Muses in the Vineyard  
Class of 2016 at Brook Hollow Winery Columbia NJ May 14, 2016

Susan Werner - Headline Performance, Main Stage 7:45-9:00pm Dubbed by NPR as the “Empress of the Unexpected,” singer/songwriter Susan Werner confirms her reputation as an artist changeable as the weather with her newest recording Hayseed. Paying tribute to American agriculture and to her Iowa farm roots, Werner again keeps her audiences guessing and laughing simultaneously, lending her wry humor and passionate voice to subjects such as farmer’s markets, agrochemicals, climate change, drought, longing for a sense of place, and the movement towards sustainable agriculture. The characters and perspectives are varied and colorful, the lyrics are sharp as thistles, the music is handmade and hoppin’, and with Hayseed Werner continues her reign as one of the most bold and creative forces on the acoustic music scene today.​ More info at susanwerner.com 

No Fuss and Feathers - Main Stage 6:30-7:30pm No Fuss and Feathers is the “heck-of-a-good-time” collaboration hatched by award winning songwriters Carolann Solebello, Karyn Oliver, and The YaYas (Catherine Miles and Jay Mafale). It’s like getting three bands for the price of one when these friends share the stage: a dynamic, cohesive cocktail of delicious harmonies, infectious rhythm, and spontaneous hilarity. Individually, the four are nationally touring performers who have charted at the top of Folk and Americana radio and appeared on stage at some of the most respected festivals. Collectively, they are an incorrigible bunch of musical co-conspirators bent on giving their audience an unforgettable show. More info at nofussandfeathersroadshow.com

Regina Sayles - Gazebo Stage 5:45-6:30pm Regina Sayles is a dynamic singer/songwriter who blends her musical abilities with a love for performance. Her capacity to blend various genres such as pop, jazz, soul and country gives even the most diverse audience something to match their musical taste.
“Music speaks to people in all different ways; I want to play at least one song in a performance that reaches each individual audience member in a unique way.”
Regina spent the first 18 years of her life growing up in a small town in Northwest, OH, called Tiffin. Although Regina is still a proud Buckeye, she is now based in Stroudsburg, PA. More info at reginasayles.com

Rachael Sage - Main Stage    4:45-5:45pm  A soulful vocalist and innovative multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and producer Rachael Sage has become one of the busiest touring artists in independent music, performing 100+ dates a year with her band The Sequins throughout the US, UK, Europe and Asia. She has earned a loyal following for her dynamic piano playing, delicate guitar work, soulful vocals. and improvisational audience interaction.
Sage has shared stages with Sarah McLachlan, A Great Big World, Judy Collins, Colin Hay, Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn, The Animals and Ani DiFranco. She has received numerous songwriting awards including The John Lennon Songwriting Contest (Grand Prize) and several Independent Music Awards. Her songs have appeared on MTV, HBO, the “Fame” soundtrack, and in the current season of Lifetime’s #1 reality series,"Dance Moms". For more information, visit http://rachaelsage.com

Annalise Emerick - Gazebo Stage 4:15-4:45pm Eternally a free spirit with an insatiable wanderlust, Emerick comes by it honestly. “We moved around a lot when I was a kid, so I feel like my life on the road was kind of inevitable,” she laughs. “I’m always exploring the notion of home musically, emotionally, and geographically.” The singer claims a scattering of cities as her muse, growing up in the rich musical heritage of both Seattle and Austin before eventually making her way to Nashville to attend Belmont University. In Music City she honed her craft, but it was several charmed summers as a camp counselor in Maine and New Hampshire that inspired her relocate to Boston and start her musical career.  Fresh off of a first place win in the New England Songwriter’s Competition and a relocation back to Nashville, Emerick returns with Field Notes, a folk-inspired, markedly more mature turn for the singer. More at annaliseemerick.com   

Jessica Smucker - Main Stage 3:30-4:15pm  Jessica Smucker never meant to be a serious songwriter. For much of her life, she sang for fun and dabbled on the piano, but her real passions were poetry and nonfiction writing. But as time went by she increasingly found herself turning to the piano for inspiration. Moving her fingers over the keys seemed to draw out words from a different place within her - a deeper, yet more effortless place. Now, eight years into her music career, she still thinks of herself as a writer first. Jessica has performed all over the U.S. and has won several national songwriting contests including the Connecticut Folk Festival Song Competition (2013) and Solarfest's Singer/Songwriter Showcase Competition (2010). She has opened for notable acts like Cheryl Wheeler, Bill Staines and The Kennedys, shared festival stages with Patty Larkin, Catie Curtis, Dar Williams, Antje Duvekot and others. She released her second full-length album, Tumbling After, in September 2014.
More at   http://jessicasmucker.com

Loretta Hagen - Gazebo Stage 3:00-3:30pm Loretta Hagen delivers rich alto vocals, polished award winning lyrics and tightly woven harmonies; the hallmark of her musical career. A 2013 JAM Awards "Top Female Songwriter of the Year", NJ Folk Festival Songwriter Competition Winner, and  CT Folk Festival Finalist, Loretta recently released her third CD, Mud and Stone, featuring uplifting heartfelt ballads, playful up-tempo country swing, and cool bluesy grooves. "Mud and Stone" debuted at #10 on Folk DJ Charts, consistently #1 on the Roots Music Report for NJ, #5 Top 50 Folk Albums RMR, and receiving airplay throughout the US, Canada and Europe. Loretta has shared the stage with Pete Seeger, Roger McGuinn, Steve Forbert, Richie Havens, Gretchen Wilson to name a few and plays premiere stages across the Northeast. Loretta's melodies leave folks feeling as if they are listening to their own stories set to song."This effort (Mud and Stone) is first class, top tier, a true contender as an artist to reckon with."
More at lorettahagen.com

Sharon Goldman - Main Stage In the Round 2:00-3:00pm Long Island born-and-bred, Sharon was raised on ballet, books and Billy Joel.  But after busting out of Orthodox Jewish suburbia, she spent twenty years living in New York City, where she built a career as a magazine writer and editor and did what she thought she was supposed to do — she got married, bought a 2-bedroom co-op apartment and waited for her settled-down future to arrive.
But when Sharon discovered Manhattan’s open mike scene in 2000 (at long-shuttered venues such as the DarkStar Lounge, Baggott Inn, C-Note and Sun Music Company), somehow she knew another future was in store. After divorcing in 2003, selling her apartment and starting over, she was already well on her way to developing a smart, savvy songwriting style, recording albums (she now has a half-dozen under her belt) and building a performance resume around the Tri-State  area, garnering fans eager for  smart, sophisticated songwriting not available on mainstream radio. More at sharongoldmanmusic.com

Marci Geller - Main Stage In the Round 2:00-3:00pm “One of the finest singer-songwriters we’ve come across.”-David Buskin.  Geller's songwriting often captures and surprises even the most casual listener. Whether it is her words, her voice, her melodies, or the way she plays her piano or guitar, hers is a passionate experience that stays with you long after the music's over. 
Credentials include: “Editor’s Choice” top songwriters by Independent Songwriter Magazine, performances on Live! with Regis, Good Day NY, her music in soundtracks on PBS, ABC Family, A&E, and others. She toured for two years as the opener for legend Ritchie Blackmore’s Folk-Renaissance band Blackmore’s Night, where she performed her stirring solo sets for 10,000+ people every night. More at www.marcigeller.com

Rorie Kelly - Main Stage In the Round 2:00-3:00pm 
People hearing rorie kelly for the first time often comment, "I can't believe that voice came out of that body." The singer/songwriter has been compared to Joni Mitchell and Sara Bareilles for her catchy-confessional songwriting style, and to Alanis Morisette and Janis Joplin for her raw powerhouse vocals. Rorie's debut release, Wish Upon a Bottlecap, received airplay across the nation. Her followup live CD, Sincerely Live, featured knockout performances of brand new songs and fan favorites. Rorie is currently working on a new studio release called Rising Rising Rising, and a women's empowerment project called Songs to Start a Fire.
 More at roriekelly.com  
​

Trina Hamlin - Gazebo Stage 1:30-2:00pm   Trina Hamlin combines gentle understanding with raw emotion in a way that is, quite simply, captivating from the first note.
With a rich, powerful voice, Hamlin reveals a rare confluence of Midwestern innocence, contemplative focus, and raw passion while adding a disarmingly sharp wit in her stage banter. She seamlessly moves from guitar to piano with self accompaniment on harmonica leaving many who have seen her wondering what she can't do.
Regarded as one of the best harmonica players around, she presents a driving, sensuous rhythm in her performance reawakening audiences to the art of the instrument.
"I have never seen anyone play harmonica like that. Neither has anyone else. Trina is truly one of the most compelling musical performers on the stage today." --Susan Werner. More at trinahamlin.com

Sarah Peacock - Main Stage  12:30-1:30pm The perfect marriage of Ann Wilson and Sheryl Crow, Sarah Peacock is a country-rock powerhouse! Peacock delivers intensity and passion while her memorable melodies soar over heartfelt lyrics. And any die hard Peacock fan will tell you she is just as infectious off the stage as she is on it.  First impressions of Nashville country-rock singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist Sarah Peacock center around her distinctive, powerful “smoky” voice, as it was aptly described by renowned music journalist, Craig Havighurst. 
“Sarah Peacock is the real deal. And, that’s a hard find these days. She’s got a rare and timeless talent with a craft that’s been honed for true longevity. Sarah’s voice exudes depth and soul beyond her years. Not only is she a talented performer and entertainer, she is a prolific and profoundly gifted songwriter. Get ready. Sarah Peacock is going to be a household name.”
-Ken Coomer of Wilco
More at sarahpeacockmusic.com

Kathy Moser - Gazebo Stage 12:00-12:30pm Kathy Moser has been in love with music and Planet Earth as long as she can remember.  Her introduction to folk happened at Girl Scout camp, which led her to the coffeehouse scene.  Distressed by her inability to play guitar while sitting on that ubiquitous four-legged stool found on every folk stage, she wandered over for a record or two into something looking a little more like rock.  But realizing she missed her tribe, she wandered back to her acoustic roots with a guitar strap and never looked back.
An award-winning songwriter, engaging performer and passionate environmentalist, Kathy is dedicated to bringing positive change to the world through music both on and off stage. More at kathymoser.com

Emily Barnes - Main Stage In the Round 11:00am-12:00pm Hailing from the tiny rural town of Johnsonburg, NJ, 22-year-old indie singer-songwriter Emily Barnes has been wowing audiences of all shapes and sizes for the past 3 years with her hypnotic vocals and eclectic style.A staple in the Northwest New Jersey music scene, Barnes writes and sings songs that belie her age. Songs of love found and lost, of hope and disappointment. Armed with an acoustic guitar and an array of imaginative tattoos Emily is no old school folkie but she’s no pop princess either. Instead Emily is true to her intuition, writing from the heart and turning heads with a voice that cuts to the bone. Think early Nora Jones with a funkier fashion sense.
Her debut album “Beautiful Goodbyes” was released in January 2014. More at emilybarnesmusic.com

SØF - Main Stage In the Round 11:00am-12:00pm SØF (formerly known as Sofia Nicole) is an award winning singer/songwriter from Central, NJ.  Nominated for an "Asbury Music Award" in the "Top Female Band/Acoustic Act" category in 2013 and 2014 and winner of the "Jersey Acoustic Music Awards" "Top 18 and Under Vocalist" award in 2013; this young artist has come into her own.
 Performing at numerous venues, including Bowery Electric, The Bitter End and Sidewalk Café in NYC; The Saint, The Stone Pony, Wonder Bar and Brighton Bar in NJ as well as World Café Live in both Philadelphia and Delaware;  SØF strives to reach all audiences of varied states and sizes. She may also count the Tin Angel, another Philadelphia original music club and numerous other venues, wineries, festivals and fairs among her many performance arenas. More at sofmusic.com 
 
​

Kayla Avitabile - Main Stage In the Round 11:00am-12:00pm At 15, Kayla Avitabile is the artist-in-residence at Valley Youth House, which provides shelter and services for homeless and runaway kids through 13 offices in eastern Pennsylvania.
Kayla is an eclectic alt singer-songwriter and guitarist with soulful and powerful vocals. Her acoustic interpretations of today's popular bands and her own budding abilities as a songwriter, have made her a notable presence on the northwest NJ and Lehigh Valley music scene. More at www.facebook.com/kaylaavitabile