Folk Music

Spook Handy saw 2 images in the mirror, did not choose the actuarial path, and it has made all the difference. Taking the stage with Pete Seeger more than 50 times didn't hurt his street cred, but mostly his upbeat, folky, deep and relatable songs, along with Spook's poise and talent make him a pleasure and a joy to listen to and sing along with. When not solo, catch him with The Seed Planters, though no longer with Things Between (fka Sofa Kingdom).

There is a power & depth, a vibrant, evocative rootedness in the music of Claudia Schmidt. Over the 24 recordings Claudia has created has run the reflection of the earth & water of the Midwest, but also the freedom & inspiration of the wind & the stars above our entire planet. With lyrics, music, and voice to charm us all, Claudia channels enthusiasm, inspiration, & healing.

Terry Kitchen has been making fine folk music since 1991, mostly solo, after his initial career as a rock star with Loose Ties. Terry's songs mostly emerge from the deep, introspective places, accompanied by beautiful acoustic guitar work. Terry hasn't always been Terry, because once he was Max, as you'll hear during our conversation. Occasionally you'll find him on stage with other folks, like the wonderful Mara Levine, but today he joins us solo, from Boston.

Terry Holder came to her career as a musician & performer relatively late in life, but the pay-off is well worth the wait. She writes songs of great emotional depth and they come to life through her evocative voice and beautiful instrumentation. She’s well and widely-loved, including at the Kerrville Festival in Texas where she has been selected 4 times as a Kerrville New Folk Finalist.

Kitty Donohoe is of Irish extraction, genetically, and she sometimes writes & plays very Irish-sounding songs, including the Irish instruments she plays, but she is deeply & inspirationally Americana, touching the heart & soul with evocative tunes & magical lyrics. One of the founding members of The Yellow Room Gang, Kitty plays & has played in numerous variations on personel & style, including as part of Pub Domain and The Biddies.

Sigrid Christiansen weaves a mystical spell with her music. Self-described on CDBaby as 'free folk' music, her voice, music, & lyrics are charming & enchanting. Animals, dreams, and whimsy feed her music, which she shares solo and with others, like the Taller Than They Appear quartet. For years she has produced the Stone House Concert Series.

Susan Salidor is a voice you will not forget. Starting in musical theater, progressing through activist music with Voices, having co-hosted a show on WLUM-FM, at Loyola, and with decades of enriching young souls and bodies as a music specialists at schools in the Chicago area, Susan makes beautiful, meaningful, & memorable music.

Susan Urban is half of February Sky, along with Phil Cooper, a duo originally from the Chicago area now well-installed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They play a wide range of traditional, modern, and original folk and Celtic tunes, on guitars, banjos, citterns, dulcimers, and other instruments. Susan's songs are full of reality-based fictional story-telling, conveying important meaning and values at the heart of our lives.

Ruth Pelham has decades of experience with People's Music Network and in helping found Children's Music Network, and has 4 decades of using music to connect the people of Albany, NY, and the world, with her non-profit, MusicMobile.org.

Diane Patterson takes us on an odyssey of spirit-based music, close to the Earth. From moon lodge to addiction healing to holy rains to long roads, Diane sings evocatively of the power to change and be changed.