and Irish music and song has been rapturously received around the world. Hailing from Scotland, Ireland, Cape Breton and Vancouver, its five members are united by a love of traditional music and a commitment to creating new music on its foundation. Using fiddle, accordion, harp, guitar, flute, step-dance and vocals these five virtuosos blend boundless energy with unmistakable joie de vivre.

Chris Pahud

"Chris Pahud sings with all his heart, and his heart is huge. His voice and songs come from such a beautiful place, I smile every time I hear him sing... and witness him doing what comes so natural to him..."

—Mary Gauthier, Lost Highway recording artist

Chris Pahud ('PAY hood') grew up in Needham Massachusetts and currently resides in Quincy Massachusetts. Chris started playing guitar and singing in the local Boston area around a decade ago. Chris's new CD Red Sky in Morning was released this past summer of 2009. Produced and mastered by Seth Connelly, it also includes Seth on bass, piano, mandolin and guitars, Garnet Rogers on guitars and vocals, Youngbloods co-founder Jerry Corbitt on guitars and fretless bass, former Del Fuego percussionist, Joe Donnelly, Jr. on drums, Hatrack Gallager on harmonicas and Steafan Hannigan on whistles, Uilleann pipes, bouzouki and bodhran.

Ellis Paul

Ellis Paul is one of the leading voices of the American singer/songwriter world. He was a principle leader in the wave of singer/songwriters that emerged from the Boston folk scene, which helped revitalize the national acoustic circuit with an urban, literate, folk/pop style that helped renew interest in the genre in the 1990's. For years, he has been among the singer songwriter circuit's most popular and dependable headliners with fiercely loyal fans all over the globe. Ellis' charismatic, personally authentic performance style, have influenced a generation of artists drawing from the appeal of pop blending with the authenticity of folk. Ellis is one of the most pop-friendly of today's singer/songwriters. He has bridged the gulf between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger more successfully than perhaps any of his songwriting peers.

Barbara Phaneuf

Barbara Phaneuf has been delighting audiences since the early seventies with her unique blend of swing, blues, and country originals. Her consistent and now well worn friend, a black, 1969 Gibson J45, continues to accompany her on gigs at coffeehouses, churches, and festivals. In 2010, Barb wrote, directed, and produced Purr, a sixteen song musical comedy based on the lives of her four cats.

Pumpkin Head Ted

Nearly 17 years ago in a downtown haunt named Kricket's Club, a pick-up band consisting of Tom Short, John Neiman, and Mike Lavoie, played the 6-10 songs they all knew, all night long. From these humble beginnings, a New Bedford musical institution was born, soon to be called: Pumpkin Head Ted. Over the better part of 20 years, the band has gone through several permutations in both personnel and repetoire, but has now settled into a core group of members consisting of Tom, John, Jason Smith and Kathy Crowley. A group of superb bass players have taken responsibility for the low end over the last five years, most recently, Giuliio Manfredonia, Matt Wall, and Tyler Kingsland. The band has played all over New England during this time. Though loosely fitting under the Americana genre, Pumpkin Head Ted feeds on a steady diet of blues, jazz, country, swing, Afro-Latin, rock and roll, show tunes, punk, alternative, and any other eclectic sounds that may catch their ear. Though Tom and Jason are from afar a field, heralding from Flint, Michigan, and Long Valley, New Jersey, respectively, the band members make their home in New Bedford and the area. Pumpkin Head Ted had released two CD's, Swamp Yankee from 2000, and The New Bedford Knockabout, from 2010.

The QuasiModal String Band

At the merger of musical tributaries, The QuasiModal String Band delivers an exciting mix of traditional dance tunes and ballads (some of murky origin). The ensemble's three partners bring diverse musical backgrounds and share a strong interest in American musical traditions—banjo picker Steve Arkin played with Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys; Grammy-winning fiddler Lisa Gutkin, now playing Jewish music with The Klezmatics, performed Irish music with Whirligig (fiddle & vocals); and Matt Greenhill honed his vocal, mandola and guitar chops with the alt-folk band Spiral Bound.ÊWith one foot in tradition and the other on the train, The QuasiModal String Band offers roots-based eclecticism with passion, skill, and authority.

Mark Roberts and Andrea Cooper

It was destiny. Andrea was playing Irish flute with her 5-string banjo beside her when Mark first laid eyes on her (with his Irish flute and 5-string banjo in tow). Since that moment Mark Roberts and Andrea Cooper have doubled the fun, playing two flutes, twin penny whistles, and double banjos from Seattle to Cotuit.

Tiffany Rozenas (with Bronie and Cheryl Rozenas)

Tiffany Rozenas has been playing the fiddle since she was 9-years-old, starting at the suggestion of her best friend. Having studied with a number of fiddlers in many styles, including Billy Hardy, Hanneke Cassel, and Laura Cortese, she has continued expanding her abilities in many Fiddles Camps like Gaelic Roots, Boston Harbor Fiddle School, Valley of the Moon Fiddle School in California, Mark O'Conners Fiddle Camp in Tennessee, and the Berklee String Fling. She has also performed at a variety of places including the Joe Davies Folk Festival, Rochester Grange Fair, Trowbridge Tavern, Bluegrass on the Bogs, and the Rochester Country Fair Pig Roast. You can also find her at the annual Fiddlers and Fisherman held at Common Fence Point Coffee House, Plymouth Farmer's Market, Marshfield Farmer's Market, and Carver Farmer's Market.

During the summer Tiffany has great success traveling all over New England to compete in fiddle contests including the New England Fiddle Contest, New Hampshire Highland Games Fiddle Contest, Stark Fiddle Contest, East Benton Fiddle Contest, New Boston Fiddle Contest, Meetinghouse Park Fiddle Contest, and Rochester Country Fair Fiddle Contest. When she is home from college, she teaches fiddle to a number of students. In December of 2008, Tiffany released her first album entitled, It's About Time. Soon after, Tiffany had the honor of being nominated for Motif Magazine's Celtic act of the year in the Spring of 2009. On occasion, you can catch Tiffany at one of the local open mics including Café Arpeggio which is held every Thursday night in New Bedford and The Guthrie Center (Arlo Guthrie's church in Western Massachusetts).

Claudia Russell and Bruce Kaplan

Claudia Russell is an outstanding singer and songwriter who has shared the stage with such luminaries as Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. Her own songs have been recognized by her selection as a finalist in several major songwriting contests including the Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competition. Besides writing evocative songs, Claudia is known for her vocal talent. She is an expressive and versatile singer, as at home on a soulful ballad as a Buddy Holly style romp. She is accompanied by her husband, multi-instrumentalist Bruce Kaplan. Says Grammy Award winning artist David Holt, "Claudia's voice draws you into a song and keeps you there. Whether she is singing folk, country, blues or pop, you know you are going to get a soulful, satisfying musical ride."

Art Tebbetts

New Bedford's own troubadour and a cornerstone of Summerfest both as performer and stage host. Art Tebbetts is a seasoned guitarist-singer-performer averaging 200 to 260 gigs a year, who also hosts the Open Mics held at the Café Arpeggio. He plays coffeehouses, festivals, bars, pubs, fairs, and more. His "day gig" is "Music For the Ages" that specializes in playing for seniors in nursing homes, assisted living, senior day care, Councils on Aging, & church gatherings.

Tesseract³

Tesseract³—Joan Akin, Joanne Doherty and Mary Beth Soares—are known for their rich vocal harmonies and skillful instrumental work covering a wide range of music that includes traditional, contemporary, nostalgic, as well as original songs.

Steve Tilston

British singer-songwriter and guitarist Steve Tilston is one of the most engaging performers on the scene today. Born in Liverpool and raised in the Midlands, Steve has been quietly ploughing his own artistic furrow, turning out quality albums since the early 70s. In the past he has toured as a guitarist with Ballet Rambert, as a member of Ship of Fools, with John Renbournand more recently with WAZ. He is a celebrated artist both in Britain and abroad, winning accolades in Europe, Australia and the USA. Steve is the writer of the classic songs Slip Jigs and Reels, The Naked Highwayman, and Here's to Tom Paine, which has been chosen as the theme song for the Tom Paine Society of America.

Umoja

Umoja means Unity in Swahili. The five women who sing together today, Lynn Whitney, Viola Pina, Joan Dancy, Liz DiCarlo, and Adrienne Williams, have been friends and colleagues for nearly thirty years, originally coming together through their work at the New Bedford Women's Center. Inspired by the music of Sweet Honey in the Rock, this multicultural group, representing the diversity of our area, sings songs of peace and social justice. They have performed at community celebrations, conferences, and political events throughout New England.

Vishtén

The members of Vishtén have been bringing their new-traditional Acadian music to eight different countries in over 1000 performances. Vishtén is made up of third generation Acadians, twin sisters Pastelle and Emmanuelle LeBlanc from Prince Edward Island, Canada and Pascal Miousse from the nearby Magdelen Islands Together they create an exciting sound that incorporates elements of the new ways while retaining and staying true to the essential Acadian spirit of their roots. The sound is essentially Celtic but with a difference. The songs are in French, sung by each band member, alone or in four-part harmony. Foot percussion drives the rhythm of the energetic tunes yet refrains itself in the gentler musical moments. The band members are accomplished multi-instrumentalists and step-dancers incorporating the fiddle, guitar, accordion, penny-whistle, banjo, mandolin, piano, jaw-harp and bodhran into each performance. They are surely making their mark in the world today as they captivate audiences wherever they play.

Sloan Wainwright

Folk-pop artist Sloan Wainwright belongs to a musical dynasty of impossibly gifted singer-songwriters. Her family tree (brother and folk-music luminary Loudon Wainwright, sister-in-law Kate McGarrigle, nephew Rufus Wainwright, nieces Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche) reads like a who's who of contemporary folk music. Sloan's incredible gift is not only her unique songwriting ability but her dramatically voiced rendition of her original songs.

"She's folk-influenced, obviously (you can't grow up in the First Family of Folk and not be, one imagines), but the real star here is her voice. Warm and smoky and smooth, it makes her earthy, ominous lyrics seem all the more intense."

Defying standard categorization, singer/songwriter Sloan Wainwright consistently demonstrates her easy command of a variety of American musical styles—pop, folk, jazz and blues—held together by the melodious tone of her rich contralto. The end result, a unique and soulful hybrid.

"...Sloan Wainwright, whose regal voice could fell a redwood."

—The Boston Globe

"...earth mother voice that she pours into unexpectedly sensitive blends of folk, jazz, blues and funk."

—The New York Times

Cheryl Wheeler

It has always seemed as if there were two Cheryl Wheelers, with fans of the New England songwriter relishing watching the two tussle for control of the mic. There is poet-Cheryl, writer of some of the prettiest, most alluring and intelligent ballads on the modern folk scene. And there is her evil twin, comic-Cheryl, a militant trend defier and savagely funny social critic. The result is a delightful contrast between poet and comic. Cheryl's songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Dan Seals, Peter Paul and Mary, Kenny Loggins, Garth Brooks, Suzy Boggus, Melanie, Bette Midler, Maura O'Connell, Sylvia, Kathy Mattea, and Holly Near. Cheryl Wheeler has to be seen to be appreciated. Nothing you read and nothing you hear from her albums prepares you for how good a performer she is.

Chuck Williams

Chuck Williams Chuck Williams has steadily been gaining critical acclaim throughout New England songwriting circles and beyond, earning several awards for his finely tuned craft. This performer has been traveling extensively sowing seeds of his songs along the way. His lyrics and melodies are a musical journey reflecting emotions of everyday life. If you're in the market for a singer-songwriter with something to say, be sure to check him out.

"What stands out about his latest offering, 'Lightning in a Bottle', is Chuck Williams' passion, lyric directness and vocal maturation. He's obviously a musician on the rise."

—Jim Vickers, Motif Magazine 2010