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Alexandria Kleztet
  Field Stage   2:00pm
http://www.kleztet.com
The Alexandria Kleztet is an exciting and innovative klezmer band based in the Washington/Baltimore region. Formed in 1998, band members have brought their distinctive brand of this Eastern European musical tradition to diverse venues throughout the Mid-Atlantic, including eight annual appearances at the Kennedy Center. By combining traditional Eastern-European/Jewish music with diverse influences from other genres, such as jazz, classical, worldbeat, and rock, Alexandria Kleztet creates a unique sound that is anything but traditional. All three of their albums were named "Best World Music Recording" by the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) following their release. The band has also received Wammies for Best World Music Group, Best World Music Instrumentalist (Seth Kibel) in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, and Best Jazz Instrumentalist (Seth Kibel) in 2005 and 2007. In January 2007, they undertook their first international tour, in Chile, with dates in Santiago, Vina del Mar, and a featured performance at the Semanas Musicales festival in Fruitillar.

Molly Andrews
  Abbott Stage   noon

Molly has worked in musical theatre since 1995. She is a member of Actors Equity Association and in 2007 she received the Chicago theatrical Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Actress in a Revue. She has been nominated for Best Actress by The Denver Post and for The Virginia Governor's Arts Award. She is a member of D.C.-based Hesperus with Tina Chancey, Bruce Hutton, and Zan McLeod. Her CD, Blue Morning Glory, is available at TPFF and on line.

B

Bad Sauce
  Grassy Nook Stage   5:00pm
Ranging in age from 10 to 14, the members of this hometown classic/indie rock band are brothers Puck & Julian Bregstone, sisters Irene & Sally Ravitz, and friends Ben Chambers, Patrick Clarke, & Dylan Nunn on guitar, bass, drums, keys, trumpet, and vocals.

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Capital Accord Chorus
   Roaming the Festival
http://www.capitalaccord.org
A progressive women's chorus performing four-part harmony, a capella. From jazz to pop, doo-wop to barbershop harmony, they sing it all.

Chopteeth
  Field Stage   5:00pm

Chopteeth was honored with the 2007 Wammie Award for Best World Music Group by their peers in the Washington Area Music Association, and was voted 2007 Best Local Band by readers of the Silver Spring Voice and Takoma Park Voice. The band performs regularly at top venues and festivals throughout the region. Chopteeth's long-awaited debut album will be available on September 20, 2008!

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Greta Ehrig
  Grove Stage   noon
  Seventh Heaven Stage   5:00pm
http://www.gretaehrig.com/
An award-winning and nationally published poet, Greta Ehrig has recently turned her pen to songwriting. Her tender, sultry, thoughtful lyrics lift off the page through gorgeous melodies, varied guitar-work, and a clarion voice that other singer-songwriters liken to Suzanne Vega and Judy Collins.

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Foggy Bottom Morris Men
   Roaming the Festival
http://www.fbmm-morris.org/
The Foggy Bottom Morris Men (FBMM) perform Morris Dance at festivals, private events, street-corners, and drinking establishments. What is morris dancing, you ask? It is a lively English folk dance, invigorated by clashing sticks, flashing handkerchiefs, and jangling bells, performed to the beat of toe-tapping live music from a concertina, accordion, and sometimes a fiddle and a drum. The FBMM perform what are known as Cotswold Morris dances, as well as wild-looking Border Morris dances, sword dances, and (in the winter-holiday season) a mummer's play.

Rick Franklin & His Delta Blues Boys
  Abbott Stage   5:00pm

For the past 23 years, Douglas Park resident Rick Franklin has been playing the blues at local festivals and community events, as well as various clubs and cafes. Rick's musical style of blues is known as the "Piedmont" style identified with such legendary players as Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, and William More, and with such contemporary players as Virginia residents John Cephas and the late John Jackson, and the late Maryland resident, Archie Edwards. Rick has taught guitar to youths and adults and is personally committed to the preservation and diffusion of the blues, especially amongst the young.

Thomas Cox, bassist, plays mostly on the East Coast, where he is known in many blues clubs and watering holes as "Hamfat". For years, he performed in church and gospel choirs during the day and played in Baltimore's infamous Block at night. A strong proponent of the Bert Kaempfert School of bass playing, Hamfat studied under the guidance of Jumpin' Jim Doherty. He later formed partnerships with Leo Kite and the late Harvey Lipps to create the little-known but influential "Silver Spring Sound," which gained popularity in radio advertising during the mid-1970s.

Rick Usilton has played percussion for over 35 years with many kinds of musical groups in Washington, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and many other East Coast locations. A student of traditional folk music and blues, Usilton enjoys playing drums and washboard with Franklin & Friends because of the simplicity and strong emotional appeal of their music. Usilton is also a painter, calligrapher, poet, and, for 27 years, an art teacher in the D.C. public schools. He has read his poetry, often with musical accompaniment, at various local clubs and gatherings.

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Glen Echo Open Band
  Lenore Robinson Dance Stage Stage   5:00pm
http://www.fridaynightdance.org/#About
The mighty wall-of-sound Glen Echo Open Band plays contradance music: a mix of Irish reels, jigs, polkas, French Canadian tunes, old-time mountain music, rags and more. The Open Band has some of the D.C. area's best musicians, and they make new musicians feel very welcome. You can hear the Open Band at Maryland's Glen Echo Park on the second Friday of every month in the Spanish Ballroom.

Terry Gourley & Tobias Hurwitz
  Seventh Heaven Stage   noon

Tobias Hurwitz is a well-known guitar wizard with quite a few nationally distributed releases under his belt, including three solo CDs, a dozen instructional books, and two DVDs. Hurwitz accompanies Gourley with just the right guitar licks for the perfect combination.

Together, their thought-provoking music evokes a feeling of soul-searching and yearning. The new Terry Gourley CD is expected to be released this winter.

H

Harley String Band
  Seventh Heaven Stage   noon
http://www.HarleyStringBand.com
Harley String Band consists of: Three talented singer-songwriters who mine the deep veins of American music and bring back the occasional rough diamond. Supporting each other on a variety of instruments, they aspire to breathe new life and fresh ideas into traditional musical forms. All three band members have won honors in the prestigious Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest.

Their new CD, Didn't Come to Stay Long, highlights the "sin and misery" theme the band is known for. The band's first CD was (surprise!) a children's album. Subtitled "Nature songs for kids, parents, and teachers", the Cougar of Haycock Woods celebrates outdoor learning and nature's power to inspire.

Arriving in the D.C. area in 1968, Ben enthusiastically learned many international dances. He soon began to reach out as a dance teacher, first in 1970 at the Jewish Community Center, where Ben led Israeli dancing for 24 years. He led the Georgetown/Cleveland Park international-folkdance group in the 1980s, and he has taught a Friday-night group since 1987. Ben also has participated in many performing groups, including various Israeli groups from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, occasional international performances, and specialty groups doing Irish stepdancing and Scottish country and Spanish dances.

Ben loves the immense variety of music and dance that's out there and never tires of being exposed to new styles. He enjoys the challenge of breaking things down clearly and efficiently for pthers, especially when it results in the dance being learned well. The only downside--so many dances, so little time!

J

Janelia Soul AFrique
  World Stage   4:00pm
http://www.myspace.com/janeliasoul
The daughter of an Amerian father and Nigerian mother, singer-songwriter Janelia brings a unique multi-cultural vibe to her exotic, hightly rhythmic mix of reggae, neo-African, and world fusion music. Nominated for the 2006 Nigerian Entertainment Award as Artist of the Year, Janelia's new recording I'm An African, chronicles her spiritual and musical quest to discover who she is and where she fits in the world as a citizen of two fascinating, but distinctive, cultures. The band includes Janelia's husband, Femi Sanya, on bass; Frank Martin on lead guitar; percussionist, Aloyes; Ethan Clark on drums, and Ama Pipim on vocals. From uplifting soul tunes to Fela Kuti classics, JaneliaSoul Afrique presents a musical celebration of life in English and Yoruba.

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Cletus Kennelly & Lori Kelley
  Grove Stage   2:00pm
http://cdbaby.com/cd/cletuslori
Imagine the sweet, soulful harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel, and place them into the unusual songwriting styles of Cletus Kennelly and Lori Kelley. The D.C.-area songwriters blend contemporary urban folk with elements of melodic pop and alternative rock. The award-winning singer-songwriters met in 2000 and began collaborating on each other's material almost immediately. Since then, they've developed a style and a sense for each other's voices that is magical. Their recent accolades include Washington Area Music Association's Best Contemporary Folk Duo/Group. In addition, Lori was the 2003 WAMA Songwriter of the Year, and her song "It Was a Great Day" was honored as Song of the Year by WAMA and the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest.

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Elizabeth & Sandy LaPrelle
  Abbott Stage   1:45pm
http://www.old97wrecords.com/elizabeth-laprelle
Elizabeth LaPrelle has been performing Appalachian ballads and old-time songs since she was eleven. Her magnificent voice, her respect for the songs, and her authentic mountain sound and style brought her to the attention of first Ginny Hawker and then Sheila Kay Adams.
Raised in Rural Retreat, Virginia, Elizabeth attended old time fiddlers' conventions and sang harmonies with her family, who taught her traditional singing styles and encouraged her to sing their own favorite American folk music.

Sandy LaPrelle grew up singing the traditional songs her mother and father sang to her at home. As a counselor at summer camp she sang and taught others to sing folk songs around the campfire, and of course sang to her own kids at home. In the late 1980s Sandy performed early music with the Solstice Assembly out of Chapel Hill, NC. Now that her daughter Elizabeth is performing regularly, Sandy provides harmony vocals for the family duets.

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Marimba Pequeña Internacional
  World Stage   5:00pm
Marimba Pequeña Internacional is a family ensemble that was founded by Fernando Sarceno in 2004 to share the beautiful music of Guatemala, featuring the hand-built wooden marimba. Originally from Africa, the marimba was greatly modified in Guatemala and is now the country's national instrument. This popular group has performed at the embassies of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Israel as well as at Hispanic festivals and other cultural events. They love to play the traditional music of Latin countries, with an occasional American tune to surprise the audience. They performed at the 2007 Takoma Park Folk Festival.

Eric Maring
  Grassy Nook Stage   noon

For the past 10 years, Eric has performed and shared his love of music for audiences of all ages. In that time he has made four major recordings: his 2001 debut solo release Birdsong, his 2004 release Penguins Rock the World! and his collaborative efforts with Jawbone, including the exuberant and highly acclaimed all-ages CD Holy Guacamole! In the years since his first CD release, Eric has performed at the Birchmere, Iota Cafe, Blues Alley, HR-57, The Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, and the Takoma Park Folk Festival.

Eric credits his many years as an elementary teacher for truly helping him understand the deep power that music can have in the lives of young people and their communities. These days, he teaches music at the Center for Young Children, the University of Maryland's laboratory preschool, where he is known as "Mr. M." He holds a master's degree in education and is certified in the early-childhood-music program Music Together. Most important, he is the proud father of 3-year-old Leo.

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The Near East Music Society
  World Stage   2:00pm
http://www.tnems.org
The Near East Music Society (NEMS) was created in late 2007 to bring together area musicians who are passionate about Near Eastern music. NEMS is committed to preserving and transmitting the rich legacy of Near Eastern music, while developing new, and refreshing interpretations. NEMS has developed a unique networking philosophy, which encourages cross-cultural collaborative efforts and promotes contemporary growth. Since its inception, NEMS members have performed in many professional and charitable events, demonstrating their skills and passions. In addition to performing on behalf of this society, NEMS members have begun the process of defining and developing other unique performance groups.

As a grassroots organization, NEMS endeavors to provide resources for new and professionally oriented musicians, regardless of previous Near Eastern musical experience. The Society's goal is to assist in developing competent foundations and the strong repertoires necessary to succeed as performers of Near Eastern music.

O

Karyn Oliver
  Grove Stage   noon
http://www.karynoliver.com
Karyn Oliver, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter from Baltimore, has been turning heads on both sides of the Atlantic with her skillful songwriting and a passionate, soulful voice that could break your heart through a brick wall. Her musical inspiration comes primarily from the eclectic mix of music she was exposed to while growing up in the musically diverse culture of Washington, D.C. As a child, she was trained in both classical voice and musical theatre. At the same time, she learned to play rock-and-roll on her guitar and, being inspired by the likes of the Beatles, the Everly Brothers, and Carol King, to write some of her first songs.

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Delaura Padovan
  Lenore Robinson Dance Stage   5:00pm
Delaura Padovan (along with husband Steve Hickman and their two daughters) raises chickens and goats on her family homestead and teaches and organizes for her local Virginia homeschooling community, in addition to teaching and calling dances for all ages.

Jesse Palidofsky
  Grove Stage   noon

Jesse's CD of original compositions, Food for the Long Haul, reflects the rich diversity of his Detroit musical heritage. It moves effortlessly from the harmonica-driven "Crossing the Poison River," to the Appalachian-style political broadside, "Ballad of Sammie Abbott," honoring the lifetime of Takoma Park's former mayor and founder of the Takoma Park Folk Festival. The CD also includes the jazzy sax and hilarious verbal juxtapositions of "I Need Mercy (A Million Times a Day)," to the sublime, Sweet-Honey-in-the-Rock-style spiritual, "Send Down Your Healing Water."

Pam Parker Blues
  Field Stage   3:00pm

Pam's vocals are expressive, rich, and haunting. She has a big voice, but she also knows how to whisper a good lullaby. These reasons, along with the talent and versatility of her band-mates, are why audiences are compelled to hang onto every note they sing/play. Her ace backup band (the Imagine Band) consists of Steve Jones (piano), Scott Giambusso (bass), Jobari Parker-Namdar (vocals), Richard Miller (guitar), Herbert Scott (saxophone), and Francis Thompson (drums). The instrumentalists, who are all world-traveled performers, educators, and impresarios, beautifully blend their influences to create a unique and exceptional sound. This ensemble was honored with standing ovations from the notoriously seat-bound crowd at Blues Alley and at Busboys and Poets.

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Radio Caroline
  Field Stage   noon
http://www.radiocarolineband.com/home.html
Radio Caroline, based in Baltimore, is dedicated to providing something truly authentic to listeners who appreciate raw musicianship. Whether building their own recording studio and creating an independent label or contributing to a variety of music compilations (including a Lou Reed tribute that earned them recognition in Rolling Stone magazine), the band continues to challenge themselves daily by exploring fresh musical and emotional territory. Their style, which is influenced by such legends as Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, could best be described as "Americana-Soul."

Like all great singers, Kirk Philips expresses emotion rather than merely referring to it. The band is also composed of multi-instrumentalists who have continually written, performed and recorded music for nearly a decade.

The friendship among band members and the unbelievably strong support from their fans has allowed them to continue doing what they enjoy so much.

Ruthie and the Wranglers
  Field Stage   1:00pm

This group has been awarded more than 20 Wammies, or Washington Area Music Awards, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year. Known for their original, upbeat songs like "I Say Tomato," a clever twist on tradition, and "Someday," recognized by the Billboard World Songwriting Contest, the band is now recording their fifth CD.

With influences like Johnny Cash, Dick Dale, and Loretta Lynn, Greg's and Ruthie's unique songcraft and spritely hillbilly harmonies are a welcome twist on tradition. If you love fast-paced guitar pickin', a right-on rhythm section, jumpin' piano and clever lyrics, you are going to love their show. Billboard magazine said they have "a songwriting flair . . . nothing short of brilliant."

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Samovar Russian Folk Music Ensemble
  World Stage   noon
http://Samovarmusic.com
Formed in 1996, the Samovar Russian Folk Music Ensemble plays an extensive repertoire of Russian and Ukrainian folk music. The local ensemble has performed at the Smithsonian Museum, the Russian Embassy, Russian Ambassador's Residence, Hillwood Museum, and other venues in the Washington, DC area. Excerpts from Samovar's first CD, Some of Our Best, can be heard in the movie, Yippee.

Uncle John Sawbriar
  Seventh Heaven Stage   noon

Influence from the greatest guitarists of many different musical genres has led Sawbriar to create a composite sound drawing on elements of every style from ragtime to jazz, blues to old-time country bluegrass, to classical and modern rock, that entangles listeners in the brambles of rambling tunes both chaotic and tranquil, and songs of travels, travails, and even feral cats.

Sense of Wonder
  Grove Stage   3:00pm

Rick & Audrey front the band that often adds bass (Mark Sylvester), drum (Ron Nicholson), cello (Dayana Yochim) and piano (Clark R.) to the guitars and harmonies that already characterized their signature sound. It is a place shimmering with earthly magic, a rhythmic enchantment of chords and arpeggios, and voices swirling, whimsical yet wise.

Verlette Simon
  Field Stage   11:00am

Take a little bit of James Taylor, throw in some Gladys Knight, and add a little Dave Mathews and a pinch of Emily Saliers, and you'll come up with the acoustic-soul fusion of Verlette Simon. A soulful, intelligent songwriter, she cites her major influences as The Indigo Girls, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Armatrading, Toshi Regan, and a host of soul songwriters that she grew up listening to. Currently she says she listens to a lot of Joni Mitchell and Sweet Honey in the Rock.

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Lisa Taylor
  Seventh Heaven Stage   noon
http://www.lisataylormusic.com/
Lisa Taylor is a mommy, therapist, singer-songwriter, guitarist and drummer from the D.C. area. She is a Washington Area Music Association (Wammie) winner and Kerrville New Folk finalist and has been the recipient of numerous songwriting awards from contests in the U.S. and abroad. Her newest CD, True North, is receiving notable reviews and airplay on folk, pop, and adult-contemporary stations as well as on satellite radio.

Justin Trawick
  Grove Stage   noon

Justin has been tunefully hitting local clubs, coffeehouses, and bars since November 2004, quickly expanding his range to larger venues up and down the East Coast and opening for the honorable likes of Pat McGee, Bob Schneider and Brett Dennen. He plays both solo and with his band, The Justin Trawick Group, consisting of quite the velvety brew of piano, cello, violin, mandolin, upright bass, hand percussion, and drums. Trawick's debut album, How to Build a Life With a Lemonade Stand was recorded live in 2006 and warmly eased its way into the driver's seat of a fine combination of folk and hip-hop, taking all 13 tracks on a first-rate drum-on-the-steering-wheel ride. With smoothed-out Dylanesque vocals skipping over his effortless guitar playing, Justin released the CD in 2007 and has continued to bolster individual lives ever since.

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The U-Liners
  Field Stage   4:00pm
  Seventh Heaven Stage   5:00pm
http://www.uliners.com
The U-Liners play a wide variety of music in the roots-rock genre including country, rock-'n-roll, swing, bluegrass, rock, folk, folk-rock, country-rock, blues, rhythm & blues, soul, and more. The U-Liners have a broad and deep repertoire ideal for dancing or listening. From their sold-out shows at the IOTA Club in August '05 and '06, paying tribute to Jerry Garcia, to their performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, to energetic standing-room-only crowds at Jammin' Java, Half Moon Barbeque, the Birchmere, the Rodeo, and McGinty's in Silver Spring, The U-Liners always offer up a full dose of variety and energy!

The U-Liners have also performed at the Mansion on O Street, the Millennium Arts Center, the AFL-CIO, the Mercury Ballroom in NYC, and Bally's in Las Vegas. Individually, members of the band have performed at the Birchmere, the IOTA Club, the State Theater, Wolf Trap, and many other fine venues throughout the country. The U-Liners have performed several times with Lester Chambers of The Chambers Brothers, and with Jill Sobule, Boots Riley of The Coup, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, Pete Seeger, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, and Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion.

A rare specialty of this group is songs of hope, peace, justice and equality-- political and protest songs--both old and new. The U-Liners have performed at many rallies, conventions, conferences, educational seminars, and other places where people gather to create a more just and humane society. The U-Liners consist of Joe Uehlein (guitar, vocals), Avril Smith (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Larry Ferguson (drums), Mindy McWilliams (fiddle, vocals), and Barry Warsaw (bass, vocals).

At this festival the U-Liners will be joined by special guest John Kadlecik of the Dark Star Orchestra.

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Andy Wallace
  Abbott Stage   3:30pm
Folklorist and performer Andy Wallace has been involved with the traditional arts for over 40 years. As Associate Director of the National Council for the Traditional Arts, he directed the National Folk Festival for 15 years, as well as the Lowell Folk Festival and numerous national tours and festivals. The National, now in its 69th year, is America's oldest multi-cultural festival. He also did a 5-year stint at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and produced Festival Des Deux Mondes, a tour of Franco-American music and dance in northern New England, sponsored, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts. Most recently, Andy has worked with the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, producing the "Homegrown: the Music of America" concert series. He has also served on several folk-arts panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, including the National Heritage Awards panel.

As a performer, Andy has been active since the '60s. He was an original singing crew member of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater with Pete Seeger, Louis Killen, Gordon Bok and Don McLean, and he has appeared at concerts and festivals all over the U.S., as well as in Japan and Latin America. He has recorded with Louis Killen, Helen Schneyer, Jonathan Eberhart, and Jay Ungar, among others. Andy performs a wide range of traditional folk music from the U.S., with banjo and guitar as well as a cappella.

Michelle Webb
  Seventh Heaven Stage   noon

Michelle Webb has helped unfetter the guitar from the conventions of genre-bound techniques, but her instrumental virtuosity and technological breakthroughs are always deployed in the service of deep and immediate personal expression. She has developed a highly individual style from an uncommonly varied range of influences. Some of her musical sources include traditional blues, East Asian, classical North Indian and Turkish music, free jazz, free improvisation, American steel-string guitar, rock, jazz fusion, and 20th-century classical.

Doug Alan Wilcox
  Seventh Heaven Stage   noon

Doug has spent his entire adult life in front of a microphone and behind a guitar. During that time, he's traveled a road from solo acoustic artist through numerous electric bands of various stripes and back again, having performed along the way at some of the East Coast's most notable venues as well as countless small cafes and listening rooms.