Jane Rothfield is an internationally known fiddler, clawhammer banjo player, tune composer, dance musician, band leader who has been playing music since "forever". She began playing professionally over 30 years ago and has made eleven recordings featuring her lively, spirited and soulful playing and singing. Whether it be traditional Old Time Stringband and fiddle music, or traditional Scottish songs and tunes, music for Contra or Square Dances or tight harmony singing, Jane plays from her heart and musical soul with great technique and expression!

http://www.janerothfield.com/

Alma is a singer/songwriter out of Sylva in Western North Carolina, playing what she considers to be "patchwork music": country, folk, and Appalachian styles pieced together. Born in Florida, she'd spend summers with her family visiting the mountains. She took to Appalachian music at an early age, particularly murder ballads. She started playing fiddle in her early teens, and eventually took up banjo and guitar. She loves expressing herself through songwriting, as it's cheaper than therapy, and she loves playing the old music that's been her foundation and making something that's her own.

http://www.almarussofficial.com/

Riley Baugus represents the best of old time American banjo and song. His powerful singing voice and his expert musicianship place him squarely in the next generation of the quality American roots tradition.

Riley first came to music through his family. His father had left his roots in the mountains of North Carolina in the search for work, settling near Winston-Salem and bringing with him a love of old time music and a record collection that included, amongst others, the works of fellow North Carolinian Doc Watson, which touched the young Riley on a molecular level.

One fateful day, Riley got a call from longtime friend and collaborator Dirk Powell. Dirk was involved in the music direction for the Academy Award-winning film "Cold Mountain" and had convinced the producers that they needed Civil War era banjos made in the Carolina hills, specifically Riley's handmade banjos. They also needed an authentic acapella ballad singer for the voice of Pangle, played by Ethan Suplee. Riley put the hammer down on the anvil and didn't look back. A whirlwind Hollywood experience ensued, culminating in a place on the star studded "Great High Mountain" tour.

http://www.rileybaugus.com/

Curtis Jones reins as one of the most highly-respected flatpicking guitarist on the planet. Expanding on a legacy forged by musicians such as David Gilmour, Pat Metheny, Paco De Lucia, Doc Watson and Tony Rice, Jones is often called by fans and critics alike, "The World's Fastest and Cleanest" acoustic guitarist. This is an extraordinary technique that he both teaches and brings to his contemporary guitar performances and productions. However, speed is only a small part of what Curtis can do. Through his pure guitar mastery, he has the ability to weave in and out of Jazz, Rock, Bluegrass, Flamenco, and World Music styles in a way that is more original than anything that has been heard since Django Reinhardt, while taking the listener to a world of complete beauty, passion, grace and fire.

https://www.curtisjonesguitarmusic.com/

Na Skylark, which simply means "the skylarks" in Irish, is an all-female trio dedicated to playing the traditional music of Ireland, Scotland, and other Celtic lands on Ireland's national instruments: the Irish harp, and the Irish uilleann ("elbow") pipes. From there, na Skylark weaves these voices and others - Irish song, flutes and whistles, fiddle, and the Appalachian mountain dulcimer into a tapestry of sound and feeling that has delighted audiences large and small across the eastern United States.

An evening with Lorinda Jones, Cathy Wilde, and Jannell Canerday offers a rare chance to explore the musical soul and source of "Celtic Women" and "Riverdance" in a relaxed, warm, and truly up-close and personal setting. Charming, engaging, and often laugh-out-loud funny, na Skylark creates an atmosphere that invites audiences to learn about instruments, history, and music they may never have known about before - and always leaves them asking for more.

https://www.lorindajones.com/na_skylark1/

The Berea College Bluegrass Ensemble was founded in the fall of 1999 to give Berea College students with background or potential in bluegrass music an opportunity to play in a "working" bluegrass band with weekly rehearsals, performances, travel, etc. Members are selected by audition, and typically remain with the group until they graduate from Berea College. Members also earn academic credit for each semester of participation in the group. The band has toured in Ireland and Japan

The ensemble is directed by Al White, formerly a member of the Bluegrass Alliance and the McLain Family Band.

Sara grew up in rural New Hampshire and has lived in Scotland for the past 40 years. With her powerful voice and skillful banjo accompaniment, she has sung, taught, and played her way throughout North America, Europe, Britain, Ireland, and Australia. Sara has made numerous recordings in the U.S. and Britain, starting with critically acclaimed albums for Folk Legacy in the 1970s. She has an immense repertoire of traditional British and American songs and ballads that she loves to share.

http://www.saragrey.net

Jeff is an award-winning mountain dulcimer player who is known for his smooth and expressive style. His gentle, humorous, and effective teaching style has made him a highly popular instructor at numerous mountain dulcimer workshops across the country. Although he is a multi-instrumentalist (mountain dulcimer, clawhammer banjo, guitar, bass, autoharp, voice) who plays many types of traditional music and has an extensive old-time repertoire, on the mountain dulcimer Jeff has a particular fondness for waltzes, lullabies, and Celtic airs?the softer and expressive side of the dulcimer! He has been performing for more than 30 years, and his quick ear, technical abilities, musical sensitivity, and expression have made Jeff a popular choice for playing on multiple recordings, including music from Ireland, Scotland, the Appalachian Mountains, and American folk tunes. Jeff describes himself as a musician with a day job. He lives in Chapel Hill, NC.

From the hills of Western North Carolina, two brothers set out to show the world their brand of bluegrass music, as so many brother duets have done before them. Jonah, age 18, and Grayson, age 14, grew up playing gospel bluegrass in their church services. From the very beginning, the brothers clung to the roots of the music, something that many young pickers tend to overlook. The love for the music pushed Jonah to start his own band, Jonah Riddle and Carolina Express.

Jonah takes care of banjo duties in the group, playing a style that is quickly fading away in today's business. You can easily hear the Stanley, Scruggs, and Osborne influences in his sound, the sounds of the pioneers!

Grayson is on guitar and does all of the groups lead singing. Grayson's style of guitar playing will take you back to the days of the great Jimmy Martin; strong, steady rhythm, full of all the runs that help make bluegrass what it is! The brother's father, Benjie, holds down upright bass duties for the band. Michael Grove, is on the fiddle, joining the band from Cosby, TN.

http://thecarolinaexpress.com/

Ted plays bass, sings, is a third-generation square dance caller, and a storyteller. In addition to serving as master of ceremonies and playing bass for The Whitewater Bluegrass Company, "Uncle Ted" is a tour guide for the Blue Ridge Historical Trails, the Blue Ridge Music Trail, and Gray Line Tours of Asheville, NC. He has written script for Gray Line Tours, and many of his stories are based in the deep history of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Uncle Ted previously helped obtain a NC grant for a folk life documentary, worked in the Museum of Southern Culture, and in the Center for the Study of the American South at Univ. of NC, Chapel Hill.

Playing a high-energy and eclectic blend of folk, Celtic and string band music, Stringer's Ridge-a fiddle, guitar, and percussion trio-crosses musical and geographic boundaries, playing mostly instrumental tunes, with diverse and eclectic influences.

Tom Morley (fiddle, guitar, vocals) has played professionally most of his life in many styles of music. Classically trained, he's been a concert violinist, toured Europe with New Orleans jazz bands, and has a Gold Album representing his years on stage and in the studio with Country/New Traditionalist singer John Anderson. His passion for Irish Traditional Music over the past two decades led to the formation of bands that played across the country and inspired him to write a book on the subject. His wife, Fran Morley (percussion), has played the bodhran (the Irish drum) alongside him in concerts and pub sessions in Ireland, England, Scotland, Holland, Canada, and throughout the Southeast US and now also adds a variety of other fun percussion sounds to the Stringer's Ridge mix. Guitarist Bryant Haynes (guitar, vocals, concertina, mouth harp) has been painting harmonic tapestries and helping to keep the beat for a long time. A long-time physics and chemistry teacher by day at GPS in Chattanooga, he pounds out a strong, steady rhythm and loves to engage the crowd in sing-a-longs.

For more information on the band, visit www.Facebook.com/StringersRidgeBand, email flyingfrog@aol.com, or call 251-604-8253.

Join us for our annual Junior Appalachian Music Program student showcase.

Folk School JAM is an after-school program for high school age children that introduces music through small group instruction on instruments common to the Appalachian region, such as fiddle, banjo and guitar.

Folk School JAM is offered, free of charge, to students in both Cherokee & Clay Counties and it's current instructors are:

Annie Fain Liden, Banjo
Peggy Patrick, Fiddle
Zac Kilmer, Guitar
Geraud Barralon, Guitar, Fiddle, Upright Bass, String Band and is the program director

https://jamkids.org/folkschool