A native of upstate New York, Goodspeed's music career had auspicious beginnings. Her earliest memory is standing on the coffee table in her family's duplex performing along with Carole King's Tapestry and wondering how the musicians were able to fit into the tiny space of the turntable. This fascination with music translated into a self-described theater geek adolescence, a period when Goodspeed discovered her love and innate talent for both singing and acting. She taught herself guitar by studying the songs of folk-rock musicians like James Taylor and Crosby, Stills, and Nash and performed in lead roles in school and regional productions, including a nine-month run of Godspell performed across upstate New York.

During college, Goodspeed continued to act in and direct university theater productions and began to develop the exacting harmony skills she displays today as a vocal arranger for Binghamton University's first co-ed a cappella group. Upon graduation, she did what was expected of the daughter of a doctor and entered a doctoral program in psychology at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. It was in Kansas that a whole new and unexpected education began, that of the contemporary singer-songwriter.

In Lawrence, Goodspeed stumbled upon one of the best contemporary folk shows in the country - Bob McWilliam's Trail Mix on Kansas Public Radio - and was exposed to artists like Patty Larkin, Shawn Colvin, and John Gorka for the first time. "I was hooked," Goodspeed explains, "They were writing music I was really hungry for. Songs you needed to hear more than once in order to grasp." It wasn't long before she was writing her own music and performing in local venues and three years into her doctoral program, she realized she wasn't cut out for the counseling field and left Kansas with a Masters and a new direction.

Goodspeed bloomed as a young singer-songwriter in the rich Boulder/Denver music scene of the mid-90s. She played local venues and festivals including the renowned Swallow Hill Music Association. In 1997, she recorded her first demo with respected producer/engineer Patrick Brickel (Greg Brown). And then she stepped away from her music career entirely. Goodspeed married and moved to Massachusetts to begin a new life in the landscape that felt most like home. Here, she unexpectedly rediscovered her first love, theater, and spent the next decade acting with theater companies in glowingly reviewed shows such as Godspell, A Chorus Line, and most notably Flowers For Algernon for which she won the 2004 CTA Drama Festival Award for Best Featured Performer. All the while, she continued to write songs and quietly hone her craft.

Who can accurately describe the subtle shifts in life that occur to nudge one to change course? In 2007, at a festival, a house concert presenter heard Goodspeed singing and knew there was a wider audience for her music. She offered to finance a CD and over the course of 12 days that summer, Jenny Goodspeed did what she had set out to do in 1997 - she recorded her debut album, Under the Ash Tree. One month later, acclaimed singer/songwriter Beth Amsel (Voices on the Verge) invited Goodspeed to open for her during a fall tour of the Midwest. For the first time in years, Goodspeed stepped up on stage with her guitar in hand for rooms full of strangers, performing for audiences in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Nebraska to an overwhelmingly positive response.

With Under the Ash Tree, Jenny Goodspeed has returned to the acoustic music scene with a stunning debut CD full of verve and honesty ten years in the waiting. As the CD makes its way out into the world, Goodspeed is garnering attention and accolades including showcase finalist spots in the 2008 Plowshares Songwriting Contest and the 2008 Susqehanna Music & Arts Festival Songwriting Contest. With such a talent, one would assume she'd been at it all along.

I have been a singer - writer - song collector - performer for about 20 years on the North Shore of Boston. I've lived on or near Cape Ann for most of the aforementioned 20 years and have been active in the New England folk music community in and from that place. My first coffeehouse performance was in 1982 as an open mic performer. The featured act that night went on to perform two songs I played in my three song set.

For a brief time I ran the coffeehouse series called "Saturday Night In Marblehead", taking over after Bob Franke ran the series for 10 glorious years. During my tenure there, I released my first album, "One Night In A Cheap Hotel". The Fast Folk Musical Magazine included the song "The Dollmaker's Secret" on their first Boston - artist album...Dean stevens used "Love Comes To The Simple Heart" as the title song for one of his albums...Susie Burke recorded "Angels" on her CD, "Lucky Stars"...and I got outside New England to perform a bit, playing venues like Fiddle and Bow Society in Winston-Salem and the St. Augustine Folk Festival in Florida.

In 1988 I moved to Norfolk, Virginia for a short time, where I worked at Ramblin' Conrad's Guitar Shop with Bob Zentz - "putting the folk in Norfolk", as they say. I lived in a small farmhouse on the Virginia-North Carolina line, and while there, began a love affair with traditional music which continues to this day.

Coming back to Boston in 1989, after a short stint as a tour guide in a museum and newspaper delivery person, a tip from the aforementioned Mr. Franke led to a job as afternoon drive time host on WUMB - FM. I held that spot for a number of years - and was "Announcer of the Year" in 1991! I also worked weekends at a commercial acoustic music radio station, WADN in Concord, Massachusetts.

Radio finally played itself in 1995 1995, and I began a computer career, while maintaining my musical adventures. In 2000, I released "Confession of Faith", containing many original and some traditional songs with a folk -gospel feel. Harkening back to my time in Virginia, I brought in some very fine bluegrass and acoustic players, notably Taylor and Jake Armerding, then of "Nothern Lights" to support the recording.

In 2001, I ventured to Cape Breton and Newfoundland, in a trip that dramatically altered my musical landscape. The trip was a transforming adventure, through Gros Morne's primal fjords and mountains, to L'Anse Aux Meadows, where we now know the Vikings stayed, however briefly, in about the year 1000. Their tales can be found in the collection of writings called "The Vinland Sagas." He learned about the Halifax Disaster on that trip as well, and the images and stories and history I learned on that trip became the focal point for my most recent CD, "The Northern Sagas", released in 2004.

I continue to write and perform from my home near Newburyport, Massachusetts, and produce the HALLFOLK PODCAST BROADCAST just about every three weeks.

Brian Kalinec is a Houston-based singer-songwriter. A native of Beaumont, Texas, he started playing guitar at the age of ten. While in high school he actively performed with local bands throughout Southeast Texas at clubs, dances, proms, and private parties. In college, Brian performed solo at various clubs and restaurants in Beaumont. During the summers he lived in Houston and appeared with friends Steven McClintock and David Fertitta. In January of 1976, Brian was a featured performer at the 75th anniversary of the discovery of Spindletop in Beaumont.

Songwriting has always been a passionate drive in Brian's musical life. In 1980, Brian performed a song he wrote for his daughter Kerri titled "Challenged Child" at the 1980 National Convention of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, at the Houston School for Deaf Children's Charity Gala, and in several television appearances.

From 1995 to 1998, Brian co-produced the annual "Sonny Throckmorton Songwriter's Festival" sponsored by the Houston-Fort Bend Songwriters Association. He is an active member and past president of the organization.

In 1997, Brian joined Joelle Joyce in a duo known as the "Urban Birds" and they appeared weekly in many clubs around Houston through 1999.

In 2001, Melinda Mones recorded her debut CD, which contained 3 of Brian's songs, "Good Life", "My Apology", and "Right Here, Right Now".

Brian and Jeff Chambers began performing as an acoustic duo in 2002 and appear together regularly in venues throughout Southeast Texas. In addition to his shows with Jeff, he also performs with Carolyn Wallace.

Brian has been invited to perform at many notable venues including Anderson Fair, Ovations, and JP Hops House in Houston. He has also appeared at house concerts and coffeehouses.

Brian won first place in the 1st Annual Texas Songwriter’s Serenade songwriting contest at Fiddler’s Frolics in Hallettsville, TX. His music has also been featured on ABC News’ World News Now.

In addition to songwriting, Brian has also appeared on occasion as a lead guitarist for Lisa Novak, Ken Gaines, Ronny Cox, and Randall Williams.

Brian released his debut CD, Last Man Standing, in early 2007. He is a member of NSAI, ASCAP, the Houston-Fort Bend Songwriters Association (HFSBA) and the Houston Association of Acoustic Musicians (HAAM).