David Bernz (vocals, banjo & guitar)

David is the Grammy Award-winning producer of Pete Seeger’s Grammy-winning At 89 CD (2009), and currently at work with Pete on a follow-up recording.

David spent much of his high school years pulling blues riffs off B.B. King and Eric Clapton albums and playing in local rock bands. Heavily influenced by the folk music of the ’50s and ’60s as well as by blues, R&B, jazz and rock, David has been writing and singing songs of many different kinds for more than two decades. But having grown up next door to Lee Hays of the Weavers, he also understood that, in addition to its aesthetic beauty, music can have deep meaning and purpose.

David has appeared throughout the New York area, New England, and in his native Hudson Valley, sharing the stage with the likes of Pete Seeger, Richie Havens, Arlo Guthrie, Tommy Makem, Billy Bragg, Oscar Brand, Noel Paul Stookey, Peter Yarrow and many others.

David has also toured Germany with ‘Dave, Perry, Rande’ (featuring Rande Harris and Perry Robinson, son of composer Earl Robinson) and is a founding member (with Caryl Towner & Dave Tarlo) of ‘Stone Soup.’ He produced and released Pete Seeger’s 2003 post-9/11 offering, Take It From Dr. King. David’s solo CDs Homespun One and Hudson Line are in the works.

James Durst (vocals & guitar)

James has distinguished himself as a solo singer/songwriter, having toured extensively since the mid-’60s in 49 states and 45 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, in Russia, Azerbaijan, Japan and most recently, India and Israel. In addition to singing gathered songs in more than two dozen languages, he has composed hundreds of his own, many of which have materialized on a dozen or so recordings, such as Internationally Unknown, Element of Surprise, nude/renewed, My Country is the World and Wish I Were Here, available at www.worldwindcd.com and elsewhere.

James has also starred in a pair of award-winning children’s singalong videos, A Great Day for Singing! and Another Great Day for Singing!, available on DVD in 2010. In addition to co-conspiring with David, Mark and Martha on the ‘Work o’ The Weavers’ project, he has written an eco-peace world musical play entitled Hue Manatee’s Quest. More information about James and his music is available at www.jamesdurst.com.

Mark Murphy (vocals & upright bass)

Mark grew up in a musical family; his dad was a public school music educator and he and Mark’s mom still perform together in contradance bands. Mark started playing cello in 3rd grade, electric bass in 10th, then upright bass at SUNY Fredonia. Graduating in 1981 with a degree in art, he dived into professional music with Walt Michael, Tom McCreesh and Company, with whom he’s appeared on Nashville Network’s Fire on the Mountain and NPR’s Prairie Home Companion. He has performed with Pilobilus Dance Company and has headlined shows ranging from the Carter Family Fold to Lincoln Center.

PHOTO Brian Kanof

With the Vanaver Caravan, he has performed at Lincoln Center and the United Nations, and was part of the cast filmed for their historic dance reconstruction, “Boston Fancy,” which was inducted into the National Archives. He has backed up blues artist Guy Davis (a W.C. Handy Award nominee) on Late Night With Conan O’Brien and on tour in Europe. He has toured and recorded in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

PHOTO Brian Kanof

Martha Sandefer (vocals & percussion)

Martha has performed many genres of music in a wide variety of settings for more than 30 years. She recorded, sang and played with Trapezoid, the folk and contemporary acoustic ensemble. She has also recorded with John McCutcheon, R. Carlos Nakai and Peter Kater as well as numerous other commercial projects. Martha has a keen interest in folk music from around the world and has been studying frame drums, performing in concert with percussionist Glen Velez. She has a Master’s degree in Music Education with a focus on pedagogy from Hartt College of Music in Hartford, Connecticut.

Martha is presently at work preparing a new and improved re-release of her earlier recording, Building a New Way.