Nick Maione
Nick Maione is a writer and artist from Upstate NY. He was a finalist for the National Poetry Series and his debut collection of poems, Infinite Arrivals, is out now from Angelico Press. He is a professional iconographer and painter. Nick also directs Orein Arts, an arts residency in Upstate NY. And despite degrees in Poetry and Visual Art, he is most proud of his honorary degree in faking it on the fiddle from Miles of Music Campiversity.
Instagram: @nmaione_
Emily Mann
Formed in Big Sur, CA, Emily Mann now calls Nashville, TN, home. She specializes in Oldtime fiddle & banjo, songwriting, and genre-traversing on upright & electric bass. Emily was a key member of The Crooked Jades from 2015-2020, earning a 2019 Isadora Duncan Dance Award nomination for their collaboration with ODC Dance Company, 'World’s On Fire.'
Emily co-founded Paper Wings with longtime friend Wila Frank, an indie/folk duo known for their oldtime-meets-heartfelt-originals album 'Clementine.' In 2020, they shared the stage with Avi Kaplan during his US tour and are set to release their third album Spring ‘24.
With a deep love of creating in mediums beyond music - gardening, cooking, fiber arts, painting - Emily seamlessly weaves herself into a wide range of musical settings. As a foundationally supportive side musician, her steady flexibility and uncanny blending abilities add depth to every artist she supports. She plays/has played with: Jobi Riccio, the Onlies, Laurie Lewis, Darol Anger & the Furies, Sami Braman, Josie Toney, Liv Greene, Spencer & Rains, Violet Bell, and more.
@em.fiddle
Mike Merenda
Mike Merenda is a songwriting force and clawhammer banjo explorer raised in NH and now dwelling in NY's Hudson Valley. Youthful musical forays into rock and punk later led to the more traditional folk realms and a productive creative partnership with his wife Ruth Ungar spanning 2 decades (so far.) They have toured extensively as both the duo Mike + Ruthy and the full band The Mammals. Mike curates the lineup of their community music festivals, the Winter Hoot and Summer Hoot at Ashokan. He is most fond of hoisting his antenna into the ether and seeing what emerges thru singing with a guitar or banjo in hand. In addition to his own original compositions he has recorded posthumous "co-writes" with Woody Guthrie & Allen Ginsberg. The Mammals' recent title track Sunshiner, which came to Mike in a dream, was nominated for Folk Alliance International's 2018 Song of the Year award. He attended Miles of Music's very first camp and is honored to be back.
http://themammals.love
Chris Miller
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.
Don Mitchell
Don Mitchell is a songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer based in Boston. Over the last decade and change, he's recorded and toured extensively with indie-folk band Darlingside and in the past few years has been focusing on producing/engineering records for others. Don grew up singing in children's choirs, started writing songs and forming bands in high school, studied music theory and creative writing (short stories) at Williams College, and other than a three-year sidequest as a field biologist/ornithologist in his early 20s, has been making music in one way or another ever since. He plays guitar and banjo, some bass and lap steel, and also enjoys writing songs on instruments he does not really understand. Don is thrilled to finally be joining the Miles of Music Camp community for the first time.
James Paul Mitchell
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.
Auyon Mukharji
Auyon Mukharji is a singer, songwriter, and a member of the indie-folk group Darlingside, in which he plays mandolin, violin, and a bit of guitar. Auyon's other interests include cooking, reading, and physical activity. He is currently working on an illustrated Indian cookbook with his mother Jyoti. Auyon has been described as "naïve, without financial wherewithal, and most probably very anxious to return home" by American Airlines' head of global investigations.
Tony Montpeirous
Known for his street performing and impromptu rap style, Tony Montpeirous first came to Miles of Music as a member of the Brooklyn-based band All My Friends Are Stars when they were artists-in-residence with us. He’s coming back on his own this year, helping individuals incorporate rap, rhythmic rhyme, and general lyric writing into their songwriting.
In recent years Tony has been living in Mexico, learning various styles of dance and Latin rhythm. From these experiences he is back to share his Kumbia and partner dancing knowledge .
Carrie Cahill Mulligan
Carrie Cahill Mulligan has the distinct honor of having attended Miles of Music every year since its beginning in 2011.
She’s worked a variety of Camp jobs: running the store, working in the kitchen (on salads, as Baker, as Kitchen Assistant), on Midnight Snack detail, as a porch captain, and as part of the check-in crew.
This year, Carrie will rely on all her varied Three Mile experiences in her new role as Camp Hospitality Coordinator, here to assist with any questions or concerns while you’re on the island!
Carrie is a Park Ranger-turned-fiber artist, who also loves clawhammer banjo, hula-hooping and playing ice hockey. She also happens to grow and harvest all the rhubarb we use in various ways during the camp week!
Sheena Ozaki
Sheena Ozaki is the Welcome Team and Travel Coordinator at Miles of Music this year. She is a creative producer with a passion for sharing great ideas, having previously worked with TED, VICE News, Spotify, and iHeartRadio. But her first love is music - she studied piano performance in college and has been lucky to have been part of the Miles of Music community since 2015.
Lizzy Ross
Lizzy Ross is a singer-songwriter, visual artist, and co-founder of the original Americana group Violet Bell. Lizzy spent her childhood making art and exploring the marshes of the Chesapeake Bay. School brought her south to NC, where she came across mountain folk who gathered over Sunday potlucks to sing together. Her solitary musical experiments grew community roots, and she started performing her original music solo and 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 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.
Omar Ruiz-Lopez
Omar Ruiz-Lopez is a distinguished musician and educator with a remarkable command over multiple instruments, including violin, viola, guitar, and mandolin. His extensive teaching expertise extends to coaching chamber music ensembles and conducting.
Born in Panama and raised in Puerto Rico, Omar's early exposure to traditional Caribbean folk songs, courtesy of his father, laid the foundation for his deep appreciation for music. Spanish was his first language, and it remains an integral part of his cultural identity.
Together with Lizzy Ross, Omar co-founded the Americana group Violet Bell, where their collaboration seamlessly intertwines top-notch songwriting with a variety of musical landscapes. Omar, a bilingual songwriter and undercover composer, crafts music that beautifully reflects his cultural roots entwined with a rich tapestry of diverse musical influences.
Naiika Sings
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.
MATT SMITH
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.
Dietrich Strause
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.
Valerie Thompson
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.
Timothy Tucker
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!
Ruth Ungar
Ruth Ungar is a multi-dimensional collaborator, touring and recording artist, and event organizer based in the Hudson Valley of NY. This year she and her husband Mike Merenda toured the US and UK with their band The Mammals, toured festivals for a month in Australia as Mike + Ruthy (duo) with their two kids, recorded a new full length studio album to be self-released in 2020, and organized their two annual community music festivals, the Winter Hoot & Summer Hoot at Ashokan. For 40 years Ruth's family has hosted summer traditional music and dance camps at Ashokan, the place that inspired her father, Jay Ungar, to compose his evocative fiddle melody Ashokan Farewell. Ruth is similarly known for eliciting an emotional response from an audience of any size. Her background in theater has also fueled a lifelong fascination with stagecraft, vulnerability, and the beauty of taking risks.
Jonathan Vocke
Jonathan is a passionate and adventure loving oldtime musician and multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, Maryland. He loves traveling, building, dancing and finding music in the world around us. In recent years he has become increasingly enthralled with some of the older sounds of banjo and is in an unending pursuit of the infinity loop that the banjo can weave. He has released a solo record and two records as a part of the Baltimore based group, Geraldine. Jonathan came to the island for the first time back in 2018 and ever since has been in love with the island and the creativity it empowers.
Naomi Westwater
Naomi Westwater is a queer, Black-multiracial singer-songwriter from Massachusetts. Their work combines folk music, poetry, and spirituality. Their hope is that through ritual and storytelling they can aid nature in the end of capitalism and the return of community, creativity, and collective joy.
Naomi holds a Master of Music in Contemporary Performance and Production from Berklee College of Music and she is a part of the Club Passim Folk Collective. She was nominated for a 2021 and 2022 Boston Music Award for best singer-songwriter, and has been featured in Under The Radar, WBUR, Vanyaland, WGBH, The Boston Globe, and The Bluegrass Situation. More info @naomiwestwater and www.naomiwestwater.com.
Maddie Witler
Maddie Witler is a musician currently living in Baltimore, MD. Known mostly for her mandolin playing with groups like Della Mae and the Lonely Heartstring band, she can make meaningful and impressive music on a variety of string instruments. While she has been celebrated as a “shredder” at times, it is her ability to find the gaps in music, and leave space when needed, that gives her a subtle yet deliberate presence in any musical situation. With a deep knowledge and respect for bluegrass, and an awareness of the world and music she grew up around, she synthesizes a sound true to herself, at once traditional and contemporary. Maddie's 2022 debut solo album "Astronaut" showcases her songwriting, singing, and individual style of instrumental arranging.
Maddie also loves coffee and has worked as a barista, as well as competed in the 2023 and 2024 US Brewers Cup Competitions. In 2023, she was a member of the Glittercat Barista program where she received training and education from leaders in the coffee industry, focused on the brewer's cup (pour over) competition.
Elizabeth Ziman
Elizabeth Ziman, who performs as Elizabeth and the Catapult, is a singer-songwriter from Brooklyn. She's toured with the likes of Sara Bareilles and Kishi Bashi; collaborated with Esperanza Spalding, Gillian Welch, Blake Mills and Ben Folds; scored, with Paul Brill, a variety of international award-winning documentaries including "Trapped," a Peabody winner; and won an Independent Music Award for Songwriting. Her songs have been featured in national television campaigns for Google and Amazon. She recently composed for Sara Bareille’s new show, “Little Voice”. Always writing, Elizabeth has narrowed her vast collection of previously unrecorded material down to her fifth full-length studio album "Sincerely, e”, which she self-produced at home and released on Compass Records in March 2021.
