Photo by Elaine Criscione

"I guess what I want people to know is that, for me, it's about the songs, each different, each a well-thought-out message, each a labor of love," says Bernice Lewis. It has been said that she elevates the experiences of everyday life to an art form.  She sings from a woman's perspective with wit and eloquence in distinctive, powerful vocals...  With attention equally divided among matters of the earth, matters of the soul and matters of the heart, Lewis has staked out as her territory the sum of contemporary existence, and by giving so generously of herself she helps illuminate the lives of others."

And in her tender evocations of the heart, in her explorations of the struggling soul, and her tales highlighting the victories and defeats of everyday life, Bernice Lewis has more than earned her stellar reputation as a songwriter's songwriter.

A fixture on the coffeehouse circuit, contemporary-folk radio, and at the major folk festivals, Lewis -- who studied vocal improvisation with Bobby McFerrin, guitar technique with Alex DeGrassi and Guy van Duser, and songwriting with Roseanne Cash and Cris Williamson -- has been a featured performer on National Public Radio's "Mountain Stage" program. In 1987, she was a finalist in the prestigeous New Folk Songwriting Contest at the Kerrville (Texas) Folk Festival, where she continues to be a main stage favorite.   Her ballad, "Bridges That Hold," was included in the PBS-TV "Lifelines" documentary starring Peter, Paul and Mary.  She was featured in Yoga Journal for her work with sound and yoga, and has shared the stage with many renowned artists, including Dar Williams, Dixie Chicks, Patty Griffin, Pete Seeger, Ellis Paul, John Gorka, Rory Block, Livingston Taylor, Odetta, Christine Lavin...it’s a long list. She is also a published poet, a sought after producer, and an educater extraordinaire. She currently teaches at Williams College in Williamstown, Ma and Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Co.  She is completing a commissioned recording on community and mental illness for Gould Farm in Monterey, Ma.  These days she lives with her husband and daughter in Williamstown, MA.

Lewis’ CD "Religion and Release," featured guest appearances by some of folk music's best known performers: Dar Williams, Ellis Paul, Brooks Williams, Jennifer Kimball, Alisa Fineman and Mark Kelso.

Laura Bates and Brandon Foote's sound is timeless, rootsy and lush, with soaring harmonies, piano, mandolin and guitars harkening back to the olden days with new vision. Bates and Foote look and sound like they could've just stepped off the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, or perhaps even further back, to the dance halls of the civil war era-Always digging deeper and moving forward. With their unique blend of old-time, folk, bluegrass and country, Laura and Brandon have graced coffee shops, bookstores, pubs, and festivals with traditional favorites and original songs. Booking their act as “Guitar, Mandolin, and Two Voices”, their sound is refreshingly simple and strives for authenticity, with nods to the Carter Family, the Monroe Brothers, and Tim and Mollie O'Brien. In addition to completing his Bachelors degree at Central Michigan University, Brandon studied mandolin at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, under bluegrass legends, Alan Munde and Joe Carr. Laura studied voice at Great Lakes Christian College and received her Bachelors of Religious Education with a major in Music.