Stage
Stage Emcee: Rutgers University Alumnus: Tyler Cole Conory
10:00am
Lesser Séamus
Lesser Séamus was formed in 2008 in New Brunswick, New Jersey, by a group of close friends and multi-instrumentalists who all love Irish music. Since that time they have been performing continuously together in Central New Jersey as a three to seven-piece band. Instrumentation includes acoustic guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, Irish bouzouki, tin whistle, Uilleann pipes, bass, and drums. Together they share roughly 250 years of musical experience. Song offerings include traditional Irish folk and ballads, fiddle tunes, Irish-inspired Americana and Rock, and plenty of Celtic punk. They have all been dedicated NJ Folkfest attendees for decades!
11:15am
SIERRA PEAKS
Hailing from Central New Jersey, Sierra Peaks brings you a musical smoothie of tasty guitar licks, phat bass lines and thunderous drums! As a regular fixture of the New Jersey festival and venue scenes (including numerous appearances at Davidson’s Mill Pond Park), their music is a unique blend of Alt Rock, Rock n’ Roll, & Folk/Americana sounds. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Greg Fawcett (drums) was tired of lock down regulations and took to the streets to start a new project. Instead, Greg came across Jason Christie (guitar) and Nick Miraglia (guitar) who just so happened to be looking for drums. After a hasty audition where the rehearsal space almost burnt to the ground (there really was a fire), the three decided to join forces and create Sierra Peaks! With a wide spread of influence and inspiration, Sierra Peaks crosses genres in unique ways to ensure everyone is dancing along. Long live Rock n’ Roll!
12:15pm
McDermott’s Handy
Irish fiddler Ed McDermott was one of our first musical stage acts at the 1st and 2nd NJ Folk Festival. Ed died on Jan. 1, 1977. As a tribute to Ed and his music, Kathy DeAngelo and her husband will perform his songs as McDermott’s Handy, in his honor.
McDermott’s Handy is the husband/wife duo featuring multi-instrumentalists Kathy DeAngelo and Dennis Gormley that has been performing together for over 45 years together. Their name goes back to the third NJ Folk Festival when a ‘tribute’ band gathered to perform in honor of the late Ed McDermott, the noted 81-year old Irish fiddler who had headlined the first two festivals. The group was led by Kathy DeAngelo, who had been the festival’s first music director, and named McDermott’s Handy, playing the tunes they had learned from McDermott. Based now in South Jersey, Dennis and Kathy have since traveled far and wide playing Irish traditional music all over the East Coast and in Ireland. Kathy plays fiddle, harp and banjo and Dennis adds flute, tinwhistles, guitar and bouzouki to their instrument mix. They have been named to the Mid-Atlantic Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Hall of Fame and the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame. Kathy was recognized as a NJ Heritage Fellow in 2023. They have performed at the NJFF many times in its 50 years and were the anchors behind the South Jersey Irish Session on our ‘jam’ stage for years. Just as Ed McDermott handed his music down to them, so have McDermott’s Handy been instrumental (pun intended) in passing on the tradition to their younger players in the Next Generation of Traditional Irish Music, also featured at this year’s festival.
1:00pm
Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise
Join Küf Knotz (Producer/MC) and Christine Elise (Harpist/Vocalist) for a high energy performance full of soul, harp strings, and hip hop. Küf provides a soothing landscape of boom bap/lo-fi inspired sound and story-filled lyrics while Christine layers with harp and beautifully ethereal vocals. And you can dance to it!
Named Philadelphia Magazine Best Rapper of 2022, Küf Knotz (Producer/MC) and Christine Elise (Harpist/Vocalist) connected with a similar mission to create positive, forward thinking music fusing the boom bap era and lo-fi inspired beats supported by the harp. And, you can dance to it! Exemplifying their diverse reach, the duo has opened for Wyclef Jean, Yellowman, Rising Appalachia, Slick Rick, Say She She, Afroman, Wax Tailor (US Tour Support), Liniker, G-Love, Talib Kweli, Ozomatli, Raging Fyah, Eubanks & Evans Experience, Digable Planetsand have been featured on NPR Music.
1:45pm
Tempo Alegre
Tempo Alegre, a seasoned ensemble with a legacy spanning over 25 years, has graced both private and public social and cultural events with their diverse repertoire of Latin music styles. From the spirited rhythms of merengue and salsa to the timeless melodies of bachata, cumbia, bolero, and beyond. Over the years, Tempo Alegre has cultivated a reputation for professionalism, reliability, timeliness, and musical excellence. With each performance, Tempo Alegre brings people together through the universal language of music.
2:45pm
SPOOK HANDY INCLUDING AN AUDIENCE SING-A-LONG
Spook Handy has been performing at the New Jersey Folk Festival since 1998. Having performed elsewhere alongside Pete Seeger more than 50 times, Spook really gets what Folk music is about. On the Gillespie Stage, he will present a mix of iconic songs of the Folk Revival with new songs he has written that everybody can sing.
Handy, a singer/songwriter and longtime performer at the NJFF, who played for many years with folk music legend Pete Seeger, will review his current and future musical activities. A 1982 graduate of Rutgers University, many will recall Handy’s appearances at the Corner Tavern in New Brunswick, a musical series (“The Spook Handy Show”) that ran for 20 years, beginning in September 1985.