Performers Spotlight for 2018 |
Peter Ali
Peter Ali is a talented and self-taught Naive flutist creating his music from spirit within so each performance is unique and special. Playing a variety of styles, he will demonstrate the music of various plains and woodland tribes, as well as traditional flute styles of Norway and Egypt. He shares their stories as well as stories of his rich ethnic heritage. His father from Morocco is Berber and his mother from Mexico is of Native and southern European ancestry. Listen to the sounds of eagle, running river, nature and the spirit in the flute’s song. |
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 |
Bust It Like a Mule
Bust It Like a Mule is the self-proclaimed, “oddest quartet to grace the state.” Bust It Like a Mule is comprised of author and storyteller, Caleb Mannan; fiddler and singer/songwriter, Jenny Anne Mannan; poet and songwriter, Jacob Mannan; and bard and songster, Kevin Morgan. The band draws from a variety of influences to bring to you the sounds of the Northwest in story and song. They have been called a whiskey soaked Prairie Home Companion and a runaway tent revival. Caleb Mannan reads selections from his Great American Folktale and the band alternates performing original songs inspired by the story. Audiences are moved by this theatrical, seamless and deeply moving production. www.calebmannan.com/music-of-bust-it-like-a-mule/ |
Carter Junction
The husband of wife duo of Clinton and Sarah Carter known as Carter Junction, perform Folk, Celtic, and Cowboy music with Clinton on vocals and guitar and Sarah on vocals, Celtic Harp, guitar and Irish drum, the Bodhran. Both are gifted vocalists, individually and in harmony, with Clinton singing bass and Sarah soprano. One reviewer described their music as “Johnny Cash Meets Loreena McKennitt”. Carter Junction is rapidly earning a name for themselves at folk venues throughout the Pacific Northwest. Carter Junction released their debut album, Simpler Time, in July 2017. www.reverbnation.com/carter_junction |
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/ |
Steven King
Steven King is a fingerstyle guitar champion. He won the 1994 Winfield Trophy for Fingerstyle Guitar (Maple Valley Festival, Winfield, KS) and has recorded 21 solo guitar CDs. www.guitarbystevenking.net/ |
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. [email protected] |
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/ |
Mighty Dreadful
The Mighty Dreadful is a premier bluegrass band specializing in the high lonesome sounds from the Evergreen State. It is part string band and part rockabilly, bluegrass junkies. They perform traditional tunes reworked to satiate four down-to-earth, Puget Sound musicians. The Dreadful combine to form a musical juggernaut on stage, captivating audiences with strong vocal harmonies and self-deprecating humor. The band members include Clayton Kaiser, Kelly Erb, Andy Lowe and Nick McLean. www.themightydreadful.com |
Montana Ramblers
Stan and Annie Moser have been performing together since they met almost 20 years ago. Stan has been playing banjo most of his life, and has been published in Banjo Newsletter as well as recorded for Fiddler Magazine. Annie has performed with various groups in the greater Seattle area. Bequia Martel has played fiddle and stringed instruments her entire life. Bob Hoedel is well know in the Bitteroot Valley of MT and has played with various bands the last 40 years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6edg-r2BKsY |
Lyle Morse
Lyle Morse, also known as "Lonesome Lyle", is an outstanding acoustic guitarist, harmonica player and singer-songwriter-performer. He performs at countless venues and festivals throughout t Washington, Idaho and Montana. Purely because he finds the music so expressive, moving and profound, Lyle concentrates his energies on acoustic blues music. www.lylemorse.com |
Muckle Roe
Muckle Roe is named for one of the 16 inhabited islands of the more than 100 Shetland Islands. The Shetland Islands that lie in far Northern Scotland have a colorful history heavily influenced by both Scandinavia (particularly Norway) and mainland Scotland. The band is comprised of eight members playing fiddles, guitar, cello, accordion and piano. Two of the members, Carla Carnegie and Arvid Lundin, are cousins whose grandparents emigrated from Sweden. Between their two families, Scandinavian and Celtic music have been mainstays of their musical diet. It is Muckle Roe's pleasure to bring music to the Scottish Highland Games this year! Aye! |
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 |
Raging Grannies
The Spokane Raging Grannies sing songs of peace and justice. www.facebook.com/Raging-Grannies-Spokane-192913904152052/ |
Dario Re
This eponymous band is a blend of indie folk with classical and ghoulish flare. It consists of Re on guitar, ukulele and vocals; Phil Pintor on violin and mandolin, Patrick Culbertson on guitar, mandolin, violin, ukulele and vocals; Thomas Ruble on clarinet and melodica; Wil Jenkins on vocals and percussion; Andie Daisley on vocals and Michael Starry on upright electric bass. |
Sidetrack
Sidetrack is a versatile, six-piece band with a great beat. Most of the band are multi-instrumentalists, and the band has a definite groove. The band plays country rock, swing, rock-n-roll, rockabilly, electric bluegrass and many original tunes from slow waltzers to fast up-tempo songs. www.facebook.com/SidetrackSpokaneBand/ |
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 Irish Dance
Spokane Irish Dance is a community dance school dedicated to bringing the joy and love of Irish Dance to the people of Spokane. At the Festival, enjoy a mix of reels, jigs and hard shoe dance to get the audience clapping and their toes tapping. spokaneirishdancers.com |
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. spokanetaiko.org |
Stevens County Stompers
The Stevens County Stompers is a clogging group for all ages and all experience levels, from Colville, WA, in Stevens County. Melissa Johnson started the group over 16 years ago and it's still going strong. Melissa's daughter, Hannah Johnson, has been in the group clogging from day one. Hannah studied other dance forms along with her clogging as she grew up. She now holds two national clogging titles in choreographed solo for the years 2014 and 2015. The group performs at most of the local summer festivals in Stevens County and has entertained at the Fall Folk Festival for over 12 years. If anyone is in our neck of the woods, and is interested in learning to clog dance and wants to join our fun group, contact Melissa Johnson at (509) 675-1786. stevenscountystompers.vpweb.com/ |
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 |