Richie Barshay began drumming inside kitchen cabinets at an early age, and continues banging on things worldwide to this day. From his multi-percussion work with Herbie Hancock in the 2000s, to tours and recordings with Chick Corea, Esperanza Spalding, The Klezmatics, Fred Hersch, and Kenny Werner, he's been dubbed "a major rhythm voice on the rise" by Downbeat magazine, and “a major innovator who also knows how to have fun” by The Guardian (UK). He’s also performed with Natalie Merchant, Bobby McFerrin, Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Donald Harrison, Lionel Loueke, Julian Lage, the Curtis Brothers, Joey Weisenberg, Gabriel Kahane, Pete Seeger, and the Tony Award winning musical The Band’s Visit on Broadway and national tour. Since 2004 he’s traveled across 5 continents teaching and performing as an American Musical Envoy with the U.S. State Department, and can be heard on over 100 recordings including two self-produced albums: Sanctuary featuring Chick Corea (2014), and Homework featuring Herbie Hancock (2004). Based in Northampton, Massachusetts and New York City, he is an AmSAT certified Alexander Technique teacher helping performing artists and others regain more body-mind coordination and ease of movement.

Thomas Brown is a mixed-media artist based in Brooklyn, New York, since 2008.

He is known for his ice, sand, stone, clay, earthen, and wood sculptures, which have been featured in private collections, television, movies, festivals, and public events internationally..

His work combines music, performance, and visual art, reflecting his passion for creating ephemeral and experiential art.

He’s not a pyromaniac, but he does enjoy a properly flamboyant campfire.

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. Dinty is also a well respected songwriter and has two albums and several singles out under his own name

www.sessionamericana.com

Evan Diem is a mixed-race Syracuse-based multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter hyphen-fan with a double-barreled last name. He specializes in using creative, contemplative, characteristic and compelling writing to compose catchy songs as well as craft clever one-liners. Last year, he served as chart manager for Live Band Karaoke and host of Entertain Us! This year he reprises both of those performances with child-like joy and robot-like focus (not necessarily in that order). He does not know how to end a bio.

New England-based multi-instrumentalist Mark Erelli wears many hats--singer, songwriter, sideman, producer--approaching each of his varied roles with a belief in the transformative power of paying attention. Bearing witness to small details and fleeting moments dignifies our everyday stories, alchemizing the mundane into something profound. Erelli has embodied this principle time and again over the course of his 25 year career.

Highlights include 13 solo albums, three records with his bluegrass band Barnstar!, sideman stints accompanying Marc Cohn, Paula Cole, and Josh Ritter, and a pair of records he produced for GRAMMY-winning songwriter Lori McKenna. In 2019, Erelli’s song “By Degrees,” featuring contributions from Rosanne Cash and Sheryl Crow, was nominated for Song of the Year at the Americana Honors and Awards. Ever since Billboard magazine heralded the “simple, atmospheric grace” of his Signature Sounds debut, Erelli’s belief in the sacredness of an examined life has propelled him to the hallowed stages of the Newport Folk Festival, Grand Ole Opry, and Royal Albert Hall, and beckoned him back home, to better nurture his 22-year marriage and be a father to his two boys. In the wake of his 2022 diagnosis with a degenerative retinal disease, Erelli has stepped up to advocate for disabled artists and work with venues to make their spaces more accessible.

https://www.markerelli.com

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.

Brad Kolodner is a Baltimore-based clawhammer banjoist and community builder who wears many hats as a performer, teacher, broadcaster, festival producer and ambassador for Old-Time and Bluegrass music. Regarded for his delicate touch, expressive style, and original compositions, Kolodner has rapidly gained national attention for his unique approach to clawhammer banjo. He regularly performs across the country with his father Ken Kolodner, a renowned hammered dulcimer player, and with the acoustic roots quartet Charm City Junction which blends Bluegrass, Old Time and Irish music. Behind the mic, Brad is an award-winning radio broadcaster for Folk Alley and Bluegrass Country Radio. For over a decade, he been a driving force behind Baltimore’s bustling Old Time music scene. He runs a bi-weekly Old Time Jam, monthly square dance, house concert series and directs the annual Baltimore Old Time Music Festival. He serves on the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Board of Directors. When he’s not playing banjo, on the air or organizing community events, you can find Brad rock climbing, playing soccer, hiking or tending to his veggie garden in the backyard of his Baltimore rowhouse.

bradkolodner.com

Shane Leonard is a record producer/musician who lives in Eau Claire, WI. Known as a studio/live swiss army knife, Shane has helped artists such as Mipso, Foy Vance, Field Report, Anna Tivel, Humbird, and Josh Ritter defy expectations and evolve past previous benchmarks. NPR and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) have praised his work as "goosebumps inducing" and "a monster musician". Shane also writes and performs stand-up comedy, endured a brief stint as a high school English teacher, and hasn't seen the movie Footloose.

www.shaneleonardmusic.com

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.

thefauxpaws.bandcamp.com

15 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.

https://www.jamespaulmitchell.com

Kevin O’Connell is a musician, audio engineer, producer, and educator with a focus in creative development, mentorship, and media production. He was born and raised in Upstate NY, studied music at a small liberal arts college upstate, then moved to Boston. He has spent his early career in music, audio engineering, and podcasting. Kevin currently leads the Audio & Video Post Production Team at The Mel Robbins Podcast– the #6 podcast worldwide, and most-shared podcast of 2024 on Apple Podcasts.

Shortly after moving to Boston, Kevin an educator and arts advocate, he founded the West Suburban YMCA Center for the Creative Arts (YCCA) – a community-based music and media program serving youth and teens in the MetroWest suburbs of Boston through studio recording, songwriting, ensembles, performances, and more.

In the studio, Kevin has worked with a number of artists including Grammy Recording Artist Alex Torres y Sú Orquestra and Josh Ritter. Additionally, as a post production expert and podcast consultant, Kevin has worked with a number of indie, aspiring, and professional audio creators as a producer, engineer, and sound designer. See his Podcast Production page to listen!

And as a musician, Kevin has shared the studio and stage with artists including The Ballroom Thieves, Josh Ritter, Susan O’Neill, and Kaiti Jones.

Kevin spent several years as the Studio + Operations Manager at the PRX Podcast Garage, supporting indie podcast creators in the Greater Boston area. In 2020, he jumped further into the podcast industry working as Product Education Manager at Descript. At Descript, he worked with and trained pro podcast teams around the world including Serial, Vox, Wondery, Gimlet, Campside, and many others. And before joining the Mel Robbins team, Kevin also spent time on the team at Ten Percent Happier, leading all-things podcast post production.

Omar Ruiz-Lopez is a distinguished musician and educator currently based in Durham, NC, with a remarkable command over multiple instruments, including violin, viola, guitar, and mandolin. His roots lie in North Carolina, having been a part of the burgeoning Triangle music scene for 13 years until his move to Nashville in 2023 and back in 2025. 

Since his time in Nashville, Omar has played and record with artists such as the GRAMMY-nominated band War and Treaty, Lizzie No and Langhorne Slim, and cowritten with songwriters such as Rachel Baiman and GRAMMY-nominated Melody Walker (Sierra Ferrell, American Dreaming). He is currently working on an EP with Willa Frank (Paper Wings) and a full-length album with Rachel Baiman producing.

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 is 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. 

As a Latiné immigrant and a versatile musician spanning multiple genres, Omar has a unique ability to connect with diverse international audiences. His music serves as a bridge, fostering understanding and appreciation across cultural boundaries.

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.