Rik Palieri

Guest of Syracuse Polish Festival 2005

Rik Paleri - "Totem Pole", will bring his voice and instrumental talents to the Syracusr Polish Festival at Clinton Square. How many performers do you know who are as at ease singing tunes by Bluesmen Leadbelly and Son House as they are at telling a folk tale to children before leading them through a traditional Polish folk song and dance?

Such a performer is Rik Palieri. Palieri, born and raised in New Jersey, now living in Vermont, is a dream come true for school assembly organizers, just the right kind of ethnic performer and original singer/songwriter for folk festival booking committees and the kind of engaging performer coffeehouse directors are always seeking. It is no small feat to be able to do so many things so well. But through his long and varied experiences as a performer, Palieri gracefully segues from original tunes on guitar to old traditional "Americana" folk songs on banjo, to intricate, involved ballads from the mountains of Poland on the rare and exotic Polish bagpipes.

His original songs have been praised by folk legends like Pete Seeger, U. Utah Phillips and Jimmy Driftwood. His music has taken him on road trips through every state in the continental US as well as Australia, Germany, Poland, Scotland, France, and Spain. Rik Palieri has appeared on TV, both in the USA and overseas, countless radio stations around the globe, and at numerous folk festivals, such as The Vancouver Folk Festival, The Philadelphia Folk Festival and The Champlain Valley Folk Festival. He has won numerous grants including those from Poland's Kosciuzko Foundation, the Vermont Council on the Arts, National School Assemblies & Dakota School Assemblies, meet the Composer Grant and first place in the South Texas Banjo Contest. Palieri is one of the new breed of folksingers and singer/songwriters who can take you on a musical jaunt around the world in the course of an evening.

SELECTED ALBUMS:

" Balloon Adventure"

The program is called " Balloon Adventure " and is an interactive program for children developed by German Songwriter Wilfried Mengs and adapted into English by Vermont Folk Singer Rik Palieri and translator Heidi Holzer. This program takes children around the world in an imaginary balloon ride , experiencing the music of such countries as Russia, Australia, China, Spain, Africa, America, Poland and Germany. Each country is celebrated in song and story using many instruments including, guitar, banjo, drums, Didgerioo, ukulele, native American flutes and Polish bagpipes .

" Hobos & Heros"

We all know what a hero is but you may ask: What is a hobo? Well that is not an easy question to answer. For some the name means a homeless bum, tramp or transient worker. To others it means a free spirit, who lives the gypsy life, eating over a roaring campfire and sleeping under the stars at night. Historically the word meant a wandering worker who travelled by rail riding in an open box car. While the days of the true hobo have vanished with the steam train, today there is a new breed of travelers who like the hobos of the past are searching for the freedom of the open road. On this recording I pay tribute to many of the Hobos & Heros I have travelled the roads of life with. This album is a celebration to the wandering spirit in all of us.

" Hard Travelling"

"Alternative country" is the new term for the roots music of American Folk that is spreading across the globe. Just like the revivals of the past, young people are again picking up banjos, guitars, fiddles and mandolins and recreating the simple songs of America's past. Gareth and Rik started playing these songs more than a quarter of a century ago and never got round to recording them, so recently they teamed up to produce this album.

RIK'S BOOK:

"The Road Is My Mistress"

The author himself is no stranger to the road, or even to what folk legend Woody Guthrie would describe as "hard traveling." He has crossed America several times, played in more than 1,000 schools and has performed at numerous festivals, coffeehouses and other music venues from New York to Alaska. He has also performed in many countries, such as Canada, Australia, Germany, Poland, England, France, Spain, Scotland and Ireland.