7:30 — Jake Klar
Jake Klar is an artist based in Turners Falls, MA. His songs showcase an ongoing collection of life’s lyric moments, both the eccentric and the daily. Klar rides on the Americana tradition of storytelling in his work, while bringing in the edge of modern folk/rock-inspired arrangements. Whether Jake is playing solo or with his band - made up of western MA musicians Joel Helander, Garret Salazar, Aaron Okrasinski, and Andy Cass - you will leave his shows with his crooning voice and the poetry of his lyrics ringing through your head.
Klar is a veteran of Northeast Festivals such as Otis Mountain Get Down and FreshGrass. His latest release, Witness, is a follow-up to his acclaimed 2020 collection of songs, Masquerade.
8:15 — If You Must Know
While firmly rooted in the fertile ground of Scottish traditional music, harpist Rachel Clemente and piper Dan Houghton’s gritty, avant-garde musical interpretations put them at the forefront of Celtic folk musicians in New England. They are both avid tunesmiths and their repertoire reflects this as it features many original compositions as well as traditional melodies.
Vermont-based pedal and traditional Scottish harpist Rachel Clemente has had a passion for music from the early age of five. She began her harp training as a student of the Suzuki method. In addition, she discovered her love of Scottish music through events and competitions held by the Scottish Harp Society of America and the Ohio Scottish Arts School. Her musical education then continued at renowned arts boarding high school Interlochen Arts Academy. In July of 2018, Rachel graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow with a bachelors degree in traditional Scottish music. She also won the title of U.S National Scottish Harp Champion in 2016.
Dan Houghton is a Scottish piper, flautist and DADGAD guitarist currently residing in southwestern Vermont. Winner of numerous competitions, including the Scottish Lowland and Border Pipers’ Society “Open Borderpipes” and “New Composition” events and the St. Chartier “Mâitre de Cornemuse,” he has toured and taught extensively throughout Britain, Europe, Ireland, America, Asia and the Antipodes. He performs as a soloist as well as in various ensembles, not least amongst which may be counted the Scottish power-trad band, Cantrip, the Salsa fusion band Salsa Celtica, the more RSCDS based Parcel of Rogues, the “Celtic” Rock band Prydein and, more recently, Piper’s Den.
9:00 — Green Heron
The music of Green Heron stretches across the entire folk landscape. Old-time, folk, bluegrass, country, Irish, and blues music are all represented as the band brings the back porch to the stage. Featuring Betsy Heron (formerly Green) on fiddle, banjo, and vocals, and Scott Heron on guitar, banjo, and vocals, the duo has been sharing New England stages since 2016. The two songwriters weave the contemporary with the traditional and deliver high-energy performances.