May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Ellis Paul is an award-winning songwriter, author, illustrator, and teacher. He has been a constant presence on the American folk circuit for over 30 years; in that time, he has released 22 albums of original music and performed over 5,000 shows. His songs have made their way into big screen features including blockbuster films such as Me, Myself & Irene; Shallow Hal; and Hall Pass, as well as having been recorded by Grammy award-winning country artists. His stage performance combines humor, improv, and poignant story songs. His work has been described as descriptive narratives of people at a crossroads in their lives, and the humanity in the writing makes them about all of us.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Deeply rooted in the rich sounds of American folk and country music, Loren Barrigar, John Cadley, and Donna Colton have captivated audiences across the region for many years. Each performer, with their respective partners, will present their unique version of this authentic sound as they come together for this very special evening of music. These folks are Syracuse Area Music Award Artists and Hall of Fame Inductees and are honored to share their original and some familiar tunes with the audience and each other. Join us for a night of song swapping, humor, and artistry—All Folked Up!

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

The earth speaks to us in a myriad of ways—through ice cores, through uplift and erosion, through tree rings—languages that have the potential to restore our literacy. Reconnecting with these quiet messages has set Seth Glier, an avid mushroom forager and a Grammy-nominated artist from Western Massachusetts, on a path of channeling nature's longing for communion with humanity into song. His new album Everything is a collection of eight songs inviting us to imagine a future in which humans and the planet are realigned into mutual restoration. Each song presents a practical climate solution with concrete optimism. Seth's gifts are an innate curiosity and a fierce desire to connect with other people; his musical acumen provides him with a vehicle for both.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Jordan Coaker and Kirsten Rodden-Clarke of Quote the Raven have performed together for over a decade. The pair got their start in the small bars and pubs around St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and have rapidly grown to a household name around Canada and are steadily growing their clout internationally. The dynamic duo has a harmonious sound that's like blending two voices into one, while their Americana meets East Coast songwriting and stage dynamic are irresistibly charming. Their sophomore album Can't Hold the Light, which delves into the lives of working musicians, won the 2022 East Coast Music Association award for Contemporary Roots Recording of the Year and was nominated for two Canadian Folk Music Awards. Clearly, Quote the Raven is on an upward trajectory with no slowing down in sight.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Robbie Fulks learned guitar from his dad, banjo from Earl Scruggs and John Hartford records, and fiddle (long since laid down in disgrace) on his own. He attended Columbia College in New York City for two years, dropping out to focus on the Greenwich Village songwriter scene and other ill-advised pursuits. His music from the last several years hews mainly to acoustic instrumentation; it returns him in part to his earlier bluegrass days and extends the boundaries of that tradition with old-time rambles and sparely orchestrated reflections on love, the slings of time, and the troubles of common people. His 2017 release, Upland Stories, earned year's-best recognition from NPR and Rolling Stone, among many others, and two Grammy nominations for folk album and American roots song ("Alabama At Night").

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

George and Charles Clements are identical twins from New England, who have been playing and writing music together for as long as they can remember. The Clements Brothers marks their first project together since playing in the internationally touring grass-roots band, The Lonely Heartstring Band, with whom they released two albums on Rounder Records. With roots, rock, bluegrass, jazz, and classical influences, George (on guitar) and Charles (on bass) aim to capture their singer-songwriter sensibilities in a unique blended voice, at once enthralling and intimate, groovy and serene. The duo is a fusion of each brother's unique musical journey, and the result is a music all its own, filled with vocal harmonies, instrumental virtuosity, and a genuine love of song.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Lucy Kaplansky started out singing in Chicago folk music clubs as a teenager. With a beautiful flair for harmony, Lucy was everyone's favorite singing partner, but most often she found herself singing as a duo with Shawn Colvin. Kaplansky draws from personal experiences for her lyrical subject matter. Universal themes of loss, longing and loneliness, as well as love, joy, friendship and hope, are all propelled musically by roots-based instruments including acoustic guitars, mandolin, piano, and percussion. She has released nine solo albums and several collaborations with others, including Dar Williams, Richard Shindell, John Gorka, and Eliza Gilkyson.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Open the Door for Three is fiddle player Liz Knowles, uilleann piper Kieran O'Hare, and Dublin-born singer and bouzouki player Pat Broaders. The trio's music is a rare combination of unearthed tunes from centuries-old manuscript collections, newly composed melodies, fresh arrangements of songs old and new, homages to the musicians they grew up listening to, and the unmatched energy of a trio of good friends playing great Irish music together. They have performed in venues around the world: Carnegie Hall, L'Olympia and Palais de Congrès in Paris, the Kennedy Center's Ireland 100 Festival, Cape Breton's Celtic Colours Festival, the Milwaukee Irish Festival, the Masters of Tradition series in County Cork Ireland, Malaysian rainforest festivals, piping tionóls in Ireland, theaters from Shanghai to São Paulo, Caribbean cruise ships, and even a bullring in Mallorca.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Redd & the Paper Flowers didn't set out to be just another band; they came together in that beautiful, serendipitous way when life tosses strangers into the same room and says: "Create." Redd Daugherty was teaching high school English during the pandemic when music called her back. While the world was on pause, she penned songs, appeared on American Idol, and released her solo album, Monsters & Mothers. In a bold move, she left her teaching job to embrace her musical journey, soon finding her rhythm alongside Gavin Gregg, Katie Adams, and Colleen d'Alelio through open mics and mutual friends. It wasn't long before they began crafting music together that felt genuine and alive. Redd and the Paper Flowers embody the spirit that sometimes the best things arise from simply showing up, day after day, and letting creativity bloom.

May Memorial Unitarian Society
3800 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

Dr. Dom Flemons, "The American Songster," received an Honorary Doctorate from Northern Arizona University, and is a Grammy Award Winner with four Grammy nominations, two-time Emmy Nominee, International Acoustic Music Award Grand Prize Winner, and was a United States Artists Fellow. Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music scholar, historian, actor, narrator, host, slam poet, record collector, podcaster, and the creator, host, and producer of the American Songster Radio Show on WSM in Nashville. Flemons is an expert player on the banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife, and rhythm bones. He is co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and the founder of American Songster Productions. His repertoire covers over 100 years of American roots music, including country, folk, bluegrass, Americana, and the blues.