2021 PERFORMERS
The Onlies – This high-energy quartet of young instrumentalists and singers performs together as a stringband. The band members, who grew up playing fiddles, guitars, and banjos in their hometowns of Seattle, WA and Lexington, VA, dig deep into traditional American popular (old-time) music, but perform with a pulsating drive, sharp arrangements, and rich vibration that resound with the present. https://www.theonlies.com/
Elliott Rogers – Elliott is a self-taught guitar player who was profoundly moved when he first heard a Doc Watson album. At age 17, Elliott ventured out to his first bluegrass festival where he saw Bill Monroe, Jim and Jesse, and the Country Gazette with Alan Munde. Elliott lives in Austin where he has recorded with Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, and Nancy Griffith and shared the stage with John Prine, Buckwheat Zydeco, Blaze Foley, and many others. https://campbluegrass.com/elliott-rogers/
Alan Munde Bluegrass Trio – Born in Norman OK, Munde learned banjo from a well-regarded local banjo player, Ed Shelton. In 1969 he moved to Kentucky to play with Wayne Stewart and Sam Bush in Poor Richard's Almanac, then joined legendary bluegrass musician Jimmy Martin in the Sunny Mountain Boys. In 1972, Alan became a member of the legendary Flying Burrito Brothers and later that year joined Country Gazette, where he remained a central figure for the next twenty years. https://almundesbanjocollege.com/
Cahalen Morrison – Originally hailing from the high desert of Northern New Mexico, Cahalen has spent the past decade touring solo, as a duo with Eli West, or with his band Western Centuries. Equally at home on guitar, banjo, mandolin, singing three-part harmony or unaccompanied, he has carved out a place for himself as a unique voice in American music. He has played festivals all over the world including MerleFest, Rockygrass, Kilkenny Roots Festival, Edinburgh TradFest, and Bluegrass Jamboree. https://www.cahalen.com/about
Lara Manzanares – An award-winning bilingual singer-songwriter of Northern New Mexican heritage, Lara sings the Mexican boleros, rancheras, and corridos of her sheep-ranching childhood, as well as her own compositions in both English and Spanish. Through a combination of storytelling and songs both playful and sincere, Lara draws on her rural New Mexican roots and her urban experiences across the US and abroad as she sings about love, loss, a sense of place, and her own connection to the land. http://www.laramanzanares.com/
Maddy Mullany and Clarke Williams of Asheville, NC have been playing old-time music together since they met in college in 2014. With a shared interest in fiddle and banjo traditions of Western NC, Maddy and Clarke have built a repertoire of dance tunes, Sacred Harp songs, banjo pieces, and more. They have played in bands such as Jenny and the Hog Drovers, Georgia Horseshoes, and French Broadcasters. They’ve toured in the US, China, and Colombia.
Margot Leverett & Duke City Hora – Margot Leverett, Jordan Wax, and Tanya Nuñez comprise a trio that performs the diverse styles, rhythms, and Yiddish songs that make up the klezmer repertoire. Margot Leverett (clarinet) is classically trained and a master of klezmer. Jordan Wax (accordion, Yiddish vocals) is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, and traditional musician. He has studied non-classical musical traditions with elders from a variety of cultural lineages in New Mexico, Mexico, and the Midwest. Tanya Nuñez (upright bass) plays in styles from classical, tango, Persian and Arabic to country, rock and funk/soul. https://www.facebook.com/dukecityhora/
Higher Ground Bluegrass – Higher Ground Bluegrass – Higher Ground Bluegrass, New Mexico’s premier bluegrass band, was founded in 1998. Band members Ken “Duke” Weddington (banjo, guitar, vocals), Dave Devlin (mandolin, dobro), Fred Bolton (guitar, vocals), Pat Mahoney (fiddle, vocals), and Laura Leach-Devlin (bass, vocals) perform original material penned by the members as well as traditional and contemporary selections. Their philosophy – develop dynamic arrangements of their original material and add something new and unique to standard bluegrass tunes to make them their own.
https://highergroundbluegrass.com/
Karina Wilson – Karina Wilson is a creative and dynamic international fiddler celebrating traditional music from around the world including Appalachia, Cajun Louisiana, Mexico, Peru, Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, Austria, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Scotland, and Ireland. Born and raised in Santa Fe, Karina grew up as part of the city’s contra dance community. She now travels the country and the world playing and learning fiddle music from many traditions. https://www.facebook.com/karinawilsonmusic
Kitty Jo Creek – Kitty Jo Creek Band is a melodious group of bluegrass musicians from the Santa Fe area. Kitty Jo Creek plays fresh renditions of traditional and original compositions. This bluegrass and cowboy jazz flavored group includes the adventurous musicianship of James Horn, David Thom, Patty Gilman, and Ross Scroggins. http://kittyjocreek.com/
Mariachi Sonidos del Monte – As the premier mariachi in Santa Fe, Mariachi Sonidos del Monte includes eight talented musicians – Santiago Romero, guitar; Christina Gomez, guitar; Gabriel “Gabe” Chavez, vihuela; Steven Montaño, guitarron; Eric Ortiz, trumpet; Gabe Tafoya, violin; Margaret Armstrong, violin; and Sara Maldonado, violin. They have performed together 10+ years, expressing their love of music in the themes of mariachi – machismo, love, betrayal, death, politics, and heroes. https://www.sonidosmariachi.com/
Gerry Carthy – Gerry, born on the West Coast of Ireland, plays a variety of instruments including banjo, guitar, tin whistle, saxophone, fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki, and vocals. Inspired by the folk revival of Irish music in the 60s and 70s, Gerry was a founding member of the traditional Irish session at the Crane Bar which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Living in Santa Fe for many years now, Gerry performs at Celtic festivals throughout the US and in the Santa Fe region.
ATC String Band – The Academy of Technology and the Classics String Band plays traditional American folk and old-time tunes. Band members are all current high school students. The group is taught and led by award-winning music teacher and musician Erik Carlson.
Rob Martinez - Our New Mexico State Historian is a native New Mexican and an accomplished folk musician, performing New Mexican Hispanic musical traditions with brother Lorenzo and father Roberto Martinez as Los Reyes de Albuquerque. Rob has an MA in Latin American History with an emphasis on church, cultural, and social practices of the Spanish Colonial period in New Mexico. He has performed at the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, NEA’s National Heritage Fellowship Awards, and throughout New Mexico. https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Not-a-Business/Rob-Martinez-State-Historian-of-New-Mexico-109223374168818/
Steve Cormier - Steve sings cowboy music of the American West about the human condition, western style. Steve’s performances, while mainly old and traditional cowboy fare that reflects his nine years as a ranch and farm hand, also include insightful background information and stories. He has performed in film and television productions as diverse as Wyatt Earp and Breaking Bad and has performed at folk festivals across the US. https://www.facebook.com/steve.cormier.14
Robert Shlaer (Piobob) – Although he only began playing the pipes in 2010, Robert has been involved in music for decades. In the 1970s, he built copies of 18th-century flutes and recorders while seriously pursuing Baroque music. Robert plays the Great Highland bagpipes as a solo piper and is also a member of the Order of the Thistle Pipes and Drums.
