ABOUT YOUR HOSTS
Ken Schatz (he/him)
The Founder and Host of Exceedingly Good Song Night, Ken has a lifetime of experience in traditional music and an eclectic repertoire of sea songs and chanteys, gospel, blues, ballads, and worksongs. He has performed and taught at major folk festivals, museums, clubs, and concert venues on both sides of the Atlantic, with many of America and Britain’s foremost interpreters of traditional song. Ken is a professional acting coach and teaches Traditional/Folk/Roots Singing Styles and Performance Technique at Jalopy Theatre and School of Music. www.thekenstudio.com
Jules Peiperl (they/them)
The Song Night First Mate, Jules is a nonbinary costumer based in Brooklyn. They wandered into Song Night on a rainy evening in November 2017 and simply never left. They have gone to nearly every in-person Song Night since, and had the pleasure of exploring the vibrant northeastern folk community through events like the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival and TradMaD at Pinewoods Music and Dance Camp. They are passionate about making the folk community a welcoming place for everyone. Their repertoire includes sea songs and chanteys, jazz, blues, ballads, and any song that can remotely be construed as queer. If you have any questions about how online Song Night or anything else works, ask them!
Vanessa Bellew (she/her)
An actor, playwright, and gal about town, Vanessa came to Song Night the way so many do: through knowing Ken. She dabbled at first, but now she’s in too deep — she even did her first folk solo set at the 2023 Porch Stomp on Governor’s Island! There’s no turning back now. Plus, she runs a lot of the logistics and tech.