The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, which ranks among America’s largest and most prestigious music festivals, has announced it will inaugurate its 20th anniversary year by sponsoring a 23-show preview tour in May featuring the “emerging artists” who were voted “most wanted to return” by 2007 festival audience. This will be an evening of three stunning new songwriters in the round. Showcase performers for this show include songwriters Lindsay Mac (Cambridge, MA) Joe Crookston (Ithaca, NY) and Randall Williams (MO). “The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Preview Tour will showcase these talented singer/songwriters with very distinctive styles.” said Anne Saunders, Falcon Ridge Artistic Director. “Each show will be different, with its own unique dynamic, and many will feature an in-the-round format, which will allow fans to experience the music of Lindsay Mac, Joe Crookston and Randall Williams in a wonderfully intimate way.”
Haven’t heard of them before? Guaranteed, you’ll be glad you came!


www.FalconRidgeFolk.com/

In February 2006, singer and cellist Lindsay Mac was featured on the cover of Strings magazine, rightfully taking her place as a true original in transforming a traditional instrument and raising it to new heights. Classically trained at the Royal College of Music in London, The San Francisco Conservatory, and Berklee College of Music, Mac is characterized by her combination of plucking the cello and standing while performing. She holds the cello like a guitar and sings original songs in the folk/jazz tradition. Mac is revolutionizing the way we think about the cello while expanding the definition of the folk/singer-songwriter.

www.LindsayMac.com/  -  Listen to sound clips - Click on Music

Now living in Ithaca, NY, Joe Crookston was born in rural Ohio in a family of Hungarians. Polkas, accordions and eastern European food…there’s a little bit of gypsy in this guy... Goodhearted, artful and intense, his music is imaginative, extremely engaging, and draws deeply from his rural roots and his many urban adventures. Joe’s newest collection of songs has just been released on his new (2008) CD, Able Baker Charlie & Dog. His 2004 release, Fall Down as the Rain was chosen by Performing Songwriter Magazine as a "TOP-12-Do-It-Yourself" independent recording, and was featured on National Public Radio's “All Songs Considered.”

www.JoeCrookston.com/  -  Listen to sound clips - Click on listen

Known for his poignant storytelling and captivating guitar work – which can be heard on his January 2008 CD release, Praying For Land – Randall Williams has performed in more than 35 countries and is as much at home in a Senegalese village as he is at the Kennedy Center or an intimate house concert in New Jersey. After graduating from the Royal Conservatory of Mons, Belgium, Williams realized that he yearned to bridge the divide between performer and audience that he often felt in formal stage settings. Armed with his guitar, he has been a traveling troubadour ever since.

www.WhereIsRandall.com/  -  Listen to sound clips - Click on Music

At long last, Godfrey’s joins the SouthSide community for their monthly First Friday event, featuring none other than our Founding Father – Dave Fry! A graduate of Lehigh University, where he got his start in folk music performance, Dave is truly one of the most entertaining performers we’ve ever met, with a huge repertoire of ballads, pop songs, children’s songs, and an engaging and sometimes very silly stage manner. Dave developed an award-winning educational assembly program RockRoots, a history of American Pop music in 1990. Needless to say, We Love Dave!
Been walking all over town for First Friday? Come in and get off your feet and join us for this great FREE show. Plus, we will be giving away FREE CDs at random all evening, and the odds are better than hitting the Powerball.

www.DaveFryMusic.com/  -  Listen to sound clips

The inimitable Mad Agnes returns to Bethlehem and Godfrey Daniels with their award-winning original songs and haunting, Celtic-flavored tunes, as well as their breath-taking instrumentals. Juggling guitars and keyboard, female vocalists Adreienne Jones and Margo Hennebach complement one another, while Mark Saunders’ guitar work recalls the inventiveness of Richard Thompson. Their vocal harmonies are luscious and spot-on. Pete Fornatale of WFUV, New York, said: “Mad Agnes isn’t really mad at all. They know exactly what they’re doing; crafting clever and beautiful songs and singing them flawlessly”.

www.MadAgnes.com/  -  Listen to sound clips - then click Listen and Buy

The spawning ground for new artists! Open Mike features a grab bag of regional talent. During each 3-song/15-minute set, you may hear anything from guitar pickers and budding singer-songwriters to pianists, fiddlers, comedians, poets, and storytellers. Many a notable act started here. Watch history in the making! Sign-up is just before 7:00 p.m.

The Lehigh Valley’s local source for NPR news, local and Public affairs and diverse music! See our website www.WDIY.org/ for complete schedule of programming heard on WDIY. Meeting is open to members, programmers, volunteers, and anyone else interested in learning more about what WDIY has to offer.

Old-Time music is the real thing: music the way it is supposed to be, played for the sheer joy of swapping songs and having a good time. Come to our own back porch session and bring your guitar or banjo, fiddle or mando, bones, what have you. Just for the fun of it!

It’s been quite some time since this Trio has graced our stage with their silliness, presence, insightful songwriting, and amazing vocal prowess. Cindy Mangsen, half of the duo with Steve Gillette, joins Priscilla Herdman and neighboring treasure Anne Hills, their voices weaving and twining and making music almost as siblings would, in intricate arrangements that will leave you breathless (and indeed sometimes leaves them breathless as well!). All three deliver a performance that comes straight from the heart, a feel-good show that has always been one of our favorites. A must-see for folks of all ages and musical backgrounds. Treat Mom to a pre-Mother's Day outing -she'll love you for it!

www.PriscillaHerdman.com/

www.AnneHills.com/  -  Listen to sound clips - Click on Discography

www.CompassRoseMusic.com/  -  Listen to sound clips

Over an impressive professional career spanning four decades, David Olney has built a reputation not as a kind-hearted troubadour, but rather as a performing songwriter with a sharp literary mind that often cuts to the bone of the human condition. Whether the subject matter is heartbreak or armed robbery, Olney's cinematic style and fearless approach to lyric writing have won him a reputation as a kind of musical outlaw. Listening to his new CD, One Tough Town, is like watching a Sergio Leone western: it's gritty, smart and dangerous and you can't take your eyes off the screen.

www.DavidOlney.com/  -  Listen to sound clips

www.JonShain.com  -  Listen to sound clips

Perennial Godfrey’s favorite Bruce Katz returns to Godfrey’s with his hot jazz-tinged powerhouse blues. With his big old Hammond B-3, Leslie rumble, and keyboard flash, Bruce fronts a group of the hottest musicians you will ever hear. Both Bruce and bassist Rod Carey worked with the legendary Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, and recently Chris Vitarello joined Mike Williams on guitar. As always, madman Ralph Rosen pounds the drums. And the Bruce Katz Band don’t mess with words…their music is all instrumentals, and they have a well-earned reputation for playing long, hot sets. If you like the blues done right, you have to catch this show; you won’t only hear it, we guarantee you will FEEL it too!

www.BruceKatzBand.com/  -  Listen to sound clips

Lucky are we to add Bluegrass music to our monthly community jams! Join Fred Gilmartin and friends for a fine music circle in the tradition - bring your instruments and voice, or come just to listen and tap your feet.

Godfrey’s is pleased to present storytelling. Join us and the Lehigh Valley Storytelling Guild for this special night. Bring a story to tell.

www.geocities.com/lvstorytellers

Hailing from Talbott, Tennessee, Vertigo comprises Lindsey Stamey - Vocals, Joel Rudnick - Guitar, Justin Stamey - Drums, and Kendrick (Zexx) Carpenter - Bass. Crafting a sound that pushes the line between fragility and aggression, Vertigo draws from many styles and influences. They traverse the sonic spectrum from dark and eerie to energetic yet pensive, yielding a sound that is both complex and pleasing to the ear.

www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=128855  -  Listen to sound clips - Click on Audio

Quite simply, an evening with Claudia Schmidt is pure magic. With numerous TV and movie appearances, award-winning scores, and eleven albums of fresh folk-blues-jazz music, Claudia is best savored live on Godfrey’s stage. The Post Bulletin says, “Those who keep trying to categorize Claudia Schmidt's music should just give it up and file her under the general category ‘Talent.’ Big talent.” This self-proclaimed “creative noise-maker” specializes in various sounds other than singing and playing, including poems, satire and more, rendering her shows filled with surprises, even for her most devoted fans.

www.ClaudiaSchmidt.com/  -  Listen to sound clips

The spawning ground for new artists! Open Mike features a grab bag of regional talent. During each 3-song/15-minute set, you may hear anything from guitar pickers and budding singer-songwriters to pianists, fiddlers, comedians, poets, and storytellers. Many a notable act started here. Watch history in the making! Sign-up is just before 7:00 p.m.

Swing is back - big! This is the night: Western swing, big band Dixieland, and more. Bring sheet music. All instruments welcome.

Welcome back On The Road and In The Round, the Nashville songwriters’ round-robin performance pioneered at the legendary Bluebird Café, this year featuring Grammy Award winner Don Henry (for “Where’ve You Been”), Grammy Award winner Julie Gold (for “From a Distance”), and nine-time ASCAP Award winner Craig Bickhardt. Whether you are a songwriter yourself or just like to listen, you don’t want to miss this opportunity to see the best in the business practice their craft in Godfrey’s intimate setting. Visit the artists’ websites to see the extensive lists of top performers who have recorded their songs.

www.DonHenry.com/ 

www.JulieGold.com/ 

www.CraigBickhardt.com/  -  Listen to sound clips

When he was 15 Stefan Grossman started studying guitar with the great Rev. Gary Davis on weekends, spending eight to ten hours at his house in Harlem, absorbing all he could. After studying with Davis for eight years in high school and college, he learned and studied with other country blues guitarists: Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Skip James, Mance Lipscomb and Fred McDowell. Stefan’s educational books, CD’s and video have been the launching point for many fingerpickers over the last (nearly) half century. Stefan’s student, Tokio Uchida, combines elements of American country blues with musical influences from his native Japan, and has been very influential in promoting the acceptance of acoustic blues, ragtime, and finger style guitar within Japan. Don’t miss this opportunity to see two master fingerpickers.

www.GuitarVideos.com/

www.Tab-guitar-school.co.jp/E/E-Tokio-Profile.html

Join a friendly group of Songwriters in the Round, be inspired and turn your works in progress into polished gems. If you're an experienced writer or have just always wanted to write a song, come share the craft of songwriting.  Hosted by Steve Walker.

A low-volume get-together for swapping songs and riffs with other blues players. Hosted by Tavern Tan featuring Doug Ashby, Tom Axcel, Andrew Brubaker, and Dave Joachim.

Karen and Pete have a style that is an elusive mix of all the music they love; it is modern folk, influenced by pop, soul, rock, blues, and everything in between. Karen’s music is grounded in optimism and playfulness. She has a voice that can move cold stone; she backs it up with conga and hand percussion that gets folks up and moving. Pete adds fiendishly good bass and guitar riffs, funky and innovative. They often back up Greg Brown, whose latest album they produced and recorded. Dirty Linen called them: “An addictive blend of hybrid pop with lots of jazz, whimsy and slippery funk.”

www.KarenSavoca.com/  -  Listen to sound clips

Continuing our Jazz and More series, we are proud to present Frank Vignola, who is an incredible guitarist that can be found playing with David Grisman, Les Paul, or leading his own band of accomplished musicians. In the mid-’90s, he honed his technique in the New York City jazz world. Now, with his band, The Rhythm Machine, he plays and composes in a variety of styles, some of which are difficult to define. They may start with some original Latin-flavored jazz tune, then play a creative arrangement of a Police song, and follow with some gypsy swing. There is even the occasional classical piece that is artfully played. You never know what to expect next from Frank and the guys except that it will be top-notch.
Completing the group from New York City are Vinny Raniolo on guitar, Rich Zukor on percussion, and Pete Coco on bass – all exceptional players in their own right. This promises to be a fantastic show, so don’t miss it.

 
www.frankvignola.com/  -  Listen to sound clips - Click on listen