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Master guitarist, singer and songwriter Archie Fisher is Scotland's foremost troubadour and is known throughout the country as the host of BBC Radio Scotland's award-winning "Travelling Folk" show, which he has presented for over 25 years. Recognized for his contributions to Scottish folk music, he was inducted into the Scots Traditional Music Hall of Fame and in 2006 was awarded an MBE, (Distinguished Member of the British Empire) a prestigious honor nominated by his peers and bestowed by Queen Elizabeth for services to traditional music in 2007. The most recent recognition of his art came from the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival in 2008 when he was granted the Tradition Bearers Award.

Archie was born in Glasgow into a large singing family, which yielded three professional singers--Archie and his sisters Ray and Cilla Fisher. His father's appreciation of many musical styles (opera, vaudeville, traditional ballads) proved to be a heavy influence on Archie's musical development. His mother, a native Gaelic speaker from the Outer Hebrides, was a strong influence on the lyrical quality of his singing and songwriting. Archie first became interested in folk music through the Skiffle era of the late 1950's under the influences of performers such as Lonnie Donegan and Johnny Duncan. Later, the recording of the Weavers at Carnegie Hall also had a profound effect on his approach to music and his political outlook.

During the British TV folk boom of the 1960's and 70's he appeared regularly with his younger sister Ray. He was based in Edinburgh at the time in the contemporary company of musicians such as Robin Williamson, Clive Palmer and Mike Heron, who formed the original Incredible String Band. Archie's first self-titled album was recorded in 1968 with the now sadly departed pairing of fiddle and mandolin player John McKinnon and the renowned whistle and piccolo player John Doonan.

During the mid 1970's he formed a long-term partnership with Dundee musician Allan Barty, which was later grafted on to the revived pairing of Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy. As well as performing as a backing musician and arranger for the Maken and Clancy duo, Archie also produced a series of albums with them. Meanwhile, Archie got involved in record production with the dynamic Scottish band Silly Wizard.

During the 1980's he turned his attention to freelance radio work and originated several series of documentary programs with his local station Radio Tweed. He then returned to the recording studio during what he describes as one of his most creative songwriting periods. It was around this time that he began a partnership with Canadian songwriter Garnet Rogers. They toured throughout North America together and Garnet produced several of his albums, including his highly acclaimed album Sunsets I've Galloped Into. Following the success of that release, Archie toured throughout North America, playing with John Renbourn and Bert Jansch. His current CD, Windward Away, has already achieved widespread acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic.

Visit Archie's website at www.myspace.com/archiefisher

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Consummate musicians and storytellers, Kim and Reggie Harris combine a strong folk and gospel legacy with a solid background in classical, rock, jazz and pop music. Creative curiosity, years of road and stage eperience and interactions with performers such as Pete Seeger, Ysaye Barnwell, Jay leno, Tom Paxton, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Harry Belafonte and others, has led them to produce music that entertains and inspires.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, a city rich in cultural and musical heritage, Kim and Reggie's early exposure to the diversity of musical styles and genres was nurtured in the scholls and churches of their youth

Audiences at venues such as The Kennedy Center, The Brookyn Academy of Music, The Smithsonian Institute, the Reunion Arena in Texas, the Psalm Festival in Graz, Austria--along with numerous theatre arts centers, festivals, universities and schools--have given this inspiring duo standing ovations for their vibrant performances.

Visit Kim & Reggie's website at www.kimandreggie.com

Fiddler Kevin Burke is coming to IMT for a special solo show.

Kevin's fiddle playing has been at the forefront of traditional music for over 30 years. He has been established as a first class musician ever since his work in the early 1970's with such renowned performers as Arlo Guthrie, Christy Moore and the Bothy Band and with his far-reaching solo album, If the Cap Fits. During his long musical career Kevin has earned international acclaim in both Europe and America as a solo performer, a teacher and as a member of some of folk music's foremost groups including the exciting Celtic Fiddle Festival and Ireland's long admired and respected Patrick Street.

Kevin's contribution to music was acknowledged by The National Endowment for the Arts when he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship, the USA's highest honor for excellence in the folk and traditional arts. Previous National Heritage Fellows include B.B. King, Doc Watson, and Bill Monroe.

By 1980 Kevin had settled in the USA and was performing with Bothy Band colleague Micheal O Domhnaill. Their two albums, Promenade and Portland, became, and still are, very influential resources for many traditional musicians. In 1985 Kevin was a founding member of the group Patrick Street.

Kevin spent much of the 90's recording and performing in a series of highly successful concert tours with Johnny Cunningham from Scotland and Christian Lemaitre from Brittany, a trio of fiddle players known as "The Celtic Fiddle Festival" and he has also become a featured member of Grammy winner Tim O'Brien's wonderful 'crossover' band, "The Crossing".

Although Kevin has spent much of his life playing in a group context, he has never lost his love for solo fiddle music - the "naked fiddle" as he himself sometimes puts it. This is very evident in his live solo release, "In Concert", a performance of mostly unaccompanied traditional pieces.

In 2007 Kevin set up his own record label, "Loftus Music", which has already developed a reputation for excellence in both its musical output and its somewhat unique and eco-friendly packaging design. The first release on his new label was the impressive Across the Black River, a duo recording with his good friend, composer/arranger Cal Scott. The CD garnered high praise from music critics on both sides of the Atlantic and was hailed by the New York Times as one of the top world music releases of the year.

2010 also saw Kevin's induction to the Oregon Music Hall of Fame. He was very honored to receive such a tribute from his adopted home state.

Visit Kevin's website at www.kevinburke.com

Hanneke Cassel is returning to IMT with Ari Friedman and Keith Murphy.

"Exuberant and rhythmic, somehow both wild and innocent, delivered with captivating melodic clarity and an irresistible playfulness," says the Boston Globe about Hanneke Cassel's playing. Such charismatic fiddling has brought the native Oregonian many honors and awards. She is the 1997 U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion, she holds a Bachelors of Music in Violin Performance from Berklee College of Music, and she has performed and taught across North America, Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and China.

Hanneke's latest release, For Reasons Unseen features an all-star cast of musicians--including Alasdair Fraser, Natalie Haas, Rushad Eggleston, Casey Driessen, Brittany Haas, Keith Murphy, and Aoife O'Donovan. Influences from Scotland to China, along with grooves and musical innovations from the hip Boston bluegrass/Americana scene, fuse together to create a uniquely American approach to Scottish music. She creates sounds on the cutting edge of acoustic music, while retaining the integrity and soul of the Scottish tradition.

In addition to her solo act, Hanneke tours regularly with Baroque/Celtic group Ensemble Galilei, and has performed with the Cathie Ryan Band, Cherish the Ladies, Alasdair Fraser, and Matt Glaser and the Wayfaring Strangers. She is an active member of Boston-based band Childsplay (featuring 20+ fiddles made by Bob Childs) and co-founder (with Laura Cortese and Lissa Schneckenburger) of Celtic chick band Halali. She teaches regularly at Alasdair Fraser's Valley of the Moon and Sierra Fiddle Camps, Boston Harbor Fiddle Camp, and the Club Passim School of Music. Hanneke's fiddling has graced the stages of The Boston Hatch Shell (performing with Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block), Boston's Symphony Hall (opening for Judy Collins), Mountain Stage, The Plaza Hotel, and the Lincoln Center.

Visit Hanneke's website at www.hannekecassel.com

Hanneke, Ari Friedman and Keith Murphy playing with Childsplay in 2007.

Scott Alarik, folk music writer for the Boston Globe, author and musician, has written a novel set in the Boston music community of open mics, house concerts and folk clubs. He's coming to IMT to do a combined performance and book reading, and we're excited to have him!

For the past 25 years, Scott has been arguably the most prolific and influential folk music writer in the country. He covered folk for the Boston Globe, contributed regularly to public radio, including seven years as correspondent for the national news show Here and Now, and wrote for many national magazines, including Sing Out, Billboard, and Performing Songwriter.

Now, Scott has written Revival, the first novel set entirely in the folk world of the 21st century. Even before publication, the love story was earning raves from Booklist (“A joyous celebration of folk musicians and their world”), and from folk stars like Tom Paxton, Ellis Paul, Catie Curtis, John Gorka, Alison Brown, Mary Gauthier, and Gordon Bok, who called it “just about the warmest, most nourishing book I’ve read.” “Music lifts us up,” wrote songwriter, organizer, activist, and author Si Kahn. “So does Revival.”

Scott is also a popular presenter of talks on folk music topics at colleges, museums, folk societies, and other venues. He was invited to deliver the inaugural Botkin Folklife Lecture at the Library of Congress, and teaches an annual course called “Understanding Folk Music” at McDaniel College’s Common Ground music camp.

Scott has maintained his performing career, appearing at coffeehouses near his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and releasing two CDs, -30- and All That Is True. In singing the praises of Revival, Si Kahn wrote, “Scott Alarik has long been one of the wisest and most literate voices on the folk scene, from his articles and books to his own passionate songwriting, storytelling and performances.”

Visit Scott's website at scottalarik.com

The Hot Seats play stringband music with simple intentions: to keep the role of traditional musician as entertainer and commentator alive and kicking. Homer and Jethro, The Skillet Likkers, George Formby, Woodie Guthrie, Phil Ochs, Tommy Jarrell, Uncle Dave Macon, Frank Zappa – these are pools from which The Hot Seats draw. Their original music is simultaneously hard to classify and instantly identifiable, combining the virtuosic soloing and tightness of bluegrass, the band-driven rhythm of old time, the jerky bounce of ragtime, and the swagger of good old rock and roll. Add some eastern melodies, a few modernist ideals, and an uncanny feel for comic timing, and you begin to approach this sound.

While striving to push tradition forward, the band takes great pride in their ability to play within a tradition style as well as without. When it’s bluegrass, they bring you back to the 1960's era of Flatt and Scruggs or Jimmy Martin; when it’s old-time, they try and channel the Camp Creek Boys; when it’s time for a bit of satire, it’s the images of Frank Zappa or the Fugs towards which they gravitate. Ultimately, the Hot Seats are most concerned with making the music that they want to hear and playing in the manner that is most entertaining to themselves; the fact that audiences and critics alike have embraced it is almost a wonderful coincidence.

The band’s most recent full length release, Retreat To Camp Candy Temptation Island highlights the band’s flexibility, moving between bluegrass, ragtime, oldtime, jugband, and Klezmer with ease, injecting humor and sharp witted commentary along the way. Their 2010 EP release features seven songs pulled from the depths of the public domain of old time and ragtime music. These albums together are evidence of the band’s dedication to treat stringband music as a modern form, open to current themes and sensibilities, as well as a tradition that is deserving of preservation, and to the Hot Seats’ ability to play both on the outskirts and in the center of the Appalachian tradition.

Visit the Hot Seat's website at thehotseats.net

A two-time Grammy award-winning artist, recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the RI Council for the Humanities, Bill uses song and story to paint a vibrant and hilarious picture of growing up, schooling and family life.

His work spans the generation gap, reminds us of our common humanity and challenges us to be our very best selves. A prolific author and recording artist, Bill is also a regular commentator for NPR's "All Things Considered" and featured on PBS. He joined the National Storytelling Network's Circle of Excellence in 2001 and tours nationwide as an author, performing artist and keynote speaker.

Bill began singing and storytelling in 1975 while still in college. His work has influenced a generation of children, parents, performing artists and educators. Bill's songs are joyous, direct and honest, his stories are filled with the details of daily life--all told and sung from his slightly off-center point of view.

"Humor is my weapon," says Harley of his award-winning recordings. A two-time Grammy winner, Bill's recordings have also garnered numerous other national awards including Parents' Choice, NAPPA (National Association of Parenting Publication Awards), ALA (American Library Association) and the highest honor from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio for his concert DVD, "Yes to Running!" filmed in conjunction with Montana PBS.

Bill's trademark wit and wisdom can also be found in his picture books and novels for children. His first novel, The Amazing Flight of Darius Frobisher was chosen by Bank Street School of Education as one of the best children's books of the year and his second novel, Night of the Spadefoot Toads was awarded the Green Earth Book Award as best environmental book of the year in the children's fiction category. His picture books, based on his songs, stories and poems also stand out as 'pick of the list' from ABA and a Storytelling Award Winner. An advocate for children and educators, Bill is currently at work on a book about the culture of schools.

Visit Bill's website at www.billharley.com

Stories abound where the prairie meets the hills--modern/retro harmonies and groove in original and traditional Americana and Bluegrass music.

Life-long musicians Steve Smith (vocals, mandolin, mandola and guitar) and Chris Sanders (vocals and guitar) have captured audiences across the country with the depth of their songwriting and the power of their distinctive voices. They have welcomed the exciting groove of Anne Luna on bass and vocals. Anne has appeared with April Verch, Spring Creek Bluegrass and recorded with Kenny Maines and Alan Munde. The Trio is set to release their new recording of original material in February 2012.

Their music grows from Steve’s love of bluegrass rooted in his native Virginia and the beauty of choral singing ever-present in Chris’ Minnesota childhood. Together, their north/south blend of Bluegrass and Americana provides a unique heartbeat and lilt underscored by Anne’s driving bass.

Their latest CD, Signs Along the Road, received national and international airplay and has found its way onto folk, roots and bluegrass charts, climbing to #30 on the Billboard Cashbox charts.

“Signs Along the Road refuses any one label, except perhaps that of good, evocative music.” --Bluegrass Unlimited, June 2010

Visit Steve's's website at www.desertnight.com

The Hard Road Trio at the Black Box Theater, Las Cruces, New Mexico, Dec. 9, 2010.

Téada is returning to IMT

One of Irish traditional music's leading exponents, Téada is driven by a fascination for the timeless, expressive force of music inherited from previous generations of musicians.

Founded by Sligo fiddler Oisín Mac Diarmada, Téada first came together in 2001 to make an appearance on the innovative Irish television series ‘Flosc’. With engaging textural arrangements, Téada, (which means "strings" in the Irish language) revels in the vibrant traditional music of Ireland. Deftly playing up its structural intricacies while preserving the contagious energy inherent in the repertoire, the group strives to capture a sense of the rawness and individuality of the solo artist, within a modern group context.

An Irish band with a truly worldwide reach, Téada has appeared as a frequent headliner at major music festivals throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Africa, Israel and Australia. Highlights include a 30,000-capacity stadium concert in Brittany, along with performances at Penang World Music Festival in Malaysia, Edmonton Folk Festival in Canada, Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe, and Campeche International Festival in Mexico. The group also received an invitation from the Irish Embassy in Rome during 2008 to perform at a commemorative event marking the 400th anniversary of the landmark event in Irish history known as “The Flight of the Earls.”

Winner of ‘Best Young Irish Traditional Act’ at Ireland’s Music Awards, Téada released a longawaited fourth album, Ceol & Cuimhne / Music & Memory in 2010, described by The Irish Echo’s Earle Hitchner as “the best album of Irish instrumental music I’ve heard so far this year “. 2011 sees Téada mark its’ 10th anniversary with a busy season of touring and other special projects.

Visit Téada's website at http://www.teada.com

Téada performing at the 2006 Tg4 Gradam Ceoil award ceremony.

Robin Bullock has been entertaining audiences in IMT's annual Christmas show for years. Now he's coming back for a solo concert to release his new CD Majesty and Magic, and he'll be doing a workshop on Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar the Sunday before the show.

Hailed as a "Celtic guitar god" by Baltimore City Paper, Robin Bullock is a prolific composer and virtuoso multi-instrumentalist interpreting the ancient melodies of the Celtic lands and their vigorous Appalachian descendants on acoustic guitar, cittern and mandolin. The 17th-century harp tunes of legendary Irish bard Turlough O'Carolan, the spirited jigs and reels of rural Ireland, the haunting ballads of southern Appalachia and evocative original compositions all find a common ground in Robin's music, where lightning-fast fingerwork one moment is perfectly balanced with tender, quiet intimacy the next. A warm, friendly presence onstage, Robin effortlessly creates a magical world for the audience with his instrumental wizardry, taking them on a journey to the heart and soul of Celtic and American traditions.

Originally rising to prominence as a founding member of the innovative acoustic world-music trio Helicon (winners of the Association for Independent Music's prestigious INDIE Award for Best Seasonal Recording), Robin's solo career has won him multiple Washington Area Music Association WAMMIE Awards, a Governor's Award from the Maryland State Arts Council, and a feature broadcast on National Public Radio's hugely popular Celtic music program "The Thistle and Shamrock." His recorded work includes eight critically acclaimed solo CDs and numerous collaborations, including Celtic Guitar Summit with California fingerstylist Steve Baughman, which was honored by Acoustic Guitar Magazine with an "Editor's Pick" as one of the top CDs of 2003.

Born in 1964 in Washington DC, a major focal point for both bluegrass and Irish music, Robin began playing guitar at age seven, initially inspired by Doc and Merle Watson, Norman Blake and John Fahey. Robin's apprenticeship years were spent at fiddlers' conventions, bluegrass festivals and Irish seisuns, mastering the subtleties of a half-dozen instruments in both American and Celtic styles. Today, Robin is recognized as one of the few musicians who can so successfully blend the ancient airs and dance tunes of the Celtic lands with the roots music traditions of the "New World," winning praise from publications as diverse as Classical Guitar ("A musician whose technical skill and stylistic expertise are second to none"), Folk Roots ("Celtic flatpicking hero...a spectacular display of virtuosity and musicianship") and Bluegrass Unlimited ("Brilliant...inventive interpretations filled with grace and charm and warmth and insight").

In 2000, Robin relocated to France, and now lives in the tiny village of Tripleval, on the River Seine northwest of Paris. He continues to tour and record on both sides of the Atlantic, solo, in duos with guitarist Steve Baughman and flute player Michel Sikiotakis, and as touring sideman with American folk legend Tom Paxton. In solo concert, he shares his remarkable gifts on guitar, cittern, mandolin and piano, combining Celtic and American ballads, airs and dance tunes into one magnificent vision.

Visit Robin's website at www.robinbullock.com

Robin performing in Harpers Ferry, WV, in November 17, 2007.

Ale Möller

Ale Möller creates his own musical landscape, drawing from different musical traditions. He ranges freely, motivated by his own curiosity. His inquiring ambitions have been transferred to a wide audience, fascinated by the complexity of his music and intoxicated by his movement through the entire landscape.

The Möller signature is recognized by its significant drive, where there’s always a tone that wants to move on by its own free will. Ale Möller can create a “craze-joy” like no other, both on and off stage, which is his explicit goal. As a musical storyteller he is very determined in his ambitions, as he started out at an early age playing the trumpet.

Later on he fell in love with Greek music and the Swedish folklore tradition, especially music from the Swedish province of Dalecarlia. Being a multi-instrumentalist, he can handle instruments like mandola, accordion, flute, shawm and cowhorn – but foremost Ale is a musician that works his way into the very core of the traditional music that he encounters, no matter if the style is Greek rembetika or sulky triple tone.

Bruce Molsky

There's no one better suited to join Ale on his musical explorations than American old-time master Bruce Molsky. Alone or with fellow musicians, guitar, fiddle or banjo in hand, Bruce Molsky has been exploring traditional music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures over the past two decades – synthesizing them and refracting them through his own evolving sensibilities to the point where the sources of his inspiration transform themselves into a sound that is uniquely his. While most identified with traditional American old-time music, Molsky’s influences range from the Appalachian soul of Tommy Jarrell to Delta blues; from the haunting modal strains of Irish music to the rhythmically nimble music of Eastern Europe.

Visit Ale's website at www.alemoller.com

Visit Bruce's website at www.brucemolsky.com

Ale and Bruce at IMT.

Karen Collins is bringing the Backroads Band back to IMT to release their new CD, No Yodeling on the Radio.

The Backroads Band is Karen (vocals, rhythm guitar), Ira Gitlin (lead guitar, harmony vocals), Geff King (bass, vocals) and David Lopez (drums).

Karen is a coal miner's daughter from Southwest Virginia. She grew up listening to country music, and the influence of Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams and other country greats is evident in the early country sound of her original songs. Karen is also fiddler and vocalist with the award winning Cajun band, Squeeze Bayou, and she plays and sings in the popular acoustic country quartet, The Blue Moon Cowgirls.

Ira's guitar playing gets its down-to-earth drive from his long involvement in bluegrass, and its sophisticated rhythms and harmonies from his interest in western swing and jazz. A award winning multi-instrumentalist and former National Bluegrass Banjo Champion, Ira is in demand as a sideman and music instructor. In addition to the Backroads Band, you may find Ira playing with the Oklahoma Twisters and The Blue Moon Cowgirls.

Geff is a Maryland native now living in Greenbelt. A former standup bassist who went "electrified" in 1980, Geff has played with such bands as Windy Ridge, Mike Hays, New Early Sunrise Band, The Slim Jims, and Honky Tonk Confidential (with whom he recorded three albums, including one WAMA Album of the Year.) Geff is also an accomplished songwriter in his own right, and he brings several new original songs to the Backroads Band that he says "can't be done quite as well anywhere else."

Rounding out the band is David Lopez on drums.

Visit Karen's website at users.rcn.com/fredfeinstein/karen/backroadsband.html

Karen and the Backroads Band at the "Mostly Hank" Hank Williams Tribute at the Surf Club, August 26, 2011.

The Tannahill Weavers' diverse repertoire reflects the duality of Scotland's musical heritage. It embraces both the mystical quality of the Highlander's Celtic music, and the rollicking, sometimes even brawling qualities of the Lowlander's Anglo-Scots tunes. The Tannahill Weavers' arrangements blend the beauty of the traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. The penetrating sound of the Highland bagpipes is a thread of ancient memory running through it all.

Visit the Weaver's website at tannahillweavers.com

The Tannahill Weavers performing at IMT, February 2009.