Biography John Palmes is a Juneau, Alaska folk musician who plays a mix of traditional folk music and songs he makes up from everyday experience. “I’d rather sing with people than for people. Lately, I’ve been concentrating on songs that we can sing together.” John is known for his innovative playing of the mouthbow, the world’s first stringed instrument (Google “mouthbow”). His album, Mouthbow:Small Voices was featured on National Public Radio. John’s songwriting and his song “The Ballad of Ramblin’ Jack Pachelbel” was featured on All Things Considered in the “What’s in a Song?” series. John performs regularly at the Northwest Folklife Festival, the Alaska Folk Festival in Juneau, and the Fisher Poet’s Gathering in Astoria, Oregon, and is the musical director of the Tlingit Gospel Singers, singing traditional hymns in the Tlingit language. In 2003 and 2005 he played at the Australia National Folk Festival, and in 2007 John played at the Cygnet, and Georgetown Folk Festivals in Tasmania. He has been on the board of the National Jew’s Harp Festival held in Bay City Oregon.
