As a precocious five-year old in 1968, Jenefer Duane was first thrust into the Bay Area’s rock and roll music scene when she spotted Janis Joplin driving her famous psychedelic convertible bathtub Porche near her childhood home in Marin County, California. Although Jenefer did not recognize the iconic singer, who was smiling widely and singing at the top of her lungs, Joplin made direct eye contact with the stunned, long-haired child standing on the corner with her mouth dropped open in awe. Jenefer’s life was forever changed from that moment forward as she went on to bear witness to the amazing sights and sounds of the Summer of Love in San Francisco and then immersed herself in the regional 70’s and 80’s counter cultural eras of rock and roll.

At the age of 15, she discovered who the ‘crazy lady’ in the cool car was when she saw an iconic photo of Ms. Joplin in a music shoppe in Mill Valley, California. By then, she was a full-on Zeppelin/Hendrix style rock and roll fan discovering the Blues and falling in love with life in the fast lane.

As the realities of young adulthood settled in, Jenefer‘s lifelong passion for helping animals and older people segued into a 15-year career in orthopedic medicine and elder care. 1n 1996 she started community organizing to provide more support for isolated elders struggling to live at home.

Discovering that financial exploitation is a major life threat to older people motivated Jenefer and a group of partners from the banking industry to found the non-profit Elder Financial Protection Network in 2002. She leveraged that work to become one of the nation’s leading voices in the emergent field of elder justice. In 2011, Jenefer was called to serve when President Obama appointed her to a senior position in the US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office for Older Americans.

In January 2025, Jenefer retired from the Bureau and began leveraging her 40-year career in Elder Affairs as a one of the nation’s leading experts to consult as an event producer and to train financial professionals, law enforcement, attorneys and aging network service providers on identifying, preventing, responding to and resolving cases of elder financial exploitation.

While doing this work, she met Mary Beth Guard. She is thrilled to have had the opportunity to found and lead the annual New Harmony Blues Festival that nurtures her passion for the Blues and especially the immense talent of the women who play the Blues. She co-owns the elegant AC Thomas House Bed & Breakfast Inn, New Harmony, Indiana with Mary Beth, our spouses and another partner from the elder justice field. She resides in Snow Camp, North Carolina.

Audra Verona Lambert is a curator and cultural producer with 14 years of experience working within private and public sector visual and performing arts administration. Beginning her career in 2011 with the nonprofit partner wing of Materials for the Arts – NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs, she served on the superstorm Sandy response team for all NYC-based cultural organizations and has been moving a mile a minute ever since.

A co-founder of the multidisciplinary grassroots driven alt-break art fair, focused on alternative means of resource sharing for arts organizations, from 2016-20, she has served in an advisory capacity for organizations ranging from the public art nonprofit, MORE ART NYC, to national women and nonbinary arts professional organization, ArtTable. Additionally, from 2012-present she has worked with visual and performing art festivals Art in Odd Places (New York, NY,) FIGMENT NYC (New York, NY,) FLUX art fair (New York, NY) and with the Culture Push fellowship (New York, NY) among other deadline-driven arts activities. She is a singer songwriter and keyboardist, a second alto in the New Harmony town choir and during the daytime, can be found working in her role as the Curator, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary with the University of Southern Indiana in New Harmony, IN. When not singing or manifesting art projects into existence, she can be found gardening, baking or walking the Veterans memorial South Trail with her rescue pup, Patrick.

Ruth Wyand has achieved a level of diversity that has exceeded the expectations of audiences around the world. Her guitar virtuosity is demonstrated by dynamic fingerpicking, bottleneck slide and a warm alto voice.

She is a walking encyclopedia of American music styles, playing a mix of Americana, jazz, blues, folk, country augmented by Piedmont and bluegrass clawhammer fingerpicking. Performing well-crafted instrumental arrangements of classics ranging from Doc Watson, Etta Baker, Jimi Hendrix, Leo Kottke to Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington along with her own compositions always makes a captivating show.  Each song no matter how different has a firm Ruth Wyand stamp of style on it.

Ruth’s songwriting is timeless, relatable, emotionally resonant, sometimes witty, sometimes serious but always human and genuine. Her lyrics and stories along with her sense of humor will bring a smile to your face or a tear to your eye and her skillful command of the fretboard never ceases to amaze audiences of all ages.

Wyand has toured extensively throughout the United States, Britain, New Zealand, Kuwait and France and has won numerous awards for guitar and songwriting including the Gamble Rogers Fingerstyle Guitar Competition, the South Florida Folk Festival Songwriting Competition and the Hank Williams Songwriting Award.

“Ruth’s personal spirit of diversity shines through in the music she creates and performs,” says MoMojo label president, Sallie Bengtson. “Her ability to blend multiple and varied musical influences into her own appealing style is an exciting addition to our growing catalog.”

“To sit and listen to Ruth Wyand is the opportunity to experience the best of Americana, Blues, Jazz, Folk along with her great style of storytelling”.     ACMA (Americana Community Music Association)

Mary Beth Guard is the owner PrettyFood.com, Capers Emporium, Capers Glassporium, and Caper’s Candy & Cards. She is also co-owner of the AC Thomas House in New Harmony, Indiana. After working as a banking attorney for almost 40 years in Oklahoma City, she decided to venture into something new and opened Capers Emporium to offer cooking and crafting classes, and to provide everything needed for beautiful tables, stylish entertaining, and easy meal preparation. Mary Beth is a professional magician, a piano player, and is the chair of the Shenanigans committee on the New Harmony Business Association.

Ron is a co-owner of the AC Thomas House and is an avid Blues enthusiast and walking encyclopedia of music history of many genres. Ron is also a musician who plays the ukulele and the Pūtātara, an ancient Maori tribal instrument. He is neuro muscular therapist that specializes in pain relief and posture realignment. He reside on and manages a 44 acre farm in North Carolina with his wife Jenefer Duane.

A master acoustician and recording studio designer, retired US Navy tall ship captain, race car driver, ukulele player, (to name just a few of his diverse array of talents). The legendary John Wesley Gardner brings over 60 years of experience in the music industry.

UK British Blues Award winner and 4 time European Blues Awards nominee Bex Marshall’s unique style of guitar playing is a combined technique of slide, blues rock, ragtime and roots pickin’.

Her voice is a powerful melting pot of old black woman’s heartache and rock diva soul. Bex is a writer of distinction and notability, she pushes the boundaries of blues, her songs have been called timeless, touches of genius, and now she tours internationally solo or with a three piece band which augments her unique style of of virtuoso playing, Born In Plymouth Devon she was the product of two very different family’s, one blue blooded landed gentry (her great grandfather was the Squire of Cornwall) and her mothers side Irish Romany (her great Grandmother was the original fairground fortune teller Madam Olga)

As a child at family gatherings her uncles would always play and stand her on the table to sing, at 11 years old she was given a 1963 Gibson Hummingbird by her Uncle David and started playing, she got hooked on instrumentals and classical guitar standards which stretched her fingers and gave her a great basis for her own music to develop, flamenco, ragtime, country chicken pickin’, rock and on to blues and roots where she is now in her element.

She always had a passion for travelling, its in her blood and trained as a croupier at 18 began her travels around the world. She hitchhiked the coast of Australia on cattle trains and always with a guitar on her back living and storing tales.

Douglass started his musical career in the late 1960s with his band The Virtues, which later turned into the acid-rock group Country Weather. He came in contact with Van Morrison and Jefferson Airplane spin-off band Hot Tuna and ended up touring with both of them.

After his departure from Hot Tuna, Douglass founded the group Terry & the Pirates. He got in contact with Steve Miller Band bassist Lonnie Turner in 1977 and co-wrote the song “Jungle Love”[3] as well as playing on Miller’s tenth studio album, Book of Dreams. In 2002, “Jungle Love” became the theme song for CBS-TV sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond, opening the program for seasons 7-9.

Douglass was a member of the band John Cipollina’s Raven and appeared on 1980 album “Raven”. He joined The Greg Kihn Band in 1983 and played on the band’s hit single “Jeopardy”. After recording Kihnspiracy, Kihntagious, and Citizen Kihn, Douglass left the group and toured with Tom Fogerty and Eddie Money.

Douglass has lived in the San Diego area since 1994, where he remains active as a touring guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Electric Flag), a studio player, and a music instructor. He leads his own four-piece group, the Greg Douglass Band, playing concerts, clubs, corporate events. He also spends about a month each year touring Europe, primarily the UK.

Douglass also co-wrote two songs (“Something Special” and “Goodbye Love”) on Miller’s 1983 album Abracadabra, as well as “Maelstrom” for his 1986 album, Living in the 20th Century. Additionally, Douglass’ work with the Steve Miller Band has been reissued numerous times on greatest hits compilations.

Karl Dixon is an international jazz, blues entertainer and professor at NYU. For the last ten years he has toured the world as a featured soloist with the Harlem Jubilee Singers which has included appearances at Italy’s Umbria Jazz Festival and France’s Jazz a Vienne festival where he performed Duke Ellington’s “Freedom Suite” with the Laurent Mignard Ellington Orchestra.

With 20 years of culinary experience, Master Chef Jonathon excels in creating unique fusions of British, Italian, and French cuisine. From winning competitions and cooking for the Chinese Ambassador to traveling the world with “Blues and Stews,” he delivers extraordinary culinary experiences wherever he goes.

Growing up in the unique town of Oamaru, New Zealand—often called the “Steampunk Capital of the World”—I was immersed in the whimsical and imaginative world of steampunk culture, Victorian-era fashion, from a young age. This creative environment shaped my love for vibrant costumes, dramatic settings, and timeless aesthetics. With camera in hand, I explored everything from the charm of small towns to the grandeur of stunning landscapes.

My journey continued in Wellington, where I spent some time capturing the energy of runway fashion shows. I was drawn to the glamour of high fashion and the power of a well-timed shot that could transform a fleeting moment into an iconic image, then later in Sydney Australia, where street and wildlife photography became my passions.  

Now, based in the United States for over twenty years, I’ve embraced all of these diverse experiences, bringing a global perspective to my photography. From bold, dramatic portraits to intimate moments, I see each session as an opportunity to tell a unique story.

In addition to my photography, I’ve spent much of my adult life in the corporate world. This experience has honed my ability to collaborate effectively with diverse individuals, deepening my understanding of clients’ needs.

Maddy Meyjes loves music and history so she was instantly drawn to the opportunity to promote a music festival in the historic utopian town of New Harmony, Indiana. Maddy has experience organizing benefit concerts for UNICEF. She loves working with artists and community based organizations like NHBF. She is also an experienced proofreader and copy-editor with an interest in grant writing. Maddy is excited to help build and promote the New Harmony Blues Festival and make it a unique and memorable experience.

New Harmony-based Erin Bode creates music forged from the Americana of her Midwestern roots – infused with jazz grooves and made magic by Bode’s bell-like voice. Sophisticated arrangements and attention to phrasing, both vocal and instrumental, further distinguish her fresh sound. In the decade-plus since Erin Bode began her professional recording career, she has garnered much critical praise for her pure voice and impressive phrasing and style. It is this talent, coupled with her reluctance to accept classification as a purely jazz vocalist that has led to reviews hailing her as “someone you won’t forget”.

Tina Schutte is a retired business owner, entrepreneur and lifelong musician.

She began her music career as a liturgical musician at the tender age of 10; and has continued since then, leading worship at churches throughout the Evansville area.

Schutte was the Choral Music Director at Mater Dei High School in Evansville and has directed choirs at Corpus Christi, St. Anthony, All Saints, Holy Redeemer, St. Philip, Sts Mary & John Catholic Churches and Zoar United Church of Christ in Evansville.

Her career as a professional musician includes lead vocal and keyboard for Clearlight, a top 40 cover band; and vocalist with the Red Wick Ensemble, with whom she recorded. She frequently sings and plays at open mic nights at New Harmony venues.

Schutte took over direction of the New Harmony Community Choir in 2015 and has grown the choir to over 35 members and has increased the number of performances every year.

Most recently, she was music director for the 2024 Theatre Works production of “A Christmas Carol”, a large-format puppet show.

Schutte is a former trustee of the University of Southern Indiana, a former member of the University of Evansville Outstanding Educators Selection Committee, a former board member of Under the Beams (a New Harmony concert series), Secretary of Trace to Trail (a not-for-profit group that puts on creative writing workshops), a member of the New Harmony Artists’ Guild and a board member of New Harmony Music Festivals.

A composer, arranger and performing musician, Schutte lives in Evansville with her husband, David. Between them, they have six children and seven grandchildren, who are the lights of their lives.

A native of Wales, Colin has a long history supporting the arts and particularly music which he has supported alongside a corporate and entrepreneur career lasting over 40 years.

Until her 2020 retirement, Patty Avery was the program lead for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Your Money, Your Goals toolkit and training program for a range of intermediaries who serve low-income consumers.

Patty’s career has included more than seven years at Old National Bank, where she served as director of associate communications and as a community reinvestment officer. Prior to Old National, she worked for the Vanderburgh County Commissioners and as a producer and reporter for Fox 7. Before moving to Evansville, she spent fifteen years serving homeless youth and adults in Amsterdam and Brazil. As a national  and global volunteer leader in The American Cancer Society, Patty is an experienced trainer in the field of volunteer-driven legislative advocacy and received the Amcerican Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s highest honor for volunteers in 2024, the Volunteer Award for Excellence in Advocacy. She also serves as a Families for Safe Streets Ambassador and is a member of that organization’s National Executive Committee.

Patty lives in Evansville, Indiana with her husband, retired State Representative Dennis Avery, and holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Southern Indiana.

Scott is an experienced communications leader with more than 30 years of success working in marketing, public engagement and event management. Scott is originally from Marin County, California, where he led GR Media, a creative marketing agency primarily serving the entertainment, hospitality, financial services, wine, nonprofit, and tech industries. Some clients included Sony Entertainment, Hyatt Hotels, Lenny Kravitz, Grateful Dead, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Trentadue Winery.

In addition, he served as EVP and Chief Communications Officer for GoTriangle, the Raleigh / Durham regional transit authority. In this role he acted as media spokesperson and public information officer, spearheading program communications, community education and public outreach.

Before joining GoTriangle, Scott was a member of the leadership team for the nonprofit Granville Health System (GHS). As Administrative Director, he led the communications, health system foundation and the hospital volunteer programs. In addition, he created the health system’s first integrated strategic marketing and communications plan and served as the Executive Director of the GHS Foundation where he created the Granville Ambulance Chase; an annual 5k/10k race and community event with local chefs and live music that raises money for the health system foundation. The race is on its 12th year. Scott also founded the annual GHS Foundation Fundraising Gala; now 17 years running.

Scott has also worked for the North Carolina State Health Plan, University Conference Services and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco where he began his career as a junior graphic designer for the 12th district division of community affairs. He worked on the Fed’s first website team, leading navigational and icon development.

Scott holds a BA in Communications and Graphic Design and a minor in Journalism from California State University, Chico. He currently resides in Wake Forest, North Carolina and operates Sueños Lakeside Retreat where he serves as personal chef, head groundskeeper and beekeeper for the Hyco Lake Bee Company.