On Saturday June 25th, at 3pm, Toby Walker, a seasoned acoustic blues player from Denville, NJ will perform. Toby is an accomplished and award winning blues player and historian. He spent many years traveling the deep back roads of the south seeking out the ‘real deal’ players….the front porch guys…and learned the roots blues first hand.

Toby will also host a one-hour workshop prior to the show at 1pm. To sign up for the workshop, email Toby (tobywmusic at gmail.com.)

Internationally and nationally acclaimed, Toby Walker has been hailed as an award winning, roots music fingerstyle guitar virtuoso and songwriter who has toured the US, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Blending the styles of blues, ragtime, country, bluegrass, old-time jazz and rock, Walker has developed his own style and as such received numerous awards, including being the 1st place recipient of the International Blues Challenge Award in Memphis and the NY Music Award for best instrumental CD. Walker has also been inducted into the NY Blues Hall Of Fame. 

Walker is a nationally recognized guitar instructor, having taught at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch, Woody Mann’s Guitar Seminars, The Swanannoa Gathering, and the National Guitar Workshop. Walker also has eight instructional DVD’s on Happy Traum’s Homespun Music Instruction, and has produced hundreds of instructional videos on his own.

Toby’s passion for blues, rags, folk, and other traditional American music drove him to leave an apartment crammed full of recordings, books and instruments for the Mississippi Delta, Virginia and the Carolinas where he tracked down some of the more obscure – but immensely talented – music makers of an earlier era. He learned directly from Eugene Powell, James “Son” Thomas,Etta Baker, and R.L Burnside, among others.

“If he doesn’t get them with his phenomenal guitar playing or catchy songs, he gets them with his wonderful stories. True entertainers have an engaing spirit that puts a smile on your face. Arlo Guthrie has it. David Bromberg has it. And so does Toby. “
– John Platt – WFUV

“Flat out… you have to hear this great musician… I’m blown away“
Jorma Kaukonen of Hot Tuna and the Jefferson Airplane

“A fingerpicking guitar virtuoso”
– Happy Traum

On Sunday, August 28th at 4:30 pm Alex Radus, a contemporary/jazz influenced guitarist and his band will appear. Radus’ music draws from across the American songwriting spectrum and beyond, leapfrogging genres and blurring the lines between them. An award-winning and critically acclaimed singer/songwriter, Alex hails from Pennsylvania’s artistically rich Lehigh and Delaware River Valley region. His work has been featured in film, radio and television.

Radus is known as a “sultry crooner” (The City Paper) and a “master guitarist” (Courier News), but his songwriting always takes center stage. Equally comfortable composing in diverse genres, Radus pairs whimsical and poignant storytelling with a sophisticated mix of Americana, swing, blues, folk, Anti-folk, country and more.

Radus’ music and performances have been featured on radio, film and television, including three songs featured in 2018’s Adolescence, directed by Ashley Avis (Black Beauty). His discography includes: Jewels & Tinware (“creative, original…perfect” – Steel Notes Magazine); Love Me Like You Hate Me (“impressive…eerie, intense and wonderful” – The Morning Call); and duende (“a fluid, melodic hybrid of roots music” – The Village Voice). Most recently, Radus released a self-titled, debut album with his alt rock project, Hot4Robot (“a brilliant vision…a multi-layered, adventurous soundscape” – Underground Music Collective). His upcoming album, Tributaries, was recorded live at the legendary listening room, Godfrey Daniels.

The Alex Radus Trio features Daniel Manchester (Pyrenesia) on upright bass and Charlie Heim (Martha Graham Cracker; Grady Hoss and the Sidewinders) on drums. A staple of the eastern PA music scene, Radus is a frequent performer at Musikfest, Godfrey Daniels, and more.

The Karl Latham Quartet will present a swing jazz show featuring Karl on drums, Martin Pizzarelli on upright bass, guitarist David O’Rourke and Grammy Award-winning clarinetist, Linus Wyrsch. Karl has been recognized as one of the world’s top drummers by multiple publications and has played with waaaay too many Jazz artists to list. Martin is the son of the legendary Bucky Pizzarelli and has an enormous reputation as one of the best also. David O’Rourke will amaze you with his playing. And Grammy Award-winning clarinetist and tenor saxophonist Linus Wyrsch puts the icing on the cake.

Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, David O’Rourke grew up hearing many styles of music from classical to jazz, folk music and pop songs of his generation and he loved it all. A listening session with his father could include anything from Mozart to Miles, Errol Garner to Debussy – he remembers he and his dad listening to Joshua Rifkin playing Scott Joplin’s rags. At the age of 21, David was a finalist in the RTE Young Musician Of The Future, the first time a non-classical musician made it to the finals. David performed as soloist with the RTE Concert Orchestra, an ensemble that he would return some years later to conduct in the National Concert Hall. O’Rourke has built a career defined and shaped by his exposure to and association with many of his musical idols, both in the US and abroad. He has played with Les Paul and Bucky Pizzarelli and studied with legends such as Barry Galbraith and Pat Martino. He currently leads and writes for his own 20-piece band (The O’Rourkestra) at the Zinc Bar NYC, composing and arranging including recent commissions for the City Of Dublin Jazz Orchestra while continuing to perform in the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia jazz clubs.

Martin Pizzarelli is known for his work with his brother John Pizzarelli, appearing on many of his albums in a swing trio that includes pianists Ray Kennedy and Larry Fuller. He has recorded one album as bandleader for Victoria Records with Kennedy and his father, legendary swing guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli.

Grammy Award-winning clarinetist and tenor saxophonist Linus Wyrsch was born in Switzerland in 1987 and has been based in New York City since 2008. Having become one of the city’s most sought-after instrumentalists, the Berklee College of Music alumnus frequently works with Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats, the legendary Pizzarelli family and many other well-known artists of the jazz and Latin jazz scenes. Linus tours in the United States, Europe, Asia and South America, and regularly appears in New York City’s and the East Coast’s finest venues, and can be heard on more than 20 albums. Being an actual part of the music scene enables him to provide listeners with a unique backstage pass, including high-caliber guests.

Kicking off the season on Sunday May 15th at 3pm will be Yarn, an Americana/jam/rock group with a large local following. The Brooklyn and Raleigh based band — which is currently comprised of Blake Christiana, Rod Hohl, bassist Rick Bugel, and drummer Robert Bonhomme — have made their mark, and in dealing with their emotions, scars and circumstances, they find themselves in a position to share those experiences with others who have juggled similar sentiments.

If you expect that a band that calls itself Yarn to, naturally, tend to spin a yarn or two, you’re right! “That’s what we do, we tell stories, live and in the studio, truth and fiction” singer/songwriter Blake Christiana insists. “We don’t always opt for consistency. There’s a different vibe onstage from what comes through in our recordings. There’s a difference in every show as well, you never know what you’re going to get.”

Yarn have never been content to simply ride a wave and see where it takes them. Yarn’s ability to persevere ought to come as no great surprise, especially for a band that spent two years honing their chops during a Monday night residency at the famed Kenny’s Castaway in New York’s Greenwich Village. In effect, it allowed them to rehearse onstage, mostly in front of audiences that often ranged in size from five to a hundred people on any given night. 

Indeed, the accolades piled up quickly along the way. They have landed on the Grammy ballot 4 times, garnered nods from the Americana Music Association, placed top five on both Radio and Records and the AMA album charts, garnered airplay on Sirius FM, iTunes, Pandora, CNN, and CMT, and also accorded the “Download of the Day” from Rolling Stone. Shine the Light On found shared song writing credits with John Oates (the Oates of Hall & Oates fame), and when audiences expressed their admiration, it brought the band a populist following of diehard devotees, popularly known as “the Yarmy.”

At Ramsaysburg, Explore Warren History Trail visitors will enjoy docent tours of the grounds on Saturday, Nov. 6 and the annual Fall Festival on Sunday, Nov. 7. The site will be open 10am-4pm both days.

Festival attendees can taste an assortment of locally-grown apples, cider pressed on-site, as well as Apple Pies and Crisp. E&R Mathez farm will be on hand to explain the benefits of river-friendly farming as well as offer samplings of their delicious honey. How about a pound Myron Baley’s fresh cured bacon smoked on site? And jazz guitarist Wall Bibinger will offer selections from his extensive repertoire of classic and contemporary tunes. As always, visitors can enjoy the natural allure of the property, exchange stories around the firepit, a self-guided slide show about the era of timber rafting, and relish magnificent seasonal views along Delaware River. Pets are welcome on a leash.

The Ramsaysburg Homestead is a twelve-acre historical park along the Delaware River in Knowlton Township. The property and the structures on it—a tavern, barn, cottage, smokehouse and shed—were built from 1800 to 1870, and represent the activity that occurred at the homestead during its heyday. A natural amphitheater stretches from the historic structure to the bank of the Delaware River, a serene setting for picnics. 

The Ramsaysburg Homestead is located on Route 46 east at the intersection with Ramseyburg Rd. in Delaware, NJ. For more information please check the website, www.ramsaysburg.org or on Facebook.

The Knowlton Twp. Historic Commission received an operating support grant from the Warren County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs with funds from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State.

A rock & roll lifer, the British-born singer/songwriter has been carving his path since the 1980s with a raw, soulful voice; a storyteller’s sense of narrative; and the ability to blur the lines between folk, classic pop, and rock.

Since those early days in London, James has ridden the wave of a music industry that’s ebbed, flowed, peaked, and crashed. Maddock has stayed afloat throughout the entire ride, enjoying a brush with commercial success during the late 1990s — including a major-label record deal, a Top 5 AAA radio hit, and a song placement on Dawson’s Creek — before transforming himself into an independent solo artist during the decades that followed. If you’re not familiar, you’ll find Maddock’s large catalog full of great tunes on your favorite streaming outlet. More about James Maddock…

The concert will take place outdoors in the Riverside Amphitheatre. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Picnic tables are available.  

$10 suggested donation.  Gates open at 2 pm, music begins 3 pm. Rain date is Sunday, October 10.

For directions, check the map on our home page. The property address is 140 Route 46, Delaware, NJ, located at the intersection of Ramseyburg Road and Route 46, east of the village of Delaware. From Interstate Route 80, Exit 4, take Route 46 eastbound approximately 4 miles.

Saturday, September 25. Gates open at 1pm, music starts at 2pm

Nineteen-piece big band performs instrumental and vocal hits
from the 1920s through the present.

The Disney favorite will be shown outdoors in the Barn Amphitheater, Saturday, August 21 at dusk.

The band will fill the amphitheater with unrepentant Honky Tonk & Western Swing that harkens back to the days of the opry and cowboy movies. Ramsaysburg concert at the barn outdoor amphitheatre. 6pm. $10 donation suggested.. Ramseyburg Rd, and Rt 46.

The concert is made possible with generous support from the Warren County Cultural and Heritage Division of the Department of Land Preservation, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

On August 16, 2020, the Walt Bibinger Trio (Walt on guitar with Nancy Coletti on vocals and Paul Rostock on bass) and classical harpist, Andrea Wittchen (accompanied by violinist Rebecca Brown) performed for an audience stuffed with a love for good music. The concert was produced by the Knowlton Township Historical Commission with generous support from the Warren County Cultural and Heritage Division of the Department of Land Preservation, a partner of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.