January 2, 2026: The Royal Yard

The Royal Yard (Robin Greenstein and Stuart Markus), Long Island’s favorite sea shanty duo, lead audiences in rollicking pub songs and songs for New Year’s, spanning from the 1700s to the 1960s.

November 7, 2025: Mountain Maidens

All-female trio features heavenly harmonies on songs about haunts, spirits, and splendid stories. The trio, consisting of Marie Mularczyk O’Connell, Candice Baranello and Lorraine Berger, included songs of autumn, hauntings and ghosts in the evening’s program. A folk act in the truest sense of the word, the trio boast three dynamic voices blended in splendid ancient and modern harmonies that will lift your spirit, excite your senses, and warm your heart. They sing ballads, folk songs, Medieval, Irish traditional music, holiday music, love songs, country and gospel songs including themes of social justice to the accompaniment of guitars, banjo, shruti box, ukulele, dulcimer, mandolin, bouzouki, dumbec, spoons, castanets, and lots of percussion.

October 3, 2025: Shanna in a Dress

Shanna in a Dress, a winner of the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition in 2020 and the winner of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase, is your quirky best friend who refuses to wear pants. In her songs, she says what everyone is thinking but no one else will say, and you’ll get an uncensored journey of clever humor and heartbreak, along with a hefty side of entertainment at her shows that are also noted for her spontaneous banter and playful stage presence. Think Jason Mraz mixed with Ingrid Michaelson with a twist of Phoebe Buffay from TV’s Friends, all wrapped up in a sweet voice accented primarily by guitar but also, occasionally, piano and ukulele.

Shanna started her musical career while a student at the University of Virginia, then biked across the country and fell in love with Colorado. She recently relocated to Nashville, Tennessee after previously living in Boulder, CO — where she hosted a monthly Women in Song show prior to the pandemic. A clever wordsmith, she pens smart but accessible lyrics that have drawn accolades in recent years. Shanna released her crowd-funded debut studio album, Robot, in May 2022. An avid bicyclist, she biked from Seattle to Boston in 2021 while music touring on her epic Tour de Dress, during which she played more than 60 shows from coast to coast and partnered up with Pangaea World Foundation, a global nonprofit organization.

In 2020, Shanna was named the winner of the Great River Folk Fest Song Competition and a semifinalist in the Songwriter Serenade. She also performed in the Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase during the virtual Falcon Ridge Folk Festival that summer.

Here’s a link to a video of Shanna performing her funny autobiographical song “Wanna Go Out”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsTc161GyGI

And here’s a link to a video of her heartbreakingly beautiful “A Face Like Yours”: https://youtube.com/watch?v=FK-4BzH9GP8

September 5, 2025: Tom Chapin

In a career that spans six decades, 28 albums and three GRAMMY awards, Hudson Valley Troubadour Tom Chapin has covered an incredible amount of creative ground. In addition to his work as a recording artist, concert performer, storyteller and activist, he’s performed on Broadway and worked extensively in television, radio and film. The son of noted jazz drummer and teacher Jim Chapin and the grandson of author/critic Kenneth Burke and portrait painter James Chapin, Tom grew up in a family that encouraged artistic pursuits. He began performing professionally as a teenager in the early 1960s, playing in Greenwich Village folk clubs alongside his siblings Harry and Steve as The Chapin Brothers.

Currently in development is “Grandfather Camp: An Orchestral Fantasy.” This hybrid theater/orchestra piece for families combines the talents of Tom Chapin and John Forster, along with the SONOS Chamber Orchestra led by Erik Ochsner. It is inspired by the writings of the late Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Dr. Ruth believed that the grandparent/grandchild bond needed to be understood, valued and nurtured. The project will culminate with a live concert piece for 3 actors and an orchestra, a recording, as well as an illustrated book.

In addition to his musical and media endeavors, Chapin has long been an advocate for environmental causes, issues of hunger and social justice, and a supporter of music and the arts in public schools. “I’m at that place in my life where I follow what interests me,” Chapin concludes. “I still love the guitar, I still love to sing, and I still love the thrill of creation: a good song, a good recording, a good concert. I feel blessed to be my own boss, creating my own material and performing for so many different audiences, ages and generations.”

June 6, 2025: Miles & Mafale

Catherine Miles and Jay Mafale — husband and wife, co-conspirators, storytellers. They are two scoops of modern folk with a sprinkling of pop-catchiness, topped off with the wit and flair that comes of their theater backgrounds.

Catherine’s voice is an expressive powerhouse. Jay’s guitar is distinctive and unconventional. They are known for the plainspoken poetry, clever humor, and unique perspectives of their songs. Miles & Mafale aim to shift points of view through themes of perseverance, hope, and strength of spirit. And yes, sometimes they throw in a villain just for fun.

It can be said that Catherine and Jay have experienced more than the usual share of ups and downs… but this, along with their diverse influences and initial decade of performing cover songs (in their own group and as sidemen) gives them a tremendous “palette” to draw from. Miles & Mafale blend all of that together into their own candid and playful style.

Audiences first came to know Catherine and Jay as a trio, The YaYas, with piano man Paul Silverman. More recent years found them touring the country with Karyn Oliver and Carolann Solebello as No Fuss and Feathers.

Miles & Mafale’s songwriting has earned them acclaim in venerable listening rooms and festivals nationwide, along with recognition as Most Wanted Emerging Artists at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, three-time Kerrville New Folk finalists, South Florida Folk Festival/Vic Heyman Award Finalists, and Honorable Mentions in Mid-Atlantic and Braver Angels song contests. They have performed as official showcase artists at SWRFA, SERFA, NERFA, and FARM.

The duo’s latest release, Be Brave, is “Beautifully made. An articulate page-turner of an album that feels like a short story collection in 10 songs.” Marilyn Rea Beyer, WFMT Chicago.

June 6, 2025: Martha Trachtenberg and Tom Griffith met over music many years ago, and have been making beautiful music in more ways than one ever since. Known as Long Island’s First Couple of Folk, their musical resumes extend far beyond those boundaries.

Martha Trachtenberg was a founding member of the Buffalo Gals, the first all-woman bluegrass band, back in the mid-1970s, aka the dawn of time. Her 1999 CD, It’s About Time, won straight As from Newsday and radio airplay both in the States and abroad.  Martha’s songs have been recorded by a number of artists from the bluegrass world, including Tony Trischka and Skyline, Nothin’ Fancy, Missy Raines and Jim Hurst, Dede Wyland, John and Cathy Cadley, and, most recently, IBMA’s 2024 Male Vocalist of the Year, Greg Blake. For the past three years, she has taught and/or performed at the prestigious Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival and is slowly but surely assembling songs for another CD.  So slowly, in fact, that the working title is Better Late Than Never . . .

Tom is an artist and composer who has written award-winning music for a variety of media. He won a couple of Clios and NYMRAD radio awards, and a Cannes Silver Lion for writing and producing jingles like “It’s As Real As It Gets” and “Welcome to Millertime” for the Miller Brewing company, “I’ve Got that M&M’s Feeling,” for Mars, and “Sometimes You Need a Little” for Finesse shampoo. He has produced such artists as Marc Cohn, Ry Cooder, Fats Domino, Dave Edmunds, Allen Toussaint, Jimmy Buffett, .38 Special, Kenny Rogers, and George Benson.

Tom has written music for the movies Girlfriends and Not a Pretty Picture which are in the Critereon Collection. The Key, which he scored with Jonathan Helfand, won the National Education Fiction Video Award. His most recent project, A Couple of Guys, has won numerous awards on the film festival circuit.

His first solo album, Hodge Podge, was chosen as an Album of the Year by the Long Island Voice. 40 Years Later was picked by Newsday as the Long Island Album of the Year. Prominence, a first-person adventure game for which he wrote the music, was an Indie Games staff pick for Game of the Year.

Stu says, “The partnership of Martha and Tom prove that the gods of love and the gods of talent can get together and do something really beneficent once in a while.”

May 2, 2025: Vance Gilbert

One of the originators of the finally recognized R&B/Folk/Jazz-crossover subgenre, Vance was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. Starting out hoping to be an R&B and jazz singer once at college, there he discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of the acoustic singer-songwriter thing. Word spread like wildfire about Gilbert’s stage-owning singing and playing, and Shawn Colvin invited him to be special guest on her 1992 Fat City tour where he took much of America by storm and by surprise. “With the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god…” wrote the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Noted not only for being the ever consummate performer, Gilbert has recorded 13 albums, including 5 for Philo/Rounder Records. Along with being opener of choice for artists as varied as Arlo Guthrie, Anita Baker, The Milk Carton Kids, and Southside Johnny, the mid 2000’s found Gilbert opening 150+ shows for comedian George Carlin.

Most recently he’s been the opener of choice for Mad About You/Stranger Things star Paul Reiser’s stand-up shows for the last 7 years, along with his own busy acoustic music touring schedule.

Gilbert has also been a prominent presence at some of the world’s most prestigious gatherings and halls, among them the Newport, Winnipeg, Rocky Mountain, Calgary, Ottawa, and Falcon Ridge Folk festivals, the Kate Wolf Music Festival, and Australia’s Woodford Folk and Mullum Music Festivals, Mountain Stage, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Nashville’s Lyman Auditorium, The Barns at Wolftrap, and a private party for his veterinarian where there was terrific lo mein.

Vance’s new album, “The Mother Of Trouble,” features Grammy winner Lori McKenna on background vocals, Juno award recipient and Bonnie Raitt Grammy hit song co-writer Joey Landreth on guitars, and Americana-Roots master mandolinist Joe K. Walsh. Oh, and Management wants to make sure to tell you that this is the 14th release for this acoustic stalwart.

Considered by many to be an integral part of the national folk scene, his previous record “Good Good Man” features an eclectic roster of musical types including rocker Mike Posner, world renown Celtic harpist Aine Minough, bluesman Chris Smither, and Al Green’s organist Stacey Wade.

April 4, 2025: Dean Friedman

Before Ariel was a cartoon mermaid, she was a song! Think back to the summer of ’77, when then 21-year-old Dean Friedman’s quirky, infectious and incredibly hooky tune was all over the pop radio airwaves, and you can probably start singing the refrain.

Forty-eight years later, the New Jersey-born Dino is still at it. He’s been touring mostly in Europe (like fellow piano man Neil Sedaka did before Elton John revived his career) but he’s glad to have the chance to play for audiences on this side of the pond (and this side of the Hudson). Check out more on Dean at https://www.deanfriedman.com.

Friday, March 7, 2025: Gathering Time

Friday, February 7, 2025: Sam Robbins

Friday, Jan. 3, 2025: Kirsten Maxwell

“Kirsten Maxwell is an amazing writer and powerful, evocative singer whose performances are a sheer joy. She shines in her own lyrical compositions and in her singular choices of other artists, especially those of Joni Mitchell.” That’s how Judy Collins describes Kirsten, whom she has invited to open for her on tour. Kirsten has drawn comparisons to such timeless singers as Collins, Mitchell and Joan Baez, with her vocal range and ability allowing her to move seamlessly across genres – broadening the scope of her performances.

She’s been a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition and an audience-voted “Most Wanted” artist following a Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Kirsten took first place in a contest sponsored by the Rhode Island Songwriters Association (RISA) in 2015 and was a winner in the 2016 South Florida Folk Festival Singer-Songwriter Competition. She has had coveted official juried showcases at several conferences hosted by regional affiliates of Folk Alliance International, and has showcased her talents during Singer-Songwriter Cape May and as part of NERFA Presents Young Folk at the Mariposa and Philadelphia Folk Festivals.

In 2020, she was one of five artists selected to receive a grant from the Joe’s Pub Working Group – an artist development program of The Public Theater in NYC. Kirsten also spent a year in Nashville, where she performed at the iconic Bluebird Café. Its founder, Amy Kurland, says: “She is a very special artist. Her voice, her songwriting, and her delivery make her stand out to me.” Paul Shaffer has expressed similar sentiments: “I once saw Kirsten Maxwell take the stage in a raucous bar. The patrons were there to drink, not listen. She began a delicate ballad, and by the third line, she had them in the palm of her hand. Kirsten is a strikingly special performer.”

Kirsten’s evocative renderings, coupled with her naturally passionate voice, often bring audiences to tears. Chris McKhool of Sultans of String, an acclaimed Canadian instrumental ensemble, says: “If I could sing like her, I’d give up the violin.” Stuart Markus adds, “If you aren’t moved by her voice and songwriting, there is a distinct possibility that you are dead and just don’t know it yet.”

Friday, Nov. 1, 2024: Toby Walker

Toby Walker is moving back to Long Island, and we’ve got him first!

Toby is an award winning guitar virtuoso, songwriter and storyteller who tours the US, United Kingdom, Canada and Europe. Blending the various styles of roots music, Walker has developed his own style. He was the 1st place recipient of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis and has been inducted into the NY Blues Hall Of Fame.

Walker has taught at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch, Woody Mann’s Guitar Seminars, The Swanannoa Gathering, and many other guitar camps. He has eight instructional DVD’s on Happy Traum’s Homespun Music Instruction and has produced hundreds of instructional videos for his own website.

From 1990-94, Walker traveled to the deep south where he tracked down and studied with traditional blues and folk musicians such as Eugene Powell, James “Son” Thomas, and Etta Baker. Three decades later, he’s a leader in preserving their styles and legacy.

“If he doesn’t get them with his phenomenal guitar playing or catchy songs, he gets them with his wonderful stories. True entertainers have an engaging spirit that puts a smile on your face. Arlo Guthrie has it. David Bromberg has it. And so does Toby. ”
– John Platt – WFUV

“Flat out… you have to hear this great musician… I’m blown away”
Jorma Kaukonen of Hot Tuna and the Jefferson Airplane.