Anchorage Folk Festival, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, member-supported, volunteer organization supporting folk arts in the community.

PERFORMER PROFILES (pdf link for print)

Friday Evening 7:00 pm; January 22, 2010
Emcee: Mr. Whitekeys

The Board Band: AFF Board members welcome you to the 21st festival in folk style. Brett, Marianne, Mary, George, Tom, Rhea, Caitlin, Ken, Liz and Pete.

New Anointing: Youth group sings gospel the Polynesian way. Savili Godinet, Lei Lani Alo, Chantel, Yolanda, Matthew,Jr, and Pelu Alailefaleula, and Pastor Al.

Kray Van Kirk: Singer/songwriter performs a medicine for melancholy.

Relative-ly Famous: Pop Folk. Homer friends have fun playing music in the big city. Sunrise Sjoeberg, Tim Quinn and Brian Court.

Barbara Grant & Friends: Jazz Standards and vocals. Breezy and catchy standards and not so standards. Barbara plays with Kim Amaya and Karl Wilhelmi.

Mariah Ver Hoef: Mariah travels from Fairbanks to play Folk and Pop for us.

Folkadelic: Acoustic Roots. This trio plays anything from classic bluegrass to reggae and folk. Bailey Riddle, Carter Marvin and Garren Volper.

Bayou Glacee: Mostly traditional Cajun music sung in french with one song in english. Eric Stice, Bill Allen, Patti Hamre, Celine Vaillancourt, Beverly Grogan and Miles Allen.

Fat Weasel: A lively old-time stringband and Cajun band hoping to get you out of your seats and dancing. Brian DeMarcus, Steve Mantooth, Jason Bent, Christy Williams, Aileen McInnis

Dawn Berg: A vocalist in search of a band.

The Asteroids: Killer Jazzgrass. Miles Allen, Sean Galvin, Ryan McLaughlin, David Smith and Casey Hoflic

Amy Lou: Singer songwriter plays for you.

Brother Mule: Enjoy the revelry this weekend then call your friends in Homer, Fairbanks and Kodiak and tell them what they are missing at the Anchorage Folk Festival.

Saturday Afternoon 1:00 pm; January 23, 2010
Emcee: Patty Hamre

The Long and Short of It: Meg and Paul have played together and with others over the years and will play a few songs today for you. Meg Anderson and Paul Paslay.

Sentimental Journey: Folksy Blues. A musical mixture of melodies. Kathy Hughes, Heather Sneed and Rory Landers.

The Cat in the Tree: Sky Kelsey, Denise Martin and Jim Kerr

Robbie Beebe & Ken Brown: Folk and country songs new and old. Robbie
is accompanied by Ken Brown on mandolin.

Sunrise Sjoeberg: Sunrise Sjoeberg sings original tunes that reflect life’s experiences.

Borealis Dancers: Dance to the CanCan and Showboat. Veronica Iverson, Kayla Venn, Tom & Georgie Hollander, Cindy Montgomery, Mindy, Suzanne, Samantha and Marlene.

Two Fish in a Tree: Family Band. Not as bad as it could be. Shonti Elder, Bill Frey and Devin Frey.

Guido’s Paddleboat Jam: Folk, bluegrass and country tunes-some of our favorites. Robbie Beebe, Ken Brown, Karen Lois, Pam McCarl, Donna Dougherty, Jerry George, Rose Mercer, Sandy Haag, Bill McDonald, Mike Irving and Steve Wright.

Steller Choir: Middle/High school students from Steller Open Optional performing folk tunes.

Cattlewags: A trio combining guitar, banjo and cello in mix of original bluegrass singing and songwriting with bluesy/folk covers. Carlyle Watt, Theresa Taylor and Laura Wagner.

Little Fiddler & Friends: Irish music meets Dixie Chicks. Julia and friends 3rd festival performance playing music because we love it. Julia Newheim, Lisa Jamieson, Mari Jamieson and Kevin Cassity.

Russell Ariel: Alternative Folk. Singer songwriter offering a new breed of folk music.

Mountain Mission: Folk ensemble that plays both traditional and original songs. Sjofn Weisner, Paul Weisner, Leif Weisner, Amy Little and Dave Little.

Jim Adams: Still sensitive! Still wearing tight pants! How long can this really go on.

Steve & Deb Oudean:Gospel Bluegrass. Come see what we’ve been up to.

Alaska City Folk Arts: Celebrating Youth & Beyond in traditional live folk music. Mary Schallert and folk arts people of all ages

Saturday Evening 7:00 pm; January 23, 2010
Emcee: Robin Hopper

Alaska Flute Circle: Native American Flute. Haunting and healing sounds from the ancient days of America brought to life with a contemporary eclectic flair. Anya James Family, Liu Hsiu Kuo, Neal martin, Mike Gladu, Chris Floyd, Deborah Peterson, Ian Wahl, Lisa O’Brien and Jerry George
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Slapdash: Bluegrass Fusion: The bluegrass band with shoes on that will knock your socks off. Harrison Jennings, Kai Kokesh, Cory Sheppard and Stuart Bemenele.

Adelante: Andale y arriba! 2 gringas que sing-a! folk songs from the mountains to the coast of Latin America. Kim Amaya, and Barbara Grant.

Mountain Waxwings: Suzy Crosby, Melanie Keenan, and Jessica Dudek. Soaring bluegrass harmonies from three Mat Valley girls.

Banjo Contest Winner: Who won?

Wings to Fly: Flying harmonies and fun folk music from this group. Shonti Elder, Elsa Aegerter, Karl Wilhelmi and Marianne See.

Eric and Sean Braendel: Singer is joined by his son to play original songs.

Midnight Sun Zombies: Deadgrass. It must be something we ate. Brett Jokela, Bill MacFarlane and Nino Muniz.

60/40: North Country swing. The guys are getting older, but the music is forever young. Hank Roesing, Michael Faubion, Howard Okland and Tom Torvie.

Oldenweiser: Original and Classic Folk Music. Acoustic folk music sung in tight male-female harmonies accompanied by 5-string banjo, guitar and mandolin. Doc Schultz, Kathy Claiborne, Kevin Cassity and Meg Anderson.

Lauralee: Original Folk and roots music. Alaskan with a passion for folk, oldtimey and bluegrass performs with distinction. Lauralee Honkola.

Acoustic Banana: Folk-rock. Shimmery vocals accompanied by guitar, banjo, mandolin and “beaucoup de je ne sais quoi”. Lisa Jamieson, Kevin Cassity, Paul Anderson and Peter Crimp.

Steve Durr: Longtime singer/songwriter from Talkeetna.

Aurora Borealis Mid Eastern Dancers: Join us in sharing our passion and expression through a lively array of American Style Middle Eastern Dance. GraceAnn, Morganna, Amora, Layla, Aurora, Kimber and Deb.

Sunday Afternoon 1:00 pm; January 24, 2010
Emcee: David Teague

Country Gospel: A selection of gospel songs. Davis Normand, Jill Ekstrom, & Jan Fry

Mary Schallert: Mary is the quintessential singing housewife and music teacher. She sings because she must.

KGB n D: A new spin to Old-Timey. Kari Disbrow, Gwen Heynen, Beau Disbrow and Dan Heynen.

Mary Anne Green: Pennywhistle. Mary Anne plays folk songs and tunes from Ireland, Britain and America.

Gospel Sound: Gospel songs to lift your spirit. Schanel Pollard, Melissa Moses-Brown, Ursela Cox-Darko, Deverette Williams, Louise Ward, Kathy Bowe, and Selita Helms.

Dan “Dirty D” Pascucci: Folk. Every once in a while a man comes along and does something. Today is that day and “Dirty D” is that man.

Chris Oudean: Acoustic Folk/rock. Chris sings and plays acoustic guitar.
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Bluegrass 162: Mike Hansen, Marilyn Backus, Pete Schaab, Kelly Deyerman and Wayne Stuvick play bluegrass tunes for you.

Sally’s Kitchen: Ensemble group sings for you. Sally, Mary, Janice, Judy, Karen, Janet, Kitti, Rosene and Debbie.

Kathy Burgoyne and the Shimmy Sisters: Traditional Middle Eastern music, Moroccan tray balancing and finger cymbals shape these joyful and evocative dances. Kathy Burgoyne, Sharon Headley, Debby Jones, Laura Kelly and Reyna Savinon.

Carmen: Classical guitarist in training.

The Hopper Family Band: The family that plays together, stays together. Bruce, Robin, Caitlin and Grady Hopper.

Betty Arnett: The Storytellers Guild of Anchorage entertains and amuses.

Chinook Open Optional Peace Choir: Chinook Elementary grades 1-6 sing songs of peace and friendship. Might be as many as 150 singers.

Brother Mule Workshop: Participants show off what they have learned.

Sunday Evening 7:00 pm; January 24, 2010
Emcees: Matt Rafferty and Jeremiah Miller

The Bowheads: Eclectic Folk! Traditional tunes with an untraditional flair. A very large group of locals playing fiddle, viola, cello, mando, flute, penny whistle, drums, bass and guitar.

Liz Malys: A blend of jazz, folk and classical. Liz refuses to fit nicely into a genre and instead refers to herself as a “Piano Songstress”. Liz Malys, Troy Anniskett and Esther Golton.

Cowboy Church of Anchorage: Country Gospel Praise Band. Doug Briney, Amberly Briney, William Miller, Steve & Anita Wright, Steve & Deb Oudean.

Mountain Echo: Funny Folk music. The funny side of folk music guaranteed to leave you laughing. Steve Hinds and Mike Childers.

Sarahndipity: Bluegrass. Alaskan family band featuring Sarah Bartholemew, Ian Wahl, Matt Faubion and Steve Bartholomew.

Rant & Raven Morris Dancers: Tradiitional English Folk Dance known as Shakespeare's favorite stick dancing. Monique Ashmead, Dawn & Chris Berg, Serena & Dan Coons, Karin Gustafson, Lyn Lemon, Donna Levesque, Joanne Teague & Kirsten Gustafson.

Gal Pals: Ensemble group together again, with more of our favorite songs for you. Marianne See, Mary Oudean, Ginger Boatwright and a bass player.

Bootleg Brown: Bluegrass and acoustic Country. These guys could quit their day jobs, play bluegrass, and make hundreds of dollars a year!! Dave Mannheimer, Lowell Webb, Paul Paslay and Chuck Dunnagan.

Hot Club of Nunaka: Gypsy Jazz/Acoustic Swing. Southcentral’s one and ONLY gypsy jazz quartet will give you a serious Djangover!! Jon Schick, Derek Christianson, Eric Rodgers, and Nathan Levine.

Brother Mule: Give it up for them ONE MORE TIME!

Thursday Evening 7:00 pm; January 28, 2010
Emcee: John Tracy

Folk's Tales: A performance group dedicated to the oral tradition and acoustical sound, they have performed at the Folk Festival and all over Alaska for the last nine years. Shane Michell, Erin Mitchell, Wayne Mitchell, Lindsay Lamar, Dennis Cleary, Elle Delaney, Petra Banks, and Kristin Fernandez.

Edward San Martin: Original compositions using altered guitar tunings and multi layering-with the effect of two guitars playing at once.

Chugach Mountain Range Cloggers: High energy precision line and formation dances to country, bluegrass, rock and pop music. Karen Beaudin, Redina “Janie” Clayton, Kelley Hartlieb, Jackie McIntire, Leslie Patrick, David Ulmer, Virginia Ulmer, Celine Vaillancourt, Lisa Willard, and Billy Woods.

The Mouse Behind the Dresser: Folk or possibly Irish. Sky Kelsey and Richard Gelardin.

High Lonesome Sound: Rip Roarin' Bluegrass!! Dustin Rider, Phil Jolly, Carter Bancroft, Eric Rodgers and Garren Volper.

Marcia Knorr: Fractured folk/comedy as she puts the fun back in dysfunctional. This old gal still has it... ...if she can only remember where she left it.

Denise Martin: Irish tunes on a concertina. Denise Martin and Jim Kerr.
John Alexandroff: 50’s & 60’s classic folk music. John Alexandroff, Paul Schlomen and Tom Rolston.

The Twangabillies: Boom boom daddy-o music!! Karl Wilhelmi, Wendell Wright, Wayne Campbell and Wade Hampton Miller.

The Lost Riders: Not your ordinary bluegrass band. We may not be as famous as Bearfoot, but we're just as good. Mary Oudean, Charlie Overby, Doug Schutte, and Mike Childers

Friday Evening 7:00 pm; January 29, 2010
Emcees: Brett Jokela and Terri McCoy

Back Alley Banned: Irish Traditional. Celtic Cacophony-They are a note-y bunch. Heather Resz, Marilyn Backus, Donna Feary, Maura Walsh, Ben Alexander, Suzi Fowley, Brett Jokela, Terri McCoy, John Lewis, Eileen Frey, Charlie Rogge, and Linda Ziegler.

Rogues & Wenches: Irish pub singers of Scottish, English and Irish drinking songs, sea chanties and pirate fare; salted with sad love songs and happy war songs. Robert Woofter, Hunter Woofter, Benjamin James, Erin Wells, Covenant Faithfulness and Lucia Woofter.

Roger Fuson: Storytellers Guild of Anchorage. “The rich man and the poor man”.

Davya Flaharty: Singer/songwriter inspired by the likes of Kasey Chambers, Jewel, and Sheryl Crow among others.

Cherry Jam: Oldtime from Southcentral Alaska. Meg O’Mullane, Karen Loso, Kari Hendrich, and Holly Hill
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Wade Hampton Miller: Traditional and original folk music. Wade is a former US Mountain Dulcimer Champion, and plays most of the fretted instruments
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Batteries Not Included: A Cappella Quartet. Four powerful voices-one awesome a cappella quartet. AnnMarie Conley, Gail Skurla, Chris More and Sherman Carathers.

Marian Call: Acoustic folk funk with a twist of jazz, both heartfelt and humorous.

Sweet Sunny South: Transport yourself back to the glory days of the Grand Ole Opry and experience Sweet Sunny South dressed to a “T”, weaving in and out around a single microphone presenting their style of old time music you won't soon forget!

Saturday Afternoon 1:00 pm; January 30, 2010
Emcee: Wade Hampton Miller

Greatland Children’s Chorus: The GCC provides young singers, grades 3-9 with an exceptional choral music experience, providing training while striving for musical excellence and enjoying a variety of high quality choral music. Mary Alley, Joshua Bireme, Abby Clark, Genevieve Dennis, Emma Engebretsen, Sam Engebretsen, Espen Falskow, Brianna Foisey, Corin Katzke, Christiana Kist, Bethany Lee, Caleb Swan, Nathan Swan, Rachel Tayman, Sarah Tayman, Jayci VanDehey, Matthew Whitaker, Jessica Swan and Sarah Cleary.

Aunt Rhody’s Allstars: Folk. Suzuki guitar group class plays ensemble accompanied by their instructor, Kevin Cassity.

Henry Duffel: Who is that masked man? Original Country Music for you.

Down Home Easy: Folk, Bluegrass, Country. Foot stompin' good times and original music. Jake Wilson, John Lars, and Kat Moore.

Mike Robbins: Original Singer/songwriter is back to entertain you.

Almost Ready: Just a little bit of this and that. Pam McCarl, Mike and Ev Irving, Bill McDonald, Linda Springhill and Ken Brown.

Sir Ratsalot & Court: A mix of Old Coffee House folk, and 60’s classics. Hippie Dancing allowed!! Pat “the Rat” Wendt and Court.

Cordova Kids: Bluegrass, Old-time, and Folk. Cordova kids singin’ and pickin’ with lots of heart and soul. Annie Carlson, Selma Houck, Andrew Muma, Jamille Esquerra, Naomi Cain, and Isaac Cain.

Melanie Trost: Folk Singer. A girl, a guitar & some sweet, sweet music.

TAD A MAB: Father and son folk group. Dylan Williams, Ian Williams, Ryan Williams, and Anne Paley.

Nuther Brothers: Bodacious Parlor Music. The virtual brothers are back with some more traditional-sounding original tunes and original-sounding traditional tunes, still wondering how they got separated at birth. Michael Faubion, Tom Torvie, and Matt Faubion.

Sweet Sunny South: Surprise!!! In for an afternoon peek.

Chugach Mountain Range Cloggers Youth Group: High energy precision line and formation dances to country, bluegrass, rock and pop music. Amber Anderson, Madeline Anderson, Caitlin Asay, Hailey Asay, Breanna Beckwith, Rehtaeh, Beckwith, Gabby Griggs, Libby Griggs, and Lynz Kellard.

Fountain of Youth Fiddlers: All things fiddle. Amanda Kerr’s advanced students will perform their favorite fiddle tunes from around the world. Aurora Beaty, Caleb Bell, Reilly Gillis, Jenni Grunblatt, Hannah Haghighi, Jacob Hersh, Harrison Jennings, Sky Kelsey, Kiefer Matier, Douglas Mawson, Donnor Moma, Brian Nicholson, Kaelin & Teaguen O’Fallon, Anna Padrick, Maya Schalig, Henry Toal, Lindsay Von Tish, Leif Weisner and lead by Amanda and Jim Kerr.

ANNUAL MEETING - 5:00 to 6:00 pm

Saturday Evening 7:00 pm; January 30, 2010
Emcee: Scott Elnes

Alaska Button Box Gang: European and American button accordion music. Marge Ford, Patti Gersich, Susan Klein, Roger Weinfurter, Mary Lu Harle, Nancy Baum, Theresa Pajot, Mike Pajot, Trudy Knudsen, Ida Johnston, Eddie Johnston, Flo Pearson, Fran Fiel, Father Eric Wiseman, Bev Grafel, Bob Szewc, and Mary Lou Catron.

Jubilee: We’ll think of something, I promise. Elsa Aegerter, Shonti Elder, Jim Kerr, Denise Martin, and Ben Saylor.

TGB: The girl band plays new age folk. Willow Feighery, Taryn Hunt-Smith, Yana Smith, Irene Bembenek, and Erin McCarthy.

Red Elk: Western Swing and Cowboy Jazz. Richard Gelardin, Linda Ziegler, and Amanda Kerr.

Melissa Beck: Folk. Singer/Songwriter performs songs from her CD release “Home Front”.

Copper River Drifters: Old-time and Bluegrass. Having fun passing on the traditions from the 1930’s with players that span the generations. Sam O’Toole, Amy Houck, Cheryl Nice, Erik Kokberg, Jim Smith, Mark Halverson and the Reverend Belle Mickelson.

Hip Hop Violinist: Using a looping technique, the tunes are recorded and then played back and played live at the same time creating a one man band. Bryson Andres.

Henry Shavings & Crew: Gospel Country played in their own unique way. Henry, Hilma, Arnold, Ada, Chad, Sylvia, Laura, Winfred and Lillian.

Ron Stevens:Original Folk and Pop. Former Alaskan flying in from Oregon to play music with his friends.

The Barbwire twisters: You never know what this trio will come up with, but you can bet on good harmonies, humor and fifteen minutes with three friends. Marcia Knorr, Cherie Spink, and Mary Schallert.

Caitlin Hopper: Caitlin's second solo act, a mix of acapella and piano pieces.

Robin Hopper: A little bit of everything folk. Will she make you laugh? Will she make you cry? Who Knows?

Midnight Sun Cloggers: Contemporary clog and percussion dance team from Anchorage. Dixine Schiavi, Marcy Hensch, Katrina Moberg, Kari Pool, Lyn Lemon, Robin Tozer, Shannon Black and Lindsay Smith.

Reverend Poor Child: Singer/Songwriter plays originals from his CD’s.

Sunday Afternoon, 1:00pm - January 31, 2010
Emcee: Marcia Knorr

Trailblazer Cloggers: Clogging to contemporary music. Kristy Bushee, Julie Ann Cresap, Amanda Jovejoy, Sonja Hood, Tasha Hood, and Debbie Slater.

Cora & Charles Trowbridge: Alaskan Daughter and Father duo share their musical passion through original harmonies and song.

It’s All Relative: Acoustic. We’re all related...but we sure have different tastes in music. Gail Skurla, Bill Weinfurter, Doug Perkins, Jaime Leon, and Roger Weinfurter.

Aziza Sapargasimova: Exchange student sings folk songs from Kazakhstan and Russia.

Esther Golton & Friends: Beguiling tunes from a Talkeetna Mountain Dulcimer player and Folk Singer/Songwriter.

Brenda Jaeger: Sings Original songs that describe a journey to Nikolski long ago, a story of a child’s beginnings, and a talk with the full moon.

George Faust: Folk/rock. George started playing at age 55 and says he plays just for the joy of it.

Delaney Scott: College Freshman back for her 5th year at the festival, singing bluegrass and folk with her dad Tim Scott.

The St. Mary’s Praise Singers: Contemporary gospel and folk music group from St Mary’s Episcopal Church. Wade Hampton Miller, Karl Wilhelmi, Matthew Peacock, Kode Bissell, Adrienne Borakis, Becky Widot, Christy Favorite, Elsa Aegerter, Vicky Delgado, Mike Delgado, Mike Morrison, Stephan Thorpe, Dave Reim, John Crittendon, Derek Hildrith, John Bertram, and Emily Nenon.

Bill and Crista: Bill Larned's 4th performance at the Festival, formerly the feathery part of the duet "Fins and Feathers". Crista Cady-Hippchen ably channels Tracy Grammar to take over where "Fins" left off.

Nick “the Dream” Weaver: Local Singer/songwriter and UAA Shuttle Bus Driver weaves his musical magic and makes dreams come true.

Wilo Ensemble: Original music based on stories and experiences of life in rural Alaska. Wilo, Jarna Preston, Glenn Preston, Brenda Jaeger, Jesse Wright, Berris Joseph, Angel Mendoza and Edward San Martin.

Jim Kerr: He’s an awesome juggler and pretty good at guitar too.

Gail Ruth Bayless: Singing heart and whimsy; she loves to tell stories in song.

Crow Creek Pipe & Drums: Celtic Ensemble. Enjoy the music of the Scottish Bagpipes and Drums.

Wendy Withrow: Singer/Songwriter plays folk music. She just keeps coming back for more!!

Irish dance Academy of Alaska: Top-notch Irish dancing by students.

Sunday Evening 7:00 pm; January 31, 2010
Emcees: Leslie Kleinfeld and Jon Lockert

Northern Lights Celtic Dancers: Traditional and state of the art Irish dancing; reels, jigs, hornpipes and figure dances.

Diamond Willow: Traditional bluegrass - the best of wood, wind and wire.

Rachel & Dolores: Vocals with bass and piano. The ladies just really love playing music together. They choose songs that feel good and would play more if there were more hours in a day. Rachel Hollander and Dolores Catherino.

Grateful Reds: Bluegrass. Two young brothers with some bluegrass rhythms on guitar and mando. Jake and Zach Bassett.

Peg Leg: Folk. Old friends reunite for a comeback tour at the folk festival. Ron Stevens, Bo Scott, and Meg Anderson.

Al Koenig: Acoustic guitar. Flamenco influenced jazz was playing on the radio when the infant Koenig was dropped on his head.

Sourdough Biscuits: Bluegrass. Once again the Biscuits bring their high-energy bluegrass and harmonies to the Festival stage. These guys have the recipe for entertainment...and for biscuits, too. Bob Fairchild, Bill MacFarlane, Tom Torvie, and Michael Faubion.

Midnight Starlight: American Jazz. Performing together since 2002, playing blues and jazz mixed with the timeless music of Gershwin, Ellington and Cole Porter. Tome Lambert, Liz Santoro, Lena Gonzales, and Tony James.

SWEET SUNNY SOUTH: Says goodbye to Alaska the Old-Timey way.

Goodnight Irene !
~ Performers & participants sing farewell with the old Huddie Ledbetter song.