Spokane Fall Folk Festival
  • Home
  • About
    • History
    • Mission Statement
    • Directions & Maps >
      • Accommodations & Transportation
    • Testimonials
    • Testimonial (2022)
    • Poster Archive
    • Committee
    • Contact Us
    • News & Press Articles
    • Spokane Folklore Society
  • Schedule
  • Programs
    • Spokane Public Radio Broadcast
    • Contra Dancing
  • Performers
    • Performer Application >
      • Performer Policies
    • Performers Alphabetical
    • Performers by Genre
    • Performer Locations & Times
    • New Performers
    • Performers Spotlight
    • Performers Audio Samples
    • Performer Referrals
  • Performances
    • Acknowledgements 2021
    • Alma Brasileira
    • Angus Scott PB
    • Arvid Lundin & Deep Roots
    • Baharat Dance Company
    • Blue Ribbon Tea Co
    • Bob Riggs
    • Brad Keeler
    • Brad Sondahl
    • Brittany Jean
    • Bulgarian Dance Group
    • Cigar Box Guitar Slingers
    • Cd'A Youth Marimba
    • Coeurimba
    • Crooked Kilt
    • Daniel Gore
    • Dario Re
    • Dennis Glidden
    • Due North Band
    • Eyer Family Band
    • Frankie Ghee
    • Hank Cramer
    • Heat Speak
    • Hunter Koss
    • Indian Youth Club
    • Jen Edgren
    • KlapaDooWopella
    • Larry Lotz
    • LaVona Reeves
    • Little Red Shed
    • Lyle Morse
    • Maple Ridge Band
    • Natanam Dance School
    • Old Plank Road
    • Patrice Webb
    • Poor Boy's Delight
    • Safar
    • Sidetrack
    • Silver Spurs
    • Sondahl Hawkins & Thomsen
    • Spokane Area Square Dancers
    • Spokane Bon Odori Dancers
    • SFS Contra Dances
    • Spokane Storytelling League
    • Spokane Taiko
    • Steven King
    • Steven Schennum
    • True North Duo
    • Two Grey Cats
    • Ukestra
  • Sponsors
    • Major Sponsors
    • Friends of the Festival
  • Volunteers
    • Acknowledgements 2020
    • Volunteer Thank You 2019
    • Two Special Volunteers 2019
    • Two Special Volunteers 2018
    • Two Special Volunteers 2017
    • Volunteer Appreciation Dance 2017
  • Vendors
    • Vendors 2022
    • Food Vendors
    • Vendor Application
  • Wares
    • Festival Bake Sale
    • Festival Buttons Sale
    • Festival Buttons Archive
    • Festival T-Shirt Archive
    • Festival Hats Archive
    • Festival Mug Archive
  • Photos
    • Festival Photos 2022
    • Festival Photos Archive
    • Mighty PJAMRS Photos 2022
    • Haran Irish Dancers Photos 2018
    • Jammers Photos 2018
    • Contra Dance Workshop Photos 2018
    • Kids Photos
    • Scottish Photos
    • Volunteer Photos
    • Vendor Photos
  • Donate
    • Donation Online
Picture

2016 Performers Spotlight

Donate to Support the Festival
Picture
Angus Scott Pipe Band

The Angus Scott Pipe Band
has enjoyed performing in the Spokane Folk Festival from its very beginning. The band, formed in 1955, was named after Angus Scott, an influential Kimberly BC Pipe Major known for promoting Scottish culture in the Inland Empire. In addition to Folk Festival, the band is active in our region, performing in parades, graduations, private events and other community services. Pipe Major Jenel Thew and Drum Sargent Tom Hamming currently lead Angus Scott Pipe Band.

www.aspband.com

Sapna Basy
 
Sapna demonstrates Indian Bollywood Dance. Sapna believes that there are short cuts to happiness and that dancing is one of them. She achieved improvement and success in dancing by taking parts in various competitions. She was the former homecoming queen at EWU. Sapna will perform Bollywood Dance, which originates from India.
Picture

Picture
Bridges Home

​Bridges Home is Tami, Dave and Paul Gunter - a trio of lead vocalists and multi-instrumentalists out of Sandpoint, ID, performing transformed Americana, Celtic, Roots and many originals. Bridges Home lays shimmering harmonies over a changing line-up of instruments and a unique take on three-part foot percussion to drive the music forward. Instruments include guitar, tenor ukulele, clawhammer banjo, accordion, octave mandolin, Celtic harp, cigar box guitar, resonator slide guitar, bass, Irish whistles, Bodhran, stomp box and washboard. With their popular transition to festival shows and theater concerts, Bridges Home has placed a new emphasis on sharing their striking originals and the stories behind them.

​www.reverbnation.com/bridgeshome

Picture
Dan Burt

Dan was raised in a musical family. He has been playing the guitar and singing popular tunes and folk music for more than 50 years. He enjoys folk tunes with historical significance and good lyrics.

Arvid Lundin & Deep Roots

​Arvid Lundin and Deep Roots is an energetic band playing an eclectic mix of Celtic, North American and Scandinavian music. For over 20 years, Deep Roots has been led by master fiddler, Arvid Lundin, and the driving rhythms of David Beach on guitar and mandolin. About 6 years ago, vocalist Char Beach joined the group with her harp, guitar and Bodhran. Most recent member, Cherie Bronstein, adds a powerful beat with her bass fiddle. Deep Roots will get your toes tapping and have you out of your seat dancing.​

lundinsviolins@hotgmail.com
Picture
Check out their music on our Performers Samples page.

Picture
PK Dwyer

PK Dwyer is a songwriter, creative force, and blues busker extraordinaire. PK is also a living piece of music history, much of it connected to the Seattle area and Pacific Northwest, with the distinction of being recognized as the first to busk at the Pike Place Market in 1972 [forming and fronting the bands Felix & the Freelicks and PK Dwyer & the Live Wires]. He is also the founder of the influential proto-punk band, The Jitters. In the last decade, PK Dwyer has returned to his roots as a full time busker – preferring street corners and farmers markets to the bar scene and club circuit. PK writes and performs his own unique style of rollicking acoustic roots & blues, which has become known to his fans as Cosmic American Blues and Sidewalk Hipster Blues.

www.pkdwyer.com/

John Elwood and Robin Elwood

John Elwood is a luthier and musician from Eastern Washington. He builds and plays Mountain Dulcimers, and sings. John and Robin deliver beautiful mountain dulcimer ballads, with the occasional squeezebox to flesh out their sound.
Picture

Picture
Floating Crowbar

Spokane, WA-based multi instrumentalists Don Thomsen and James Hunter have joined forces with guitarist Rick Rubin and fiddler Morgan Andersen in the configuration known as Floating Crowbar, fast becoming known as the best traditional Irish band in the area. With the use of uilleann pipes, flute, whistle, banjo and mandolin as well as fiddle and guitar, Floating Crowbar play a high energy mix of Irish instrumental music and songs drawn from traditional and contemporary sources. Coming from a wide variety of backgrounds and musical interests, they bring together their common passion for Irish music, good humor, mutual respect and friendship into a show that will be enjoyed by any Celtic music fan.

​www.floatingcrowbar.com


Free Whiskey

This Celtic folk-rock band is known for inciting random acts of dancing, revelry and spontaneous sing-alongs. Free Whiskey performs a mix of old and new, playing punchy pub fare, traditional Irish melodies and rowdy anthems to fit any crowd. The band consists of Brad Calbick, Merri Schultz, Autumn Dryad, Wayne Curtis and Maria Tart, and they call Spokane their home.

www.facebook.com/FreeWhiskeyFans/
Picture

Picture
Grant Elementary Drummers & Dancers

The group performs traditional African music and dances. The Grant Elementary Drummers & Dancers have been a part of the school for more than 40 years.

Bodhi Bill Miller

Bodhi Bill Miller is a singer-songwriter. However, he is more than just a singer-songwriter. In his own words, he is an 
artist, writer, jester, poet to the living, and chaplain to the dying. He loves sharing stories and songs from his life. Some are serious, some are whimsical, all have meaning. Looking back on his life, he admits to being a perpetual pilgrim. He’d like to share some of that journey with you. Come listen to Bodhi Bill Miller.

bodhibill.com
Picture

Picture
Todd Milne & Moksha

Todd Milne and Moksha play world fusion with contemporary grooves. Todd performs & produces Electro-Acoustic World Fusion Music for Meditation, Massage, Yoga, Dance and other Wellness Practices. He plays Electric Bamboo Flutes and Ukulele, performing Solo, and with his band Moksha. His style pays homage to traditions from around the world. Deeply contemplative and serene, the music permeates the environment and induces a transcendental sense of peace and relaxation. His performances and recordings have become popular among those seeking healing and respite from the stresses of modern living.

www.milnesounds.com/todd_milne/


Moses Willey

Moses Willey pushes the envelope of bluegrass – incorporating folk, Appalachian and Americana using originals, traditional and modern roots music. And of course, it’s all played in their unique style. Formed in 2012, Moses Willey has been performing their stirring harmonies and hard driving, high energy sound throughout the Inland Northwest ever since. The band is comprised of Michael Lee Hicks on mandolin & vocals; Alyssa Hersey on fiddle & vocals; Clayton Lee on guitar & vocals; Don Saladin on Banjo; and Tony Farris on bass.

www.moseswilley.com/
Picture

Picture
Northwest Hula Company

Spokane's only professional Hula dance entertainment company. The NW Hula Co. features authentic and traditional Hawaiian Hula, the fast-hip-shaking Tahitian Dance and the New Zealand Maori Poi Ball Dance. The group is a leader in authentic and traditional Hawaiian Hula and Polynesian dance.

​www.northwesthula.com


Otis Orchards Malleteers

A mallet percussion group of fourth through sixth graders.
Picture

Picture
Plaid Cats

Perform do-wop, swing, country and blues. Group was originally formed by Dan and Andrea Vaughn in 2007. They perform throughout the greater Spokane area.

plaidcatspokane@yahoo.com

Primitive Pines

Enjoy the bluegrass musings of local musicians Connie Fletcher and Joshua Reimen. Primitive Pines bluegrass band plays duets with rich vocal harmony and Appalachian instrumentals.
Picture

Picture
River City Ramblers

This Spokane old-time string band features fiddler Judy Lungren, Bill Siems on mandolin, Ted Hensold on banjo and harmonica and Dawn Holladay on guitar. They feature lively dance music for contras, squares and just listening. Nora Scott joins the band and ably calls the dances.

Salish School of Spokane
 
We welcome the energetic young drummers and singers from Salish School of Spokane. Salish is the first language of Spokane, and is the heritage language of the Spokane, Colville, Kalispel and Coeur d’Alene tribes. Maintaining their traditions and promoting Salish language and culture, the Salish School drummers and singers will share with our community their newly developed skills. Salish School is a unique learning environment offering Salish language immersion instruction to children aged 1 to 11 years old. The school’s mission is to preserve and revitalize Salish language, so they also offer other programs, including free Salish language classes for parents and the community.

www.salishschoolofspokane.org
Picture

Picture
Silver Spurs Youth Folk Dancers

The Silver Spurs repertoire represents over 40 cultures, including Mexican, Japanese, English, Ukrainian, Filipino, Norwegian, Haitian and traditional American dances. A timeline of dance crazes from the USA has popular styles including Charleston, Lindy hop, swing and disco. Character dances, depicting eras or interpretation of styles are included in the dance repertoire. The Spurs perform primarily in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.

www.silverspursyouthfolkdancers.org/

Spokane Chinese Dance Group

Perform traditional Chinese dances.
Picture

Picture
Spokane Taiko

Spokane Taiko, founded in 1997, seeks to build community and create awareness through the traditional Japanese music, especially rhythms, dance and martial arts. Audiences will be soothed at times and electrified at others by the primal beat and pulse of the instruments.

​


Stevens County Stompers

The Stevens County Stompers is a clogging group for all ages, male and female. They have classes available for recreational and competitive clogging. They are located in Colville, WA in Stevens County.

stevenscountystompers.vpweb.com/
Picture

Picture
Ukulele Players of the Palouse

UPOP meet each month; the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month and the 2nd and 4th Friday of each month. All practices are from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Bishop Place Community Room in Pullman. Everyone is welcome; all ages and levels of playing ability. For anyone under 18 years of age, we ask that they be accompanied by a parent or sponsor.

www.facebook.com/UkulelePlayersOfThePalouse/

Dick Warwick

A cowboy poet. Raised and lives amid the rolling Palouse Country hills of eastern Washington. He says, “The landscape is ingrained in my brain and its rhythms are as familiar as my heartbeat.”
 
He’s written poetry of one kind or another since his school days, but did not happen onto the cowboy variety until 1990, when he heard that some Australian poets were coming to Elko, Nevada. He had become a fan of Australian bush poetry one evening in 1981, in Perth, Western Australia. In Elko, he heard some cowboy poets and decided that he was one.
 
He’s shared his poetry with audiences at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Australia’s National Folk Festival and loads of other places. Despite his many accomplishments, he says, “I shall have to be content with my role as Barnyard Yarnbard, optimist and prognosticator of doom.”

www.cowboypoetry.com/dickwarwick.htm
Picture
Picture
Picture
Spokane Folklore Society is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to fostering international cultures in Spokane.
Spokane Folklore Society, PO Box 9768, Spokane, WA 99209-9768 | (509) 828-3683 | Director@spokanefolkfestival.org
© COPYRIGHT 2016 - 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.