2019 SCHEDULE
OCT 4-6 SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Live Webcast | Schedule Subject to Change
| Download Print-At-Home Kit
Friday October 4 (12pm - 7pm)
Saturday October 5 (11am - 7pm)
Sunday October 6 (11am - 7pm)
A-Z
Friday October 4 (12pm - 7pm)
- 12:00
- 1:00
- 2:00
- 3:00
- 4:00
- 5:00
- 6:00
- 7:00
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Bandwagon
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Banjo
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Rooster
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Swan
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Towers of Gold
Saturday October 5 (11am - 7pm)
- 11:00
- 12:00
- 1:00
- 2:00
- 3:00
- 4:00
- 5:00
- 6:00
- 7:00
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Porch
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Bandwagon
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Banjo
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Rooster
- Buddy Miller's Cavalcade of Stars Featuring:
- The Go To Hell Man Band
- Travis Meadows Part of Buddy Miller's Cavalcade of Stars
- Bobby Braddock Part of Buddy Miller's Cavalcade of Stars
- Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley Part of Buddy Miller's Cavalcade of Stars
- Yola
- Buddy Miller & Dirk Powell with Stuart Duncan Part of Buddy Miller's Cavalcade of Stars
- Hot Tuna Electric
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Swan
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Towers of Gold
Sunday October 6 (11am - 7pm)
- 11:00
- 12:00
- 1:00
- 2:00
- 3:00
- 4:00
- 5:00
- 6:00
- 7:00
-
Porch
-
Bandwagon
-
Banjo
-
Rooster
-
Swan
-
Towers of Gold
The Letterboxers are a San Francisco-based ukulele and vocal duet specializing in mellow “brunch rock” covers. The band features Winona Hendrick on baritone ukulele, and John Mansfield on concert ukulele. Both members are classically-trained vocalists, blending tight harmonies with energetic strumming patterns. In addition to performing around the Bay Area, they both teach music in San Francisco schools. When not playing music, Winona and John enjoy letterboxing!
A trio of brothers native to the Bay Area, The Brothers Gibb deliver theatrical folk music. The group features Matt, Sam and Frank Gibb on banjo, mandolin and vocals respectively. With a background in both theater and song, The Brothers Gibb will perform a style that is not limited just to folk music, but also includes varying levels of theater and speech.
Will Kimbrough has released nine solo records and 10 records with various bands. He’s produced a multitude of records, and his songs have been recorded by Jimmy Buffett, Toby Keith, Little Feat, Jack Ingram, among others. He has played and toured with artists like Rodney Crowell, Todd Snider, Sam Baker, Mary Gauthier, Emmylou Harris, and many others. About his career, Kimbrough says: “I make stuff up and stuff I made up feeds my children. That, my friends, is magic. A miracle. I am endlessly grateful for the magic of creativity. See you out there, on a stage, in a studio…see you out there.”
Bedouine, a Gallicized riff on Bedouin, the nomad, the wanderer. Anyone can assume such a name, but Azniv Korkejian has an experience of what it means, the type of ground it covers. Born in Aleppo, Syria to Armenian parents, Korkejian spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, moving to America when her family won a Green Card lottery. Her sound is Sixties folk meets Seventies country-funk, with a glimmer of bossa nova cool. Her lithe guitar picking and mesmerizing voice interpret precise lyrical excursions.
Dry Branch Fire Squad has been a staple in the traditional bluegrass world for over 40 years now, with singer/songwriter/instrumentalist/comedian Ron Thomason leading the way. The band provides thoughtful harmony lines that give expression to the soulfulness and meaning of bluegrass and old-time music. Ron Thomason’s professional music career started when he was just 13, and he has collaborated with the likes of The Clinch Mountain Boys, Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley. He started Dry Branch Fire Squad in 1976 and is known to enjoy music–making more now than ever.
Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears’ music is an exploration of the sordid trappings of ego, isolation, consumption, waste, and war. Sonically inspired by the Hill Country blues, cowpunk, and the Southern soul of Stax, their sound charts new territory, mixing the heavy grooves of Albert King, the punked-up blues of R.L. Burnside, the storytelling of Bobby “Blue” Bland, and the soulfully layered horns of the Stones, all with a heavy stream of lyrical consciousness.
For 45 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet—David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Sunny Yang (cello)—has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually reimagine the string quartet experience. Pete Seeger, who would have turned 100 years old this May, lived through the tumultuous 20th century as a force for kindness, humility, and good. His pursuits reflected the complexity of the times through the lens of music. Kronos Quartet will create a multi-artist exploration of Seeger’s musical legacy. The group will collaborate with composers, guest vocalists and fellow musicians, to re-imagine the songs that Seeger popularized and celebrate his place in the landscape of American music.
A defining voice of country music and a modern day legend, Tanya Tucker inspired many female artists who still top the charts today. From the signature classic songs to the unforgettable sass and soul of her voice, Tucker has paved a path in country music and beyond through an unprecedented level of success and continues her longevity today due to a natural, undeniable talent.
St. Paul & The Broken Bones formed in 2012, releasing their debut album and its follow-up to much acclaim. Those strong efforts helped place them on the national scene, and the band worked hard to prove they were no mere retro-soul band. Paul Janeway’s fearless showmanship, thoughtful lyrics, and dedication to his performance became the band’s calling card and, paired with the inventive and skillful direction of co-band leader Jesse Phillips, they are now a must-see event.
Based in Minnesota, but with roots in Tennessee, Chastity Brown grew up surrounded by country and soul music. In the full gospel church of her childhood, she played saxophone and drums, and found her singing voice and a passion for music. Her first show was in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then it was on to Minneapolis. Since then, she’s been featured on NPR’s “Favorite Sessions,” CMT, American Songwriter, the London Times, Paste magazine and others. Chastity has toured the U.S. and abroad, appearing on the U.K.’s Later…with Jools Holland.
Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.” HARMONY is Bill Frisell’s relatively new exploration of the Great American Songbook, with longtime collaborator Petra Haden singing as he plays guitar alongside a cellist (Hank Roberts) and second guitarist (Luke Bergman).
For nearly two decades, Shooter Jennings has defied expectation while constantly expanding the parameters of country, rock ’n’ roll, and beyond. The scion of American music royalty, he has affirmed his own place in histories still to come as a truly limitless artist whose ambitious experimentation spans myriad genres and creative platforms, from releasing seven solo LPs, countless EPs, and founding his own label and multimedia outlet, Black Country Rock, to hosting his Shooter Jennings’ Electric Rodeo on Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country channel, and producing Grammy Award-winning music by Brandi Carlile, Duff McKagan, Jamey Johnson, Wanda Jackson, and his mom, Jessi Colter.
Three-time Grammy Award nominee Bettye LaVette is no mere singer. She is not a songwriter, nor is she a “cover” artist. She is an interpreter of the highest order. Bettye is one of very few of her contemporaries who were recording during the birth of soul music in the Sixties and is still creating vital recordings today. To quote the late, great George Jones: “Bettye is truly a ‘singer’s singer.’”
The Milk Carton Kids are a neo-traditional folk duo from Los Angeles, California. Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan formed the group in early 2011, shelving their solo careers in favor of a collaborative project that focused on harmonized vocals, entwined acoustic guitars, and rootsy songwriting. They released their first two albums—the live Retrospect and studio LP Prologue—in 2011, at which time they also began a pattern of persistent touring. Known on the road for their adversarial, Smothers Brothers-evoking comedic banter as well as their virtuosic guitar skills (Pattengale’s intricate picking and Ryan’s airtight rhythm guitar), they added a backing band to the project for the first time in 2018 with their fourth studio album, All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn’t Do.
Northern California’s outlaw music bards bring a reputation for high-energy live shows and an incomparable fusion of bluegrass/old time, southern rock, and old school jam to stages and festivals worldwide. Poor Man’s Whiskey has been growing exponentially in the past few years, selling out venues across the country such as the legendary Fillmore in SF. This “High-Octane Hootenanny” will certainly delight those interested in a foot-stompin’ good time. Poor Man’s Whiskey has evolved into a ragged, spontaneous beast pulling from equally deep wells of story-telling originals, expertly crafted covers and zany on-stage shenanigans.
Chuck Prophet has been playing music and touring around the world for decades and has released over 10 LPs on a variety of labels. He describes his latest disc, BOBBY FULLER DIED FOR YOUR SINS, as “California Noir.” He says, “the state has always represented the Golden Dream, and it’s the tension between romance and reality that lurks underneath the surface in all noir films and paperbacks, and that connects these songs. Doomed love, inconsolable loneliness, rags to riches to rags again, and fast-paced violence are always on the menu on the Left Coast.”
With their cross-pollination of literate, soulful rock ’n’ roll and folk traditions of the British Isles, the Waterboys have tread a multitude of musical paths since singer/songwriter Mike Scott formed the group in London in the early Eighties. From the grandiose “Big Music” of their early classic, This Is the Sea, on through the rich Celtic-inspired folk-rock of their 1988 highlight, Fisherman’s Blues, the mercurial Scotsman has made dramatic sea changes a regular occurrence, swapping lineups and chasing stylistic whims on an almost album-to-album basis. Across nearly four decades of work, Scott’s sonic and spiritual explorations have been shared by literally dozens of bandmembers, though only fiddler Steve Wickham—and to some extent early mainstay Antony Thistlethwaite—has maintained his post as a Waterboy for a significant portion of the band’s existence.
Come be a part of live radio being made at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass! Live From Here with Chris Thile (formerly A Prairie Home Companion) is a Saturday-night destination for radio audiences everywhere. This variety show features a unique blend of musical performances, comedy, and audience interaction. Acclaimed musician and songwriter Chris Thile welcomes a wide range of well-known and up-and-coming talent to the stage for a beautiful listening experience. We’ll have music from Chris and the show band, thoughts from Out In America from comedian correspondent Tom Papa, comedy sketches, and much more.
Over the last seven years the Oakland band Whiskerman has developed an underground reputation for tackling the sublime with their ambitious songwriting, thunderous stage show, and acute lyricism. They have since emerged as an engine of the Bay Area’s revitalized psychedelic and festival scenes. On the surface this is splendid rock ’n’ roll, rooted in the classic, psych and glam rock tradition, but the pageantry and chaos of Whiskerman’s performances will leave you describing an experience more than a sound.
Alt-country singer/songwriter Mary Gauthier exploded onto the scene in 1999 following her self-released sophomore effort, Drag Queens in Limousines. The album, which garnered her a Crossroads Silver Star and a four-star rating in Rolling Stone, had critics comparing her self-described “country noir” to the likes of Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, John Prine and not surprisingly, Lucinda Williams. The success of Drag Queens led to main-stage shows at festivals around the country and multiple tours in Europe.
A Nashville-based singer/songwriter who spins dark-hued tales of life in the Deep South, Adia Victoria earned critical acclaim for her gothic indie blues following the 2016 release of her Atlantic-issued debut, Beyond the Bloodhounds. Over the next two years, Victoria took breaks from touring to issue a French-sung EP and another of classic blues covers before recording her 2019 follow-up, Silences, with producer Aaron Dessner of the National.
The Long Ryders, who skirted the twangy outskirts of L.A.’s Paisley Underground scene in the Eighties and are oft credited as the founders of alt-country, returned this year with Psychedelic Country Soul, their first album in over 30 years. Ask anyone in Wilco, the Black Crowes, the Jayhawks or Slobberbone and they will tell you: don’t miss The Long Ryders if they come to your town. Their unforgettable live shows are spoken of in the same breath as the live shows of such classic acts as The Faces, Sam & Dave, or even their friend Tom Petty’s in-concert act.
John Kay formed Steppenwolf, one of the world’s foremost rock ’n’ roll bands, in 1967. In 1968, the songs “Born to Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride” catapulted the band into international prominence and today stand amongst rock’s most indelible anthems. Since the group’s humble beginning in a garage on Fountain Avenue in Hollywood, John has led and continues to lead the band, now in its sixth decade. As Steppenwolf’s vocalist and primary song writer, he’s been the band’s driving force, guiding it through personnel changes, the good times as well as some rough times, always ready to speak his mind, never willing to compromise the band’s music.
Sierra Hull’s stellar career started early. She had her Grand Ole Opry debut at age 10. She played Carnegie Hall at 12. At age 13 she signed with Rounder Records, then issued her debut, Secrets. Later that year she garnered the first of many nominations for Mandolin Player of the Year. She played the Kennedy Center at 16, and the White House at 20. Currently in the midst of work for the follow-up to her Grammy-nominated album, Weighted Mind, her next release will consist of all original songs.
Renowned for his eloquent Americana style, engaging live shows, and off-the-cuff clever observations, John Craigie carries on the legacy of classic singer/songwriters, while blazing a trail of his own. Recently, that trail twisted and turned into new territory for the Portland, Oregon performer who The Stranger appropriately dubbed “the lovechild of John Prine and Mitch Hedberg.” His music speaks loud to both audiences and fellow artists. Todd Snider notably hand-delivered a gift on-stage, and Chuck Norris has sent fan mail. His fifth full-length album, No Rain, No Rose, boasted two collaborations with Gregory Alan Isakov, namely “Highway Blood” and “I Am California.” Both quickly cracked 1 million Spotify streams and counting, as his knack for a captivating narrative and rustic aural palettes powered the 13-track offering.
Joan Shelley is a songwriter and singer who lives near Louisville, Kentucky, not far from where she grew up. She draws inspiration from traditional and traditionally-minded performers from her native Kentucky, as well as those from Ireland, Scotland, and England, but she’s not a folksinger. Her disposition aligns more closely with that of, say, Roger Miller, Dolly Parton, or her fellow Kentuckian Tom T. Hall, who once explained—simply, succinctly, in a song—“I Witness Life.”
While growing up, the sibling quartet of Judith (keys, hand percussion), Tricia (guitar, banjo), Frances (vocals) and Mick (Marco) Hellman (drums) played the original call-and-response game after which their band is named. Their music ranges from blues and rock covers to Americana-tinged originals. They are joined by fingerstyle guitarist Stevie Coyle (The Waybacks), Joshua Zucker (The Jones Gang, Rowan Brothers, Poor Man’s Whiskey) on bass, and Austin deLone (Eggs Over Easy, Elvis Costello) on keys.
Mystical lyricism, ethereal vocals, and dynamic fingerpicking on guitar are the defining features of Ismay’s unique take on indie-folk music. From wild horses to wildfires, Ismay’s seven years spent living and working at the family ranch has informed this special performance, “Songs and Stories from Sonoma Mountain.” Ismay invites listeners into a world neither fully real nor imagined, exploring connection to place with a blend of storytelling and song.
Caitlin Canty is an American singer/songwriter whose music carves a line through folk, blues, and country ballads. Her voice was called “casually devastating” by the San Francisco Chronicle, and NPR Music describes her songs as having a “haunting urgency.”
Hot Buttered Rum, a souped-up, Left Coast string band, is the brainchild of five uniquely gifted musicians who weave their love of bluegrass, folk, jazz and soul into a riveting strain of Americana. String bass and five-alarm fiddle merge with guitar, banjo, mandolin and drums to frame the voices of its two contrasting writers, fueling a dance party with roots in Appalachia and its branches in California. It’s a sound that’s as tough to describe as it is easy to love.
Grammy Award-winning musician Laurie Lewis is internationally renowned as a singer, songwriter, fiddler, bandleader, producer and educator. She was a founding member of the Good Ol’ Persons and the Grant Street String Band and has performed and recorded since 1986 with her musical partner, mandolinist Tom Rozum. Laurie has twice been voted “Female Vocalist of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association and has won the respect and admiration of her peers.
The group began in 1970, when school friends Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore all found themselves back in Lubbock, Texas after having spent time in San Francisco, Europe and Austin respectively. They roomed together and began playing together, with various other local musicians drifting in and out of the lineup. The group had a brief run from 1972-73, but when the individual members found success in their solo careers, interest in The Flatlanders was rekindled, with the band reuniting several times since. These three key members went on to become Texas’ most respected singer/songwriters.
A lot can change in a year: markets boom and bust, trends come and go, presidents get elected. In 2015, Margo Price was a country underdog just trying to keep enough gas in the tank to get to the next gig, but by the end of 2016, she was one of the genre’s most celebrated new artists and a ubiquitous presence on late night television and at major festivals around the world. Price plants her flag firmly in the soil as a songwriter who’s here for the long haul, one with the chops to hang with the greats she so often finds herself sharing stages with these days.
Steve Earle & The Dukes released GUY in March 2019 on New West Records. The 16-song set is comprised of songs written by one of his two primary songwriting mentors, the legendary Guy Clark. GUY appears ten years after his Grammy Award winning album TOWNES, his tribute to his other songwriting mentor, Townes Van Zandt. Produced by Earle and recorded by his longtime production partner Ray Kennedy, GUY features his latest, and possibly best, incarnation of his backing band The Dukes.
The Go To Hell Man Band features the daughters, son, grandchildren, sister, friends and band mates of the late, great Warren Hellman. The band was formed so that his family could create and carry forward their own expression of roots and Americana music, which he loved and worked to bring to larger audiences. “We think Dad is up there playing the heck out of his Whyte Laydie, but at HSB he will be playing with us in spirit,” says son Mick Hellman, who is also the band’s drummer. “He would love playing with his grandkids, who have become accomplished songwriters and musicians.”
Travis Meadows spent years trying to escape himself. He’s anything but selfish, so he’d find a way to get away––a bottle, a bag, a sermon––and he’d share it with everyone. That was then. Now, Meadows isn’t trying to get anybody lost or high. Instead, he’s trying to get every single one of us to settle in deeply to ourselves––and love what’s there.
Bobby Braddock grew up in Florida, traveled the South as a rock ’n’ roll musician, and became a songwriter in Nashville in the mid-1960s. Many of his songs, such as “D.I.V.O.R.C.E,” “Golden Ring,” “Time Marches On,” and “I Wanna Talk About Me,” are country music standards. “He Stopped Loving Her Today” has led most surveys as the best country song of all time. In 2001, he embarked on a new career as a producer, discovering singer Blake Shelton and making several #1 records with him. Bobby Braddock is the only living person to have written #1 country songs in five consecutive decades.
Based on a mutual love of bluegrass, country, blues, western swing, and other string band music of all kinds, the partnership of dobro player Rob Ickes (who also plays superlative lap steel guitar in the duo on occasion) and acoustic/electric guitarist Trey Hensley continues to delight and astound audiences of traditional American music around the globe.
Walk Through Fire, the debut album from Yola, establishes her as the queen of country soul from the first note. The Dan Auerbach–produced album is a contemporary twist on a traditional sonic tapestry of orchestral strings, fiddle, steel, and shimmering tremolo guitars. Walk Through Fire is a career-defining and genre-bending release from one of the most exciting emerging British artists in music today. Yola’s arresting vocals captivate with sincere tales of heartache and loves lost, forgotten, and broken.
Buddy and Julie Miller began recording Breakdown on 20th Avenue South in a manner even more intimate than their previous duo recordings—all of which were created at their home studio. These new recordings deepen the foundation of the Miller’s collaborative artistry. They both juxtapose profound songs of love, pain and spiritual searching with carnal, playful roots rockers. Buddy has once again curated a “Cavalcade of Stars”, this year his set feature Dirk Powell with Stuart Duncan.
Begun as an acoustic spinoff of the Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna eventually became the full-time focus of founding members Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen, emerging as a popular touring act of the 1970s. The two were lifelong friends, growing up together in Washington, D.C., and playing in the group the Triumphs. After high school, guitarist Kaukonen and his government-service parents relocated to the Philippines, but he returned to the U.S. in time for the advent of psychedelia, landing in San Francisco and co-founding the Airplane in 1965.
Two decades of playing together since the Budos Band’s early days in Staten Island have resulted in five studio albums, a raucous live show that has taken them across four continents, and an unbreakable musical kinship among its nine members. Their sound has evolved since their Afro-soul beginnings, but no matter how many new influences get mixed in over the years, they remain in sync.
Hayes Carll is at the forefront of a generation of American singer/songwriters. The Texas native’s style of roots-oriented songwriting has been noted for its plain-spoken poetry and sarcastic humor. He was nominated for a 2016 Grammy Award for Best Country Song, and American Songwriter awarded him with Song of the Year for “Another Like You” in 2011, the same year he was nominated for Artist of the Year at the Americana Awards. His recent releases strip away some of the country sounds that marked his previous records, thus highlighting his well-worn voice and placing his straightforward and heartfelt lyrics at the center.
Some people take up a life of playing music with the goal of someday reaching a destination of fame and fortune. But Robert Earl Keen, whose signature song is “The Road Goes On Forever,” just wanted to write and sing his own songs, and to keep writing and singing them for as long as possible. He created the Americana Podcast: the 51st State (AmericanaPodcast.com), which he also hosts. His music ranges from country to bluegrass to rock, and his songs have been recorded by artists including George Strait, Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, Montgomery Gentry, Dixie Chicks, The Highwaymen, Gillian Welch, Todd Snider, and Shawn Colvin.
The New Pornographers is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1997 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Presented as a musical collective of singer/songwriters and musicians from multiple projects, the band has released seven studio albums to critical acclaim for their use of multiple vocalists and elements of power pop incorporated into their music.
Jon Langford was the original drummer for the punk band The Mekons when it formed at the University of Leeds in 1977, but he later took up the guitar as other band members left. Since the mid-1980s he has been one of the leaders in incorporating folk and country music into punk rock. He has released a number of solo recordings as well as recordings with other bands outside of The Mekons, most notably the Waco Brothers, which he co-founded after moving to Chicago in the early 1990s. This year marks an encore performance with the Burlington Welsh Male Choir, last seen here in 2008.
Beginning as avant-pop pranksters and evolving into purveyors of rootsy, majestic psych-pop, Mercury Rev aren’t so much a band as a long, strange trip. The volatility of the band’s early days likely added an extra spark to the one-of-a-kind mix of shoegaze, noise pop, psychedelic, and experimental music on 1991’s Yerself Is Steam and 1993’s Boces, which offered the first hint of just how ambitious their music became later in the decade. As their lineup changed, their musical horizons expanded; on 1995’s See You on the Other Side, they added adventurous free jazz excursions and lullaby-like melodies with striking results.
If you’re from New Orleans, you know all the ingredients to make a good gumbo. Your seasonings have to mix well, your roux has to be thick, and your meat has to be cut to perfection. Tank and The Bangas are what you call a great gumbo! Originating in New Orleans, Tank and The Bangas have all the qualities that relate them to the city that birthed them but a flair that separates them as well. Their performances range from being “One of the most energetic shows you’ll ever see” to “A gospel tent in Mississippi.” Rummaging through their sound like a thrift store hippie, you’ll find the Bangas provoke a musical reference of rhythmic soul and spoken word among other genres such as rock, gospel, funk, and folk.
Sam Beam is a singer/songwriter who has been creating music as Iron & Wine for over a decade. Through the course of seven albums, numerous EPs and singles, Iron & Wine has captured the emotion and imagination of listeners with distinctly cinematic songs. Calexico is a rock band from Tucson, AZ. For the better part of two decades, nine studio albums, and countless trips around the globe, Joey Burns and John Convertino have embraced a multitude of diverse styles and well cultivated signature sounds. Performing this set together, the two bands will feature music from their latest recording, Years to Burn.
Robert Plant made his first commercial recordings in 1966. In 1967, he had also formed a group called the Band of Joy, with drummer John Bonham. Soon, Bonham, Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bassist John Paul Jones assembled to become The New Yardbirds, which became Led Zeppelin. The Led Zeppelin era ended in 1980 when John Bonham died. Since that time, Plant has put his wide-ranging musical fascination to good use on solo albums, with Jimmy Page, and in recordings with bands like The Honeydrippers, Priory of Brion, and Strange Sensation. His performances have reflected his embrace of West Coast psychedelic rock, roots blues, African music, and traditional folk.
Moshe Vilozny was born in Portland, Oregon and raised in Santa Cruz, California, spending summers in Israel and winters throughout Latin America. Moshe incorporates life experiences into original songs steeped in American Roots Music and sprinkled with influences from his world travels.
Parsonsfield are praised for making “the most jubilant and danceable indie roots music this side of the Carolinas” (NPR). The band continues to push the boundaries of their harmony-driven grassroots origins, creating their own distinctive Americana, integrating pop and bold rock flourishes along the way.
DakhaBrakha is a world-music quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine. Reflecting fundamental elements of sound and soul, Ukrainian “ethnic chaos” band DakhaBrakha create a world of unexpected new music. The name DakhaBrakha is original, outstanding and authentic at the same time. It means “give/take” in the old Ukrainian language. DakhaBrakha was created in 2004 at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art. Having experimented with Ukrainian folk music, the band has added rhythms of the surrounding world into their music, thus creating the bright, unique and unforgettable image of DakhaBrakha.
Y La Bamba has been many things, but at the heart of it is singer/songwriter Luz Elena Mendoza’s inquisitive sense of self. Their fifth record, Mujeres, carries on the Portland-based band’s affinity for spiritual contemplation, but goes a step further in telling a story with a full emotional spectrum. Coming off Ojos Del Sol, one of NPR’s Top 50 Albums of 2016, Mujeres exhibits the scope of Mendoza’s artistic voice like never before. “Soy como soy,” Mendoza says, and that declaration is the bold— even political— statement that positions Mujeres to be Y La Bamba’s most unbridled offering yet.
In the crowded scene of Tuareg guitarists, Mdou Moctar stands apart from his peers. Playing in the repertoire of desert guitar popularized by groups like Tinariwen and Bombino, Mdou is pushing the boundaries of the genre with a unique personal sound. With versatile compositions and genre-defying albums, Mdou’s music has been an underground success with an international following, set on redefining the sound of the desert.
Daniel Norgren is a Swedish songwriter from the tall woods of the north. His latest album, Wooh Dang, out April 19, 2019 on Superpuma Records, is Norgren’s first worldwide release. There is a power present in the places where we’re invited to adopt the pace of nature. The same forces that patiently connect the cells of a sprig in the soil can uproot a redwood with a single winter storm. If you’ve listened to Daniel Norgren, you understand. The experience of Norgren’s music is marked by connection: the artist to the band, the audience to the music, and the body to the soul.
Formed in 2010 by Sharon Silva, Kinsey Lee, and Mackenzie Howe, the Wild Reeds are a self-proclaimed “black metal sparkle folk” band from Los Angeles. Following a pair of self-produced folk-oriented releases, the three songwriters began playing with bassist Nick Phakpiseth and drummer Nick Jones. The band spends much of the year touring (with the likes of Lord Huron, Langhorne Slim, Wild Child, Shakey Graves, The Lone Bellow), and considers the road home at this point in their career. Though harmonies always find a way into their music, at the heart of it they aim to continually evolve as songwriters, and you can hear the stylistic differences with each new record.
Mapache consists of Clay Finch and Sam Blasucci. Born and raised in Glendale, California, the duo’s breathtaking harmonies and heartfelt sound verges on cosmic West Coast Pop Americana. Just months after releasing their critically acclaimed self-titled debut, the duo is back touring with a beguiling new EP titled Lonesome LA Cowboy. Though Mapache (Spanish for “raccoon”) only recently began recording, the duo’s roots stretch all the way back to high school, where Finch and Blasucci struck up a friendship over a shared love of skateboarding and classic songwriters. Their sound is not an exercise in pop nostalgia, but rather a distinctly independent link in a chain that stretches far behind and ahead of them.
Sister of the late Warren Hellman, Nancy Hellman Bechtle and her group The Lambchops, which includes Nancy’s nieces on back-up harmonies and an outstanding group of musicians, do wonderful original songs and wow the crowd with their fun stories and choreography.
Founded in 2008, Flor de Toloache is led by singers Mireya I. Ramos and Shae Fiol. Reminiscent of the early days of mariachi, the group started as a trio: harp, violin and vihuela. Today, Flor De Toloache’s members hail from diverse cultural backgrounds such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Australia, Colombia, Germany, Italy and the United States. This defines their unique flavor and sound. The result of this cultural bouquet is an edgy, versatile and fresh take on traditional Mexican music.
The Texas songwriter tradition casts a long shadow today, and Austin-based Americana roots juggernauts Wood & Wire could easily rattle off a long list of songwriters that inspire them from Willie Nelson to James McMurtry, and everyone in between. But ask them about what it is about Texas that brought us so many great songwriters, and they stop cold. That’s because they don’t romanticize their culture or their past, they’re too busy working their asses off making new music, writing new songs. Wood & Wire rely on their humble acoustic instruments and their own hands to make music meant to last. As Tony Kamel sings, “I ain’t trying to be the kingpin, I’m just trying to make a living.”
Grammy Award nominated guitarist, singer and songwriter Bill Kirchen celebrates America’s musical traditions of rock ’n’ roll, Western swing and California honky-tonk. He’s been called a “Titan of the Telecaster” by Guitar Player magazine, “an American treasure” and “one of our best” by Rolling Stone. Kirchen co-founded the original Americana band, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen. His Telecaster licks drove their version of “Hot Rod Lincoln” into the Top 10 of 1972.
Liz Cooper & The Stampede describe their sound as dream-folk psychedelic rock. Blending Liz Cooper’s unique vocal texture with her no-rules picking and playing style is the dream-folk. The psychedelic is the way Grant Prettyman makes his bass sound like a scary monster, or a beautiful melody that makes you wanna cry. And the rock? Ryan Usher. He’s always thinking outside the box, always bringing the vibe, and is always there to reel the band back in from a jam. All together they like to sing sweet harms, live to be wild, love getting weird, and always have fun.
Judy Collins has inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 50-album body of work, and heed inspiration from her spiritual discipline to thrive in the music industry for half a century.
Mandolin Orange’s music radiates a mysterious warmth—their songs feel like whispered secrets, one hand cupped to your ear. The North Carolina duo have built a steady and growing fanbase with this kind of intimacy, and on Tides of A Teardrop (2019) it is more potent than ever. By all accounts, it is the duo’s fullest, richest, and most personal effort. You can hear the air between them—the taut space of shared understanding, as palpable as a magnetic field, that makes their music sound like two halves of an endlessly completing thought. Singer/songwriter Andrew Marlin and multi-instrumentalist Emily Frantz have honed this lamp glow intimacy for years.
A 14-time Grammy winner and Billboard Century Award recipient, Emmylou Harris’ contribution as a singer and songwriter spans 40 years. She has recorded more than 25 albums and has lent her talents to countless fellow artists’ recordings. In recognition of her remarkable career, Harris was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
Before signing with New West Records in early 2011, country songwriter Robert Ellis made a name for himself in Houston. Inspired by the country, folk, and bluegrass records he’d heard while growing up in southern Texas, Ellis began playing shows around the city, eventually landing a Wednesday-night residency at a local venue called Fitzgerald’s. A deal with New West Records followed and his 2011 debut album was selected by American Songwriter as one of its Top 50 albums for that calendar year. Ellis’ newest release, Texas Piano Man, emphasizes his eccentric pop side.
The Infamous Stringdusters sail into uncharted territory moored only by their expressive patchwork of All-American bluegrass threaded together with strands of rock, jazz, funk, country, old-time, and more. On their ninth full-length record Rise Sun, the Grammy Award-winning quintet—Andy Falco (guitar), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Andy Hall (dobro), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), and Travis Book (double bass)—expand their signature sound by perfecting their seamless fusion of bluegrass and rock.
Thoreau had Walden Pond. Kerouac had Big Sur. Rayland Baxter? He had an old rubber band factory in Franklin, Kentucky, and it suited him just fine. Rayland Baxter is a gentleman, a singer of song, a teller of tale, a picker of strings, a thinker of things. Born in the untamed hills of Bon Aqua, Tennessee, he tells a story unlike any other, a story that is true and full of unraveling emotion.
Kentucky native Joan Osborne famously got her start performing her own songs in New York City’s downtown rock clubs. The seven-time Grammy Award-nominated, multi-platinum-selling singer/songwriter rose to prominence in 1996 with the Grammy-winning record Relish. Osborne, whom The New York Times called “a fiercely intelligent, no-nonsense singer,” has performed and toured with the Funk Brothers, the Dixie Chicks, The Dead and Phil Lesh and Friends. Most recently, she winds her supple, soulful voice around Dylan’s poetic, evocative lyrics, etching gleaming new facets in them along the way.
Michael Nesmith is best known as a member of the late 1960s pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series The Monkees. A successful songwriter, Nesmith’s credits include “Different Drum” (The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt) and “Joanne,” his top-40 hit with the First National Band. Aside from his groundbreaking projects in the field of music video and film production, Nesmith is a noted player of the 12-string guitar, performing on custom-built 12-string electric and acoustic guitar models.
Punch Brothers are the quintet of mandolinist Chris Thile, guitarist Chris Eldridge, bassist Paul Kowert, banjoist Noam Pikelny and violinist Gabe Witcher. Says the Washington Post, “With enthusiasm and experimentation, Punch Brothers take bluegrass to its next evolutionary stage, drawing equal inspiration from the brain and the heart.” Their 2018 album, All Ashore, follows their critically acclaimed T Bone Burnett–produced 2015 release, The Phosphorescent Blues, of which NPR said, “Punch Brothers sing of distraction and isolation in the digital age…the sound is all their own.”
Moonalice is a psychedelic, roots-rock band of seasoned musicians mixing a variety of genres with extended musical improvisations that evoke a sense of adventure and exploration. Everyone is a part of the experience, and the music inspires dancing and other acts of self-expression. Moonalice plays mostly original material mixed with several covers, and during their extended freeform jams the band moves as one, drawing from many musical genres honed from years of experience playing with various major acts.
Fantastic Negrito is the incarnation of a musician who is reborn after going through a lot of awful shit. In fact, the name Fantastic Negrito represents his third rebirth, literally coming back from death this time. The narrative on this man is as important as the sound, because the narrative is the sound. Songs born from a long hard life channeled through black roots music. Slide guitar, drums, piano. Urgent, desperate, edgy. Fantastic Negrito is the story of a man who struggled to “make it,” who “got it,” who lost it all, and somehow managed to find his way back. These are singular songs by a true musician who writes and produces his own work. His songs are his fuel as he continues on the third comeback of his life, at a time when our world is in upheaval.
The Meat Puppets backstory reads like a kind of Great American Rock Novel. It begins with kids, enamored of music and immersed in the psychedelic drug culture of Arizona in the Seventies, who find their way to punk rock, painstakingly become one of the most important bands of the American underground and go on to achieve mainstream rock stardom. A hiatus and resurrection follow, as Curt Kirkwood doggedly furthers the Meat Puppets’ legacy—first on his own, and then alongside his brother, who’d conquered profound personal demons.
Americana and roots singer/songwriter Jackie Greene is a jack-of-all-trades, and an artist who can croon over soulful piano ballads as much as he can shred a bluesy guitar solo. A road warrior and musician’s musician, Greene’s last EP, The Modern Lives-Vol 2 (2018/Blue Rose Music), finds him at a new chapter in his life: his first months of fatherhood, time off his relentless touring circuit, and a cross-country move from Brooklyn to his birthplace of Northern California. Since the release of his critically-acclaimed debut album Gone Wanderin’, Greene has built an enduring audience through continuous solo touring as well as stints with the likes of BB King, Mark Knopfler, Susan Tedeschi, The Black Crowes, and Taj Mahal.
Nikki Lane reinvents the nostalgic sounds of 1960s country music for a modern audience, mixing Southern twang with lush orchestral arrangements and the occasional pop/rock hook. A high-school dropout from Greenville, South Carolina, she spent her early adulthood working as an L.A.-based fashion designer. Lane later moved to New York City, where a messy breakup inspired her to pick up the acoustic guitar and write a handful of sad, sassy country songs inspired by Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard.
Pimps of Joytime puts the needle in the groove with its fresh collection of funk anthems ready to put a smile on faces across the globe. An intersection of Brooklyn’s indie music scene, New Orleans funk and San Francisco soul, the Pimps unite us around a common bond of Peace, Love and Music. The apex of positivity and a solace from the daily grind shines bright as the Pimps of Joytime throw a dance party and everyone is invited!
A vehicle for singer/songwriter Michael Taylor (M.C. Taylor) and multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer Scott Hirsch. Both Taylor and Hirsch were the members of San Francisco-based indie rock band The Court & Spark. They have been compared to Will Oldham and Bill Callahan, with influences including The Beatles, The Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield.
Known for his musicality, versatility, and heartfelt delivery, Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz is inherently committed to an improvisational approach. His songs and voice reflect a zest for life and a love of music. The vehicle for his fluid, buttery sound is a flat-top acoustic guitar that he has personally customized and converted to electric with a vintage style humbucker pickup. When not touring or recording with Lebo & Friends, he can be seen rocking stages all over the globe with ALO, Phil Lesh and Friends, Rock Collection, and a wide array of all-star projects.
Kurt Vile is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer from Philadelphia. He is known for his solo work and as the former lead guitarist of rock band The War on Drugs. Both in the studio and during live performances, Vile is accompanied by his backing band, The Violators.
