Rhode Island Banjo Festival

Indoor Stage

3:00 Bird & Augur
4:30 Ed Sweeney
6:00 TBD
7:30 Folk the Empire
9:00 TBD

Outdoor Stage

3:45 Carolyn Shapiro
5:15 Ken Perlman
6:45 Andrew Pauls
8:15 Kate Mick

Inclement Weather Plan
Song Swap Style!

3:00 Bird & Augur & Carolyn Shapiro
4:30 Ed Sweeney & Ken Perlman
6:00 TBD & Andrew Pauls
~7:30 Folk the Empire
9:00 TBD & Kate Mick

The Players

Ed Sweeney

Ed Sweeney honors people and their histories by presenting music that entertains and educates. Through his musical expertise, breadth of knowledge, and wonderful sense of humor, he helps listeners, understand the motivations, stories, and culture that have made us who and what we are today. For more than 45 years Ed Sweeney has actively explored ways to research, learn, perform and teach traditional American music.
edsweeneymusic.com/home

Bird & Augur

Bird & Augur is a Rhode Island–based anticapitalist folk duo inspired by the traditions of solidarity and resistance that shape labor songs, protest anthems, and folk music globally. With rich harmonies, intricate fingerpicking, and heartfelt storytelling, Bo Fage (they/them, guitar) and James Cappelletti (he/him, banjo) lend their voices to an ongoing reckoning with systems of violence and control. Their music invites listeners to build community, and to attend to the signs, the stories, and the unfolding future that still responds to care and intention.

birdandaugur.com/

Folk The Empire

folktheempire.bandcamp.com

Kate Mick

When you're brought up on your parent's weird record collection of obscure 70's rock and your older sister's obsession with Fleetwood Mac and The Pixies; fuse that with the backdrop of 90's grunge and early 00's depressive indie rock... well, you get someone who teaches herself how to play intimate, slightly sweet, dark and evocative banjo songs.
katemick.com/

Ken Perlman

kenperlman.com/

Andrew Pauls

Lancaster, PA- based songwriter and 2025 Telluride Troubadour finalist Andrew Pauls writes songs about everything from rainy days to Spain to space travel. But all of his songs have one thing in common: they’re about the relationships we have with ourselves, each other, and the places we call home. A charismatic and authentic performer, Andrew’s musicianship and poetry invite listeners to lean in close and find themselves in the song.andrewpauls.com/home

Carolyn Shapiro

Carolyn is an old-time banjo player and songwriter from upstate New York whose music nourishes the spirit like a hearty, home-cooked meal. Blending sultry nuance with deep-rooted traditional style, her songwriting pushes the boundaries of the banjo, creating a catalog of songs that feel both timeless and entirely her own. With a rich tapestry of folk influences and lyrics that balance wit with emotional depth, Carolyn invites listeners into an intimate journey through the complexities of being human. Her commanding voice and resonant banjo tone bring a joyous vulnerability to the stage—leaving audiences not just entertained, but genuinely restored and inspired.carolynshapiromusic.com/