Fall 2018 Performers

Jackie Bristow is at once heartfelt and sophisticated. She combines subtle but beautiful melodies and hooks that hypnotize the listener, demand your complete surrender, and then stick around like a real friend that never leaves you. A hit in New Zealand and a star in Australia, Jackie is now Nashville-based and taking aim at the U.S. She's toured and opened in the world's greatest halls for the world's greatest artists - Bonnie Raitt, Foreigner, The Steve Miller Band, Rick Springfield, Phoebe Snow, Art Garfunkel, Jimmy Webb, Paul Williams, Tommy Emanuel, Shawn Mullins - and now for The Folk Project and you.
Mark Punch is master guitarist in a wild mix of styles. He's toured and recorded with most if not all major singers of the last 35 years in Australia, including Joe Cocker, Jimmy Barnes, Renee Geyer, Judith Durham of the Seekers, and he won "Musician of The Year" at CMAA Awards in 2012.
Their Folk Project debut was a smash success and a total joy. Last spring’s Strummin’ with Bristow & Punch concert and music party left everyone stunned and thrilled with their skill, talent and impressive showmanship. If you caught that show, you want them back. If you didn’t, be prepared. They belong at Getaway.

The Murphy Beds are purveyors of a gorgeous, heartfelt, and intricate blend of folk and Irish traditional music and their own original songs. The duo Jefferson Hamer and Eamon O’Leary are renowned and beloved for their close harmonies and deft instrumental arrangements on bouzouki, guitar, and mandolin. They have performed and collaborated with artists across the folk spectrum including Beth Orton, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Anais Mitchell, and Sam Amidon. The Huffington Post says “their great feat turns out to be taking what’s best of the classic Irish folk revival without falling into any of its clichés.”
Eamon O’Leary grew up in Dublin. He was seeped in the traditional musicians from County Mayo, and eventually immersed himself in Brooklyn’s traditional music scene, where he met award-winning guitarist, singer and songwriter Jefferson Hamer. The Murphy Beds are standouts in the burgeoning Brooklyn traditional music scene. We’re honored and happy that they have chosen to spend Getaway weekend with us.

Nikki Talley’s music delivers the sound and feel of her North Carolina heritage in every song of every show. And that’s over 200 shows every year, because Nikki’s in demand. Her thoughtful songs and gorgeous voice have graced stages everywhere, headlining festivals, venues, and concerts throughout the Western and Southern United Stages. And now they’re Getaway bound. Get ready.
Always genuine and down to earth, she and her partner Jason Sharp deliver. Hailing from the mountains of western North Carolina, it’s only fitting that her songs are as eclectic as the state that boasts the mountains and the sea. Her songs are resonant, her melodies soulful, and her lyrics tell stories we want to hear. Her voice can go from “whisper sweet” to a passionate belt to a heartfelt honkytonk croon. Along with her guitar & claw hammer style banjo, her musical partner and husband Jason Sharp adds resonant lush guitar tones, as well as harmonies to round out the duo’s sound. His guitar work is soaring. They travel in their van, Blue Bell, all across the country playing festivals, venues & house concerts.

Old Man Luedecke is the recording name of the two-time Juno Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and banjo player Chris Luedecke of Chester, Nova Scotia. Chris's narrative-driven folk songs are playful, coy, and soul warming. He muses on love, art, and purpose. With skillful precision and a storyteller's heart, he embodies the heart, spirit, and craft of the quintessential folk troubadour and engages his audiences with the craft and artistry of a master down-home performing artist.
Luedecke is the real deal, a modern-day people's poet, travelling bard and balladeer. He's played around the world to a loving and increasing fan base, and won two Juno awards in the process. He headlines at festivals, theatres, concerts, cafes, libraries and anywhere and everywhere across the United State and especially Canada, where he is a beloved and admired. Chris has won two Juno Awards, in 2008 and 2011 for "Traditional Folk Album of the Year," and, in 2012 he picked up a Juno nomination for "Folk Album of the Year." He's also known and beloved up north as a member of The Pan-Canadian New Folk Ensemble with Kim Barlow and Christine Fellows.
In case you're worried about how old Old Man Luedecke is -- well, he isn't. Chris just got back from exploring the Canadian Arctic wilderness, and he's about to join us to explore the wilds of New Jersey. This is fun guy to be with and a perfect Getaway match.

A tried and true Michigan musician, Joshua Davis was raised in both the urban landscapes of Detroit and the wilderness on the southern tip of Lake Superior. His voice is stunning. His songs reflect the viewpoint of an honest, hardworking family man, describing scenes of the cycle of life through dark, broken, hopeful, and triumphant times. He’s shared the stage with a “Who’s Who” of American folk music icons, such as Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Greg Brown, and Abigail Washburn, and lately with Sheryl Crow and Adam Levine as a top finalist on NBC’s The Voice, where Josh spent an incredible six months on national television, breaking the mold as the first artist to sing original material on that show.
Already a heavily-touring artist with his band Steppin’ In It, Davis has recorded five albums with “Steppin’” and five more albums as a soloist. His rough-n-tumble grit mixes with an undeniable Midwesterner’s charm, while his soaring vocal performances mix with his signature lyricism and his deft acoustic guitar work. He sings of valuable lessons from his own trials and tribulations about how to be a better person, husband and father. The same vitality of spirit and message that brought Josh to the national stage is bringing him to the Getaway. He’s our kind of artist.

Dynamic singer and master violinist Diane Perry is breaking new ground by blending the language of folk with the artistry of classical and jazz. ​She achieves beauty, passion and exquisite artistry in every note of every concert, and The New Jersey Jazz Society Magazine hails her as "madly original.... playful, mischievous, and innocent all at once." This Juilliard-trained musician infuses her considerable technique into a unique brand of swing, folk and her own original songs.
Composer David Amram called her "a true musician's musician and a singer's singer. She tells her own story in a compelling style... “Folk legend Reggie Harris says of her, "I love, love, LOVE, with a capital L what you are doing! The astonishing combination of the relationship of your instruments and the articulate nature of your arrangements was simply magical! What you did in your performance was combine the best of literature, music, and the dramatic arts."
Perry was a featured showcase performer at the Folk Alliance Region Midwest conference and has toured throughout the country. As a workshop leader, her Folk Project and Getaway fans are familiar with Diane’s considerable teaching skills and her innate ability to make complex concepts understandable and advanced techniques doable by the average Folk Project musician. We are thrilled that this world-class talent has chosen us as her musical home community. She has contributed fabulously to our Getaway for the better part of a decade. It is our honor to showcase her considerable talents for the first time as a featured performer at the weekend she loves and belongs to.

Georgian-born singer and guitarist Ilusha Tsinadze is Getaway’s staff musician, workshop instructor and contra band leader. He brings his multicultural story of dreams and discovery once again to the Getaway stage through a captivating take on Georgia’s venerable music traditions. At the age of 8, Ilusha immigrated to New York, leaving behind the Georgian Civil War – yet taking with him a rich cultural history that has remained an essential part of his own. Known today for his warm stage presence and soulful voice, Ilusha invites audiences to see through his eyes as he introduces village songs into conversation with the global city. Since releasing his debut album Deda Ena (Mother Tongue) in 2011, Ilusha has gained a loyal following on both sides of the Atlantic. His Getaway roots run long and deep, and he is much beloved and appreciated as a lifetime member of our Folk Project community.

They call themselves, “Trip McCool and The Old School.” They blaze away on original songs that sound like old friends roaring in the Pub. Dennis Dougherty quit his job to sing his lungs out and play tin whistle; Charlyn Dougherty walked off hers to pump the accordion. It’s their retirement plan. What could possibly go wrong? Their financial advisor told them, “Go ahead, start a band, and play Irish songs! You’ll make hundreds of dollars a year!”
The duo has performed in pubs, folk clubs, house concerts and festivals from North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois to Washington, Texas, and Nebraska. Dennis was part of New York City’s Fast Folk crowd with ringleader Jack Hardy back in the 80s and, perhaps not coincidentally, was a Kerrville New Folk Finalist at that time as well. He’s written songs with Michael Smith, Steve Gillette and Fred Koller and was featured at the Kerrville Folk Festivals ‘New Folk’ competition and the Falcon Ridge ‘Emerging Artists’ events. Dennis also produced and shot a film honoring the late great TR Ritchie, which was shown at the Kerrville Folk Fest this year. Charlyn was a licensed Music Therapist for over 30 years and used her considerable musical talents for healing others, the ultimate gift of song.
Celtic Radio gave “The Traveler,” their first CD together, Five Irish Stars, called it a “WoW” album and said, “We would invite you to check out this compilation of talented songwriting and storytelling.” We give Dennis and Charlyn an entire galaxy of stars and Getaway friends can’t wait to hear them from the main concert stage.

Annie Donahue is a singer/songwriter from the Philadelphia area.  She performs original and cover songs in the folk and blues genres. She has a gorgeous voice and a natural gift for clear lyrics, emotional honesty, and passionate melodies. Her songwriting is deceptively simple, strikingly unique and poetic in its scope and creativity. Jack Morris of Folk Works called her “a fresh new voice in the folk world.”
Annie began her music career as part of the folk music duo “The Copper Ponies.” Project members will remember their stellar performance at the 2013 Fall Getaway. At that time, their debut EP “Ring Them Bells” was the most played album on Folk Radio. After stepping away from music to raise her son, Annie spent a few years as a singer with the dynamic, hard rockin’ Bubba Mac Blues Band. She’s excited to return to the folk music scene as a solo artist. Every Getaway, our community chooses one of their own to perform at the next Getaway on the main stage. This time we chose Annie. Congratulations. That’s wonderful for her and wonderful for us.