HELLO THERE!
It’s 2024 now, and we’re almost ready to announce our staff for camp this June. While we get that page pulled together, we’ll leave this 2023 Staff page online for you to peruse. Some of these people will be back, and some will be new!
Yours Truly,
Team MoM
Island Camp 2023 StAFF
THE 2023 ISLAND CAMP WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY…
InstructoRS
allie chipkin | Becky Hill | Chris eldridge | Crys Matthews
Emily mure | GABRIELLA SIMPKINS | JAMES PAUL MITCHELL | Lauren horbal
Lizzy Ross | Naiika Sings | Naomi Sommers | Omar Ruiz-Lopez | RAY RIZZO
Ruby John | Shane leonard | Val Thompson | Zoe guigueno
BAND-IN-RESIDENCE: The Onlies
featuring…
SAMI BRAMAN, RILEY CALCAGNO, VIVIAN LEVA & NOKOSEE FIELDS
Co-Founders & Directors
Kristin Andreassen & Laura Cortese
PROGRAM STAFF
DINTY CHILD – ISLAND MANAGER
LAUREN BALTHROP – ASSOCIATE MANAGING DIRECTOR
ZACHARIAH HICKMAN – MUSIC DIRECTOR
TIMOTHY TUCKER – CHEF
MATT SMITH – SOUND ENGINEER
clara baker – assistant sound engineer
DIETRICH STRAUSE – WORK/TRADE COORDINATOR
THOMAS bROWN – WELCOME TEAM COORDINATOR
CHRIS MILLER – CAMP sTORE
Nelson Williams - BARISTA
||INSTRUCTORS||
Allie Chipkin is a Registered Vinyasa Yoga teacher with a diverse background in songwriting, dance, poetry, comedy, and travel. Allie first dove into yoga for the physical benefits; however, she quickly realized how meditative movement could calm her mind and reveal the joy in each passing moment.
Allie loves helping students access the power of presence during class. She infuses poetry, music, and play into each breath of her sequences. Allie intends for her students to leave feeling inspired, spacious, and, most importantly, grateful to call their bodies “home.” Namaste!
Becky Hill is a percussive dancer, Appalachian square dance caller, choreographer, and educator. She is a 2018 OneBeat alumna, a 2021 Strathmore Artist-in-Residence, and 2022 Artist-in-Residence at the John C. Campbell Folk School. Driven by curiosity, ongoingness and experimentation, Hill devises sonic landscapes that break the boundaries between music and dance. Bodies become instruments and intricate choreographies yield sound within her choreography. Becky believes there is always more to learn and is dedicated to creative innovative choreography tethered to traditional music and dance.
www.rebeccahill.org
Poly-Instrumentalist, songwriter, producer Charlie Rose (Elephant Revival, Barnstar!) has been part of the the Sub Rosa Songwriting retreat and Miles of Music camp for over a decade on Three Mile Island. Is it the sweet sound that calls the young sailor? The sirens of Winnepesaukee might be one and the same. You can join Charlie’s crew on the blue 'Bamjo' weather permitting. Pin him down for a music lesson on banjo, guitar, bass, or almost any other instrument and have him play pedal steel on your band in a box session. If you’re headed to Coffee & Tunes, make yourself a waffle and visit the camp espresso bar for a cup of the organic arabica coffee that he roasts for his start-up, Beanjo Coffee, in Lyons, CO.
As a member of Punch Brothers since the band's inception, guitarist Chris Eldridge has been at the vanguard of acoustic music for much of the past decade. Although initially drawn to the electric guitar, by his mid-teens Chris Eldridge had developed a deep love for acoustic music, thanks in part to his father, a banjo player and founding member of the seminal bluegrass group The Seldom Scene. Eldridge later gained in-depth exposure to a variety of different musical styles while studying at Oberlin Conservatory, where he earned a degree in music performance in 2004. During his time at Oberlin, Eldridge studied with legendary guitarist Tony Rice. After graduating he joined the Seldom Scene with whom he received a Grammy nomination in 2007. In 2005 he founded the critically acclaimed bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters. At the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association awards Eldridge and his Stringdusters bandmates won Emerging artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year for their debut album, Fork in the Road. Meanwhile, in 2005 he had caught the attention of mandolinist Chris Thile, who enlisted him, along with banjoist Noam Pikelny, violinist Gabe Witcher, and bassist Greg Garrison to start working on an ambitious side project. Soon after they decided to focus all of their collective energies into band and Punch Brothers was born. The band has since released 6 critically acclaimed albums, received 6 Grammy nominations and toured around the world. www.chriseldridge.net
A troubadour of truth, Nashville resident Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. An award-winning, prolific lyricist and composer, Matthews blends Americana, folk, blues, and bluegrass into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. She is made for these times. Of Matthews, ASCAP VP & Creative Director Eric Philbrook says, “By wrapping honest emotions around her socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a warm heart and a strong voice, she lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times.” Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation adds, her gift is a "reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides." Her hope-fueled, love-filled, social-justice album called Changemakers was released March 26, 2021, and the title track was named the International Folk Music Association's "Song of the Year".
Gabriella Simpkins is an award-winning singer-songwriter, composer, and musician hailing from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Originally a hobbyist classical autist and incidental songwriter and arranger, Simpkins began to focus more seriously on a career in music in her freshman year of college. She originally planned to study biology and go to medical school to avoid the economic instability of an arts career, but very quickly realized that a STEM career gave her no sense of fulllment of purpose. Instead of doing homework, she would spend many nights teaching herself to play the guitar and reading voraciously about songwriting and music theory. She would regularly practice in three-to-four-hour sessions and study the lyrics of indie rock and folk legends like Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, and Sufjan Stevens. She began to devote most of her free time to songwriting and composing arrangements for her songs, and began playing original songs as a solo artist at local open mics and events on Cape Cod with encouragement from friends.
Gabriella’s undergraduate studies are now focused in music theory and composition, which has greatly enhanced the cerebral quality of her songwriting and brought to life the depth of her lyricism. An avid student of Impressionism, her songs, instrumentals, and art music are rife with complex harmonies, unshakable melodies, and clever metaphors, all rolled together with hints of very successfully integrated teenage vulnerability. Currently, Gabriella performs regularly in the Boston area and works as a freelance composer while nishing her undergraduate studies at Salem State University. She has won awards from the Cape-based Eventide Theater Company for her songwriting and received grants from the esteemed Club Passim to support her creative journey.
Follow her on Facebook
Emily Mure is a singer-songwriter, creative coach, and teacher, dedicated to making authentic work and inspiring others to do the same. Growing up on Roosevelt Island in New York City, Emily honed her songwriting skills while studying music at Ithaca College and busking on the streets of Galway, Ireland. Her passion for emotionally raw Irish songwriting and the electric anti-folk scene in New York City fueled her to create her own music.
Over the past fifteen years, Emily has released three full-length albums and a covers EP, which have been recognized in numerous songwriting competitions and featured on major networks. Her music and writing have been an outlet for her own creativity and her commitment to helping others deepen their creativity has been a natural extension of her work. Emily has been coaching creative clients of all kinds for the past five years, drawing on her background in psychology, training in mindfulness meditation, and experience teaching private music and songwriting.
She has been a proud member of Miles of Music Camp for the last ten years and feels grateful for the support of its wonderful community.
http://www.emilymure.com
10 years ago, James Paul Mitchell hopped off a tour van in Denver with nothing but a guitar, an amp, and a suitcase. It was here that he would gain expansive and diverse musical experience, eventually leading to his raw, atmospheric solo project. Carrying on the Grateful Dead legacy he performed with supergroup Imagine featuring Ray White (Frank Zappa) and Melvin Seals (Jerry Garcia Band), he studied North Indian classical music, produced a record for indie folk band called Cardinal and began dipping his toe into his own artistry. James eventually made Nashville his home base as a touring and recording musician, releasing Was Sad Before it Was Cool in August 2019. His next record album, Breakup Record, showcased a more personal, surrendered facet of his artistry. Varied and vulnerable, these songs - each made with a different producer - showcase James’ emotional specificity and descriptive storytelling that pulls the listener into their focal heartbeat. Against the backdrop of complementary, moody guitars, James pulls you into these places, circumstances and stories.
Lauren Horbal is a professional touring and studio drummer based in Nashville, TN. She started her musical journey in 1996 and began teaching in 2003. Although she has a heavily rock influenced background, Lauren is currently focused on Americana and folk styles of playing and hopes to one day be known as “The Quietest Drummer in Nashville”.
Lauren is originally from Connecticut and relocated to Tennessee in 2012 to pursue a music career. While in town, she has had the privilege of working with Rachel Baiman, Bakithi Kumalo (Paul Simon), Morgan Jahnig (Old Crow Medicine Show), Liv Greene, and The Hardin Draw. She is the musical director for queer rock band Fame & Fiction. Her main missions as a performer as well as a teacher is to be an inspiration to girls who want to become drummers, and to anyone at any age to pick up sticks and start playing.
Lizzy Ross is a singer-songwriter, visual artist, and co-founder of the original Americana group Violet Bell. Lizzy spent her childhood drawing and paddling through the marshes of the Chesapeake. Life brought her south to NC, where she stumbled upon mountain folk who gathered over Sunday potlucks to sing together. Her solitary musical experiments grew community roots, and she started performing her original music in a band under her own name.
Eleven years and seven albums later, Lizzy’s still humming and rhyming. She’s a dirt-loving lazy gardener who’s deeply curious about both literal and emotional composting. Lizzy’s art and music explore human connections to the mystical and natural world, healing intergenerational trauma, and the myths and archetypes that frame our past and hold the vision for our collective future.
After quitting her job in real estate five years ago, Naiika Sings bought a microphone and amplifier and took to performing on subway platforms and trains along the A, D and E lines. Her unplanned performances were based, she says, on the energy subway commuters were giving her that day.
Two years ago, a video of her posted by a rider on social media went viral as millions watched a packed train of commuters lose their inhibitions in a spontaneous sing-along. In other videos people danced in the aisles. When Naiika sings, said one post, magic happens.
In her debut album, the Haitian-American singer-songwriter demonstrates to the world why her sultry mix of soul and style has already attracted the attention of millions, including 50 Cent, Ledisi, and many more.
Naomi Sommers grew up in a musical family, performing and recording with her family band, playing classical flute, singing jazz and blues, along with the folk/bluegrass standards she learned from her parents. (The Sommers Rosenthal Family Band included bluegrass musician father Phil Rosenthal, bass-playing mom Beth Sommers, and jazz-bluegrass trumpeter-brother Daniel Rosenthal.) After starting her singer-songwriter career in Boston, Naomi recorded an ablum of original songs in Nashville with producer Jim Rooney (John Prine, Nanci Griffith). Then came that “lost decade” in her 30s when Naomi moved to Germany for 9 years, and came back with three kids, two cats and a deeper appreciation of gray skies.
Since 2015, Naomi has lived in Ithaca, NY, taking care of kids and teaching music, songwriting, plant-based cooking and nutrition in Ithaca city schools. Her most recent musical project is an album co-produced and performed with Jefferson Hamer, recorded in Naomi’s family studio in Connecticut.
Most relevant to the class she will be co-facilitating (with Emily Mure) at Miles of Music this year, Naomi is currently studying for a Masters of Social Work and has devoted the last several years to studying and developing somatic and creative healing practices – some of which we will explore in class. These include therapeutic journaling & expressive writing, breathwork and meditation, and simple movement routines that include physical therapy, core & strength training, yoga, lymphatic release techniques.
http://www.naomisommers.com
Over the last few years, musician, artist, and collaborator Nokosee Fields has proven himself to be one of the most provocative, significant, and capable voices in the North American traditional music scene. A quest for balance shapes his work, whether he’s reconciling the weight of tradition with his creative impulses; challenging the demands and vacuity of colonialist, capitalist structures and systems with the richness of his experience and upbringing as a member of the Osage, Creek and Cherokee Nations; or simply anchoring the beat in the rhythmic push and pull of the multiple bands in which he works.
Omar Ruiz-Lopez is a bilingual songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and co-founder of the original Americana group Violet Bell. Omar was born in Panama and raised in Puerto Rico with Spanish as his first language. His love of music began at an early age thanks to his father's frequent renditions of traditional Caribbean folk songs.
Omar is a composer at heart, and is experienced in music performance, production and engineering. The diversity of his own experience as a multi-genre musician and Latine immigrant helps him connect with diverse international audiences.
When not playing the fiddle or swinging a guitar around, he enjoys cooking, dog-petting and reading fantasy and fiction when life gets too heavy. If you see him talking to himself, don’t worry; he’s just working it out!
Ray Rizzo is a drummer, composer, vocalist and producer who has recorded and/or performed with Bob Weir, King Kong, Dawn Landes, Glen Hansard, Josh Ritter, Julia Stone, Danger Mouse, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Mark Erelli, Anais Mitchell, David Pajo, Bridget St. John, Doveman/Thomas Bartlett, Ben Folds, Sam Cohen, David Wax Museum, Trixie Whitley, Rhett Miller, Lady Rizo, Days Of The New, Chocolate Genius, James Rado, Mx. Justin Vivian Bond, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois and Yo Yo Ma. He has collaborated with playwrights and developed works for theater, receiving a 2007 Drama Desk nomination for Best Music in A Play (Adam Rapp's Essential Self-Defense) and performing in the company for New York Shakespeare Festival's 2009 production of Twelfth Night in Central Park with Audra McDonald, Raul Esparsa and Anne Hathaway, featuring music by the band HEM.
Ray has founded many bands and musical projects in which he does any combination of drumming, writing, and singing, including the Louisville KY-based instrumental trio Java Men which will celebrate 30 years of existence in 2022. Ray is the founder of Motherlodge, which presents live events and assists bands, artists, and organizations with booking, management, and organization of performances and community events. He is also the creator and producer of On What Grounds, a podcast based in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn NY that explores property rights and coexistence.
Riley Calcagno is a fiddle, banjo, and guitar player, originally from Seattle, Washington. He grew up going to fiddle festivals and camps on the west coast, where he soaked up old-time music as he ran amongst jams and learned from older masters of the style. At age 7, he co-founded The Onlies, a stringband that is somehow still playing and performing together. In 2018, the band released a collaborative record with mentors and friends John Herrmann and Meredith McIntosh as the band The Ruglifters. Riley also plays in a duo with guitar player and singer, Vivian Leva. They released a critically acclaimed album of original songs on Free Dirt Records in 2021 and were named one of NPR Slingshot's Artists to Watch in 2022. Riley is an experienced teacher and has a passion and patience for passing along tradition and technique. He currently resides in Durham, North Carolina.
Ruby John is a Traditional Fiddler and a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa Chippewa Indians from Northern Michigan. Ruby learned to fiddle the traditional way by ear, listening to and learning from experienced fiddlers while attending OFMA Jamborees (Old-Time Michigan Fiddlers Association), TC Celtic Sessions, Algomatrad Traditional Music and Dance camp (St. Joseph Island ON), Elder Youth Legacy Métis Collective and Bluegrass Festivals. Ruby has performed her traditional fiddling throughout the US and Canada and looks forward to sharing this music she loves with others.
Sami Braman has been playing the fiddle since she was 6 years old, coming up amid the music festivals and jamming communities of the Pacific Northwest’s vibrant traditional old-time music scene. At 8 she and her long-time musical buddies Leo Shannon and Riley Calcagno formed The Onlies, which plays at festivals and gigs around the country and whose traditional old-time sound they further refined in 2016 with the addition of acclaimed folk musician Vivian Leva. The won the Clifftop Traditional Stringband Contest in 2017, and again in 2019 as "The Ruglifters." Sami is a buoyant, intuitive, and versatile fiddler who values deep understanding of the stories behind the tunes and seeks inspiration from historically marginalized artists.
Sami now teaches and performs across the U.S., primarily with The Onlies and Willie Watson. She has appeared on stage alongside Watchhouse, Laurie Lewis, Bruce Molsky, Elvis Costello, Darol Anger, and Pharis & Jason Romero. In her tune-writing, Sami melds creativity with tradition, producing a number of tunes which have made their way into festival sessions across the country. In her teaching, she brings positive engagement and a high standard that encourages and challenges students. Sami recently moved to Nashville, TN, to pursue music full-time, and is working on an album of original tunes. To all her projects Sami brings joyful energy, a driving bow, and an abiding love for the traditional music community which formed her.
Shane Leonard is a record producer, musician, mix engineer, and songwriter who lives in Eau Claire, WI. Equally at home in an indie rock band as he is in an old time stringband, those who work with Shane (Mipso, Field Report, Rose Cousins, Stray Birds, Larry Campbell) know him as a studio/live swiss army knife, helping their sound to evolve past previous benchmarks. NPR and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) have praised his production with descriptors like "goosebumps inducing" (NPR Music), "a monster musician" (Justin Vernon) and "exquisite" (Paste Magazine). Anna Tivel, Humbird, J.E. Sunde and others have entrusted multiple albums to his care; they reside alongside multiple releases of his own music - the most recent being Strange Forms (2019).
Valerie Thompson is a Boston-based cellist/composer/songwriter/improviser who has performed nationally and internationally in rock bands, string quartets, pit orchestras, chamber folk ensembles and as a cultural ambassador for the U.S. State Department. A cellist versed in many genres, Valerie currently tours with Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, the MIDI-Marimba/cello duo, Goli, and Know Orchestra. Valerie holds a Bachelors of Music in Music Performance from the Berklee College of Music and a Masters of Music in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory. Film/play composer credits include the A. Jacks (Trusette Entertainment & 3 Legged Bird Productions-2022), Umbrella Stage Company’s Bent (2020), and Bony Lil’s Creation (Extravagant Bedhead Productions-2007.)
Fun Fact: You can catch Valerie in the 100th episode of WB’s Gossip Girl.
Vivian Leva was born and raised in Lexington, Virginia by respected old-time musicians James Leva and Carol Elizabeth Jones. She spent all of her summers at regional fiddlers conventions and camps developing her singing, songwriting, and guitar playing from a young age. Since 2016, she has toured across the U.S. with her old time stringband, The Onlies, and has performed across the U.S., Canada, and U.K. with her duo Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno. She has also released two albums of original music to critical acclaim. Along the way, Vivian has taught at camps across North America including Nimblefingers, Fiddle Tunes, and Big Sur Fiddle Camp. She currently resides in Durham, NC.
Zoe Guigueno (GIG-an-oh) is a bassist & songwriter living in New York City and on Vancouver Island. She is an alumnus of Della Mae, Joy Kills Sorrow, and Fish & Bird, and a current touring member of Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, Michael Winograd & the Honorable Mentshn, and the Faux Paws. Her most recent solo album, We Were Radar Stations, came out on Fiddlehead Records in October 2022.
Kristin Andreassen & Laura Cortese
CO-FOUNDERS, ARTISTIC DIRECTORS, Instructors
Kristin Andreassen has songwriting credits on two albums with 2024 GRAMMY nominations – Mighty Poplar’s self-titled debut (up for Best Bluegrass Album) and Andrew & Polly’s Ahhhh! (Kristin co-wrote the title track on this candidate for Best Children’s Album). Her own most recent release was The Bright Siders’ A Mind of Your Own (Smithsonian Folkways), which is for kids, about emotions, and was created and co-produced with psychiatrist Dr. Kari Groff and Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers). Chosen as one of 2020’s top three children’s releases by the American Library Association, this album followed up on Kristin’s first #1 kids’ radio hit – a song called “Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for Your Eyes.” In the world of “grown-up music”, Kristin has toured and recorded with the stringband Uncle Earl, the vocal trio Sometymes Why, the percussive dance company Footworks (as a clogger), and with NYC’s anti-folk superhero Jeffrey Lewis. She’s had the honor of recording with producers John Paul Jones, Dirk Powell, Mark Schatz, José Ayerve, Robin MacMillan, and Shane Leonard (coming soon, I promise!). One favorite MoM-inspired collaboration is this video — created by Anna Roberts-Gevalt — which uses shadow puppets and body percussion to illustrate “How the Water Walks.” Kristin studied community development at Montreal’s McGill University and in rural Canada, and she uses those skills and then some as she attempts — every day -– to develop a more inclusive and empowering musical community here. She lives in Nashville.
Lauren Balthrop is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter born and raised in Alabama where her family gatherings always included sing-alongs of the Everly Brothers, the Andrew Sisters, the Louvin Brothers, and the Beatles. After 10 years making her way in NYC, she heard the siren call of Nashville where she now calls home. Lauren has released 2 albums under own name and is working on her 3rd full length. She is also the director of the Nashville branch of Blue Balloon Songwriting School, the NYC originated music school that teaches kids and adults instrument instruction through songwriting. Her big folk-rock band and "small town" with her brother called Balthrop, Alabama toured all across the states to a cultish following. Her 60's inspired girl group, The Bandana Splits, released two records with songs landing on shows such as HBO's 'Bored to Death' and the re-boot of ‘Magnum P.I.’ She's also toured extensively as a multi-instrumentalist for Elizabeth & the Catapult, Kevin Morby, Michaela Anne and Ximena Sariñana. Lauren is a knitter, crocheter and tap dancer too.
||PROGRAM STAFF||
Besides being the off-season manager of Three Mile Island, Dinty Child is a longtime member of the Boston roots/folk scene. A fearless multi-instrumentalist he can most often be seen with the band Session Americana, as well as the Chandler Travis Philharmonic, the unapologetically loud and grimy Catbirds, as sensitive side man to any number of singer/songwriters, including Rose Cousins and Kris Delmhorst, and even fronting the 15 piece party band, the Funky White Honkies. In 2020, he released his first solo album!
Lauren Balthrop is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter born and raised in Alabama where her family gatherings always included sing-alongs of the Everly Brothers, the Andrew Sisters, the Louvin Brothers, and the Beatles. After 10 years making her way in NYC, she heard the siren call of Nashville where she now calls home. Lauren released her 2nd album Things Will Be Different in August of 2022 on Olivia Records. She is also the director of the Nashville branch of Blue Balloon Songwriting School, the NYC originated music school that teaches kids and adults instrument instruction through songwriting. Her big folk-rock band and "small town" with her brother called Balthrop, Alabama toured all across the states to a cultish following. Her 60's inspired girl group, The Bandana Splits, has released two records with songs landing on shows such as HBO's 'Bored to Death' and the re-boot of ‘Magnum P.I.’ She's also toured extensively as a multi-instrumentalist for Elizabeth & the Catapult, Kevin Morby, Michaela Anne and Ximena Sariñana. Lauren is a knitter and tap dancer too!
Zachariah Hickman is a double bassist, multi-instrumentalist and producer based out of Boston, MA. Originally from Lynchburg, VA, he received his formal training in jazz performance and composition from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. For most of his adult life he has toured with singer-songwriter Josh Ritter, traveling all over the world and recording 9 full-length albums. Currently, he is performing as bassist and musical director for Ray Lamontagne. He has performed at many notable venues and festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks, Bonnaroo, Dublin Castle, The Fillmore, and the Royal Albert Hall. With Josh Ritter, he has also performed with the Boston Pops in Symphony Hall, the New York Pops in Central Park, and many other orchestras in Europe and the United States. Television appearances include five David Letterman appearances, Conan O’Brien, Ellen Degeneres, and Late Night with Jools Holland for the BBC. As a producer, Zachariah as made records with a number of talented singers, including Rose Cousins (for which he won a Canadian JUNO award), Mark Erelli, Laura Cortese, Miss Tess, and his own bluegrass band Barnstar! He has also produced and ring-mastered his own circus, released his own brand of mustache wax, and runs a vaudeville style variety show, Zack Hickman’s House of Ill Repute.
Chef Timothy Tucker was born in Springfield, IL, and graduated from Sullivan University in Louisville, KY with a degree in Culinary Arts. He began his career working at restaurants such as The Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and The Painted Table in Seattle. Since then he has established 4 culinary training programs for low-income populations in Louisville, Miami, Boston, and in San Francisco where he currently resides. Timothy has also been the chef for Three Mile Island (summer) and Miles of Music since 2011. The author of Food to Make Music To, a collection of recipes from Three Mile Island, was inspired by his time working with Miles of Music. He also has a food radio blog WGGF radio (World Gathering Good Food) and they now have their own publishing company called Good Food Gathering. In 2020, they released a book called Destination Chef which is a textbook Timothy uses to teach people to cook!
Since beginning his career in the music world, Matt Smith has been on panels and advisory committees at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, the International Folk Alliance, and the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. He has worked as a tour manager and sound engineer for the singer-songwriter collaborative, Live From New York (Edie Carey, Teddy Goldstein, Anne Heaton, and Andrew Kerr) and the Celtic band Halali (Hanneke Cassel, Laura Cortese, Lissa Schneckenburger, and Flynn Cohen). Matt has also been a stage emcee at the Falcon Ridge and the Newport Folk Festivals, and he is the managing director of Club Passim and founder of Club Passim's Campfire Festival.
Clara Baker is an audio engineer/producer/musician from Portland, OR. She works at several full-service recording studios in the Portland area where she records, produces, and mixes music. Clara is passionate about helping songwriters and musicians record their music in a unique and authentic way that captures the emotional essence of each song. As both a singer-songwriter and an audio professional, Clara brings a unique perspective to the recording process. In her sessions, she strives to create a safe and welcoming space for artists to share their stories and create meaningful art. Clara is a member of SoundGirls, and is committed to transforming the culture of recording studios. This will be her 5th year at Miles of Music!
Dietrich Strause is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has worked extensively as a studio musician, engineer, and producer. Dietrich writes and records under his own name and released his latest album You And I Must Be Out Of My Mind on Blueblade Records in 2022. He lives part time in London, UK and works as an apprentice luthier at Outlier Workshop.
Thomas Brown b.1976 Muscle Shoals, AL is a mixed-media artist from Louisville, KY. His stone and wood sculptures can be found in a number of private collections. After an experimental segue into ice sculpture he officially moved to New York in 2008 to work with Okamoto Studio where he was a principal sculptor. Brown has merged his interests in experimental music, performance and art in his works as an ice sculptor and ephemeral artist.
Creating opportunity in the face of the pandemic, Brown founded a small business carving animal portraits and miniature sculptures from avocado seeds.
In 2022, he competed in a televised sand sculpture contest airing on Canada's CBC Network this summer and has since participated in large scale sculpting projects across the US, the Netherlands, and the Ice Hotel in Quebec City.
Multi-instrumentalist The Chris Miller measures his life in times spent on Three Mile Island and the friendships he’s made there. As your humble storekeep he will connect you with physical merchandise to help you through your time at camp along with tangible “memories" for years to come.
His 2021 trio release “The Faux Paws” was named one of the 10 Best Trad Albums of the year by Folk Alley and his Grammy-nominated dance band The Revelers continues to be legendary for their annual throw-downs at Blackpot Camp, Festival, and Cook-off in Southwest Louisiana. He’s also a new dad to a beautiful girl born in October!
Nelson Williams is an upright bassist hailing from South Louisiana. Since moving to New Orleans in the summer fo 2020, Nelson is most commonly found in the streets of the city as a common “bassman for hire;” performing with various traditional jazz, roots music and other projects. Nelson is a regular member of award-winning banjoist/fiddlist, Jake Blount’s, touring band.
While not on the road or playing in the streets (sometimes literally), Nelson works in the speciality coffee world as a top-notch barista at one of the most well regarded speciality coffee shops in the city, Mammoth Espresso.
He is excited to return to the island and share in all things music and caffeine!