Folk Music

Laura Joy won the Songwriter Contest at the Great River Folk Fest 2017, and it's no mystery why. The young Phoenix-to-Chicago transplant has talent far beyond her actual miles. And what's more, "Laura Joy has been known to quell dark, angry bars full of ornery old Irishmen".

Barb Tilsen became a devotee of folk music in the early '60s, and has spent a life mixing music, activism, and enrichment of children. Her circles of music & work have included the People's Music Network, the Midwest People's Music Network, and the Children's Music Network (CMN) - watch the video of Let The World Be Well - and she was the founder/early curator of the CMN Song Library.

Accompanied by the amazing violin & talent of Katie O'Neill, Idris Phillips weaves heart-enlivening music, both his own & that of others, live at the 2018 FGC gathering in Toledo. Inspired by music greats like James Taylor, Paul Simon, and his friend, Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam, Idris writes, sings, & plays music of the deep.

Jan Krist and Jim Bizer make music that is fun, profound, quirky, insightful, and moving. As a duo their creative name is Jan Krist & Jim Bizer, but they also perform in a number of other groups & configurations, with Diamonds in the Rust, The Yellow Room Gang, Floyd King & The Bushwackers, and more.

Robert B. Jones, Sr works joyfully to build bridges of understanding through music in an organization & project called Common Chords. Using tools of music, story-telling, history, & inspiration, Robert brings pleasure and insight to diverse audiences. Part of his richness is that he is also pastor of Sweet Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church of inner-city Detroit, where he seeks to inspire & heal the world in other ways.

Irfan Ali Taj left the business world to follow his passion, making music full of peace, understanding, & spirit. Originally from Chitral in the north of Pakistan, living in Karachi, Taj loves passing Chitrali folk culture forward. You can catch Taj on YouTube and on Facebook.

David Tamulevich's life is folk music, in various configurations. He's been performing for more than 40 years with Michael Hough as Mustard's Retreat, been writing songs and performing with a group called The Yellow Room Gang for about 12 years and, on top of that he puts in a full week plus overtime as booking agent & manager services as Tamulevich Artist Management.

Cody Diekhoff is Chicago Farmer, a consummate story-teller combined with heartfelt tunes & evocative voice. Coming of age when punk/grunge rock was the alternative thing, he got hooked on an alternative to the alternative by Hank Williams, leading to a kind of alt-country/folk/Americana style all his own. Cody is from a farming family in small-town Illinois, did good time in Chicago, and has settled in between with his wife, the artist creator of Twice Upon A String who makes Upcycled Instrument String Jewelry.

Mindy Dillard is so many things, besides being an enchanting singer/songwriter. She's a Musical Alchemist, Body Image Activist, and sometimes she's Princess Fearless. And that's just a start. She created a one-woman folk rock opera called How to Survive a Poison Apple, combining mythological scholarship and soul-deep whimsy. She operates out of Salt Lake City, Utah.

Erika Kulnys is out to change the world, sometimes by tackling the "big issues", but also by inspiring the listener to heal themselves and therefore get out of the way of change. Operating from Nova Scotia, and with an enchanting voice, piercing lyrics, and great instrumentation, Erika takes the heart and soul flying into a better future.