Sam Baardman : Sam is one of the best songwriters I have the pleasure to know personally. I covered his excellent song "Hearts and Hands" on my album "Current Obsessions". I love his first album "Kicking the Stone Home" and look forward to picking up "The Rookery" his second CD. He's from Winnipeg, MB and his career is taking off, discover him before he's the next hot thing!
Les Barker This British poet / musician / parodist writes amazing and funny parodies and poems and some really beautiful serious ones too (though he's much more well known for the funny ones). June Tabor has recorded some of the serious ones. You really need to hear / read his work to believe it - I mean, this is the man who wrote the classic poem/song "Daschunds with erections can't climb stairs". A touching love ballad. NEW!
The Bobs: The Bobs are this amazing acapella group that has to be seen and heard to be believed! They write truly weird and funny songs, they do these magical bizarre covers of songs like "Psycho Killer", "Strawberry Fields" or "Ring of Fire". And they have amazing musicality and skill!
Holly Cole: Holly Cole does amazing covers of songs you thought were so old and moldy you couldn't stand to hear them like 'Que Sera Sera'; But she breathes wonderful new life into them! She's a fantastic singer, backed by a really great trio. I love her interpretations. Check out her web page!
Lui Collins We love this New England singer. she has a lovely warm voice, is a skilled instrumentalist, writes beautiful and funny lyrics, and performs in a way that makes you feel like you're in your best friend's house. She does adult repetoire but also for children. Her kid's album "North of Mars" won and award! See her if you get a chance!
Einstein's Little Homunculus:First of all they have a great name, secondly they are a celtic group that uses Baritone Saxaphone, and thirdly they do a wonderful musical rendition of the A. A. Milne poem "Disobediance". A talented and sublimely goofy group of musicians from the Boston area - check out their web page, their recordings and if possible see them live!
Fairport Convention: A classic British folk-rock group. Definitely a musical influence for me.
Lorraine Hammond : Lorraine Hammond is a fantastic musician who plays mountain dulcimer, harp, banjo, and performs traditional and original music with her husband Bennett. (He's a truly awesome guitarist by the way!) She's also a fine teacher (I speak from experience since I happen to take mountain dulcimer lessons from her.) Lorraine does things on the mountain dulcimer that are simply magic.The Indigo Girls: I admit it, from the first time I heard those wonderful harmonies and listened to their thoughtful lyrics I was hooked. This is as good a place as any to start web browsing for Amy and Emily info.
Kallet Epstein and Cicone don't technically have their own web page but this page is attached to Overall music, which is owned by Ellen Epstein. A wonderful trio! Great blend, wonderful harmonies, terrific rep!! Ed and I love their music, have all their albums and had the honor and delight of opening for them once. All that and really friendly too!
Talis Kimberley : Talis is a talented singer and multi-instrumentalist, a fantastic songwriter, and a dear friend. She's from England but do check out her web page. She'll be touring some places in the states Fall of 2000 so you may get a chance to say you saw her before she was famous!!
Gwen Knighton: Gwen is a fantastic wirestrung celtic harp player, writes some really interesting beautiful songs, and is a wonderful person. You should check out her new album "Box of Fairies". NEW!
Christine Lavin: Christine has this amazing ability to write both very funny songs and songs that are hard hitting and emotional. (sometimes both at once!) Besides that she's a great role model for a folk musician because she's managed to become quite succesful and is still just so darned nice!
Lynne Noel:Lynne is a delightful person who is a talented traditional musician. She sings acapella and accompanied, plays dulcimer, clogs, and morris dances among other talents!
Puzzle Box : Some friends of mine who are a fairly new band. They're good and getting better!
Pete Seeger: I listened to my mom's Pete Seeger records when I was growing up and we used to sing songs from the Pete Seeger songbooks with my sister, I sang them at camp, and eventually I went to every Pete Seeger concert I could manage. I think he was one of my earliest role models as a musician because he always managed to get a whole audience of people singing along. So I was really pleased to find this nice web page for him.
Fred Small : Fred Small is a very inspiring songwriter. I've enjoyed singing his songs for many years now and it was a wonderful treat to open for him. He also happens to be a Unitarian Minister at the Littleton UU Church in Massachusetts.
Tom Smith If you like parodies you must check out this guy's music! His writing reminds me of Christine Lavin in that it can be wickedly funny one minute and touching, disturbing or sad the next. He's well worth seeing live. (I say that not just because he's an old friend!)
Bill Staines is from New Hampshire. He has been called the "Woody Guthrie of our generation". I love many of his songs that have become "folk standards" like "Roseville Fair" and "River". He also happens to have a warm baritone voice, a nice sense of humor and has recorded children's albums that are unique in that they contain a lot of "old classics" like "Home on the Range", "The Ashgrove" and "Grandfather's Clock" but they are done so well that you can enjoy listening to them. They don't become irritating. I highly recommend these if you are a parent!
Trout Fishing In America This duo is one of my favorites. They do perform "adult" music also but what hooked me is their children's music. I do a lot of children's concerts and I hate "cutesy" kid's music. These guys have mastered the art of entertaining both children and adults. They will make you roll in the aisles with their live humor. Songs like 18 wheels on a big rig (sung in roman numerals no less!) and "Mine" have to be heard. Check these guys out - even if you don't have children!
Lark In The Morning: At least two cool sounding stores, a summer music camp I'd love to go to someday, and a web page with a LOT of neat instruments!
Bear Meadow Dulcimers: I'm saving up my money to someday have one of these gorgeous dulcimers. Lorraine Hammond plays one. They are truly works of art. Really. Also the maker is a lovely person and a delight to meet!
Making Music for the Joy of It:...
I love this book. I love it so much that you can buy it by clicking on the image
of it! It's a book every "amateur" musician should have (the author
points out that "amateur" means "lover") but I think even
semi-pro and pro musicians will benefit from it. Delightful to read and crammed
full of useful advice.
The Muses Muse : My friend Jodi Krangle has set up this web site which is chock full of useful information and resources and networking ideas for songwriters. She even has exclusive interviews with all sorts of songwriters and industry professionals. Lots of great information and nice touches like links to an online rhyming dictionary! If you're a songwriter (aspiring or otherwise) check this out!!
Folk Book: This is a really great resource for fellow folk music lovers out there! There is info on artists, venues, schedules, radio shows... you name it! Check it out.
Dirty Linen: Not only is this magazine jam packed with information and reviews about folk music and folk/rock/world beat/? music, they also have a really delightful sense of humor! Their April Fools issue is-not-to-be-missed!
Folk Alliance: Growing all the time! A sort of professional organization for folk artists, they apparently have wonderful conventions. I'm really hoping to make one soon! A useful resource. They also have a "friends of" index which lists venues, artists etc.
Interfilk:
An organization that promotes the sharing of filk music. My quick definition
of "filk" is music shared by members of the Science Fiction Fan community,
especially but not exclusively music about Science, SF, Fantasy, Technology,
Space... For more info check out this page.
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