2008 PERFORMERS

The following acts are scheduled to perform at the 2008 Lowell Folk Festival®. For schedule and venue, please visit our schedule page when it becomes available.

Please check back occasionally for updates as the performer list will continue to grow.

MUSICAL ACTS
Kontiwennenhá:wi – Carriers of the Words
	Akwesasne Women Singers Territory of Akwesasne - New York, Ontario and Quebec Singing is an important medicine of the Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) people, one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy), and the wonderful women’s singing ensemble Kontiwennenhá:wi uses this medicine both to benefit their community and to share with outside audiences the beauty of their cultural traditions.
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Alex Meixner Band
	Polka Allentown, Pennsylvania Alex Meixner carries on a family polka tradition brought to America four generations ago by his Austrian great-grandfather.   Building upon family musical foundations, this dynamic young master of the diatonic button accordion has a fresh, musical voice that has made him one of the most exciting performers on the American polka scene.   The Meixner family’s musical heritage started with Alex’s violin and cornet-playing great-grandfather Leopold, who emigrated from the Austrian province of Burgenland to the U.S. in the mid 1920s.  Home to Germanic, Hungarian, and Croatian speaking inhabitants, Burgenland’s blend of diverse musical traditions shaped Leopold Meixner’s repertoire and that of subsequent generations of Meixner musicians, including Leopold’s son Alfred, who was affectionately known as “Skeeter.”
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Balla Kouyaté
	Balafon music from Mali Medford, Massachusetts Balla Kouyaté, from Mali, is a virtuoso player of an ancient instrument called the balafon, the West African ancestor of the marimba, the xylophone, the vibes, and a host of related instruments. Kouyate’s family roots go back over 800 years to Balla Faséké Kouyaté, the keeper of the Sosso Bala, the first balafon, and the first of an unbroken line of djelis, or griots, in the Kouyaté clan. Djelis are the oral historians, musicians and performers who keep alive and celebrate the history of the Mandé people of Mali, Guinea and other West African countries. Kouyate, now based in Massachusetts, continues this classic tradition, with his brilliant, dazzling instrumental solos and original compositions.
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Don Roy Trio
	Maine French fiddle masters Gorham, ME Don Roy has been called “the dean of Franco-American fiddling in Maine,” a title which reflects both his skilled playing and his dedication to sharing his musical heritage.  House parties with fiddling and singing were a weekly occurrence among Don’s extended family in the Winslow area, and he joined the family music-making tradition by taking up the guitar at age 6. His uncle Lucien Mathieu, recognized his talent and encouraged him to take up the fiddle at age 15. Don traveled with his “Uncle Lou” to the homes of noted fiddler friends and to fiddle contests throughout New England and Canada, where Don refined his skills.  He now leads the Don Roy Trio, one of the finest Franco-American ensembles in the country.
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Helder Moutinho
	fado Lisbon, Portugal Helder Moutinho is a rare male star in the constellation of great fado singers from Portugal. As a boy in Oeiras, on the outskirts of Lisbon, birthplace of fado, Moutinho spent countless hours transported by the emotive and elegant songs traded in the traditional fado circles. The raw emotion of fado singing and instrumentation, which Moutinho describes as “the other kind of blues,” as well as its rootedness in his beloved native city, inspired his career as one of the form’s leading contemporary singers and composers.
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Henry Gray
	Blues Pianist Baton Rouge, LA   Henry Gray’s seven decade long career as a blues and boogie-woogie pianist spans both the geographical and musical roots of the genre and makes him arguably one of the most influential blues musicians of the past half-century.  At 82, Henry continues to deliver his rollicking, two-fisted boogie-woogies and passionate blues to audiences throughout the world.
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The Jerry Grcevich Tamburitza Orchestra
	Tamburitza musician and composer North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania Jerry Grcevich has devoted his life to mastering tamburitza, the complex string band music native to Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and other regions of the former Yugoslavia.  Master of all five instruments of the tamburitza ensemble, he is generally recognized as one of the most accomplished prim players in the world.  Jerry leads a six-piece ensemble of master tamburitza musicians whose virtuosic playing of this brilliant, exciting Balkan style will captivate anyone with a love of acoustic stringed instruments.
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Lonesome River Band
	Bluegrass Virginia and Tennessee In the mid-70s through early 90s, the world of bluegrass experienced a musical evolution.  The high lonesome mountain vocals and deep country sound of first-generation bluegrass bands would be augmented by a rock and roll energy and swagger.  Bands like JD Crowe and the New South, Boone Creek, and of course The Lonesome River Band were the key groups in forming this new sound.  The Lonesome River Band’s signature tight harmonies, solid instrumentals and innovative repertoire produced one of the most distinctive ensembles in all of bluegrass. This year will mark the band’s 26th anniversary.  It is an enduring legacy.
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Sister Marie Knight
	Gospel Brooklyn, NY Sister Marie Knight, the “sanctified shouter,” first attracted attention while singing in the choir as a young child in the 1930s at the Oakwood Avenue Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. Since her early years at the church, through a full career as the writing and touring partner with gospel legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Knight has participated and added to the canon of African American Gospel music.  Her partnership with Tharpe led to a groundbreaking blend of gospel, secular blues and jazz whose impact can be still heard today in music ranging from traditional gospel to popular R& B.  All of this was done at a time when being a female African American touring musician meant that much of the country was working against you.  Knights' contributions are great.  At this year’s Lowell Folk Festival, along with pianist Dave Keys, she will show how a lifetime of musical innovation is still boiling strong in spirit, voice, and praise.
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Mighty Sam McClain
	Soul and R&B Epping, New Hampshire Mighty Sam McClain is one of the finest soul and R&B singers alive, equally at home belting out a blues classic like “Down Home Blues, or crooning Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” His primary influences, he says, are Bobby Blue Bland and Al Green, and there are echoes of both these great singers in his work, but he’s more versatile than either and his music packs the same emotional punch.  McClain’s latest recording, One More Bridge to Cross, demonstrates that, after more than four decades of musical ups and downs, Mighty Sam is at the peak of his career.
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Penpa Tsering
	Traditional Tibetan Music Somerville, Massachusetts Just down the road from the Lowell Folk Festival lives a world-class musician from half-way around the globe: Somerville’s Penpa Tsering is a master of the music of his native Tibet, the land at “the roof of the world.” His presentations deftly weave together mesmerizing performances of traditional song and dance; explanations of Tibetan philosophy, religion, and culture; and demonstrations of his outstanding musical skills on 14 of Tibet’s traditional instruments.
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Pilon Batuku
	Cape Verdean funana Pawtucket, Rhode Island Representing New England’s vibrant Cape Verdean communities, Joao Cerilo and his band Pilon Batuko bring the irresistible rhythms of Cape Verdean music to this year’s Lowell Folk Festival. Joao Cerilo is the stage name of bandleader, singer, and accordionist Joao “John” Cerilo Monteiro. Since emigrating to Rhode Island in 1982, Cerilo has become a cultural ambassador for traditional Cape Verdean music, a beloved bandleader who performs regularly in community social clubs and a recognized master teacher.
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Redd Volkaert Band with Cindy Cashdollar
	Telecaster master of “twang” and the “First Lady” of steel guitar Austin, Texas Redd Volkaert, the “telecaster guru”, is no household name, but in the world of “twang” guitar there is a cult of Redd.  In Austin, Texas where he now lives, players on their way to their own gigs will stop into Volkaert's regular Saturday afternoon sessions at the Continental Club — where the band plays for tips — to get a cold beer and a free guitar lesson. There he is on the Continental stage, putting his vintage ’53 Telecaster through its paces.  As The Austin Chronicle states, he’s  “all over the guitar like grease on a pork chop, quoting jazz, country, blues, and Western swing as effortlessly as turning on the lights in the living room.”  With a disarming modesty, he makes his guitar do things that leaves other players shaking their heads, thinking, “Should I practice more or just quit?”  Joining Redd and his band is the First Lady of Steel Guitar, Cindy Cashdollar, a master musician and one of the few women to take up the lap steel and slide guitars as well as the dobro. Together, these two guitar virtuosos trade some blazing licks.
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Réveillons!
	Quebecois music and dance Montreal, Quebec In French, the imperative Réveillons! means “wake up!” The band named Réveillons! has embraced that energizing command as its mission.  It aims to do nothing less than re-awaken a collective memory of the roots of Quebecois music.The appearance of Réveillons! at the Lowell Folk Festival coincides with the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec in July of 1608.  During the intervening four centuries, a distinct musical style developed around the kitchen hearths and in the dance halls of the region. The descendants of French immigrants passed down songs and stories in the mother tongue, slowly incorporating influences from the music of their Irish and Scots neighbors to create a uniquely Quebecois repertoire. Réveillons’ own repertoire draws from throughout this musical history, and also incorporates bold interpretations and new compositions that showcase the continued dynamism of traditional music in the 21st century.
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Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys
	Zydeco Iota, Louisiana Zydeco has long been a male-dominated genre, but over the past dozen years Rosie Ledet has become one of the leading voices of this Creole fusion music from southwestern Louisiana.  With her charismatic stage presence, driving accordion and bluesy singing, Ledet has been packing dance and concert halls from Lake Charles, Louisiana to Oslo, Norway. The name “zydeco” comes from a song recorded by the late Clifton Chenier, entitled “Les Haricots Sont pas Salés,” literally “the snap beans aren’t salty.” Chenier is to zydeco what Bill Monroe is to bluegrass, having virtually invented the form and given the genre its name.  Since its emergence some 50 years ago from a mixing of Creole and Cajun sounds with R&B and blues, zydeco has continued to evolve and incorporate other musical influences.  Rosie Ledet is in the forefront of a new generation carrying on the zydeco tradition and expanding its popularity beyond Louisiana.
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The Skatalites
	Jamaican ska The members of the Skatalites are living legends of Jamaican music, founding fathers of the modern Jamaican sound.  Four decades ago the group virtually invented ska, the upbeat dance music that spawned rock steady and reggae, and inspired three waves of British and American ska revivalists.  A triumphal 1983 reunion performance at the Reggae Sunsplash festival led the group to reform themselves on a permanent basis in 1986.  For nearly twenty years, the modern incarnation of this legendary band has brought classic ska to audiences around the world.  Billboard has called the group “. . . Jamaica’s supreme instrumental band,” and Rolling Stone’s description is: “The Skatalites – Jamaica’s answer to the Motown house band and Booker T. and the MG’s combined.”
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TREAD
	Celtic music and step dancing Canada, Ireland, and the United States TREAD brings together five brilliant musicians and dancers from Ireland, Canada and the United States. Together they exuberantly explore the world of Celtic music and dance from both sides of the Atlantic.  Harpist Triona Marshall, fiddler and step dancer Jon Pilatzke, step dancers Nathan Pilatzke and Cara Butler, and guitarist Jef McLarnon seamlessly blend the music and dance traditions of Ireland, Irish America and the Ottawa Valley of Canada with their mix of elegant harp, fiery fiddle, driving guitar, and exhilarating dancing. All of the members of TREAD are also long-time touring members of the world-renowned ensemble, The Chieftains. Paddy Maloney of the Chieftains recognized the strong musical bond that the five musicians and dancers had developed, and suggested that they perform at Matt Molloy’s Bar in Westport, County Mayo, while on a break from touring in 2005. It was a magic night, both for the performers and the audience, and TREAD was born.  The Lowell Folk Festival marks their first US festival appearance.
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The Whitetop Mountain Band
	Old-time string band Whitetop, Virginia Emily and Thornton Spencer have been leaders of this legendary old-time stringband from Grayson County for over 20 years. Famous among dancers for its unerring rhythms, The Whitetop Mountain Band is the most celebrated string band in the Blue Ridge. Founded by the late Albert Hash, beloved luthier, violinmaker, fiddler and friend of all, Whitetop has always performed the music of western Grayson County. This is the area where Virginia’s two highest mountains, Whitetop and Mt. Rogers, are located.
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2007 Lowell Folk Festival Performer List