Jeffery D. Wolfe, P.E.

Jeff Wolfe is co-founder, CEO and Chairman of groSolar. Jeff is a recognized leader in the solar energy industry and a leading voice on solar energy policy throughout the U.S. Under his direction, groSolar has grown to be a large commercial EPC and nationwide distributor.

Jeff is the elected chair of the PV Division of the Solar Electric Industry Association (SEIA), the country's leading PV trade organization. He also serves on the Union of Concerned Scientists National Advisory Board. He is a founding board member and former President of the Sustainable Energy Resource Group. He was a founding board member and former Chair of Renewable Energy Vermont, and founding board member and former Vice Chair of the New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association. Jeff has testified at the US Senate as well as state legislatures, and also frequently speaks on policy and workforce development issues in solar energy.

Jeff is one of 1200 people in the US trained as a Climate Presenter for The Climate Project. A graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Jeff is married to Dori Meeker Wolfe with whom he co-founded groSolar. They have two grown children, and live in Strafford, Vermont in a passive and active solar and wind powered, wood heated, home.
 

Jon Cleary's Philthy Phew - Saturday, July 16 - 9:30 p.m.

Roomful of Blues -  Sunday, July 17 - 5:30 p.m.

Roomful of Blues, according to DownBeat magazine, “are in a class by themselves.” With their masterful combination of jumping, horn-heavy, hard-edged blues and R&B, it’s no wonder why the great Count Basie called them “the hottest blues band I’ve ever heard.”  The group’s deeply rooted blend of swing, rock ‘n’ roll, jump, blues and soul has earned it five Grammy Award nominations and a slew of other accolades, including seven Blues Music Awards (one for Blues Band Of The Year in 2005). 

Roomful of Blues plays an inspired, lively and heated brand of rippling, up-tempo, horn-dominated R&B. --Rolling Stone

Few bands swing the blues more exuberantly than Roomful of Blues…boisterous and relentlessly upbeat. --Entertainment Weekly

Adam Ezra -  Saturday, July 16 - 2:45 p.m.

"You immediately get two things out of Adam Ezra's music. One, he's a damn good songwriter surrounded by a formidable cast of players. Two, he's thinking about things on a different level... brilliant singer/songwriter." ~ Reb Landers, Alternate Root Magazine

Adam Ezra is a prolific singer-songwriter from Boston and is the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Adam Ezra Group (AEG). Over the last five years, Adam and his bandmates have attracted a loyal and ever-expanding fanbase at sold-out shows throughout the Northeast Corridor.

Armed with a degree in environmental geography from Colgate University, Adam’s music is inspired by his travels around the world and his encounters with people he’s met along the way. These life experiences have not only shaped Adam and his music, but have also helped him create songs that deeply resonate with fans and address many of the global issues of our time.

Adam and his band devote much of their touring to environmental and human-rights based causes. Adam’s view on this is unequivocal: “We believe that the power to change the world is directly proportional to the strength of one’s community, and we are humbled by the opportunity to help empower folks through our music.”
 

Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion  - Saturday, July 16 - 7:00 p.m.

A lot can happen in five years, and for the husband-and-wife duo Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, the time between

Exploration, their first album together in 2005, and Bright Examples (Ninth Street Opus, Feb. 22, 2011), their new, full-length collaborative project, has been one nonstop whirlwind of activity. Not only has the couple toured extensively both as a duo and as part of the “Guthrie Family Rides Again” tour (with Sarah Lee’s dad, Arlo Guthrie), they’ve also released the children’s album Go Waggaloo (Smithsonian Folkways), a live DVD entitled Folk Song, a solo album by Johnny (Ex Tempore), parented their two young daughters and moved from South Carolina to the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, near where Sarah Lee was raised. 

Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck -  Sunday, July 17 - 4:15 p.m.

Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck's music come from a place that is rooted in the densely forested mountains of central Vermont. The result is a combination of no-nonsense traditionalism and forward-looking individualism that reflects the mythical stories of the people and rugged landscape of that state. Forging influences as diverse as Fugazi, Yes, Stax/Motown, Lowell George (Little Feat), Buffalo Tom, Jerry Garcia and Ali Farke Toure, the band has realized the full potential of its soulful, modern mountain music touring behind its latest cd, Bottom of the Sky.

    Bow Thayer-vocals, guitar, banjo
    Jeremy Curtis-vocals, bass
    Jeff Berlin-drums
    James Rohr-piano, organ, keyboards
    Chris McGandy-pedal steel guitar
 

Antje Duvekot - Saturday, July 16 - 6:00 p.m.

Antje Duvekot has solidified her reputation as one of America's top emerging singer songwriters with Big Dream Boulevard her debut studio release. The CD was produced by Seamus Egan, founder of the Irish super group, SOLAS. The project was released on acclaimed songwriter Ellis Paul's label, Black Wolf Records and has quickly attracted international attention for Antje. This release was voted
"#1 Folk Release of 2006" by the Boston Globe and was named to the "Top 10 Releases of the Year" by National Public Radio's, Folk Alley.

"This is a brilliant, brilliant album." says former Rolling Stone music editor Dave Marsh. "I have had this reaction once in the last 10 years and that was the first time I heard Patty Griffin."

"Duvekot has gotten hotter, faster than any local songwriter in recent memory. Her songs feel at once fresh faced and firmly rooted, driven by the whispery sensuality of her voice. She believes in the redemptive power of the shared secret; and is utterly unafraid to mine the darkest corners of her life for songs that turn fear into resilience and isolation into community". The Boston Globe
 

Soule Monde  - Friday, July 15 - 10:15 p.m.

Justin Black & Big Heart-  Sunday, July 17 - 2:00 p.m.

What happens when you have an artist who has battled throat cancer, a removed lung and was told countless times he may never sing again? The answer: Passion, determination and conviction. Now team him up with an explosive band and you end up with something real, something epic, something that could start self revolutions and inspire hope in people everywhere.

Justin Black & Big Heart believe the purpose of music is to stimulate your mind, heart and soul. This is a philosophy he lives by. The sound modern classic, the influences range from Neil Young, Ben Harper, Dylan, Fiona Apple, Led Zeppelin, U2, Jeff Buckley, Pink Floyd, Beatles to PJ Harvey, Terry Reid, Black Crowes, Temple of the Dog and The Soundtrack Of Our Lives.
 

Moors & McCumber -  Friday, July 15 - 6:45 p.m.

"A cross between Tom Petty and the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack." A winding mountain road, a dimly lit bedroom, a star filled sky. Influenced by the songwriting of Steve Earl, Gillian Welch and Neil Young, Moors and McCumber deliver songs full of rich harmonies that take you places.

James Moors and Kort McCumber met at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in 2005. Sitting around a campfire swapping songs, James and Kort each heard something in the music of the other that just fit. The two have been performing and writing together since. Having collectively sold more than 15,000 copies of independent releases from the stage, Moors and McCumber are touring the nation in support their initial self titled offering from the duo.
 

Duane Carleton & the Backwoods Messiahs -  Saturday, July 16 - 8:15 p.m.

Duane Carleton is the voice of rural America. His songs capture the essence of working class life. Whether he is describing the everyday people of small town America and their relationships or the struggles that they encounter in their day-to-day lives, he conveys the beauty and tragedy of a disappearing lifestyle. His music falls into the Americana style. He paints a vast and colorful landscape with his songwriting as he covers the spectrum from poetic ballads, to upbeat rockers, to political story songs that could be aptly described as the offspring of Steve Earle and The Rolling Stones.

"Songs are driven by Carleton's fine guitar work and singing...it's easy to laugh at some of the rock and roll bands making hits these days, but hearing rootsy rock done this well should make you feel a little better."-- Vintage Guitar Magazine -

“Duane's music harkens back to an era where the music we listened to wasn't separated into 47 different genres, there was no need for an "alternative" label, and hip-hop was something frogs and bunnies did. We called it "rock" and we played it loud as we drove around town…”   -- George Nostrand – Rutland Herald 

Swing Noire – Saturday, July 16 - 4:00 p.m.

Call it what you may... Gypsy jazz, hot swing, jazz manouche. In any case Swing Noire invokes the energy of a swingin’ jazz club and transports audiences back to the early days of jazz with their unique take on Hot Swing in the spirit of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. Vermont’s newest acoustic, Hot Club style quartet, Swing Noire makes music that “will entrance and surprise you.”

Pine Island violinist David Gusakov, twins Rob and Jim McCuen on solo guitar and double bass, and rhythm guitarist Jared Volpe make up Vermont's newest acoustic, Hot Club style quartet. 

What made (and makes) this music unique is the use of 2 – 3 guitars of the Selmer/Maccaferri style, double bass, and in the traditional lineup, a swingin' violin. We take inspiration from the Romany, Sinti and Manouche diaspora who influenced Django Reinhardt along with the American Hot Jazz of the early 1900's.

 

The StereoFidelics are a high-energy, indie groove-rock band that blends mind-bending improvisation and extreme instrumental choreography to deliver an exciting show for both the eyes and ears.

By showcasing their multi-instrumental capability, they are able to operate completely as a duet and deliver a full sound. Chris shreds solos and lays down the groove on the guitar, tickles the electric piano, sings lead/harmony vocals, and pounds out synth bass lines on a floor keyboard while Melissa contributes lead/harmony vocals, holds down the rhythm on the kit, and throws in string pads and raging violin solos. Extreme touring over the last three years (600 shows +/-) has given their live show an intense tightness, both technically and emotionally.
 

Peter Mulvey - Friday, July 15 - 4:15 p.m.

“I like making records,” reflects songwriter Peter Mulvey, “but my job is the live show: getting up in a room and taking people somewhere.
Peter’s latest tour is on his 12th CD, Letters From A Flying Machine.

Over the past 20 years, Mulvey has pursued a restless, eclectic path as a writer and musician – immersing himself in Tin PanAlley jazz, modern acoustic, poetry, narrative, and Americana stylings.

Relentlessly touring as a headliner -  his attitude is, “When you love what you do, you can work all the time,” - he has also shared the stage with luminaries such as Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson, Ani diFranco, Indigo Girls, and Greg Brown, and has attracted an audience that stretches from Anchorage to Amsterdam.
 

Phil Henry is that rare contemporary folk artist who will impress you from every direction. There’s his sweet and strong voice, that intricate and flawless guitar work, and songs so rich and sweeping you’ll wish you wrote them yourself.

He’s been honored by the top tastemakers in contemporary folk. He’s played the big stages - Kerrville, Falcon Ridge - and won top prize at SolarFest and the Susquehanna Arts and Music Festival.

Henry builds a connection, gently shaking an audience out of their own heads and into the vivid world he creates. He’s that rare breed of egoless musician who truly believes in the communal experience between performer and audience.

Henry is a builder, in every sense of the word. He doesn’t just make songs; he builds stringed instruments by hand. He builds albums, too, as a producer with a keen sense for what makes great ear candy. And he doesn’t just make music; he teaches it, conducting a high-school chorus in the snow-covered mountains of central Vermont.

"… there’s no one quite like this quiet Vermonter whose powerful voice speaks for itself.”
- Aaron Nathans
 

Since moving from his gulf coast hometown in Destin Florida to Boston after Labor Day of 2009 Reed Waddle has experienced a series of career changing milestones. He most recently won the Grand Prize at the New York Songwriters Circle, and an instant thrust directly into the heart of the New York music scene. The Circle has helped launch careers of artists like Norah Jones, Jessie Harris, Gavin Degraw and Kate Voegele, (One Tree Hill). A month earlier he was a winner in the Mountain Stage NewSong Competition in Charleston, West Virginia, competing with thousands of songwriters from the US and Canada.

Reed has been a hard working touring musician, constantly on the move seeking his breakthrough. He recently opened concerts for Hall and Oates, The All American Rejects, the Wailers, Shawn Mullins, Edie Carey, Caleb Hawley & Katie Herzig. In June of 2009 he shared the stage with Phoebe Snow, Jesse Harris, John Oates, Marcus Hummon and Tina Shafer at the New York Songwriters Circle, the only artist on the bill without multi-platinum songwriting credits. In support of his release "Piece by Piece" he completed a 15 state 28 city six week eastern seaboard tour. For the past three years he has played over 250 shows annually mostly in small clubs, colleges and listening rooms around the country while constantly writing and recording.
 

Bluegrass Gospel Project - Sunday, July 17 - 12:45 p.m.

The BGP's repertoire draws from a sub-genre of bluegrass, the body of music developed in the mountains of the southeastern U.S. during the twentieth century. Bluegrass restyled all types of traditional Appalachian music in the southeast, including the hymns and spirituals of the Christian tradition. However, bluegrass gospel has evolved independently, outside of the church, and is therefore a populist form of spiritual music. The BGP keeps this tradition very much alive as they deliver a gospel meant for all people and all faiths.

"This group is a force to be reckoned with onstage … their voices and harmonies can make you see the light, and tremble." --Vermont Life
 

Gold Town - Friday, July 15 - 2:00 p.m.

Gold Town is a Southern Vermont string band formed in the summer of 2008. The band is Joshua Loun on Upright Bass, William Moshiem on Banjo/Guitar/Fiddle, Andrew Stearns on Guitar/Banjo and Mike Wheeler on Resonator/Guitar. They practice in a big old train station in Rupert, Vermont, play instruments they have made, and love all kinds of music. From pig roasts to music venues, dive bars to farmers markets, Gold Town sings old songs and original songs that are played to be shared like the old time music that came before. Their first full-length album will be released this spring.

Split Tongue Crow - Friday, July 15 - 3:15 p.m.

A lifetime spent in the vast hills and rambling valleys of Vermont can do a lot for shaping a band's sound. Coming off more as a front-porch musical family than a independent band; Split Tongue Crow's backwoods harmonies and hauntingly earnest songwriting have become a favorite of fans and skeptics alike. One listen is all it takes to fall in love with such honest and unforgettable music.

http://www.facebook.com/splittonguecrow

Jessica Smucker writes what could be considered "dark pop" songs: catchy melodies in minor keys, lyrics that masterfully infuse sad stories with tiny flecks of humor and hope. She performs in diverse configurations and contexts, but her songs have a consistent melodic edge. "Woven with a sort of defiant sadness, a square-jawed resilience" (Fly Magazine), her compositions often start down a familiar road but, through a series of subtle twists and curves, deliver the listener to an unexpected destination.

With The Sleeping World, she expands the scope of her songs into a lush rock landscape: fuller, deeper arrangements created in collaboration with some of the Central PA region's finest musicians.
 

"They don't remind me of A-ha! at all!" - Robin Chesnut-Tangerman

A recurring phenom! The SolarFest House Band brings together many of the area's top musicians for a dynamic musical extravaganza. Start with the core group of Jim Gilmour, Jeff Poremski, Jon Berman, Paul Carroccio, Jerry Dubeau, and Charlie Rockwell, poached from a variety of the best local bands. Additional support and guest spots by Laura Molinelli, Melissa Chesnut-Tangerman, Phil Henry, Duane Carlton, and Kort McCumber. Add a dash of  special guests found back stage. Stir well, sit back, and enjoy.

Every year talented sing/songwriters from around the country send SolarFest recordings of their original songs. Some are on discs, some are mp3s, some are cassettes recorded in the living room; they are all the dreams of music makers. The ten finalists are invited to the SolarFest stage to perform two songs for you and the judges. The top three will win prizes including cash and recording studio time. The First Place winner will also perform a full set at SolarFest 2011. Look for all of the ten finalists performing on the Family Stage.

Jody Scalise – Friday 2:15 p.m.

“Jody Scalise stops the show with his myriad transformations!”~The Boston Globe

Reminiscent of the old days with a fresh new approach to variety theater. A little Groucho, a little Skelton a lot of joy!! Forty years of performing from Lincoln Center Comedy Festival, ABC Television to PBS television. “He’s a great clown!”~Marcel Marceau
 

Jackson Gillman – Friday  4:15 p.m., Saturday 11:30 a.m.

Sparkling with energy, wit and whimsy, the "Stand-Up Chameleon" magically transforms into a wide array of colorful characters. Song, dance, mime and/or sign language might be incorporated into his interactive comedy and stories -- bringing any age audience along for a rollicking ride into his wildly imaginative worlds of creativity and fun. Much of Jackson’s environmental repertoire reflects his ecology background from the College of the Atlantic. Shining through his extraordinary versatility is his bemused, warm-hearted honesty in his perceptions of life, astute and askew.
 

John Porcino – Saturday 1:15 p.m., Sunday 2:15 p.m.

Much of John Porcino's training for his many years as a storyteller and singer arose while creating and participating in the zany & touching moments around a campfire. All of life, seen through a flickering firelight, surrounded by the magnificent beauty of the natural world. These days John spins some 200 performances, workshops, and in-service trainings each year, for folks of all ages. His performances are a mix of stories and songs that are sparked to life with warmth, humor, a playful touch of audience participation, and a twist of music from around the world. For John the arts are joyful pathways toward celebrating our common humanity and the legacy of life on our planet.
 

Spice Kleinmann – Saturday 2:15 p.m., Sunday 12:00 p.m.

Deborah "Spice" Kleinmann has been singing songs on stage or in front of people since she was 9 years old. Since then, she has sailed and sung on the Clearwater Boat on the Hudson River with Pete Seeger, worked for Wolftrap in Virginia teaching Headstart curriculum through Arts Integration, led songs at Farm and Wilderness camps for over 25 years, entertained many children of all ages at Earth Day Events, demonstrations of all sorts, libraries, senior centers, childcare programs, and--her favorite--around campfires. She will entice you with her spirit and joy.....Come and enjoy and sing!!!! 
 

The Swing Peepers – Saturday 3:15 p.m.

The Swing Peepers, a vocal-harmony and multi-instrument duo, feature fun, earth-friendly and water-loving interactive songs and stories. The Swing Peepers perform lively and improvisational energetic World Folk. Instruments strummed, swung, and tapped include: guitars, mandolin, harmonica, accordion and egg-shaker. Many of their songs and stories are participatory, so come prepared to join in!  

Jennings & Ponder – Sunday 1 p.m.

Vermont residents Tim Jennings and Leanne Ponder are two of today's finest interpreters of the traditional folk tale. Their live CD, The King and the Thrush, was named a Notable Children's Recording of 2010 by the American Library Association, the highest award given, and the only storytelling record so honored this year. It's their second "notable", a third album received Parents' Choice Silver. They say, "Folktales are ageless. Rooted in antiquity, reborn with each retelling, they speak directly to that part of us which does not change as we move through our lives. We listen, time changes, and we become ageless too."
 

Spook Handy – Sunday 3:15 p.m. 

“Spook really understands how to write a good song that says something important. “Death Came Anyway” is a great song!” - Pete Seeger

Spook Handy started out in this life on a path of respectable and predictable citizenship. But fresh out of college he turned down several lucrative job offers and bought his first guitar. Over 3000 gigs later Spook has a pocket full of songwriting awards and has performed his songs with the likes of Pete Seegar and Peter Yarrow. True to the company he keeps, Spook’s songs are witty and courageous, informed by a desire for social justice and populated by a host of real and imagined friends. You could become one of these friends at Spook’s songwriting workshop in The Solar Generation track on Saturday.
 

Theater in the Woods -  Friday 4:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m., Sunday 10:00 a.m.

Theater in the Woods director Wheaton Squier, a veteran himself of many Theater in the Woods performances, looks forward to harnessing the boundless talents of the extended SolarFest family. This play is an engaging story of Tinmouth's 250 year history, sprinkled with local lore along with factual nuggets and embellishments from the book Reflections of Tinmouth by Mildred E. Allen. The performances have become a spectacle in themselves as hundreds of spectators follow the characters and the evolving story through the woods.

Atlantic Crossing - Saturday - Contra Dance in the Arena - 7:45 p.m.

For over 15 years, the Vermont band Atlantic Crossing has been thrilling concert audiences and contra-dancers with traditional songs and acoustic instrumental music from New England - music which has deep Celtic roots in the British Isles and in French & Maritime Canada - together with original compositions inspired by these traditions.

Atlantic Crossing has appeared at numerous festivals, concert series, and on Public Radio. They have toured frequently in the USA and in the UK and, as a high energy contradance band, they have played at many of the major US dance series as well as dance weekends. They now have five recordings to their name, the most recent, Overtones & Undercurrents, released in 2009. 

Bogstompers - Off-Stage Music

Rick Davis - Saturday, July 16

Rick is delighted to return to SolarFest. He spent four years as a clown with Ringling Brothers Circus and has performed at Epcot Center, Radio City Music Hall, The White House, and on the Bill Cosby Show. For 27 years he has been touring colleges and festivals, teaching us all the skills we didn't learn in 5th grade. Rick will be on the grounds all day Saturday, and can often be found near the Family Stage.