2023 Festival Performer Biographies

Al Poindexter is a singer songwriter who also plays several different instruments. Accompanying himself with finger style guitar or bluesy bottleneck resonator guitar or open back banjo, Al usually sings Florida songs of his own or by friends. Sometimes there’s some old timey blues tunes. Al has won awards for Florida Songs and Blues competitions and sometimes teaches a class on North Florida Folk Music based on the book by Ron Johnson. Al plays festivals, schools, and many libraries as his stories between the songs tell of history and forgotten people and places around Florida.

Gail writes original music from the heart. Her fingerpicking style on a nylon acoustic guitar provides the background. Her topics range from encouragement, observation, and celebration of the human experience. She tackles her subjects with compassion, introspection, and also with humor. She has 17 CD's of recorded original music that can be found at www.gailcarson.com.

HOWDY, My name is James Hawkins and I am a singer/songwriter from Venice Florida. For about 10 years I have knocked around the Florida Folk scene performing in many different venues from coffee houses to a couple of concert halls.

So folks have described my music as a mix of Woody Guthrie and Harry Chapin but I leave that judgement up to you. Since I became a member of the Friends of Florida Folk I have had 8 songs recorded by 7 Folk Artists. Also, I have had the honor of having 3 of my song included on 3 different compilation CD’s. As of September 5th I will be hosting a new radio show on WSLR fm 96.5 www.wslr.org If you’re interested in keeping up on what I’m up to feel free to go to; www.turnbacktime-florida.com.

Orlando native, Lauren Lester, writes and performs her own original music and also plays a diverse range of cover tunes. Some performances include the Okeechobee Music Festival, Orlando's Fringe Festival, and the Winter Park Art Festival. Lauren recently won a songwriting competition hosted by 103.1 the Wolf radio station and co-wrote a song with Johnny Bulford at Warner Chapel Music in Nashville. Lauren’s debut album ‘My Love’, released in 2014, is a blend of Jazz and Americana styles. Her new album ‘Beginnings and Endings’ is full of catchy melodies with a country/folk flair. Both albums are available now on her website. 

Many of her original songs fall in the indie folk or Americana vein. Catchy melodies and beautifully blended harmonies are staples in her music. Lauren is a third generation musician and has had the opportunity to make music with and learn from her dad, Ronnie Lester.