JEREMIAH McLANE
Jeremiah McLane (Sharon, VT) has worked professionally as an accordionist and pianist since 1980, with a diverse musical background including blues, jazz, Celtic, Québécois, French and other roots influenced music. He has performed and played for dances throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. His past bands have included The Clayfoot Strutters, Nightingale, and Le Bon Vent. He currently performs with Kalos, Triton, Postcards from France, and with his wife, Annemieke, in the Cassotto Duo.
Jeremiah holds a master’s degree in contemporary improvisation from the New England Conservatory in Boston. In 2005 he started the Floating Bridge Music School, which is devoted to teaching traditional music from the British Isles, Quebec and Northern Europe, and North America, all genres that have influenced the music of his native New England.
He currently teaches at the Upper Valley Music Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. He has also taught at summer music programs throughout the United States, including Ashokan, Centrum’s American Festival of Fiddle Tunes, Swananoah, Acadia Trad Camp, Maine Fiddle Camp, Lark in the Morning, John C. Campbell Folk School, Pinewoods, CDSS Camps, and many others.
KAREN AXELROD
Karen Axelrod’s (Brattleboro, VT) piano playing combines expressiveness, energy, lyricism and power. She is equally at home with styles ranging from
traditional folk melodies to passionate tangos to old world French musette waltzes to English Country dance tunes and much more. She left behind classical music over 40 years ago, and has happily settled into her musical home....somewhere between folk, classical and improvisation. Her playing is soulful yet touched with humor and whimsy.
When she is not playing concerts, Karen is one of the busiest and most sought after traditional dance musicians. Her elegant and rich piano playing and her colorful, gorgeous accordion playing are enlivened by her off-beat humor. Karen plays with a number of bands for traditional dance events as well as concerts. Her bands include Alchemy, Peregrine Road and 3rd String Trio.
Based in Brattleboro, VT, Karen tours extensively throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. But, wait, there's more! She cooks! Karen assisted in the kitchen at the very first RiverJam Romp in 2022.
JERRY BRYANT
Jerry Bryant (Amherst, MA) is a singer and independent folk scholar focused on curating great songs from the past 500 years of American, Irish and British folk traditions. His repertoire includes hundreds of traditional and contemporary folk songs, with a special emphasis on the musical artifacts of maritime culture. Singing unaccompanied, or playing the concertina, guitar, or tenor banjo, he presents old and new songs that open a window on the human experience. Another musical field of exploration for Jerry is early 20th-century American popular song, typified as the product of Tin Pan Alley. Working largely from the original sheet music, Jerry revives not just the familiar choruses but also the long-forgotten verses, accompanying his singing with ukuleles of all sizes.
A devoted teacher, Jerry was on staff for 14 years at Meadowlark Music Camp, and is a regular faculty member at Fiddle Hell (teaching singing, guitar, uke, and rhythm bones). Right before this year’s River Jam Romp he will teach at TradMad Camp. Jerry has also served as a mentor in the Southern New England Apprenticeship Program, sharing his expertise about traditional sea chanteys.
ADINA GORDON
Adina Gordon (VT) finds an outlet for her loves of travel, music, dance and silliness by calling and dancing throughout the U.S. and Canada, facilitating joy and minor chaos wherever she goes.
Combining a voice that makes you WANT to do what she says with a commitment to using that power for good and not evil, Adina calls dances both old and new that cause spontaneous eruptions of joy on the dance floor. She counts it as a job well done whenever anyone says, “I wasn't sure about squares, but they're fun when you call them!”
OLIVER SCANLON
Fiddler, mandolinist and tunesmith Oliver Scanlon began his early training on classical viola with a stint with the Vermont Youth Orchestra.
Scanlon was introduced to his mentor Pete Sutherland and the parallel universe of fiddle music at the age of nine. In 2008, Oliver and a few talented middle school friends formed the group which became The Irregulars, and in 2013 he co-founded Pete’s Posse and became the youngest member of Sutherland’s long running dance band The Clayfoot Strutters.
He released his solo album “The Pond Jam” in 2014, as his senior project before graduating high school, and joined the Young Tradition Vermont Touring Group where he progressed all the way to an artist leader of the group in 2019.
Oliver now teaches fiddle and mandolin in Syracuse, NY, performs at concerts and contradances with a variety of musicians including his contradance quartet, Stove Dragon, and provides live sound reinforcement in New York and New England.
PETER & MARY ALICE AMIDON
Known for their dynamic, moving, and accessible singing workshops, the Amidons (Brattleboro, VT) have led choral singing workshops at major traditional music festivals, CDSS summer camps, and week-long choral singing weeks in the U.S. and the U.K. Their choral arrangements are being sung by hundreds of choirs throughout the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.