Past Artists

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.

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.

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.”

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

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.

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.