PFMS Member Profiles

Many members of the Princeton Folk Music Society perform or organize folk events. If you are a member of the PFMS and would like to be included on this page, please submit your Web site or bio to the webmaster.

Gary Paul Hermus has been playing music in many styles since he began performing in the early 1960's. Now he brings that experience to his writing. "The Singing Storyteller" is how Staten Island Source's Barbara Russo described him. His offerings meld what the Folk Project calls "intricate finger style guitar work & intelligently crafted lyrics" with a "down-to-earth personality and relaxed attitude." The music smacks of the silver screen, and Gary likes to think of it as a collection of short stories or little "Indie" films set to music and disciplined into verse. He can be contacted for performances by e-mail at hermusgp@garypaulhermus.com. For more information, including current performance schedule, see http://www.garypaulhermus.com.

Robin Bacon Hoffman and Jeff Hoffman (e-mail TheNest@comcast.net, phone 609-799-1018) and Robin's Nest House Concerts present monthly concerts featuring some of the best singer-songwriters performing today.

Stephanie P. Ledgin is an internationally-recognized music journalist and photographer whose work since 1975 has focused on bluegrass, folk and traditional music. Her work has appeared around the globe in such media as Acoustic Guitar, Bluegrass Unlimited, Sing Out!, Strings, Living Tradition (Scotland), Beat (Norway), Bluegrass-Buehne (Germany), Rounder Records, Pinecastle Records, among others. A former editor of Pickin' magazine, she co-edited Hot Licks for Bluegrass Fiddle (Oak Publications) and authored the "Folk Music" entry for the Encyclopedia of New Jersey (Rutgers University Press, 2004). A concert producer and one of the original CityFolk hosts on WFUV 90.7 FM, New York City, she also managed renowned Italian flatpicker Beppe Gambetta for ten years. From 1994-2003, she was Director of the New Jersey Folk Festival at Rutgers University. From 1987 through 2004, The Traditional MusicLine published monthly under her leadership. Ledgin's first book, Homegrown Music: Discovering Bluegrass (Foreword by Ricky Skaggs), was released by Praeger Publishing in September 2004. Her photo retrospective, From Every Stage: Images of America's Roots Music (Foreword by Charles Osgood), is slated for release by University Press of Mississippi in May 2005. Ledgin's biographical entry appears in Marquis' Who's Who in America and in Marquis' Who's Who of American Women. She resides in Piscataway with her husband Theodoros "Ted" Toskos, a geologist in the environmental consulting field, whom she met while he was managing the Mine Street Coffeehouse of New Brunswick. More info about Ledgin and her books can be viewed online at http://fiddlingwithwords.com.

Bob Norman's unusual songs, gentle wit, intricate guitar and harmonica work, and passionate singing have charmed folk audiences across the country for 20 years now. According to Pete Seeger, Bob writes, "warm, wonderful, very singable songs that capture the bittersweet lives of working people in a big city-the people who will not give up hope, love, and laughter." The son of a symphony orchestra conductor and a former editor of Sing Out!, the folk song magazine, Bob manages to fuse such varied influences as blues, country, contemporary folk, and classical guitar into a fascinating evening's entertainment. Bob has recorded three albums of original songs for Night Owl Records. They are available, along with his performance schedule and other news, at www.bobnorman.com. He can be contacted for personal appearances at BobNorman1@aol.com or 609-896-3101.

Scott Sheldon is a new jersey singer-songwriter whose music has been described as the product of "a drunken meeting of Cole Porter and Tom Lehrer." From the wry (covering such topics as the history of sex and the last sour years of Frodo Baggins) to the heartfelt (including wistful songs about coming of age, the creative life, and the "little miracle" of love), his songs are moving and funny, and his performances use humor and audience involvement to keep listeners entertained and captivated. Scott has been writing and performing since the 1970's (he is listed as the first headliner ever to perform at the Folk Project's Minstrel Coffeehouse, in June 1978), and performs regularly in the NY/NJ area. He has done several shows at NJ's premier weekly acoustic venue, the Minstrel Coffeehouse, as headliner, opener, and festival performer. He has also performed at the New Jersey Folk Festival and at most major acoustic stages in the area. Stop by Scott's page at www.scottsheldon.com or email him at wayoffline@comcast.net.

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