2008 second stage line up
sponsored by the ri songwriters association

Ryan Fitzsimmons is known for high-octane performance, songwriting that ranges from the subtleties of a moment to the aggression of a bar-fight, and impressive guitar work that exudes feeling. He's been engaging audiences at venues all over the north-east and beyond. In 2007 he won Best Local Male Vocalist in the Providence Phoenix Best Music Poll, showcased at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, and opened for Dar Williams, among others.

Whalebone Jackson is a New England based band comprised of Matt Diglio, The Reverend Mike Viccione and Blind Jasper McTavish. Mike turned to singing after his dreams of being a premiere Russian ballerina were shattered by a crippling car accident and being born Italian. Jasper was living destitute on the mean streets of Tupelo Mississippi. Matt had just learned that Los Angeles was in fact a place for Los Angelenos.  And so they converged in Providence Rhode Island where Whalebone Jackson was born way back in May of 2007. Within that year Jasper died and was reborn and Matt broke up with himself due to creative differences.  Mike has lost and gained a total of 80 pounds. All three members of the band are the type of guys that despite having anxiety disorders, enjoy a rousing game of Magic the Gathering.

Give an organic gardener a guitar and you will get rhythmic, deep-rooted songs that bloom. RI native Kim lamothe's songs are seasoned and telling. poetic lyrical lines matched with imploring vocals add to the intricate and intense guitar work making her a dynamic performer. accompanied by Brendan Whipple on upright bass adding some straight up low-down bottom line.

Paul Pasch is a veteran folk singer and songwriter whose performances have been enjoyed by audiences of all ages at music venues and coffeehouses throughout the Southern New England area. Pauls songs are real life stories set within a framework of wonderful imagery and intriguing melodies. His easy vocal style and rich voice have earned him a growing reputation in the folk community. Paul was nominated in 2007 as Best Singer Songwriter, Best Male Vocalist and Pauls first CD release, Tornado Sky, as Best Local CD by the Motif Magazine Music Poll in 2007. Motif Magazine said Paul Pasch is an artisan who knows his way around a melody and the written word." (Don DiMuccio, 'In the Groove"). Pauls performances are a thoroughly enjoyable experience and should not be missed.

Emotionally charged acoustic folk rock is Lisa Martin's hallmark sound. Drawing on diverse influences spanning the last three decades, Martin's music bridges the elements of folk and rock, with her pop sensibilities always highly evident in the mix. Whether performing solo or with a full band, she is always well received and captivates the audience with her powerful vocals, guitar prowess, heartfelt delivery and quick wit. Her live performances, which run the gamut from heartfelt songs of love and loss to her rollicking takes on life's lessons are steadily earning her a following of passionately loyal fans throughout the northeast.

Mike Fischman and Ed McGuirl have been playing together for nearly two decades, first as the Folk Support Group and as their newer electric incarnation, Jimmytown Juke. Though Ed and Mike are musicians now, they hope to fulfill their life long desire to become full time philanthropists as soon as someone is kind enough to provide them with amazingly enormous sums of money. Perhaps their dreams and all our dreams will come true after this year's fest!

Award-winning Boston contemporary folk singer/songwriter Terry Kitchen's songs are portraits of ordinary people and emotions, captured with extraordinary compassion, honesty and humor. His wide-ranging songs - from "The Seven-Eleven Overture" about small town life, to "The Bonny Lights of Cavendish," about English orphans sent to Canada, to "Heaven Here On Earth," the deeply moving title tune of Terry's latest CD - superb guitar playing and warm audience rapport guarantee an enjoyable experience for all. His songs have won the grand prize in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, first prize in the USA Songwriting Competition, and runner-up in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and Heaven Here On Earth was Folk-DJs #75 most played folk CD of 2007. More on Terry at www.terrykitchen.com

Jan Luby is known for her engaging, often riveting stage presence as well as a voice full of passion, range and power. Jan's songs are evocative, lyrical and infectious personal stories. Her approach to songwriting ranges from socially relevant to irreverent, heartbreaking to humorous.