Folk Music

One of the best companions you could have at a protest, around a campfire or in a song circle is Bruce O'Brien. With his banjo and guitar (and sometimes mandolin or even violin), Bruce is completely in his element holding his ground or under a shining owl moon.

Anne Hills opens eyes and changes hearts & minds with the kind of beautiful music that obviates the need of any kind of lecture, putting us all in the same family and with the same cause. Because her day job is in the social work domain, she has plenty of opportunities to work on concrete on-the-ground improvements, at the same time she uplifts and inspires us with her music.

All songs in this program are written & performed by Anne Hills:

Kristen Graves is a dynamo of wonderful music and good work in the world. With the talent of Tracy Chapman or Janis Joplin, and with seemingly boundless energy, Kristen was recently the Connecticut State Troubadour, she was founder of Simply Smiles and also The 'Just Be Nice' Party, has 8 recordings, and draws on a religious studies major and diverse spiritual influences. And makes awesome, heart-moving, music, available on CDBaby.com.

It's rather seldom that a predominantly folk-oriented musician can be a commercial success, but such a one is David Barrett. Of course, it helps if you write a song like One Shining Moment that gets adopted by the NCAA as their anthem. But that is such a tiny scratch on the surface of David's creativity & artistry.

Time for some country-rooted music today with Fizz Kizer. Actually, he's been told that he's "too country for the cafes and too folkie for the taverns". When playing with his trio, they're called Fizz & the Farm Hands. His music sings of country things, like the rivers and the taverns and the hearts that grow deep away from the cities.

Judy Kass took a long hiatus from sharing her music with the world, but was reignited in her zeal to share by the loss of almost 300 colleagues on 9/11. Judy's music draws on a deep exploration of our human condition, to find ways to call in angels to assist us.

Brett Kemnitz does the booking for Milwaukee's The Coffee House. In addition to his solo singer/songwriter career, he has performed as part of the Plum Creek String Band and Pebble Creek Crossing - and with many other folks. Find his music on CDBaby.com.

Kate MacLeod was East Coast born, but Utah settled, capturing the beauty & stories of the Western landscape in her songs. With her powerful fiddle and magical voice, Kate transports everyone into the realities she's read and experienced.

The voice of Annie Capps transports the listener on a tour of her Midwest Urban Folk Blue Garden, filled with twang, jazz, soul,& hoochy coo flora, and more. With exquisite instrumentation by Rod Capps and others, Annie's songs are moving, joyful, fun, and powerful. Radiating from Michigan, Annie Capps shines a rich bouquet of music across the nation.

Mark Dvorak, in addition to his livelihood as a singer/songwriter, is a frequent teacher at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. With beautiful, soothing vocals, talented guitar or banjo fingers, and great songwriting, Mark will inspire and enchant you with his music.