Folk Music

Deidre McCalla showed a flair for the limelight even when she was 7, so it was no surprise to find her performing folk music with her high school trio, Friendship, which brought them to the edge of local fame. A university theater degree got overridden by the comparative ease of a life as a performing musician, although Deidre later realized that a couple years at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music would shore up and deepen her musical skills.

The musical genius gene came to Rita Hosking from her mother, and Rita has passed it faithfully on to her daughter, Kora Feder. Rita grew up in rural Shasta County, California, and caught the music bug as a teen, playing washboard as part of The Farmerettes. With detours to Religious Studies and Cultural Anthropology in college, time teaching History to 8th graders, and raising two daughters, Rita came back to her musical passion to release her 1st album in 2005. Self-described as creating country-folk music, Rita has released 7 albums filled with captivating story-telling and place-rooted music.

Mark Mandeville & Raianne Richards make beautiful, deep, real music, delivered with rich vocals supported & enhanced by a variety of instruments. Locally known for their annual Massachusetts Walking Tour, Mark & Raianne previously performed as 2/3's of The Accident That Led Me To The World, but have long performed as a duo. If COVID-19 permits, they will be married this August.

Ksenia Mack is great writing and performing on her own, but is part of a quintuple threat with the Porch Party Mamas. Her songs and music are evocative, warm, & touching, guiding the listener through complex landscapes & emotions, always in the company of beauty. The Porch Party Mamas are a Boston, MA, area group of women with deep talents and a great combined voice.

Laura Marie brings to her music exactly the talents & inspirations that make for exquisite, soul-moving, life-affirming, path-changing songs. With the honesty, vulnerability, clarity, and power of a person who has experienced daunting adversity, faced it squarely, and triumphed over the injuries, Laura Marie perfectly demonstrates how to make beautiful music, shining with soul.

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.