PVFS Guest Performers

Rani Arbo	Formerly with the popular folk band, Salamander Crossing, and now fronting Daisy Mayhem, Rani joins George Reynolds for some rousing vocals and fiddle music.
David Arfa	David hails from Shelburne Falls and tells Yiddish stories.
Erik Balkey	Performing songwriter based in Philadelphia, Eric has played the major music halls from the Postcrypt to the Passim. He is organizer of the Philadelphia Songwriters Alliance.
Davis Bates	Long one of the Pioneer Valley's favorite storytellers, Davis enchants his audience with a down-home and soulful style.
Richard Berman	Amherst folksinger/songwriter with a national following. As Utah Phillips once remarked, "This man has the gift."
Bob Blue	Bob packed the Black Sheep and sang several original songs including a tune from his musical adaptation of Charlotte's Web. He closed with a crowd pleaser, his twist on a Sinatra ditty called Their Way.
Hugh Blumenfeld	A literate lyricist who counts Suzanne Vega and William Blake among his favorite songwriters. Hugh was named Connecticut's 1999 State Troubadour and serves as folk music guide for About.com.
Boys of the Landfill	Comprised of Geoff Rogers on guitar and mandolin, Rob Hayes on fiddle and Michael Pattavina on banjo and bass, the Shutesbury-based Boys combine smoldering instrumental virtuosity and festering harmonies in as many as two parts.
Chris Brashear	A charismatic songwriter and gifted multi-instrumentalist, Chris has been Laurie Lewis's bassist (and she his), fiddler for Kentucky Rose and played jazz violin with the Maurizio Geri Swingtet. He's currently fiddle player for Perfect Strangers.
Eliot Bronson	Often compared in voice and style to Jackson Browne, Eliot is a first-rate guitarist and songwriter. He recently relocated to Western Mass. from his hometown of Baltimore.
Marge Bruchac	A storyteller, singer and scholar of Native American people and culture, Marge regularly portrays "Molly Geet, the Indian Doctress" at Sturbridge Village. She is also member of two Abenaki performance groups, Dawnland Singers and W'Abenaki Dancers.
Jerry Bryant	The popular folksinger's entertaining repertoire includes old-time sea ballads and many excellent original songs, such as his tribute to Harbo and Samuelson who rowed across the Atlantic one hundred years ago.
Julia Burrough	A powerful singer of "spiritual folk-rock," with 3 recordings out, Julia is former hostess of the Iron Horse Open Stage night. She is accompanied by guitarist-vocalist Sue Bassett.
Dennis Caraher	Dennis' songs range from gentle parodies to stark looks at guilt, loneliness and redemption. His It ain't None of Your Business if I Have a Merry Christmas has been featured on NPR's "All Things Considered."
Max Cohen	Fine fingerstyle guitarist and finalist in the 2001 New Folk Competition at Kerrville, Max's virtuoso musicianship may be heard on Dar Williams' The Honesty Room.
Larry Cole	As a master of the Scottish and Northumbrian bagpipes, Larry is one of the most sought-after pipers around. He has appeared with the New York Shakespeare Theater and on Broadway in Brigadoon.
Lui Collins	An ethereal-voiced singer/songwriter and poet with more than seven recordings to her credit, Lui played guitar to the rollicking old-time fiddle playing of George Reynolds and Rani Arbo.
Susan Conger	An accomplished fiddle player and teacher, Susan is one-third of the contradance trio, Soozarama.
Debra Cowan	A natural-born singer with a 3-octave range, Debra enjoys interpreting world folk music and traditional songs.
Wayne Crouch	Wayne is more an organizer than a performer, although he can spin a good yarn and dance a good waltz. He hosted the PVFS Song and Story Swaps for nine years, first at the Montague Book Mill, and more recently at the Black Sheep in Amherst, before turning the reins over to Paul Kaplan and Dagen Julty in March '99.
Peg Davol	Award-winning author of children's books, Peg excels at both creating and narrating wonderful fantasy tales.
Guy Devito	Popular bass player from Shutesbury, and much in demand by musicians, Guy has a great voice, too.
Francis Doughty	Master of the finger-style technique on the acoustic guitar, Francis was a showcase performer at the 2001 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and maintains a homestead in Wendell.
Jay and Karen Ducharme	The irrepressible singer and keyboardist perform standards, spirited cabaret tunes and some of Jay's compositions as well.
Larry Dulong	The Granby singer/songwriter came out of retirement and treated the audience with several original songs.
Brad Eichwald	Brad's varied stock of stories runs from personal anecdotes to folk tales from India.
Kelly Erwin & Warren Graham	Enthusiastic group singers with a love of harmonies. Warren cultivated his clear, deep voice singing chanteys at Mystic Seaport, while Kelly enjoys joining folk singalong events such as the Pickin' and Singin' Gatherin' in Albany.
Richard Evers	Journeyman songwriter, folk/blues artist and lover of roots music from Brattleboro, Vermont.
Elizabeth Farnsworth	Member of the Amandla Chorus, and the newly founded duo with Jill Friedman called "Whish", Elizabeth revels in harmonies and the joy of getting whole roomfuls of people singing together.
Susan Fleischman	A teacher, writer, actress and storyteller, Susan is founder of the Enchanted Circle Children's Theater and has written a literary fairy tale, The Boy Who Looked for Spring, published by Harcourt Brace.
Gan Ainm	This Westfield-based band performs Celtic traditional songs with a kick.
Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen	A renowned folk duo from Bennington, VT, Steve and Cindy perform a dazzling array of marvelous songs, and possess a stage presence and instrumental skills to match.
Jackson Gillman	Jackson's lively combination of storytelling, music, wit and movement has earned him the nickname, the Stand-up Chameleon.
April Grant	April possesses a singular repertoire of ballads and old songs, seasoned with humorous poems and tales of the supernatural.
Don Grant	A poet, storyteller and artist, Don has an epic ballad in progress, The Landlord's Tale.
Katie Green	A raconteur from Central Massachusetts, Katie's subjects include Egyptian myths, the tales of Hans Christian Anderson, and ghost stories.
Ben Grosscup and Dan Inglis	Their high energy vocal harmonies will strike the chords in your soul that will make you hate oppression and desire liberation.
Lyn Hardy	From folk to rock to blues to country to children's music, Lyn can do it all, and with feeling. She's been the heart of the well known band, Rude Girls.
Robert Harris	Teller of stories and folk tales in the Pioneer Valley for more than fifteen years, and resident storyteller for the Appalachian Mt. Club.
Donna Hébert	Very few know the fiddle as Donna does. She is an extraordinary player, teacher, workshop organizer and creator of a web site devoted to fiddle literature. Donna also plays with the French-American band Chanterelle.
Gordon Hellegers	While traveling in Mali, Gordon built his own kora (a West African gourd-harp) and studied under kora master Toumani Diabate.
Jim Henry	Dexterous guitar master and talented songwriter, Jim has garnered praise for his work with the Sun Dogs, Brooks Williams and the Burns Sisters, as well as for his solo albums, including Jacksonville on the Signature Sounds label.
Francisco Hernandez	The Sunderland instrumentalist makes the guitar sing in the classical, Spanish or romantic styles.
Doug Hewitt	Skilled guitarist, professional teacher and operator of Watercourse Recording Studio in Amherst, Doug accompanied Nancy Rockland-Miller.
Hoopoe	Hoopoe, aka Chris Yerlig, has been performing and teaching mime and silent comedy for over 20 years. He arrives at the Song & Story Swap fresh from a performance tour of China.
Thea Hopkins	Boston-based singer and songwriter with a clarion voice. Thea's song Jesus Is On The Wire has been covered by Peter, Paul & Mary.
Dagen Julty	Dagen is a storyteller/singer whose other pursuits include leading games, teaching singing to shy people, and clowning.
Tom Juravich	A labor activist and professor, Tom recorded two albums for Flying Fish in the eighties.
Paul Kaplan	Paul has been a presence on the folksinging scene since the sixties, and has co-authored a collection of British, Irish and Scottish songs.
Geoff Kaufman	Mystic, Connecticut chanteyman with a rich tenor voice, and member of the quartet Forebitter.
Van Kaynor	Fiddle maestro and member of the talented Kaynor family, Van previously played in FourGone Conclusions along side brother Cammy and cousin David, and currently fiddles for the contradance band, Moving Violations. He joins us with the Irish music band, Blarney Pilgrims.
Daniel Keene	Schooled in the blues with bands such as Nightstomp and Boston Blues Express, four years ago Daniel went solo and acoustic, focusing on traditional roots music.
Jack Kid	Thoughtful singer-songwriter from Hancock, New Hampshire with a new recording out called Espresso Ecstasy.
Terry Kitchen	Terry is a folksinger who is as much a storyteller as a musician. He is a member of Boston's "Songos" writers group and his composition Right Now took a first prize at the 2000 USA Songwriting Competition.
Sue Kranz and Ben Tousley	Boston-based duo Sue Kranz and Ben Tousley have been a singing together since 1986. Playing guitar and flute, Ben and Sue have collaborated on several recordings and appeared in many coffeehouses around New England.
Pat and Tex LaMountain	Tex was an original member of the Vanguard recording band, Clean Living, and later teamed up with his wife, Pat, to found the folk group, Bright Morning Star.
Henry Lappen	Performing widely as Henry the Juggler, Henry is also a talented storyteller, and author of the humorous biographical story "A Yiddishe Upbringing."
Late Bloomers	This Southern Maine-based duo of Randy Browning and Brett Kinney plays a wide variety of original and traditional Folk. Described by Roots Music Report as "truly sparkling."
Dave Letellier	Former lead singer for the group, Cottonwood, Dave's touching and uplifting music aims straight for the heart.
Rona Leventhal	Rona is a storyteller and teacher of her craft. She is co-author of Spinning Tales Weaving Hope, a collection of conscience-raising stories.
Spencer Lewis	Vermont guitarist with a distinctive cross-picking style, Spencer has released nine albums of pastoral music on his own Quartz Recordings label.
Daniel Lombardo	Author of four books on the history of Amherst and Hadley, Dan is an accomplished percussionist as well.
Margaret MacArthur	Vermont's pre-eminent folk musicologist, Yankee Magazine chose her recording Vermont Ballads & Broadsides as one of the Yankee Top 40 of all time.
Verne McArthur	Verne is a songwriter and educator from Springfield who specializes in songs of social consciousness.
Jennie McAvoy	A discriminating song collector with a repertoire that spans centuries, Jennie recently released So Long At The Flood featuring the backup guitar of Brooks Williams.
Tom McCabe	A popular tale-spinner, Tom was the first storyteller ever invited to perform at the Whitehouse.
Jay Mankita	A quirky, masterful singer-songwriter and a natural entertainer, Jay's songs have appeared in Sing Out! Magazine, and have been heard on NPR and Pacifica Radio.
Ted Melnechuk	Ted is a versatile poet, and contemporary and friend of the late Allen Ginsberg.
Kate Mesmer	Whether singing original material or covers of contemporary or classical songs, this former Nashvillian delivers them with an elegant style and hypnotic voice.
Motoko	Mime and teller of folktales from Asia.
Anand Nayak & Polly Fiveash	Northampton duo who met at Wesleyan, Anand and Polly's songs resonate with heartwarming harmonies and a gutsy groove Anand is also guitarist for swinging string band Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem.
Tom Neilson	Affectionately know as the "Bard Insurgent," Tom's music focuses on acoustic activism and social commentary.
Bob Norman	Bob's gentle wit, intricate guitar and harmonica work, and passionate singing have charmed folk audiences across the country. He is former editor of Sing Out!, the folk song magazine.
Kate O'Connor	Kate's melodies soar over a magical weave of Irish, folk, pop and rhythm and blues. She's an adept songwriter as well.
Kevin O'Hara	Dubbed the "Frank McCourt of the Berkshires," Kevin is a natural-born storyteller, as is demonstrated in his critically acclaimed book, Last of the Donkey Pilgrims.
Cath Oss	Cath is a shape note specialist and one-third of the cutting edge folk band, Cordelia's Dad.
Lu Parchick	Lu specializes in songs and stories from her native Portugal.
Chris Pahud	Boston Folksinger and guitarist in the Rogerine school (after the style of Stan & Garnet Rogers), Chris sings of mariners, lovers, adventurers, farmers, fishermen, the sea, the hills and the shore.
Members of Panharmonium	Zjemi Moulton, Gene Goldwater, Dinah Kudatsky and Christopher Stoney represent Panharmonium, the house band for Amherst International Folk Dancing and troubadours of music from the Old Country.
Annie Patterson & Peter Blood	Recently relocating to Amherst, Peter and Annie are creators of the bestselling group singing songbook, Rise Up Singing.
Ken Perlman	Ken is a superb instrumentalist, acclaimed teacher, gifted performer, award-winning folklorist and a pioneer in the "melodic clawhammer" banjo style.
Nick Plakias	Coffeehouse and folk festival veteran from Wendell, Nick received honorable mention in Prairie Home Companion's Talent From Towns Under Two Thousand contest.
Judy Polan	One of the sweetest voices ever to grace the Valley, and peerless interpreter of Wizard of Oz songs.
Chet & John Porcino	Father Chet joins son John to form a multi-talented musical duo.
John Porcino	John is a renowned veteran storyteller, singer, and children's entertainer.
George Reynolds	An old-time fiddle player from Whately, George has been making music at contra dances for more than 20 years. Joined by Roger Kahle on guitar and Chuck Corman on bass.
Katherine Rhoda	Katherine is a versatile vocalist and musician who performs on an exotic array of instruments, including the marxophone, ukelin, and the Lithuanian kanklės.
Dana Robinson	Formerly based in Ashfield, Dana has relocated to North Carolina, so Valley residents are only occasionally fortunate enough to catch this talented guitarist and songwriter in concert. He enthralls, both solo or teamed with frequent partner Lui Collins.
Nancy Rockland-Miller	Nancy began her musical career performing for children and has more recently evolved to writing and singing songs for adults, several of which can be found on her CD, Devour.
Karen Saunders	A singer-songwriter and dancer, Karen creates folk music drawing from the themes of human suffering and nature's healing power.
Norman Schell	Founder of the famed Valley folk-rock band, Clean Living, Norman now plays with his daughter and son-in-law Gail and Dan Hunt, and Clean Living alum, Rick Tiven in Norman Schell & Youth Well Spent.
Levin Schwartz	Lead guitarist for the Amherst-based band Amity Front, Levin is a teacher and student of a range of musical styles from Bluegrass to Bossa Nova.
Molly Scott	Molly Scott is a poet, singer, songwriter, activist for social justice, educator and psychotherapist with a special interest in psychology and sound. She has sung on Broadway and numbers among her recordings We Are All One Planet, Honor the Earth and Sound of Light.
The Shapeshifters	Tom Hucheson, Liz Smith, Andrea Rogers and Geoff Rogers have been singing Scottish songs a cappella, and changing their shape, since 1998.
David Sharpe	Schooled in storytelling at Maine's Celebration Mime Barn, David favors environmental tales and stories drawn from the native elders.
Peter Siegel	Peter has won acclaim as a thoughtful and humorous songwriter with an irrepressible social conscience. In addition to touring the country as a soloist, he is one-third of the old-time trio Underbelly and he heats up contradances as string-man in the popular Greenfield Dance Band.
Laura Siersema	A Virginia native and Berklee grad, Laura's pleasing blend of poetry, vocals and piano-playing enhance both traditional folk and her own original songs.
Ed Smith	A fiction writer and morris dancer from Lunenburg, Mass., Ed combines literature, poetry and legend to spin enchanting tales.
Daithi Sproule	A native of Derry in the North of Ireland, Daithi is a renowned singer in both Gaelic and English and one of the premier guitarists in Irish tradition.
Jackie Steiner	An accomplished singer of folk, international and classical songs, Jackie is best known as co-writer of “The MTA Song” about Charlie, "the man who never returned," which became a classic hit for the Kingston Trio.
Sugar Moon	Sugar Moon is a collaboration of accomplished Valley musicians including fiddler George Reynolds, bass player Joe Blumenthal, and folksinger Tom Juravich.
Adam Sweeney	A promising young folk pop singer-songwriter from Portland, OR, Adam married and moved east to Northampton in summer 2005.
Russ Thomas	Author of several popular folk/novelty songs, Russ' 1993 recording, Patchwork, rose to #1 best-selling CD in the Valley.
Chris Timson and Anne Gregson	Journeying to the Valley from Wiltshire, England, this concertina-playing duo tuned up here for a gig at the U'n'I Coffeehouse.
Roger Tincknell	A versatile singer enjoyed by all ages, Roger has long been a fixture on the Valley folk scene.
Tim Van Egmond	Multi-talented Tim is part of the folk duo Yankee Notions, and plays hammer dulcimer in the popular contradance band Swallowtail. He also tells stories, makes his own instruments and plays a mean limberjack.
Anne Louise White	An accomplished pianist, vocalist and music teacher, Anne's singing voice may be heard on recordings by John McCutcheon, Sally Rogers and Si Kahn.
Rochelle Wildfong	Nicknamed the Rutabaga Queen, Rochelle is a charming storyteller whose repertoire includes recreating the tales of Carl Sandburg.
Laura Wood	Singer, songwriter, guitarist and percussionist, Laura has backed up Richie Havens, Country Joe Macdonald, Leah Kunkel (Mama Cass's sister) and The Story. Her recordings include an EP tribute to the Skinner Mountain landmark, Summit House, and a CD, South Station Slide, recorded at Signature Sounds.
Joel Zoss	A well-traveled singer/songwriter and recording artist, Joel's beautiful ballad, Stayed Too Long at the Fair, became a smash hit for Bonnie Raitt.
Agnes Zsigmondi	Trained at the Bela Bartok Conservatory in Budapest, Agnes infuses Eastern European rhythms and melodies with elements of folk, jazz, hip-hop and Latin music.

Click on the speaker under an artist's name to hear a music sample in RealAudio or MP3 format.