SFMS Resource List
Ensembles
A roster of SFMS Members who are offering their talents to the public.
The Ensembles category includes bands of various sizes.
Across the Pond
Across the Pond: Michael Morrison, Chuck Krepley and Dan Diviney play a variety of traditional folk music from Ireland and Scotland. Their music is acoustically woven on fiddle, guitar, flute, whistles, mandolin and bodhran. From slow haunting airs, love songs and ballads, hard driving songs, and fast jigs and reels, Across the Pond plays the music with emotion and conviction. The music spans centuries of oppression, from the work of O'Carolan and others in the 17th and 18th to contemporary pieces, all which can be heard in the pubs if Ireland and Scotland today. Connect with them on Facebook and join Reverbnation as a fan to hear sound samples and receive periodic schedule updates. Across the Pond is available for festivals, concerts, pubs, community events, and weddings.
Contact Dan at mail (at) acrossthepondmusic.com or 717-451-4880
All Strung Out
All Strung Out is an eclectic string ensemble that combines elements of bluegrass, old-time, folk, and swing music. It’s anchored by mandolinist/guitarist/hammered dulcimist Henry Koretzky, and rounded out by some of the area’s finest players and singers.
Contact Henry at hrk2 (at) psu.edu or 717-574-0266
Arcona Reel Band
The Arcona Reel Band is a hard hitting, raucous, witty group of musicians who put an American spin on traditional Celtic music. They have been performing for more than 10 years at major events throughout the Northeast. In addition to strong vocal harmonies, featured instruments include the hammer dulcimer, guitar, mandolin, concertina, upright bass, and bodhran. The band’s music has been described as honest, their style as unique, and their performance as high energy.
Contact Sparkie Radcliffe at arcona (at) arconareelband.com or 717-234-0842
Black Bear Crossing
Black Bear Crossing is comprised of five musicians scattered throughout northcentral Pennsylvania, with a geographic center in Williamsport. Their repertoire includes tunes found in the Celtic lands, selections with an Eastern European flavor, as well as traditional and Old Timey American favorites and original compositions. They have released two CDs, The Trail and The Bridge.
Black Bear Crossing performs at Celtic and Folk music events, contradances, concerts, weddings and community functions. SFMS member Wendy McCormick plays the Celtic harp, hammered dulcimer and accordion. Other instruments include flute and whistle, fiddle, bass, keyboard, autoharp and bodhran.
Contact Wendy McCormick at mmccormi (at) cub.kcnet.org or 570-398-1387
Buc Hill Aces
The Buc Hill Aces (also on Facebook and on YouTube) play Old Time Southern Appalachian music on fiddle, banjo, guitar, and bass. The band's sound is a bit like the New Lost City Ramblers, the Highwoods String Band, the Red Clay Ramblers, and Uncle Dave Macon, with lots of high-energy fiddle tunes along with some lively singing. The band consists of Glenn Carson on fiddle, Patty Carson on bass, Nancy Lockman on guitar, and Brian Lockman on banjo. Glenn has been playing and building high-quality instruments in the area for 30 years. Patty and Nancy are relatively new to Old Time music and have picked it up very quickly. Brian has been playing banjo off and on for about 30 years. His day job is as president of PCN, the Pennsylvania Cable Network where you can occasionally see him on TV.
Contact Brian Lockman at BucHillAces (at) gmail.com
Callanish
Callanish, State College's own Celtic band, share the music of their heritage and pass the tradition along with Irish reels & jigs, polkas & hornpipes, and songs of love and longing for homeland. Callanish is Patty Lambert (wooden flute, whistles, concertina), Gretchen Seaver-Lee (fiddle), Louisa Smith (vocals), Carol Lindsay (bodhran, bones), and Holly Foy (guitar).
Contact Patty Lambert at patty (at) callanishband.com or 814-692-8966
Clannamore
Clannamore is a lively duo featuring Alanna Berger (hammered dulcimer, concertina) and Blaise Liffick (guitar, pennywhistle, octave mandolin, bodhran). Their repertoire draws heavily from the Celtic culture (Ireland, Scotland, and the British Isles) and traditional American music, ranging from the ancient (pre-Renaissance era) to the modern. Jigs, reels, hornpipes, and marches are combined with lyrical airs, laments, and waltzes to form a warm and lively sound. They also have an extensive repertoire of lively drinking songs, bawdy tunes, ballads, and funny stories. Alanna also teaches hammered dulcimer.
Contact Blaise & Alanna at lifflick (at) clannamore.com or 717-361-2992
Cold Springs Road
The music of Cold Springs Road won't be hurried. It comes to you unambiguously and offers itself just as it is. Likewise, you accept it just as you are. And like good folk music the listener takes it and makes it his own.
The songwriting of guitarist/vocalist Brian Hurst suggests that he, and quite possibly his wife Ranita, (vocals, mandolin, violin) have seen the grass on the other side and realize the need to, as Whitman said, "bequeath [themselves] to the dirt to grow from the grass [they] love.
Raised on playing bluegrass with his family, Brian's knowledge of country & western and American roots music is evident from the twang of his voice to the great rhythm guitar and dobro he plays. Ranita, a classically trained violinist and self-taught mandolin player has a voice and style evoking another time and place, mystic and haunted moments in the American past. Her voice would sit well at any Old Regular Baptists' meeting, while her violin would be at home on the cobblestone streets of Boston Harbor, ca. 1800, playing Bobby Shafto's Gone to Sea.
The plaintive and poignant convergence of these American musical styles on their inaugural CD, On My Way Back Home, heals the sick at heart and welcomes the prodigal. Though biographical, its appeal is broad and its yoke is light.
The music of Cold Springs Road, whether a song written by Brian and Ranita or one of the few hand-picked covers they play, is good for you. Don't let it slip by. If you do, listen for it once more. Again, thinking of Whitman and the music of Cold Springs Road...
"You will hardly know who I am or what I mean,
But I shall be good health to you nevertheless,
And filter and fibre your blood."
Contact Brian at brian_hurst (at) verizon.net or 717-898-3176
The Contra Rebels
The Contra Rebels is an old-time southern-style band led by York County fiddler Todd Clewell, with Henry Koretzky on guitar and mandolin. The group specializes in playing contradances and square dances in a circuit ranging from New York to Georgia, and is often augmented by banjo and bass.
Contact Henry at hrk2 (at) psu.edu or 717-574-0266
Cormorant’s Fancy
Cormorant's Fancy (also on Facebook and Reverbnation), "the area's most energetic and spellbinding Irish folk band," with a "knack for gorgeous arrangements," focuses on Irish, Scottish and other Celtic nations' traditional and contemporary folk music -- driving reels, beautiful ballads, spirited sing-alongs, spritely jigs and haunting airs. Featuring their own arrangements with fine harmonies and multifaceted instrumentals blending concertina, fiddle, penny whistles, low whistles, guitar, bass, keyboards and bodhran, Cormorant’s Fancy quickly established themselves as one of the finest Celtic bands in central PA. They're steeped in the tradition of the great Irish and Scottish players and, at the same time, going back to source singers and players. Their name is based on the original Irish Gaelic meaning of band member Dan Diviney’s surname as it might entitle a fiddle tune. They are available for festivals, concerts, pubs, restaurants, workshops, weddings, parties, banquets and other events.
Contact Beth Folkemer at 717-334-4334 or 717-253-4889, or email bfolkemer (at) centurylink.net or mail (at) cormorantsfancy.com
Danaher and Cloud
Danaher and Cloud's music is Americana, with roots growing back to country, Celtic, folk, and jazz. They have spent their lives collecting stories and finding just the right way to tell them. Sometimes it's a song, sometimes it's a tale, but it's always a good time. Their diverse backgrounds, rich and soulful harmonies, and their ever-growing collection of instruments combine to produce programs and recordings that are difficult to describe but nonetheless remarkable.
A program about Danaher and Cloud recently aired on WKCG, an NPR affiliate in Panama City, Florida. Over the years they have entertained at festivals and concert stages, including the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Appel Farm Arts and Music Center, and The Kimmel Center, where they opened for The Chieftains. According to the Appel Farm, "Danaher and Cloud's show is filled with great songs and highly entertaining stories. They put on more than just a great concert, they put on a great show."
Contact Kate Danaher at 888-884-8477 or ReelLadies (at) DanaherandCloud.com
Dearest Home
Dearest Home (also on Facebook) features traditional American music, especially from the Samuel Bayard Collection (PA and WV) and other areas of Appalachia, and music from the US Civil War Era (in period attire), plus traditional music from Scotland, Ireland and England! Their authentic arrangements include fiddle, banjo, concertina, guitar, acoustic bass, piano, mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, pennywhistle, bones and tambourine, with rich vocals. They are available for concerts, festivals, cafes, restaurants, weddings, libraries, schools, historical events, workshops, dances and other events. Since forming in May 2011 they have played for venues including St. Michael’s Soiree (MD), Heart of the Arts Festival (Titusville, PA) Waterford Fair (VA) and Songs and Stories of a Civil War Hospital (Gettysburg, PA).
The members of Dearest Home have been performing together in three other bands: Folk and Friends, Cormorant's Fancy, and Folkemer Family Band (see entries on this page).
Contact Beth Folkemer at 717-334-4334 or 717-253-4889, or email bfolkemer (at) centurylink.net
Folk and Friends
Folk and Friends began their collaboration in 1999. They serve as the musicians for the Songs and Stories of a Civil War Hospital program at Christ Lutheran Church, Gettysburg, which housed a hospital during and after the Battle of Gettysburg. The band's name describes its membership and repertoire. Made up of members of the Folkemer family and their friends, the group performs Civil War era and related music, including songs, spirituals, marches, reels, jigs and traditional carols. While not every selection is "strictly" folk music, all come from genres "friendly" to folk music. Instruments include fiddle, guitar, pennywhistle, concertina, autoharp, hammered dulcimer, mountain dulcimer, bowed psaltery, piano, bodhran, and bones. Folk and Friends has performed in venues such as History Meets the Arts, The Main Street Gettysburg Series, The Civil War Roundtable, First Night, Susquehanna Folk Music Society Coffee House, and Historic Gettysburg.
Dearest Home (see entry above) has become the traveling ensemble covering this repertoire.
Contact Stephen & Beth Folkemer at sfolkemer (at) ltsg.edu, bfolkemer (at) centurylink.net, 717-334-4334 or 717-253-4889.
Folkemer Family Band
The Folkemer Family Band currently concentrates on folk songs collected in Pennsylvania, but they play other favorite genres, including traditional American and Celtic folk and Civil War Era music. The band became "official" in September 2006 when they performed and taught at the Greenwood Furnace Folk Gathering. However, all five family members were accustomed to playing and singing together in Folk and Friends (American folk and Civil War Era music band) and the Schola Cantorum of Gettysburg (choir). Stephen, Beth and Margaret are founding and current members of Cormorant’s Fancy (music of Ireland and the Celtic Nations, www.cormorantsfancy.com), and Joel and Nathan sits in with that group on various occasions. The Folkemer Family Band has also performed at venues including the Gettysburg Festival, the Gettysburg Governor’s Arts Award celebration, Fulton County Historical Society, the Gettysburg College Library, the Penn State University Library, Middletown, and as guests in the Music, Gettysburg! series. 2007-2010 they returned to the Greenwood Furnace Folk Gathering to perform and teach workshops on subjects including the Samuel Bayard Pennsylvania Folk Song Collection, Scottish and Irish music, vocal technique, song arranging and bodhran.
At this time the band plays rarely and is referring most inquiries to Dearest Home (see entry above), which is covering their repertoire.
Contact Stephen & Beth Folkemer at sfolkemer (at) ltsg.edu, bfolkemer (at) centurylink.net, 717-334-4334 or 717-253-4889.
The Gnu Tones
The Gnu Tones is a Celtic-based contradance ensemble led by State College fiddler Bruce Young and anchored by Lancaster pianist Jill Smith.
Contact Bruce Young at bryfiddle (at) aol.com or 814-237-1602
Greenwood Muse
Discover the Greenwood Muse, an ensemble of four instrumental and vocal performers who make each performance a small piece of living history by recreating the instrumentation, transparent textures and vocal stylizations of the Medieval and Renaissance time periods. They have recently expanded their repertoire into the Colonial time period. The group was featured in Central PA magazine's 2000 issue of Insider's Guide to 50 Fabulous (Arts) Finds.
Formed in 1985, the group began performing in historical costume for medieval feasts, and then expanded their venues to include First Night/Carlisle, First Night/York, the William Penn Museum, Fort Hunter Mansion, the Pennsylvania State Museum and Archives, Harrisburg's Celebration of the Arts, York Riverwalk Festival, Central PA Historical societies, public concerts, weddings and private parties.
Under the auspices of the Rothschild Recording Society, the ensemble made their first recording, The Greenwood Muse, in 1989. Their second recording, Dances and Diversions: Music for a Twelfth Night's Feast, was self-produced in 1992. Foliage: The Muse Branches Out is a compilation from the first two cds with added tracks of solo lute and Colonial songs performed by Jeff Greenawalt.
Contact the Muse by e-mail at GreenwoodMuse (at) hotmail.com or by calling Diane Hanse at 717-938-8291.
Hemlock Hollow
Hemlock Hollow consists of Roger Wilkinson on guitar and lead vocals, Chris Wilkinson on mandolin, and Mike Miller on upright bass and vocals. Hemlock Hollow blends folk, bluegrass and Americana music to bring their own acoustic interpretations of Beatles, Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Hank Williams and many others as well as their own originals. Selections from Hemlock Hollow's CD can be heard at www.myspace.com/Hemlockhollow
Contact Hemlock Hollow by calling Roger at 717-439-9514.
Howard and the Islanders
This four piece band specializes in “Island Music”, featuring Jamaican songs, Calypso, Hawaiian tunes, Jimmy Buffet songs and other songs with a similar flavor. The band consists of Jamaican native Howard Lee on twelve string guitar, Micheal Carbon on electric guitar, Tom Carl on bass, and Jim Richardson on banjo and ukuele. Their diverse backgrounds in calypso, rock, bluegrass, country and jazz blend to form a distinctive sound featuring strong vocals, a driving rhythm and melodic guitar licks.
Contact Micheal Carbon at 717-877-2079 for information or booking.
Indian Summer Jars
We are seasonal gigging musicians who play the Harrisburg, York and Gettysburg area. Our music is bluesy folk rock with earthy and Celtic undertones, passionate lyrics, soulful harmonies, and lots of heat. Take a look and listen at www.myspace.com/indiansummerjars
Inishowen
Inishowen is a four-piece group that specializes in Celtic, Maritime, Old-Timey and Québecois tunes and songs. They appeared on the SFMS Coffeehouse stage recently. Henry Cohen also teaches at home, giving lessons on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, tenor banjo, and hammered dulcimer.
Contact Henry at henry (at) inishowenmusic.com or 717-334-4334
Irish Blessing
Since 2002, Irish Blessing, a York based family band, has stormed the Central PA region with a powerhouse of traditional music and dance.
Jonathon, 18, plays piano and flute, is the North American Irish Dance Champion, and currently ranks 5th in the world for his age group in Irish Dance. He has danced many times, along with his brother Josh, for The Chieftains, Eileen Ivers, and Cherish the Ladies, at the Kennedy Center and the Meyerhoff.
Josh, 14, has learnt fiddle from Donna Long (of Cherish the Ladies) for several years and is a rising star on the young generation scene. He qualified for the "All-Irelands" in his band two years ago. Josh has competed in the World Irish Dance championships for the past three years. He is 5th in the Mid-Adlantic region of the USA.
Rounding out Irish Blessing are Cushla (mom) on wooden flute and keyboards, and Jim (dad) on bodhran and flute.
Contact the Srours at srour (at) medscape.com or 717-792-3999
Ken Gehret Swing Quartet
The Ken Gehret Swing Quartet is a jazz ensemble mixing elements of classic and contemporary jazz. The group is led by violinist/guitarist Ken Gehret, with Bruce Campbell on bass, L.J. Palmer on drums/percussion, and Henry Koretzky on guitar/mandolin.
Contact Ken at kgehret (at) comcast.net or 610-927-1755
KJ & Henry
KJ & Henry is a duo performing original and contemporary folk, featuring Lewisburg singer/songwriter K.J. Reimensnyder-Wagner and mandolinist Henry Koretzky. KJ & Henry also perform as part of a larger ensemble, Sweet Nothings.
Contact Henry at hrk2 (at) psu.edu or 717-574-0266
Ladies In The Parlor
Ladies In The Parlor is a string band that brings Old Time fiddle tunes and songs to a variety of audiences. The Ladies have appeared on various stages in the region and have played for contra dances, festivals, hoedowns, private parties and celebrations, including weddings. Their lively playing has a special way of delighting a crowd, ensuring that everyone has a good time.
At the 2006 Deer Creek Fiddlers’ Convention, Ladies in the Parlor took first place in the Old Time band competition. Their instrumentation includes fiddle, five-string banjo, guitar, bass and mandolin. The Ladies in the Parlor are Barb Schmid, Sharon Sacks, Freya Qually and Suzanne Gates.
Contact Suzanne at Suzanne (at) ladiesintheparlor.com or 717-259-0319
Late For Supper
Late for Supper is an eclectic group playing a variety of music on guitar, fiddle and banjo. Old-time Appalachian fiddle tunes are sure to get your feet tapping. Creative arrangements of bluegrass, gospel, folk tunes sung in three-part harmony leave audiences wanting more. They have played for concerts, fairs, barn & Contra dances, private parties, banquets, festivals, and weddings to mention a few.
Barb Schmid from Hampstead, MD takes the lead on fiddle, lead & harmony vocals. Jack Hoffman from Hellam, PA adds five-string banjo and harmony vocals. Todd Clewell from Felton, PA on guitar, mandolin, fiddle and lead & harmony vocals, rounds out this powerful trio.
Contact Todd at info (at) ToddClewell.com or 717-235-4504
The Lowlander Highlanders
The Lowlander Highlanders — fiddler Beverley Conrad and percussionist Luke Glick — play a variety of historical music from the northern Appalachians and old world highlands. Their lively interactive performances combine tunes, clogging and old-time stories with history, folklore, instrument-making and hands-on music lessons.
Contact Beverley at bevconrad (at) yahoo.com or 570-374-2647
Medicinal Purpose
Medicinal Purpose is a contradance band mixing southern old-time and northern Celtic influences. The group, which also performs public concerts and has released a cassette entitled Uncorked!, is led by fiddler Ryck Kaiser, joined by guitarist Jamie O’Brien, banjoist/concertina player Carol Whitfield, and mandolinist/hammered dulcimist Henry Koretzky.
Contact Henry at hrk2 (at) psu.edu or 717-574-0266
Old World Folk Band
The Old World Folk Band is a twelve-piece Harrisburg-based Klezmer ensemble available for concerts, weddings, and other celebrations. Founded in 1982, the band performs throughout the mid-Atlantic region, specializing in Klezmer, Russian, Yiddish Theater and Eastern European music. Our own Jess Hayden plays clarinet.
Contact Dale Laninga at dlaninga (at) oldworldfolkband.org or Jess at 717-932-2348
Poor Paddy
Poor Paddy plays traditional and contemporary Irish music with a tad of Scottish music thrown in. The band includes champion whistle player Francis Horner; lead vocalist Hillary Horner who also plays bodhran & harmonica; and Dan Diviney who plays whistle, bodhran and dabbles on guitar. The band has played festivals, pubs, banquets, and coffee shops and is available summers and during college winter break. On their website, you can join their fan list to receive free sound samples and periodic schedule updates.
Contact Dan Diviney at poorpaddy (at) embarqmail.com or 717-451-4880
Rootbound
Rootbound is a duet based in old-time music but also reflecting contemporary influences and material. The group consists of Glen Rock singer/guitarist Deb Kauffmann and mandolinist/singer Henry Koretzky, who feature tight duo harmonies.
Contact Henry at hrk2 (at) psu.edu or 717-574-0266
Seasons
Seasons is a sibling harp and hammered dulcimer trio made up of Mary-Kate Spring, Peter Winter and Mary-Teresa Summer Lee. Teresa also plays mandolin, while Mary-Kate and Peter are heard on the penny whistle. We all play piano and try our hand at percussion. We range in age from seventeen to twenty-two, unless our fourteen-year-old sister Mary-Grace Autumn sits in. We've been playing professionally and as a ministry for about seven years. We now have two albums on CD, Eventide Lullaby and Which Way to Dublin Town.
Contact Seasons at info (at) seasonsmusic.com
Simple Gifts
Simple Gifts is a trio of women playing twelve instruments and performing ethnic folk music: Romanian, Klezmer, Greek, Irish, Scottish, Appalachian, and more. The group has performed throughout the mid-Atlantic region and has released five albums. The most recent, Time and Again, won a Crossroads Music Award.
Contact Linda Littleton at Linda (at) SimpleGiftsMusic.com or 814-238-8048
Sink Or Swing
Sink Or Swing is a Lewisburg-based swing band fronted by clarinetist/vocalist Doug McMinn, joined by bassist/singer Carl Kirby, guitarists Joe DeCristopher and Ed Scholl, and mandolinist Henry Koretzky. The group features a mix of classic and contemporary swing and jazz vocals and instrumentals.
Contact Henry at hrk2 (at) psu.edu or 717-574-0266
Stringtown Trio
Fiddle, guitar, bass, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, vocals by Nelson Steffy, Bob Bishard and Jean Snyder.
Contact Jean Snyder at jmelsny (at) embarqmail.com or 717-957-4609.
Sweet Nothings
Sweet Nothings is a contemporary folk trio led by Lewisburg singer/songwriter K.J. Reimensnyder-Wagner, augmented by bassist Joe DeCristopher and mandolinist Henry Koretzky. K.J. has released two CDs under her own name, Pony Tales and Dreaming Inside Her Mind. KJ & Henry also perform as a duo.
Contact Henry at hrk2 (at) psu.edu or 717-574-0266
Unbowed
Unbowed is a fiddle-less contradance band, led by the mandolin of Henry Koretzky and supported by guitarist Mike Henry and others.
Contact Henry at hrk2 (at) psu.edu or 717-574-0266
Voxology
Kevin Neidig and Les Vonderlin make up this award-winning duo based in Central Pennsylvania.
Voxology performed for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah, and were finalists in the 1998 Lilith Fair/Levi’s Talent Search. Voxology has opened for the Legendary Doc Watson, Peter Rowan and his Texas Trio, and the Grammy award winning Alison Brown Quartet and The Badlees. They have been featured at music and arts festivals throughout the mid-Atlantic region. They have produced three recordings.
Kevin Neidig also teaches guitar at the Neidig Guitar Studio in Mechanicsburg, PA.
Contact Voxology at voxology (at) ezonline.com or 717-795-6206
We3
We3 presents music styles from roots, folk, country, blues, along with 50's, 60's and 70's favorites. Selections include songs by Bob Dylan, Old Crow Medicine Show, John Prine, Arlo Guthrie, Doc Watson, Lovin Spoonful, James Taylor, Everly Brothers, Harry Chapin, Maria Muldaur, John Denver, Roy Orbison, Linda Ronstadt, and Gordon Lightfoot. The Band is Russ Matthews (Guitar, Banjo, Autoharp, Harmonica, Vocals); Paulette Matthews (Bass Guitar, Ashbory Bass, Violin, Vocals); Lindy Mack (Keyboards, Vocals).
Contact Russ & Paulette at We3 (at) amnesia-music.com or 717-319-0349
