2024 Performers

Autumn Sun! Blurring the lines between Americana and New Folk, Autumn Sun reaches deep into the heart...original songs with substance and story...classic folk songs given new life and made fresh with harmony and haunting bold new instrumentation.

Called a “keyboard wizard” by The New Yorker, singer-songwriter-keyboardist-composer BOB MALONE has amassed a loyal international fan-base through twenty-five years of relentless touring and nine critically acclaimed album releases. He played keyboards with John Fogerty for 12 years and has been a session player for Ringo Starr and Avril Lavigne. His recording of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” was the theme in the 2018 Illumination/Universal movie trailers for The Grinch. Bob combines unforgettable songwriting, refreshing reinterpretations of classic tunes, and a one-of-a-kind hybrid of rock, melodic pop, blues, and New Orleans R&B, delivered with high-energy piano virtuosity and a voice all his own. His last four albums, including the latest – Good People – have been in the top-10 Roots Music Report radio rock and blues charts, #1 on the IBBA UK blues chart, and his piano-driven take on Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well” spent two years on the SiriusXM Bluesville Top-50 Most Heard chart.

Jimbo Talbot, founder of DrumQuest: Adventures in Happy, Healing Rhythm and Sound, is a Drum Circle Facilitator, Remo Health Rhythms® practitioner, sound therapist, an acclaimed vocalist and percussionist, team-builder, drum maker and workshop presenter.

Jimbo embodies a deep passion for helping people discover their Musical Joy!  Rooted in traditional rhythms, trained in classical voice and inspired by the cosmos, he brings his own unique brand of energetic fun and healing to each session.

Individuals and groups alike engage in powerful transformational experience, as they learn to listen more deeply and access their inner musical genius with ease.  Monkey-mind chatter quiets, emotional chains break , and compassionate and caring communities develop.  Foundations are laid for furthering personal practice and growth.

Everyone embodies musical expression and Jimbo seeks to enliven all he meets.  He ignites participant hearts, breathes into them, then kindles flames of creative muscle to voice bright and beautiful sounds.

He is widely regarded for his work with Oasis Lifelong Adventures, Brookdale Living, Pathfinder Village and School, Syracuse Jewish Family Services, The Foundation for Dream Oaks, as well as numerous special needs camps and residential communities in teaching drumming to populations often described as having no rhythm or unable to carry a tune.

He provides entertainment, drum circle facilitation, music and meditations for clients including The Chopra Institute, Coca-Cola, The Nielsen Group, John’s Hopkins Children’s Hospital, Upstate Health, Unity, and other religious and spiritual communities and festivals in Florida and New York.

Jason Tardy is a multifaceted performer who uses his strength (he juggles three 10lb bowling balls), intelligence (skipped a year of high school and was valedictorian), endurance (two-time 100 mile ultramarathon finisher), and skill (he has no social life so he practices a lot) to create a crazy high-energy, comedy and juggling show like you’ve never seen before…unless you’ve seen him before. His hilarious show includes innovative choreographed juggling to up-beat music, fitting his body through a tennis racket, balancing a ladder on his face, standing on a yoga ball, and if you trust him enough; fire eating and fire breathing!

Jason’s training and over 29 years of experience in the performing arts has brought him all over the US and abroad. Some highlights include Disney Cruise Ships, the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, the Golden Phoenix Casino, and even The White House in Washington DC three times!

Jess Novak is a triple threat singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist. With a shredding electric fiddle, powerful vocals and captivating songs, Novak is a force in any formation: solo, duo or band. Having touched audiences across the country – from Burlington, VT to Key West, FL to San Diego, CA – Novak plays more than 150 shows every year and has released twelve original albums, and a book, to date. ​​

Jess Novak (electric violin, guitar, vocals, piano, percussion, looping) works with Byron Cage (Tommy Castro, Joe Louis Walker, Vanessa Collier) on drums; Anthony Saturno (Atkins Riot, The Dirty Doves) on electric guitar; Jay Fabbri (Professional Victims) on bass; and Gavin George (No Blush, BSG) and Marcus Oliver (Rising Ghosts) on drums.

Novak has played such prestigious rooms as The Cutting Room (NYC), The Saint (Asbury Park) and Nectar's (Burlington, VT). She opened the 23rd Annual Chenango Blues Festival (with headliner, Ronnie Earl) and has performed with groups and artists including Devon Allman, Mike Zito, Tas Cru, Jimmy Hall, Ghost Town Blues Band and members of Butch Trucks and the Freight Train Band. Novak has also opened for acts including Melanie, Danielle Ponder, Ruthie Foster and Grace Potter. 

Novak created and presented the F.I.R.E. Festival (females inspire, rock, empower) for the first time in October 2022 as a way to spotlight female artists, musicians and business owners. The festival continues annually.

From New Jersey, John Gorka is a world-renowned singer-songwriter who got his start at a neighborhood coffeehouse in eastern Pennsylvania. Though small, Godfrey Daniels was and is one of the oldest and most venerable music institutions and has long been a hangout for music lovers and aspiring musicians. In the late 1970’s, John was was one of these aspiring musicians. Although his academic coursework at Moravian College lay in Philosophy and History, music began to offer paramount enticements. Soon he found himself living in the club’s basement and acting as resident MC and sound man, encountering legendary folk troubadours like Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers, Eric Andersen, Tom Paxton and Claudia Schmidt. Their brand of folk-inspired acoustic music inspired him, and before long he was performing his own songs – mostly as an opener for visiting acts. Soon he started traveling to New York City, where Jack Hardy’s legendary Fast Folk circle (a breeding ground for many a major singer-songwriter) became a powerful source of education and encouragement. Folk meccas like Texas’ Kerrville Folk Festival (where he won the New Folk Award in 1984) and Boston followed, and his stunningly soulful baritone voice and original songwriting began turning heads. Those who had at one time inspired him – Suzanne Vega, Bill Morrissey, Nanci Griffith, Christine Lavin, Shawn Colvin – had become his peers.

Aunt Irene's Variety Show

A puppet show for all ages, Aunt Irene’s show is filled with music and fantastic variety acts. See the singing Madam Sloth, the mysterious Linked Lizard, the Opera Cat and Wanda the Wizard. Things seem to go awry as a needy witch casts spells to compete with acts and musical numbers. Live music by guitarist Matthew Ocone. Songs in a variety of languages and a look backstage after the show!

****After this show there will be a FREE workshop! Everyone can make their own fabric hand puppet to take home. All materials provided. (We will be using hot glue.)***

Lilypad Puppet Theatre is a non-profit theatre based in Ithaca, NY.  Our mission is to educate the general public in the art of puppetry through performances and workshops and to provide public performances of puppet theater which are accessible to all ages, and income levels, in Central NY.

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese art embracing the mind, body, and spirit and is one of the most effective exercises for the health of mind and body. Tai Chi can be fun, easy to learn, and may be practiced anywhere by people of all ages.

The practice of Tai Chi is based on a set of principles, such as the upright posture that aligns the spine, the deep diaphragmatic breathing that nourishes and relaxes muscles and brings about feelings of positivity and well-being, and the slow movements that take most joints and muscles gently through their complete range of motion.

With regular practice, Tai Chi can increase flexibility, build strength, improve balance and coordination, enhance the immune system, concentration, and memory, and reduce the risk for falls; it helps relieve pain, stress and anxiety, and promotes inner peace and serenity.

Mustard’s Retreat has always sung the songs they enjoyed and cared about, regardless of the trends of the music industry and pop culture. They are committed to simply being themselves, not chasing fame or brass rings, while delighting in and connecting with their audiences as if they were family. The honesty of what they present onstage and the extensive body of outstanding original songs and recordings all contribute to a fiercely loyal audience that continues to grow. “Music to cure what ails you” was how one reviewer in the 1970s described them, and that is as true now as it was then.

They’ve traveled more than a million miles and performed more than 6,000 shows, from pig roasts and pool parties to Lincoln Center Out of Doors, The Barns at Wolftrap and the Kennedy’s Center’s Millennium Stage.

Their performances are always joyful and uplifting, as well as intelligent, thought provoking and insightful. They’ve recently begun referring to their career and touring as “Defiantly Hopeful.” In part due to their long career, but more as a statement about what the music has meant to them. “Folk music is, at its heart, defiantly hopeful!” Tamulevich says. “We came of age in the 60s, at the confluence of Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Bob Dylan and the singer/songwriter revolution. We care much more about what we do and stand for and finding that common ground with our audiences, than fame or money: this is our community of choice, and we consider ourselves so fortunate to be here.”

Cardboard Explosion!

Four original stories, brought to life using nothing but cardboard and the power of your imagination. With help from the audience, puppeteer Brad Shur transforms simple cardboard shapes into elaborate puppet characters, then brings them to life right before your eyes.

Puppeteer, puppet builder and arts educator Brad Shur is the founder and lead artist of Paper Heart Puppets. Brad began performing as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. While earning a degree in film, he was a regular performer at late night puppet slams and with Big Nazo Puppets.

From there, Brad went on to tour nationally with Wood and String Puppet Theatre and Vermont Puppetree. As a freelance puppet builder he created puppets for American Idol, Dolly Parton’s Dollywood amusement park and many theaters and other performers. In 2009, he became the Resident Artist at Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, Massachusetts where he served as the lead teaching artist and touring puppeteer for eight years. During that time, Brad developed six original shows and revived several classic shows created by Paul Vincent Davis.

In 2017, Brad moved on to Poughkeepsie, NY and founded Paper Heart Puppets.

Nominated for Five Grammy Awards, Professor Louie & The Crowmatix began as the backing
band for The Band but became successful on their own, touring internationally and recording sixteen Studio albums, an LP, a new EP, streaming shows, videos and more... Professor Louie & The Crowmatix were inducted into the International Blues Hall Of Fame New York Chapter & The Canada South Blues Hall of Fame.

"With their remarkable 16th release Strike Up The Band, the prolific songwriters and indefatigable musicians Professor Louie & The Crowmatix once again show the world why they are truly
Roots Music Royalty." - Blues Festival Guide

The Realtime Dixieland Band came on to the central New York music scene during the summer of 2017.

Shanelle Gabriel is a spoken word poet, singer, lupus warrior, and educator from Brooklyn, NY who has toured the globe. Widely known for featuring on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, she has shared the stage with powerhouses such as Jill Scott, Nas, Nikki Giovanni, Anderson Paak, Stacey Abrams, and more. Shanelle has competed in both the National and the Individual World Poetry Slams, and has performed at venues such as the Vatican, the Apollo Theater, Howard Theater, Lincoln Center, SXSW, ADCOLOR Conference, and more. Outside of sharing her own creative work, she has crafted poems for companies such as Fast Company Magazine, LifeWtr, Eden Bodyworks, Inc Magazine, and GSK, as well as for a national Pandora Music campaign which appeared on the Times Square Jumbotron. She served as a performer, teaching artist, and consultant for BET’s 2022 Nelson Mandela Project alongside Marsai Martin and for a Black Music Month Campaign with KITKAT and Hershey’s alongside the legendary DJ Clark Kent. She’s released three albums, Start Something, Aim High, and Things I Need to Remember, which showcase her prowess as a spoken word artist and a soulful singer and are available on all streaming platforms.

This event is funded in part by Poets & Writers with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Simmerin' Stew is a dynamic, five-piece string band from Binghamton, NY that consists of banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, and upright bass. The band members are not only skilled musicians but also highly energetic performers who captivate their audiences with their expressive style.

Sloan Wainwright is a songwriter, singer, performer, teacher, mentor and collaborator. A unique hybrid of pop, folk, jazz and blues, Wainwright’s music is unified by her melodious tone and rich, powerful contralto. Over the course of a 30-year career in music, she has played the great concert halls, the most storied listening rooms and top music festivals while also teaching at the nation’s leading music retreats. She has inspired hundreds of students on their creative journeys and collaborated with dozens of musicians, writers, choreographers and performers.  

Most of all, Wainwright is an artist. As a member of an acclaimed family of artists (brother Loudon Wainwright, sister-in-law Kate McGarrigle, nephew Rufus Wainwright and nieces Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche), Wainwright has charted an artistic path all her own, one based in close observation, joy, and spiritual connection.   

Now, standing on the foundation of a rich and diverse career, Wainwright is tapping into fresh material as she continues to provide transformative, healing, and energetic experiences for her audiences. Always looking to grow as an artist, these days Wainwright is pursuing new collaborative partnerships, exploring traditional music, and developing fresh avenues for teaching and mentorship.  

Songwriting duo Pete and Maura Kennedy make a strong return to the studio and stage after three years of weekly live-streamed lockdown-era concerts. They took the opportunity to explore classic songwriting in depth, performing over a thousand songs during the pandemic. That vast overview strengthened and refined their own writing and laid the foundation for this new collection of original, socially-conscious songs.

“After such a deep dive into American roots music, we felt like we had a new set of writing tools. We were ready to create this body of work, and there’s just SO much to write about,” says Maura. “During our five-year hiatus from writing and recording, America changed in massive ways, divisive ways that have shaken our whole foundation. That has to be addressed by creative artists, those of us who have a voice to speak for others. Our love of the great things about this country, things that are under threat, is the reason we decided to make “Headwinds” the title track of the CD. Political and social headwinds are making it hard to get back “home’ to our greatness as a nation. We want to push back in a positive way against those winds.”

In addition to singing and writing, Pete and Maura are multi-instrumentalists. The thirteen songs are cast in a soundscape that draws from the classic canon of American roots, in keeping with the theme of getting back “home” as a nation. Acoustic and electric guitars, a vintage steel guitar, a gospel-inflected piano/organ mix, and even a slide ukulele all add colors to a songbag of sounds that have drawn us together during hard times. Pete and Maura believe that those sounds still have the power to pull us through again. 

The Kennedys began their writing and touring life three decades ago as members of Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra, developing their own sound as a frequent support act on Nanci’s tours across America, Ireland, Scotland and England. Collaborations with Nanci continued, culminating in Pete and Maura producing her final album, “Intersections.” Along the way, they hosted a nationwide radio program, “The Dharma Cafe” on Sirius/XM, wrote and released sixteen CDs of original music, and have been core artists on folk radio, expanding their audience further with the inception of the AAA and Americana formats.

One cannot help but be charmed by his impeccable timing and extreme circus skills. You can find Hilby on top of Unicycles of all shapes and sizes, manipulating objects ranging from bowling balls to hedge trimmers. A powerful and spellbinding collage of superb technical skill and wacky comedy in the tradition of vaudeville. If you have seen him before, you know he is not to be missed. One of the most sought after performers at venues around the world.

Performing at theaters, colleges, cruise ships, and fair grounds, from Canada to Australia, Hilby brings his highly professional and excruciatingly funny show to young and old alike.

New York’s Slambovian Circus of Dreams has been coloring ‘outside the lines’ of the Americana genre with their fantastic stories and performances since forming 20 years ago in the Hudson Valley of New York. Their Woodstock-tinged psychedelia has a hint of southern rock, celtic and British folk combined with solid songwriting - a slice of Americana pie that is irresistible! 

This June the band returns to the UK following a wildly successful 2022 tour headlining Fairport's Cropredy Festival, Wickham Festival and more where they were voted “Best Band” by fans and promoters alike. Playing towns and festivals from Lochinvar to Penzance since 2008, the Slambovians’ touring history in the UK goes back several years, so they look forward to this tour where once again they bring good will, songs and a bit of magic to new audiences as well as the faithful who have been waiting. Joziah Longo (the resident shaman of Slambovia), leads with vocals described as "soothing and bewitching as a snake oil tonic.” Longtime bandmates Tink Lloyd (accordion, cello, mandolin, flute) and guitarist/mandolin wizard Sharkey McEwen bring their own magic to the Slambovian brew with “a little help from their friends” - RJ McCarty (keys, bass, sax), Bob Torsello (bass), and Matthew Abourezk (drums). 

Elements of Dylan, Bowie, Incredible String Band, Syd Barrett and The Waterboys flavor the musical mix (Waterboys co-founder Anto Thistlethwaite is featured on their latest album.) 

A Very Unusual Head’  is described as  ”hilariously genius, philosophically cosmic, folk-metal mastery - the title track is a tip of the hat to the ‘irregular head’ of Syd Barrett and the theme of the album was inspired by the ‘outsiders’ of science and art. The album was included in Rock’n’Reel Magazine’s "Best Albums of 2022" and described as 'their finest work to date.' Exploring the depths of Americana with an artful edge, elements of Dylan, Bowie, Incredible String Band, Syd Barrett, and The Waterboys flavor the musical mix.

UnityGroup is an exciting, eclectic world music ensemble that has captivated audiences of all ages with it's dynamic and heartfelt performances. UG blends contemporary American improvisation with rhythms and melodies from around the world, including the Caribbean, West Africa, the Mid-East, Australia, and Asia. To add depth to the music, the band's musicians play many unusual and exotic instruments, such as Trinidadian steel pans, African drums, and Australian didgeridoos. The unique result is a passionate, energetic music of spirit and celebration. The band has been graced with several high quality influences in band membership over this ten year period.