Featured Artists of the Hootenanny Cafe Radio Show

These are just some of the many fine artists featured on the Hootenanny Cafe Radio Show. Hear the show here.

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Jim PageJim Page — July 23, 2023

This is what some are saying about Jim Page. Good reasons to tune in!!!!

“One Of The 50 Most Influential Musicians In Seattle History” - Seattle Metropolitan Magazine. Recorded 21 albums. Songs covered by Doobie Brothers, Christy Moore, Dick Gaughan, Michael Hedges, Roy Bailey. Toured 13 countries. “If Jim Page ain’t the bastard son of Woody Guthrie I’m T-Bone Walker” - Robert Hunter

And the theme that Jim chose for the Singer Songwriter Showcase: Success Against The Odds (or, Beating The Odds).

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Jeni HackettJeni Hackett — July 16, 2023

Jeni Hackett is a singer/songwriter from Kresgeville, Pennsylvania. Jeni started performing while in high school back in 1996. She never had a passion for music until suffering a knee injury opened a musical door that led Jeni to where she is today. She is a self-taught guitarist and with a natural vocal ability. Never having a music lesson in her life, she has mastered her way through the live and recording scene of Northeast PA. In 2000 she traveled out to Kansas City, MO to record her first EP: Frozen Hearts/Flaming Fire. After coming home, she worked her way through all of the local open mics to finally get her foot in the door to start playing live PAID shows.

In 2002 she released her first full length album, Gravity, which was produced and recorded at the Menagerie Studios in Saylorsburg, PA. Right Before My Eyes, was Jeni’s second full length disc. That was also produced and recorded at the Menagerie Studios and released in 2004. Jeni has also had her tunes released on a few compilation CDs, including The Stage TV-Stripped, WNTI Unsigned Volume 1, and The Menagerie Compilation Disc.

In 2005, Jeni’s solo career came to a halt when she joined her first band, SteelCreek. This was her first experience venturing into the country music world. Her uncle, who was the keyboard player of the band at the time, convinced her give it a shot. Almost 20 years later, the band is still together and playing more than ever! It is comprised of six musicians who have been in and around music for the majority of their lives. Jeni and the band have opened for national acts such as, Joe Nichols, Confederate Railroad, The Weight Band, The Bacon Brothers, Tim Foust of Home Free, Austin Burke and Kaleb Lee. They have also been seen on local TV stations and various telethons, and have appeared on numerous radio stations.

Jeni is currently in the studio mixing her third full length CD, Black & Blue and she released her first music video last year for the title track of the album: Black and Blue. She is also very busy performing live. Just this year alone, she has 163 shows booked for herself as a solo act, acoustic duo or trio and the full six-piece band.

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The ScoochesThe Scooches — July 10, 2023

Global folk sensation The Scooches, led by vocalist Betina Hershey and multi-instrumentalist Nick Russo, have announced the release of ‘LIFT YOU UP,’ the celebrated group’s third full-length album. The NYC-based band, formerly known as Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches, raise their voices, their instruments, their consciousness, with an eclectic melting pot of original music inspired by world folk traditions, global Americana, New Orleans verve and the unfettered exuberance of the 1920s. Expertly helping with the lifting is a world-class lineup of standout musicians from New York, Suriname, Sapelo Island (Georgia), Mexico, India, and the Caribbean. Elmore Magazine championed the group’s “remarkable musical dexterity with songs that bask in a genuine roots regimen and a sense of timeless tradition” while Big Takeover Magazine best described their fluid convergence of minds, souls and cultures as “Not just music forged from myriad sounds and cultural styles garnered from genre and geography but the music of the world, about the world.” The new 12-song collection builds upon the exuberance that made 2018’s ‘Get Us Out Of Fearland’ (#2 on the International Folk Chart) and ‘Very Next Thing’ (2016), a transcendent breath of fresh air. Inspired by the current social climate, most of the songs on LIFT YOU UP, including “Let’s Grow Our Roots Deep And True,” “Spread Your Wings And Fly” and “Open A Door,” call upon society and the human race to believe that we, collectively, can make a difference, a change for the better. Lead single, "Stop This Climate Change,” a poetic and uplifting anthem fraught with grave concern, yet infused with positive intuition, perfectly encapsulates their empathetic, yet urgent, call to action. Other album highlights include the reggae-dub groove of the title track, the playful, country break-up song “I Broke The Egg,” the 1920s-inspired “What’s Meant To Last Will Last,” the smoky Motown-inflected duet “Give It To Me Real” (featuring Miles Griffith and Hershey trading lines), the gospel-tinged “Leavin’,” the eerily lilting “Run,” about trafficking and gun violence, and the rollicking bluegrass-driven “Let’s Grow Our Roots Deep And True,” about finding home. The ever-timely traditional protest song “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round” (which Joan Baez recently sang with Justin Jones of the Tennessee Three at Newark airport) is presented in two versions and both are stunners; the first a celebration to lift the spirits, the second a Gullah Geechee version featuring stirring contributions from improvisational vocals from Miles Griffith and drumfolk riddim percussionist/vocalist Dr. David Pleasant. With production and jaw harp from Len Monachello at Soundtronics in NYC, LIFT YOU UP raises the bar with spirited contributions from Angela Workman (vocals), Russell Hall (bass), Kenny Kosek (fiddle), Jennifer Vincent (double bass), Ahmad Johnson (drums), Hilliard Greene (double bass), Art Hirihara (organ) and dancer Michela Marino Lerman, who adds a bit of tap on “What’s Meant to Last Will Last.” In total, 17 musicians combine forces to lift you up. Over the years, The Scooches have performed at the Kansas City Folk Festival, Club Passim, Blue Plate Special, WFUV, John Platt's “On Your Radar” and syndicated old-time radio show WoodSongs with various members also performing with artists such as Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, James Taylor, Jerry Garcia, Julia Roberts, and Wynton Marsalis. Russo and Hershey have made appearances in movies such as Disney's ‘Enchanted,’ ‘Mona Lisa Smile,’ ‘Away We Go’ and PBS Masterpiece’s ‘The Chaperone’. “Americana music at its purest and most impressive” - No Depression “A band that has to be seen to be believed.” - John Platt (WFUV) VERY NEXT THING #6 Album - International Folk DJ Chart (Sept 2016) GET US OUT OF FEARLAND #2 Album - International Folk DJ Chart (April 2018)

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Amber IkemanAmber Ikeman — July 3, 2023

Amber Ikeman’s music is water, quenching your soul and soothing your heart. Inspired by the legacy of powerful truthtelling songstresses like Joni Mitchell, Jewel, and Joan Baez, Ikeman’s songwriting is imbued with the knowledge that without rain, there is no life—that growth and change only come from weathering the storms that will inevitably come. Images from her years as a nomad wandering the western United States, and residing in Wyoming and Montana, give a living backdrop to her lyrics of self-discovery, resilience, wildness, and women’s issues. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Amber has toured all across the United States and parts of Canada, earning praise from audiences and tastemakers alike. Songs off of her first full length album, Rise, earned the 2017 Vic Heyman Songwriting Award from the South Florida Folk Festival and the 2018 John O’Hara Outstanding Folk Song Grant. She released "Wild and Uneven," an EP themed around body liberation and mental health, in March of 2023.

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Mitch HayesMitch Hayes — June 26, 2023

Mitch Hayes is a singer-songwriter originally from North Carolina who now calls Oklahoma, home. Coming from a very musical family, he has been playing and singing all of his life. His musical journey began in Junior High and High School as the drummer in a band playing private parties and dances with his brother and some friends. While in High School and College, he picked up the guitar and began performing in the iconic 60’s and 70’s coffeehouse scene. It was then that he began to develop his songwriting skills. It’s no surprise that his signature Folk/Americana style was influenced by those singer songwriters of his day whose music defined an entire generation. Mitch has performed in many iconic venues such as The Commodore Grille in Nashville, TN, Opening Bell Coffee in Dallas, TX, Kulak’s Woodshed in North Hollywood, CA, John & Peter’s Place in New Hope, PA and Café Artiste at the Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove, NJ. He has performed with or opened for well, known Folk/Americana acts such as the late Jerry Burgan, co-founder of We Five, Folk Soul Revival, Canadian sensation Corb Lund & The Hurtin’ Alburtans; and in songwriter rounds with the likes of David Childers, and Nashville’s legendary Jerry Foster who on one occasion commented to Mitch, “those are some mighty fine songs, you’ve written, keep up the good work.” Hayes has three studio albums to his credit. They are “My Reflection” 2014, “Heroes” 2016, “A Long Way Home” 2020 and will be releasing his fourth, “Gentle Man” in June of 2023. He has been written up in music publications such as No Depression, Music Connection Magazine, Americana Highways, Wildfire Music and most recently by the highly respected Alan Cackett. In 2017 two songs from his “Heroes” album charted on FMQB’s AC chart; “All Fall Down” peaking at #26 and “Look At You” coming in at #40. On a more personal note, Mitch is a Cancer survivor. In 2012 he was diagnosed with and underwent treatment for throat Cancer. Therapy was successful and he is now cancer-free. However, this experience left him with some changes to his voice and a new outlook on life. "I went from having a smooth, choral sounding voice to having more of a rough edge, like Bob Seger or Tom Waits. This was quite the difficult ordeal to go through but I was just happy and thankful to be alive and to be able to sing and perform my songs, again” recalls Hayes. Mitch’s songs will take you on an emotional journey through timeless themes of love and loss, self-reflection, joy and sadness and social consciousness. His lyrics will sometimes make you laugh, sometimes make you cry, but will always entertain you. These days you can catch him performing as a solo artist in venues and in songwriter rounds around Oklahoma, Texas and the Southwest or on the occasional tour as a duet act with his talented daughter, Erin Hayes on vocals and flute. For sure, a Mitch Hayes show is a wonderfully entertaining experience and one that should not be missed!

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Dave Kline and Heather ZimmermanDave Kline and Heather Zimmerman — June 18, 2023

The Kutztown Folk Festival is the oldest continuously operated folklife festival in America. This nine-day event continues to draw visitors from all over the world, entertaining families while providing valuable insight into the traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch and their fascinating way of life. Children's activities abound and admission is free for children 12 and under. The festival also houses the largest quilt sale in America and has an internationally attended Quilt Auction of top prize-winning quilts.

Dave Kline is a performer and musical director Heather Zimmerman is the first ever woman executive director of this amazing Folk Life Festival.

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Brian KalinecBrian Kalinec — June 11, 2023

Texan Brian Kalinec has been called "a combination of Woody Guthrie, John Steinbeck, James Taylor, and Rodney Crowell in the stories he tells" in a review in music magazine Rootsy. He has also been described by Robert Bartosh of Roots Music Report as “one of the most creative songwriters from the Texas music scene". Brian has received a considerable recognition here and abroad, winning events such as the Songwriter Serenade Competition, the Big Top Chautauqua Song Contest, second place in the Woody Guthrie Song Contest and a finalist in the UK Songwriting Contest, to name a few. He was nominated for Songwriter of the Year and Musician of the Year in the Texas Music Awards in the recent past. He has appeared at the Kerrville Folk Festival, and venues such as Uncle Calvin's in Dallas, The Bugle Boy in La Grange, and as a featured guest on Rich Warren's Folkstage on WFMT in Chicago.

Brian is now releasing a new project, “The Beauty of it All” in June 2023. A song from this album, “Redwood Fence”, premiered in late January on Americana Highways. He recently toured the UK this summer with his duo partner Kj Reimensnyder-Wagner in late July 2022 in support of the Kalinec & Kj 2021 release “Let’s Get Away”, which included appearances at the Belladrum Festival near Inverness. His 2023 touring plans include a festival in the Czech Republic and an appearance again at Belladrum.

Brian and his wife Pam own Berkalin Records, a label which is home to a number of well-respected folk and Americana artists. Brian is Past-President of the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance, and was recently on the boards of directors for Songwriter Serenade and HoustonLive.

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Steve and Kristi NebelSteve and Kristi Nebel — May 29, 2023

Steve and Kristi Nebel bring passion, finesse, and beauty with their songs of social justice, knife edge observations, and pure, simple love. They have done nine tours in UK folk clubs and festivals. They have recorded more than ten CDs, mostly of their own songs. Kristi’s solo CD, “Detour” got her was nominated “western swing female performer of the year”. The Nebels' style is informed by a wealth of experience lending their voices to the other for a blend that exceeds the sum of their two parts. They are currently promoting their latest CD, “The Very First Time”.

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Dawn BoudreauDawn Boudreau — May 22, 2023

Hailing from the mystical community of Penny, nestled in the Rocky Mountains on the banks of the Fraser River in Northern BC, Dawn Boudreau draws from this earthy upbringing in her music creation. Although educated in jazz studies, this artist cannot deny her deep-seated folk influences. The mountains, river and railway are almost audible in her instrumental selections, utilizing mandolin, violin, flute, pedal steel, accordion and electric acoustic guitar, as well as the more traditional jazz choices, such as saxophones, upright acoustic bass and her own instrument of preference, piano.

Since 2012, Boudreau has resided in beautiful, busy Vancouver, BC, where she studied jazz at Capilano University. Studying jazz at the age of 40 was enlightening, as she realized her music was more of a combination of folk and jazz pop. She obtained her Bachelor of Music, but focussed mainly on teaching following her graduation. In 2019, she started producing music again and is loving it!

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Nancy K DillonNancy K Dillon — May 14, 2023

Nancy K. Dillon, an award-winning American songwriter/performer, possesses a warm expressive voice unique in revealing both strength and vulnerability. With a finely focused musical ear, Dillon mines a vein of avant garde Americana in her compelling tales of mythopoetic darkness and light melding past and future. Nancy has released three full-length studio albums. A 6-song EP (Live at The Royal Room) was released in September 2017. Two Christmas singles followed in 2017 (In the Bleak Midwinter) and 2019 (Coventry Carol). Dillon's newest full-length studio album (Cawker City Blues) is set to be released in 2023. Dillon writes compellingly, poetically and sometimes mysteriously. This talent elevates her writing beyond the usual fare of singer-songwriters. She initially found inspiration in dreams and in traveling across vast landscapes in the western US. Then it was her family's history in Ireland, Scotland, Europe and Britain which yielded new inspiration and newly minted stories. She unearthed unknown facts along the way: Her musician father fought in the brutal Battle of the Bulge in World War II; her 7th great-grand-uncle in Scotland wrote a treatise called Lex Rex upon which the 2nd amendment was based. Dillon grew up in Central Oklahoma in a musical family. Her composer/professor/jazz-saxophonist/church-choir-director father, Bob Dillon and her mother, Betty Lou, a former vocal teacher who sang hymns around the house, surrounded her with music. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma, a move to Seattle led to travel, adventure and varied musical opportunity. Nancy performed in roots-based bands and was in demand as a backing vocalist and session singer until her decision to focus on songwriting in the New Millennium. In 2004, Dillon released her first solo studio album with Grammy Award-winning engineer, Garey Shelton. A rootsy outing of mostly original songs, Just Let Me Dream gained airplay around the world and was highly praised by reviewers. The release of her 2nd album, Roses Guide To Time Travel (2010), began a musical exploration of Dillon’s American roots. She designed a haunting image of an old-time locomotive for the cover and dedicated the album to her great-grandfather Kansas trainman and BLFE Union Officer, Asa Dillon. She continued her travels throughout the West writing and singing songs of railroads, Okies, Texas tornados and lonely roads of red dirt. Dillon's 2018 release, A Game of Swans was inspired and informed by her passion for genealogy. The album hearkens back to her immigrant roots in the Old Countries while fixing her gaze firmly forward. The 12 tracks on A Game of Swans reveal ancestral strains of Celtic folk music migrated to America, strains always flowing just beneath the surface of Dillon's music. A Game of Swans echoes with strengths and challenges of history, a promise of new hopes and dreams and draws out the ghosts of yet untold stories. To achieve perfect colors, tones and authenticity for the album, contributing tracks from the UK and Scotland were blended with recordings made in the Pacific NW, USA. Continuing the magic born of the internet and several musical collaborations begun on Nancy's previous album, Roses Guide to Time Travel, A Game of Swans fulfills that promise and is a masterful showcase for Nancy K Dillon as a bandleader. She pulls together a cast of extraordinary players and guides them into creating the perfect sounds to fit each song. Personnel includes UK musos, Gavin Sutherland (Sutherland Brothers & Quiver), Ian Lang (Small Change), Chris Parks (Any Trouble) and Ollie Collins (Badly Drawn Boy/Angie Palmer). They combine their prodigious talents with American contributors Stacy Phillips (Dobro), Michael Connelly (fiddle/uilleann pipes/penny whistle), Wes Weddell (mandolin), Chris Leighton (percussion), Garey Shelton (bass guitar/engineer) and harmony vocalists, Joy Mills and Tom Parker.

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Mark Bishop EvansMark Bishop Evans — May 7, 2023

“Mark Bishop Evans is a natural-born storyteller, and it’s more than evident in his emotionally-weighted performances. Sit back with a cup of joe as Mark guides you through vivid, sundrenched tales of uplifting folk rock -- truly captivating material from the Arizona-based folk rocker.”

With a heritage deeply rooted in folk and rock, Arizona-based Mark Bishop Evans has been putting out uplifting folk hits that sink in like a home cooked meal. Feel-good vibes are rife in Mark’s music, and his signature sound encapsulates the heart and soul of the breadth of his influences. He cites Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio and The Beach Boys as influences that helped shape him into the artist that he is today.

Mark grew up around the beaches of southern California, and his introduction to music began early with the trumpet. Guitar would soon follow, as his heart gravitated towards becoming a singer-songwriter. He would develop and nurture this skill at church groups in San Diego, known as hootenannies. Inspired by the East Coast coffeehouse scenes and their rich ties to folk, Mark began writing his own brand of folk-infused rock and ballads.

For Mark, music’s never really been about the pomp or ceremony, but instead a vehicle for which he chooses to move hearts and souls with. Deeper messages and meaningful lyrics mark the very core of what Mark Bishop Evans is about and can be attributed to the profound impact that the folk and protest songs of the ‘60s had on him.

Mark’s musical migration has seen him traverse the rock, Latin, pop, country, and gospel scenes, though has now come full circle back to folk, where it all began for him. With 4 contemporary Christian records released between 2000 and 2014, Mark’s creative endeavors have certainly kept him busy. 

He has recently finished two projects titled ‘The Seeds of Today’ and ‘No Guarantee’. These to go along with his 2019 release, ‘Something ’Bout Tomorrow’, which premiered in June 2019. All of these are an intriguing blend of folk, folk rock, and ballads, lyrically it’s rich in emotional content and melodically comfortable in Mark’s signature style. 

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Lucie Blue TremblayLucie Blue Tremblay — April 23, 2023

Lucie Blue Tremblay’s new album, SO MANY WOWS, is a much-anticipated addition to her canon of extraordinary music—her first album in five years. We are all better off having her compassionate yet empowering perspectives to listen to during these tumultuous times. Lucie’s legacy as a fixture in the Woman’s Music movement since the 1980s continues with her songs about the past and the present—overflowing with honesty, candor, and empathy.

SO MANY WOWS highlights her folk music legacy, especially her insightful and empowering lyrics. Lucie’s place in the history of Women’s Music is well-known and this recording marks an important addition to her musical catalog. Lucie Blue’s bucolic life with her wife in Paradise, Nova Scotia has inspired her to write hopeful songs such as the title cut and “I Will See You” which mimics the movement of the tides, as well as the Acadian influenced song “You Set My Sails Free.” Lucie Blue shows another side to her music by including some political messages like the anthemic “Do Something,” a song about taking action and making change in the world and “We Are Magnificent” which calls out the “bullies and lies” and encourages hope beyond all else.

Much of SO MANY WOWS was crafted during the pandemic lockdown when Lucie Blue presented the songs to her fans via Zoom twice a week. Eventually, Lucie Blue was able to travel to Montreal to collaborate with her co-producer, Daniel Loyer and all the talented musicians he assembled for the recording including Caroline Richard, Denis Fortier, Bernard LeBlanc, Philippe Brochu, Alain Boyer, and Alain Bertrand. Lucie’s songs exude a great deal of warmth and gently encourage the listener to love, learn, and make a difference.

Lucie Blue has mesmerized her audiences with her bilingual lyrics and soulful melodies since the release of her first album in 1986 when it was named one of the Boston Globe’s Top 10 albums of that year. Lucie Blue’s music has secured her a place in music history; her songs strike the heartstrings of men and women alike with words of love and humanity.

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Kevin Holm-HudsonKevin Holm-Hudson — April 16, 2023

Lexington, Kentucky-based singer-songwriter Kevin Holm-Hudson lives an exciting double life. He has earned a doctoral degree in music composition, which he has frittered away writing songs instead of symphonies. By day he is Professor of Music Theory at the University of Kentucky; evenings and weekends, he writes and sings songs about desperate characters, disasters, dogs, and Pablo Casals, playing as a solo acoustic performer and with his electric trio Dr. Kevin Holm-Hudson & The Adjuncts, featuring drummer David Chapman and (until recently) bass player Scot Kaeff. The band’s name came about when Kevin was scheduled to play Red Barn Radio, a live syndicated radio program based in Lexington. Having been told by the producer, “it would be better if you had a band,” the Adjuncts came together for the promise of that one gig and one gig only, with no promise of further gigs or pay. (That performance can also be seen and heard on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bV1BLRA-tU).) Nevertheless, they persisted, and Dr. Kevin Holm-Hudson and the Adjuncts have created two full-length album releases, Message from the Margins (2021) and The Trembling Air (2003).

A tireless songwriter and performer, Kevin has a deep catalogue of some 200 songs, which he delights in sharing with audiences of all ages. His favorite themes include travel, nature, spirituality, and story-songs. His songs come from experiences of travel around the world—to far-flung destinations such as Sweden, Lithuania, and Australia—as well as places closer to home in Eastern Kentucky. He also enjoys writing songs based on history, whether real or imagined (he often tells audiences, “everything in these songs is true, and some of those things actually happened”). His music similarly transcends genre, dipping equally (and sometimes unpredictably) into Americana, pop, indie-folk, and classic-rock styles, sometimes with a satirical bent. He lists Neil Young, Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Bruce Cockburn and Todd Rundgren as some of his major influences and musical heroes.

Kevin is the winner of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lexington (KY) Music Awards; he has won three other Lexington Music Awards for music education and keyboard playing. Message from the Margins was nominated for Album of the Year in the Lexington Music Awards, the Appalachian Arts and Entertainment (APPY) Awards, and the Nashville-based Josie Music Awards. The Trembling Air was also nominated for an APPY Award. Both albums are available on Bandcamp: kevin-holm-hudson.bandcamp.com.

Kevin often says, “Music is something we do together.” In the spirit of this statement—which he regards as something of a life motto, he is grateful for the work Jon Stein does in promoting independent folk and acoustic music week after week on Hootenanny Café, and also archiving the broadcasts so they can still be enjoyed (or experienced again) after broadcast. He is also beyond grateful to you, the listener, tuning in every week to experience something new. We have locally-sourced, artisanal food and beer—we should be able to also hold locally-sourced, artisanal music in similar high regard.

Thanks for listening, and enjoying, with open ears and heart.

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Steinar AlbrigtsenSteinar Albrigtsen — April 10, 2023

«The Pacheco project» by Steinar Albrigtsen The Norwegian artist Steinar Albrigtsen had his debut as a recording artist in 1990 with the album "Alone too long". Albrigtsen lifted country music onto the musical map of Norway, and he was quickly recognized as Norway's bestselling artist that year. Over the years Albrigtsen has been known to be one of the most versatile and uncompromising artists in Norway. He has released 17 albums in the genres of country, blues, jazz, folk and rockabilly. Of musical highlights throughout his career, Albrigtsen says that his performance with Jonny Cash at Norwegian Wood (1992) is a milestone. Steinar has always had a genuine interest in preserving music history and that the audience should know both creators, contributing musicians and not least sources of inspiration. With "The Pacheco project", Steinar wants to pay tribute to one of today's best songwriters, his closest friend and collaborator since the 1990s, Tom Pacheco. Pacheco has written over 3,000 songs and is lauded by legends such as Rick Danko and Bob Dylan for his ability to captivate listeners with his outstanding lyrics. For "The Pacheco project", Steinar Albrigtsen has handpicked 14 songs from Tom's unique songwriting universe. Listeners may recognize some songs from Tom's previous releases, while several of the songs have not been released before. Tom Pacheco has written the lyrics and music on all the songs, except for two songs written in collaboration with Steinar.

"The Pacheco project" launches on vinyl and all digital streaming services on April 24th. With a pre-launch and mini concert on April 9th at the Hootenanny Cafe Radio Show.

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Amelia HoganAmelia Hogan — April 2, 2023

Amelia Hogan is an impeccably authentic singer of Celtic music, and her heart comes through in honeyed tones on Irish, Scottish, British, and American-styled vocals. She sings in the Irish music tradition of Sean-Nós, or “old style”, a highly lyrical solo a cappella style, as well as with accompaniment, plays bodhran and a small 22-string Welsh lap harp, and has toured internationally to global acclaim.

Hogan recently recorded and released Taking Flight, with Steve O’Neill of Foxtail Sound, co-produced by Ray Frank, under her solo label. This new album showcases the talents of traditional music heavyweights: Richard Mandel, David Brewer, Marla Fibish, Rebecca Richman, Maureen Brennan, and Christa Burch. Taking Flight is a cathartic and healing endeavor. Songs were chosen to acknowledge grief, loss, heartache, hope, and ultimately a joy-filled conclusion. The theme of birds runs through the project. Often seen as a symbol of loss and sorrow, birds also represent hope and healing and the ability to find beauty in the midst of hardship. The intent of this work is to take the listener on a journey through grief and out the other side, as a bird taking flight might.

Previous recordings include her first solo project, Transplants: From the Old World to the New, released in March 2013, about ancestral immigration and identity, and two traditional Irish music albums with Sheltering Sky, Keeping Watch Upon the Stars, and Long Night’s Journey, and Falling You’s trance electronica album, Blush. Hogan has toured with Molly’s Revenge as their lead vocalist for their frequently sold-out, sensational Winterdance holiday tour and collaborates with artists including her group The Strand, Richard Mandel, Christa Burch, Maureen Brennan, Ray Frank, Julie Henigan, Niamh Parsons, Shay Black, and Cullan’s Hounds.

In addition, she is a board member of the San Francisco Folk Music Club; a headliner at the SF Free Folk Festival; a sometime host of the internationally known Starry Plough, Berkeley, Sunday night session; a headliner at The Irish Club of Alaska’s Galway Days; a repeat guest of the An Goilin Singers Club in Dublin, Ireland; a special guest and community partner with the Consul General of Ireland, San Francisco; a United Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco headliner; a special guest performer and regular of Hyde street Pier NPS Maritime History Museum Sea Music Festival and concert series; and a repeat special guest performer of many other renowned festivals and events, enchanting audiences in the US and abroad.

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Fred ArcoleoFred Arcoleo — March 26, 2023

FRED ARCOLEO has spent 36 years teaching in urban high schools, & as long on the front lines of struggles both local & global: from daily struggles against racism & sexism to supporting immigrant workers & combating police brutality & imperialist wars. These experiences have shaped, informed, & inspired his songwriting. Fred writes songs & poems that strive to reveal the contradictions in our society between appearance & reality, & he spends most of his time channeling his anger over the conditions of life that exist for so many into productive activities. He is interested in the role music & the arts play in raising awareness of societal issues & inspiring people to study & act on pressing challenges of our time. His mission & his music are one: RALLY FOLK! His last CD, TODAY AGAIN, charted #7 on the Folk Radio Charts & his newest project, WE ARE MIGHTY: Sustenance for the Struggle had its title track reach #15. As he tells his students & colleagues, the struggle continues!

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Craig BickhardtCraig Bickhardt — March 19, 2023

Craig Bickhardt is a singer-songwriter of the old school- you’ll hear echoes of 60s folk revivalists Tom Rush, Gordon Lightfoot and Eric Andersen in his work along with the melodic grace of a Paul Simon or a Jimmy Webb. His virtuosic guitar playing interweaves folk, blues and ragtime influences into a style inimitably his own. His musical vagabondage has taken him from the boisterous club scene of Philadelphia, to the country-rock milieu of Los Angeles, to the picking parlors of Nashville. With each opportunity he has immersed himself in the sights and sounds of American music. His prodigious output (over 1200 original songs) reflects a life lived as a rock band lead singer, a solo troubadour, a dedicated musician, a husband and father. Craig's musical passion is a family inheritance. His father, Harry, moonlighted as a big band saxophonist when he wasn't working his day gig at WIP Radio in Philadelphia. Craig’s own musical journey began when he discovered an old guitar in the family attic at the age of 12 and taught himself to play. Soon he was writing songs and performing at Philadelphia’s famed Main Point Coffeehouse, where he also spent many free evenings listening to and studying the troubadour-guitar masters of the day. By the mid-70s, Craig was a singer-guitarist with Wire and Wood, an eclectic country-rock quintet that won a fervent East Coast following. After relocating to Los Angeles, the band attracted the interest of Bob Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman, who signed them to his Bearsville/October Records label. Unfortunately, Wire and Wood’s album wasn’t completed and the group called it quits. Craig was then tapped to write and sing two songs for TENDER MERCIES, a country music-themed film starring Robert Duvall. This led to a lengthy residency in Nashville, where his songs were recorded by numerous artists including Ray Charles, B.B. King, Johnny Cash with the Highwaymen, Kathy Mattea, Martina McBride, Poco and Alison Krauss. Since then, his career has been a continuing dialogue with his six-string, a dialectic with his dreams and a reckoning with memory. His songs are human portraits painted with a sense of wonder and clear-eyed grace; superbly rendered miniature studies that achieve a deeper resonance with sharp-drawn images and indelible hooks. A Craig Bickhardt live set is a mix of absurd anecdotes and personal confessions, accompanying a well-stocked bag of original tunes and the occasional choice cover. His decades in music have given his performances the depth of experience – his love songs seem sweeter and more poignant, his story-song narratives more true-to-life than they could have in the past. During his five decades as a performer, he has shared the stage with many notables including Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Stills, Harry Chapin, Little Feat, Judy Collins, Janis Ian and Pure Prairie league. He has also appeared on the long-running TV concert series Austin City Limits (as part of the trio SKB) and has been a featured main-stage solo at the legendary Philadelphia Folk Festival.

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Mary Beth CartyMary Beth Carty — March 12, 2023

Accordionist, guitarist, and player of pocket-sized instruments, Mary Beth Carty of Nova Scotia possesses a magical voice that earned her a nomination for Traditional Singer of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Carty’s second album, Crossing the Causeway, fuses traditional song, instrumental tunes, & originals to create a multilingual opus that reflects the diverse yet unified roots of her region. The project features some of Cape Breton Island's best musicians including Colin Grant (Rum Ragged), Bradley Murphy (Mhira Blood), and Donnie Calabrese (Sprag Session), and guest vocalists including Cassie and Maggie. Mary Beth has toured throughout Canada, performed in Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, Rwanda, and Congo, and performed on Holland-America and NCL cruise lines. She is known for her entertaining live shows, ripe with sing-alongs, dance jigs, and all around good vibes! Carty believes that Celtic music is inherently therapeutic, and has the power to rouse you to dance or sing-along, then bring you into a reflective, meditative place to help feel all the feelings. The new album features this range of emotions, as well as Mary Beth’s mesmerizing voice, layers of acoustic instruments ebbing and flowing through each track, and the sounds of friends singing lush vocals. The advance single, a 100-year-old Gaelic song called "Mo Mhàthair" (My Mother), received radio play on BBC and "Tow Truck Song" is currently climbing the CIOE East Coast Top 30. Carty's first solo album, Les biens-nommés, was nominated at the East Coast Music Awards in 2018. Composed mainly of original songs in her second language, French, the album features a powerful quartet of Mary Beth on accordion, Donald MacLennan on violin, and brothers Greg and Brendan Melchin as the rhythm section. All of the song titles are the first names of imaginary characters - Yvon, Anthony, Felix, Clare, and so on. On the strength of these songs, Mary Beth was invited by the Canadian Embassy in Kinshasa to perform with the all-female band Nkento Bakaji for an epic tour to Congo and Rwanda in 2014. Before breaking out as a solo-artist, Mary Beth was half of a successful duo called Bette & Wallet, along with the multi-instrumenalist singer, Quebec’s Gabriel Ouellette. The duo released two albums and performed in every Canadian province. Their cult classic song Squeegees helped sell 4000 copies of their debut album, Voici… At the moment, Mary Beth’s original song Aliens are Nice from their second album Électrique is seeing a resurgence in light of recent news events. The duo performed at major Canadian folk festivals including Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Calgary, and toured around France five times. In her free time, Mary Beth enjoys cultivating berry patches, cooking, and hiking. She also enjoys sending snail mail. The opening song from Crossing the Causeway, Dear Island, is in part a tribute to her affinity for writing letters and postcards as a way of keeping in touch with old friends. The song Blueberry Mountain was inspired by a hike. Commissioned by the CBC for the pandemic edition of a radio-special, Mary Beth went on a hike in Cape Breton Highlands national park, and the following week, the song was born. For this record, Mary Beth wanted to showcase some of the deeply-rooted traditional music that she performed over the years alongside original songs. “My buddy Bob Mersereau has referred to Mary Beth as “the Swiss Army Knife of the East Coast, playing accordion, guitar, bass, bones, and multiple percussion instruments.” But for my money, her finest attribute is her voice. It has a gentle and understated quality, a little like her fellow Nova Scotian Mary Jane Lamond, and yet it dances through the sometimes-complex melodies and Gaelic lyrics of many of these songs seemingly effortlessly – while at times showcasing a gorgeous resonance.” - Gordy from Folk Music Canada

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Sarah Goslee ReedSarah Goslee Reed — March 5, 2023

Sarah grew up in a house full of music. While her father played the bassoon in the Cleveland Orchestra and her mother played the cello and string bass, she fell in love with the folk music of the sixties and the Beatles. Based on her knowledge of the violin, she taught herself to play guitar and learned songs by listening to records. A professional microbiologist, with an MS in Biology, songwriting has remained as much of a passion as singing. Several of her songs have received awards, been arranged for choirs and orchestrated as instrumentals. Locally, Sarah is best known for her work with children in the community and immediate area: song-writing in several elementary schools and through the Youth Enrichment Series concerts, performing for all 700 first graders from the county at the historic Memorial Theatre annually for over twenty years. She works with special needs campers and counselors at Camp Nuhop (www.nuhop.org) and spent many years in the duo Prairie Orchid, performing in schools, libraries and family concerts throughout Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. Most recently, as a board member of SPI (Science Play-space Initiative – a local science museum advocating for learning about science through play) she started the Summer Music Garden, an outdoor concert series that included science activities provided by SPI, and a music component at a beautiful outdoor children’s garden. Sarah performed for several years with Kerry Kean, a fellow songwriter from Kent, as Goslee Reed and Kean.

Discography: Prairie Orchid: Pocket Full of Lizards (awarded Best Classic Recording for Older Children by the Children’s Music Network), Plant A Little Seed, New Day. Duo: Goslee Reed and Kean (live recording from Quarry Chapel in Gambier, Ohio) Solo (in chronological order): Like the Light of the Moon, Cowboy on the Highway, It’s About Time, Plenty, Songfest (Camp Nuhop Songs), Sleep Like Fish, The Healing.

Sarah’s recent CD, The Healing, reflects her latest songwriting during the pandemic, a time of cleaning closets and drawers, discovering old songs in need of re-writing and recording. Taking almost two years to complete, this recording features John Gorka on harmony on Family Holiday and Jon Vezner on keyboard, strings and harmony on the title cut (The Healing). Many other songs were written in song camps such as the Swannanoa Gathering and in Colorado at Darryl Purpose’s Camp Ned. It also includes a song inspired by John Lewis (Walk With the Wind) and a song for a grandchild (Song for Simon). Sleep Like Fish features favorite songs sung to her children and grandchildren (Pony Man by Gordon Lightfoot and Morningtown Ride by Malvina Reynolds), as well as songs written for some of the grandkids, including one from Camp Ned (Marrow of Our Bones). Plenty includes a song written with first graders (All Living Things) and one performed at Disneyworld by high school choirs (Feed the Right Wolf). The earlier CD’s feature Sarah’s father, George Goslee, principal bassoon in the Cleveland Orchestra on two songs (Like the Light of the Moon and Timing).

She lives in Mount Vernon, Ohio with her husband, pets and numerous plants, plays violin in the Knox County Symphony and spends her spare time gardening, knitting and playing with her grandchildren. Recordings are available on all online platforms.

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Bryce Ernest TaylorBryce Ernest Taylor — February 26, 2023

Bryce Ernest Taylor delights audiences with his talent, energy, and insight. This artist, musician, psychologist, lover of life, gives testament to life's enduring excitement and mystery. While he began singing, playing guitar, and writing songs at an early age, the seeds of his passion remained mostly below the surface for years.  Perhaps fed by the experiences of love, marriage, fatherhood, and a career as a psychologist, these seeds have grown as Bryce has discovered more fully his passion for songwriting and sharing his music with others.  While the fruits of his passion had been incorporated into therapy sessions and performances in coffee shops and bars in Texas, South Carolina, and Indiana, he realized the music needed to be closer to the center of his life. Now, true to himself as an artist, Bryce is intentional about communicating and connecting with others through music, and is truly cultivating this musical garden with audiences large and small, near and far away. Breaking into the live music scene in the Indianapolis area, Bryce became known and respected by the singer/songwriter community there as a great songwriter with excellent vocal and guitar skills. He has opened for Dead Horses and Jason Wilber (John Prine's guitarist of over 25 years) and his song "The Man with the Muse" was the winner of the Songwriter's Challenge at the 2018 Eagle Creek Folk Festival. His unorthodox use of multiple capos is also clearly respected as a unique skill that produces interesting and unique guitar tones, distinguishes him from other musicians, and helps to create an interesting listen. In his debut national release, Bryce dips deep into painting truths of the enduring excitement and mystery of living in this beautiful, yet sometimes troubled, world.  Man with the Muse expresses themes of creativity in love and art and in the natural beauty found in nature and relationships.  The muse for his songs is clearly found in both expected and unexpected places, in both reality and imagination, addressing both pragmatics and possibilities. While a vocally strong, lyric-driven album, Bryce's finger-picking and distinctive strumming accompanied by rich, unique cello, violin, dancing banjo, and mandolin lacing, color the spaces and more clearly define the musical images of longing, hope, and delight.  Vocal harmony contributes to the feeling that we are not alone in any of this. "What Happens to the Music", "Another Way", and "Love and Art" create images of practical concerns relating to the music industry and relationships, while "Alice", "Man with the Muse", and "Isle of Skye" express a longing for perspective and understanding that is most often found in creative thinking and dreaming.  But Bryce's concern for the realities of world around him is not left unexpressed. "If I Were a Woman" starts out with a somewhat fanciful response, but quickly injects cautions for his daughters and messages of empowerment.  Images of gratitude for the healing attributes of nature are heard most clearly in "Water", "Naturally You", and "Kickin' Off Our Shoes". And, of course, some learning about life, love, understanding, and acceptance, is clearly inspired by a stray "Black Dog". Having raised three daughters, Bryce is now based in the beautiful, inspiring hills of Lexington, KY where he is able to devote more time to dipping in flowing streams of inspiration and tilling the rich musical soil, writing and performing in listening rooms, wineries, coffee shops, and house concerts. From reflections on the day-to-day goings on of love and life to more broad urgings for personal growth and social justice, Bryce entertains and reminds us of what it means to experience both the joys and the struggles of a life well-lived. His latest album, "Man with the Muse" was listed in the top 20 albums in October 2022 on the FAI Folk Radio Chart.  Bryce was also listed as one of the top 25 artists on those same charts.

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Carol MarkstromCarol Markstrom — February 19, 2023

“American folk music washes gently against Americana … a terrific release from a major singer.” This is how Carol Markstrom’s award-winning 4th album, Mile After Mile, is described by Country Music People Magazine. Across the U.S. to the far north of Alaska, audiences have been captivated by Carol’s clear, emotion-filled vocals and songs that transport to other places, times, and people. Her music spans Americana, Western Roots, Folk, and Country. Her ballads range from the whimsical to bittersweet, and the beauty of Western landscapes inspires her songwriting. Carol is also involved in filmmaking and has won music score awards and recognitions from film festivals in Europe and the U.S. Carol was previously a university professor and her knowledge in Native American Studies inspired many of her songs including, Medicine Bottle, about a Dakota Sioux leader, and is now in the soundtrack of the film, The Indian System. Carol has received Silver Arrow Awards from Spirit Wind Records and has been a finalist for a Native American Music Award. She has received other awards for her albums, songwriting, and as a performing artist. Her music is played by DJs worldwide.

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River DriversRiver Drivers — February 5, 2023

The River Drivers have cultivated a unique passion-infused style of music that draws from Celtic, Americana and Appalachian influences. Anchored by Kevin McCloskey (vocals, guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass) and Mindy Murray (vocals, guitar, banjo, bass) with accompaniment by Marian Moran (tin whistle, low whistle, concertina, melodica) and Meagan Ratini (fiddle, Irish flute, tin whistle), their music is known for its high energy and pervasive themes of hard-working men and women and social justice. Mindy was in her early teens when she started writing songs and soon began singing and playing guitar and dulcimer in coffee houses, pubs, and campus radio stations. While in medical school in West Virginia, she witnessed firsthand the struggles of day-to-day life in Appalachia. The music of the mountains and the miners infused into her repertoire. Perhaps Mindy is best known for her songs that reflect these struggles and triumphs of common folk, past and present-- songs that she has crafted from oral histories of both her family and the people she has met along the way. Early on, she and her daughter Meagan would play music together long into the night and eventually formed the musical duo Port Murray. She now brings her voice, instruments and songs to River Drivers. At a very early age, Kevin was playing guitar and banjo and singing harmonies to Irish standards with his father, Irish tenor, Tommy McCloskey. In his early twenties, he cut his teeth playing weekly at a Trenton pub alongside his father and “Irish Billy” Briggs. Kevin developed a passion for songs portraying the plight of working men and women. Kevin’s musical tastes are broad, and he toured North America and Europe extensively with his hardcore punk band. He brings the intensity of that genre to River Drivers with his powerful and resonating songs and vocals. Marian’s family roots lie in the town of Ardara in County Donegal--known throughout the world as an epicenter of Irish traditional music. Whenever she can break away, she steals back to the rugged coastline village bringing her concertina and whistles to recharge at its nightly sessions and the many music festivals held there--including the famed Cup of Tae and Johnny Doherty festivals. She brought the River Drivers to Ardara to play at the venues of the Cup of Tae for the past several years. Meagan grew up in a house that seemed like it had more musical instruments than practically anything else. She learned how to play the flute and dulcimer when she was quite young and then moved on to other instruments, eventually picking up the fiddle and the tin whistle and falling into Irish music. While helping direct the New Jersey Folk Festival in college, Meagan was introduced to the world of the traditional Irish session by some of the best trad musicians in the region. River Drivers’ music has received rave reviews from the likes of No Depression, fRoots, and Irish Music Magazine and has been heard on WXPN, WPKN, and hundreds of other stations globally. Their “Blair Mountain was picked up by the United Mineworkers of America and included in their annual report the year it was released. Mindy’s song, Did Ya Vote, recorded in her living room during the early pandemic, was recognized as an International Women’s Freedom Song in 2020. The powerful music of the River Drivers can be heard on radio stations in all parts of the US and Ireland, worldwide in podcasts, and onstage at festivals and pubs on both sides of the Atlantic. They have played for the last five years for the internationally acclaimed Philadelphia Folk Festival, as well as Musikfest, which had over a million attendees in 2022. Mindy also has a solo career as a singer songwriter that has included appearances at Musikfest and the Philadelphia Folk Festival.

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The Boston ImpostersThe Boston Imposters — January 22, 2023

The Boston Imposters (Davey Harrison and Maire Clement) use their eclectic musical training from classical music, contemporary improvisation, and traditional American, English and Celtic Folk music as the grounding for their original songs. The Boston Imposters duo was formed while Maire and Davey were living as midwestern imposters in Boston. The Great Lakes finally pulled them home and they now reside in Wisconsin with their beautiful son Alasdair.

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Alicia StockmanAlicia Stockman — January 15, 2023

Alicia Stockman is a Utah-based folk-meets-Americana singer-songwriter whose music pulls back the veil to reveal everyday vulnerability. Her songs are written like intimate moments, drawing listeners into a relatable emotional journey.

At a young age, Alicia Stockman began her deep love for music, compelled by the vivid storytelling of powerhouse songwriters including Patty Griffin, Indigo Girls, and Jewel. After performing in a loud rock n’ roll band, playing bars with sticky floors and belting out Stevie Wonder tunes, Alicia began writing her own music more seriously. Realizing her new songs didn’t have a place in a loud bar with a party atmosphere, she branched out and started playing more intimate venues, quickly finding her home in the folk and Americana scene. Her whisky-dipped soulful vocals and creative takes on day-to-day realities soon sparked the interest of “Nashville’s Americana Queen” Mary Bragg who began collaborating with Alicia on her new album.

Her debut 10-track full-length album is entitled These Four Walls and is a collection of "songs to make you feel and feel seen." The album says, “I see you. I've been there. I understand.” Written over a three year period, These Four Walls is a luminous roots release infused with gritty blues rock guitar licks and attention-worthy melodies.

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Byrd and StreetByrd and Street — January 8, 2023

In the spring of 2001 while recording in Tommy Byrd's studio, Kathy Street sang a simple harmony along with Tommy's melody. But what they heard was something unexpected. It sounded almost like three people singing! They knew they were onto something special, and decided then and there to perform together. Byrd and Street was born. Now, thousands of gigs later, a sixth CD released in 2020 (Love Circles ‘Round) received airplay around the globe and made the “Best of Year” Folk DJ Charts as did 3 of their first four CD's: Stories of Life, Songs of Love; Love Broke the Fall; Then and Now; and Words and Music. Three CD’s also made the Freeform American Roots Charts And the duo is still singing with that rare blend that seems to come from the combination of Kathy's light, almost ethereal sound as it meshes with Tommy's earthy, soulful voice. They were recognized by the TEXAS MUSIC AWARDS with a nomination for Duo/Group of the Year for 2014 as they were in 2012 and 2009. Kathy was also nominated for Female Vocalist for 2012 based on her performance on Then and Now. In addition Tommy was recognized by the KERRVILLE FOLK FESTIVAL in 2013, 2011 and 2009 as a NEW FOLK FINALIST in their song competition. Byrd and Street have continued to perform at venues throughout the southwest and Midwest including over 100 house concerts in 11 states. The singer/songwriter team has appeared on radio and television shows, won numerous songwriting competitions, and were Regional Winners at the Kerrville Folk Festival in 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2012. January 8, 2003 was declared Byrd and Street Day by Austin Mayor Will Wynn. Byrd and Street were Officially Showcased at the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance Conference in 2004 and 2018. In 2005 the song “Just an Old House” from their CD was licensed by the Redman Foundation, a non-profit organization in Watsonville, CA. In 2007 their song “My Forever Family” became the official song of the Adoption Coalition of Central Texas, and is being used by other adoption agencies around the country. Austin German Shepherd Rescue licensed “Let Me Be Your Friend” for use in advertising and promotions in 2008 followed by numerous licenses throughout the US. In the spring of 2011, Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul, and Mary) recorded that song, “Let Me Be Your Friend” (Lemmie Be Your Friend) to be used for advertising with "Pet Connect" on the east coast. At One World Theater in Austin,TX The duo performed opening sets for Guy Clark, Lori Morgan, Travis Tritt, KC Chambers, Marshall Tucker Band, Suzy Bogguss, BJ Thomas, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Hal Ketchum, Poco, Jimmy La Fave and Eliza Guilkyson. In December 2019, Byrd & Street organized and hosted their 10th annual “Mistletoe Jam,” a collaboration of some of Austin’s finest musicians performing to benefit the Heart Gallery of Central Texas, whose work is to find forever families for Central Texas children in foster care. Byrd's song, "My Forever Family” was adopted by the Heart Gallery as well as by other adoption agencies around the country.

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Tia McGraffTia McGraff — January 1, 2023

Tia McGraff is a multi-talented, award-winning singer, songwriter, performer, author and podcast host from Southern Ontario, Canada. Along with her husband and co-writer Tommy Parham, the skilled songstress has been making impactful and thought-provoking art for well over a decade. Bringing together a burning passion for the art of music and an honesty that is long lost on today’s modern charts, Tia McGraff is a trailblazer in her genre, one’s whose efforts have made her a beloved figure on the international music scene. Her accomplishments speak for themselves, having won the emPower Posi Music Award in 2021 for her latest single “Go Your Own Way,” a huge achievement for the talented artist. As if that weren’t enough, she’s also won awards for Americana CD of the Year, was a 2019 multi- nominee for Kingdom Image Awards, and has even won the 2019 ISSA award for single of the year.

Tia’s 2018 album release of “Stubborn In My Blood” and the first single “Let ‘Em See You’re Strong” received rave reviews. It would lead to placement on numerous “Best of 2018” lists. It was so powerful that it was even adopted by woman’s empowerment groups, being embraced by communities all around the world.

With nine international CD releases and multiple film and TV placements over the years, her recorded catalog is certainly a proud accomplishment, but where Tia truly shines is in her live performances. Her love for performing has taken her all over North America and the United Kingdom, be it in huge concerts or personal, intimate venues.

Tia is also an accomplished children’s author, notably with her book, “Jake The Road Dawg.” Based on the life and adventures of her beloved pet, the book has inspired classrooms around the world, while supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and Tia’s local Humane Society. The success of the book has led Tia to venture into the podcast realm with her popular show, “Jake’s Place Songs ‘n’ Tails.” Here, she discusses music, up and coming artists and her own personal opinions on every day topics. It’s a great change of pace, and a fantastic way to connect with the artist on a more personal level. The award-winning folk singer-songwriter from Ontario has released the title cut and video from her latest EP. PORT ROWAN, ON, CANADA – November 8, 2022 - With the September 3rd release of her latest EP “With Love,” Ontario-based folk singer-songwriter Tia McGraff has proven that she’s in top form. The first single, “Go Your Own Way” reached the iTunes country songs chart Top 15, amassing 37K Spotify streams. It won the 2021 Posi Empower Award for Social Justice. Meanwhile, another track from the EP, “Nighthawk” was awarded a 2022 Posi Empower Award for Peace. All totaled, songs from “With Love” have gained well over 100K Spotify streams, in less than 3 months of release.

Now, Tia is issuing the 2nd single and video from “With Love.” The title track continues where “Go Your Own Way” left off, delivering an upbeat and positive message in a concise 3 ½ minute-radio-friendly length.

Tia says, “With love,’ and with a little help from our friends around the world, this video has captured the message of hope and unification Kevin Fisher, Tommy Parham, and I intended to achieve.”

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Shari UlrichShari Ulrich — December 11, 2022

Originally a California girl, Shari Ulrich settled on the west coast of Canada in 1970, and soon launched her life in music as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (violin, mandolin, piano, guitar, dulcimer, harmonica). From her time with the legendary Pied Pumkin to The Hometown Band, and on as a solo artist, her career has resulted in 25 albums to date, including collaborations with Bill Henderson and Roy Forbes (UHF), Barney Bentall and Tom Taylor (BTU), and more recently the Bluegrass Band, The High Bar Gang. Along the way, she has garnered 2 JUNO awards and several nominations, an induction into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, and a 2014 Canadian Folk Music Award for English Songwriter of the Year. An accomplished and dynamic performer, Shari makes any size audience feel they are in her living room – drawn in by her insightful lyrics, and her engaging warmth and humour.

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James Lee StanleyJames Lee Stanley — December 4, 2022

James Lee Stanley has released 24 solo CD’s, the three most recent being Without Susie, (2020) At Last – In Philadelphia (2016) and The Apocaloptimist (2015); as well as three duet CD’s with Peter Tork; A Beachwood Christmas with Tom Paxton, Peter Tork and Pamala Stanley; Two Man Band Two-a duet CD with Michael Smith; All Wood and Stones-a duet CD with John Batdorf; All Wood and Doors-a duet CD with Cliff Eberhardt All Wood and Stones II with John Batdorf, and the recently released All Wood and Led (2022) with Dan Navarro , as well as the original cast recording of Straight From the Heart - The Musical, which he produced, performed in and wrote the book, lyrics and music.

The documentary The Opening Act – The Extraordinary Journey of James Lee Stanley is a semi finalist in the Santa Monica, San Jose, Atlanta and Los Angeles Film Festivals, as well as the recipient of the Peoples Choice Award in the London Film Festival.

He wrote the Top Five hit Coming Out of Hiding, as well as the hits I Don’t Want To Talk About It; Plenty of Reason; All I Ever Wanted; and Make It Tonight.; scored the Emmy Award Winning CATHY Specials for Prime Time CBS-TV, the Cable Ace Award Winning Tom Parks HBO Special, and the Award Winning Tom Parks Diabetes Documentary; has produced the artists Mike Pinder/Moody Blues, Nicolette Larson, and Peter Tork, amongst many others.

James Lee has shared the stage with everyone from Bonnie Raitt to Robin Williams, Dionne Warwick to Steven Wright, Art Garfunkel to Robin Trower; sometimes spending as much as 300 days a year on the road.

He also spent five and a half years on the TV Show, StarTrek Deep Space Nine, as various aliens including the singing Klingon.

James spent two terms on the board of the Folk Alliance International (2009-2015), and was a board member of NARAS-LA (1992-1996).

And he’s still such a nice guy…

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Meg TennantMeg Tennant — November 27, 2022

Meg Tennant is a Canadian folk-roots songwriter originally from Northern Ontario and currently living in British Columbia. She has performed at festivals, concerts and songwriter showcases in both provinces and has opened shows for Eliza Gilkyson, Slaid Cleaves, Tracy Grammer and Tom Russell at Vancouver’s Rogue Folk Club.

Meg’s latest CD “Echoed Light”, which she co-produced with Toronto roots rock songwriter Mark Ripp, offers up some hope, comfort and clarity. Roots Music Canada said “The songs, most of them recent, pulse with the ideology of perseverance that Meg brings to all of her stories”. “Echoed Light” was included in Roots Music Canada’s list of 11 Favourite New Discoveries of 2019.

Previous releases include her first solo CD “Driving With You”, produced by award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist John MacArthur Ellis, and a collaborative collection, “The Sweetest Day” with the band August.

Meg's songs have been recorded and performed by Canadian folk, ragtime and bluegrass artists, and her A Capella song “Bucket of Love” continues to be performed by choirs in Canada, the U.S., Australia and Sweden.

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New Middle ClassNew Middle Class — November 20, 2022

In the late ‘70’s, Mike led a Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks influenced band called Light Horse Harry. Barbara happened to be in the room at an audition to replace the band’s departing bassist and, upon discovering that this hot chick was neither the wife nor the girlfriend of the new bassist, Mike asked her out.

Before long, Barbara’s love of singing inspired her to join the band and she went from girlfriend to backing singer to featured vocalist. Mike’s songwriting became more prolific – it must have been love! Light Horse Harry played the NYC college scene; their shows were loose, lots of fun, and hot swing/bluegrass fiddler Marty Laster would always bring the house down.

These were the new wave days of Talking Heads, Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson, and after their wedding in 1981 Barbara and Mike decided to go for the big time with a new band, a rock band, with Barbara fulfilling her destiny as lead singer. The band was called Tour de Force and, clad in her Betsy Johnson splendor, Barbara fronted the guitar/bass/drums (and sometimes keyboards) combo at downtown venues like SNAFU and C.B.G.B. A highly anticipated international stadium tour fell through with the collapse of the Venezuelan economy; after the drummer left, the remaining members continued to write and record.

Then life intervened, Barbara and Mike moved out of the city and started a family, and for a while much of the music in the house was tinkling from wind-up toys. Once their older daughter was no longer an infant, they felt the gravitational pull of singer-songwriter stardom and started networking with local songwriters and musicians. A cornucopia of new songs ensued. Meanwhile, Mike and Barbara were performing at coffeehouses and festivals in the tri-state area, and recorded their self-titled album at PM Productions. The engineer at this recording studio also reviewed equipment for Mix magazine, so they got to play with lots of high-end and vintage equipment, and ended up with a beautiful-sounding album. The Poughkeepsie Journal wrote, "Thoughtful and intelligent lyrics in a base of well thought-out, hook-laden instrumentation...together, the Boroks write and make great music."

Their songs won awards in major songwriting contests, were played on over 50 radio stations worldwide, and they performed in events nationwide, including the Northeastern and Southwestern Folk Alliance conferences, Chicago and Florida festivals, and won Grand Prize at the Music To Life song contest at the prestigious Kerrville (TX) Folk Festival. Their songs also appear on The Folk Next Door IV Local Color, Fast Folk Undercurrents, and on three compilation albums by the Funny Music Project (The FuMP).

Their second album, What’s That Thing?, was recorded at their home studio. One of the songs, “Loch Ness Café”, was played on BBC radio, and it turned out that a Loch Ness Café actually existed in Inverness, Scotland – they contacted the band for permission to frame the lyrics of the song on their wall. (The song went on to be a finalist in the U.K. Songwriting Contest and the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest.) Also, Scottish poet and Inverness ambassador Willie Cameron read the lyrics on BBC Scotland, and Barbara is currently working on a video featuring his performance.

Their latest album is House of Love. In their review, The Ark of Music wrote, "Their perspective is refreshing, their writing is original, and their material, on the whole, is some of the finest songwriting we’ve been fortunate enough to come across in recent years.". Singles from this album include "Quark", "Lazy Me" and "It Ain't What It Ain't".

Barbara and Mike are currently recording two new albums. One is a themed album titled Arguing With God. The other one (no title yet!) will be our usual mix of fun, serious and slightly bent songs in a variety of styles.

Their website is newmiddleclass.com, and their facebook page is newmiddleclassmusic.

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Roland RobertsRoland Roberts — November 13, 2022

Alaska-based Americana singer-songwriter Roland Roberts has released his sophomore full-length album, So It Goes, today. In an interview with DITTY TV, Roland opened up, explaining that he “experienced his lowest lows and highest highs all in the same year, losing his father and brother within a few months. That profound level of grief helped to shape his new album.” The 11-song collection — written while living at the base of Hatcher Pass, Alaska and recorded at Old Crow Recording in Whitehorse, Canada — showcases Roland’s innate ability to capture the character traits of what it means to be an American. He’s spent time in different parts of the country and weaves those experiences into his music. Born in Memphis, TN, he grew up as a Southern boy in Alabama, but moved to Colorado after graduating college. On a Rocky Mountain High for a 10-year stint, he then ventured to set up camp in Alaska, where he currently lives.  “Roland Roberts has that raspy Americana voice that puts a lump in your throat . . . he sounds a little like James Taylor.” –Melissa Clarke, Americana Highways, June 6, 2022 Music flooded his senses from a young, impressionable age. “Some of my first musical memories are my dad just playing guitar and dobro around the house,” says Roberts. “He and his brothers and my grandfather would play together at family reunions and stuff like that.” Inspired by early trailblazers such as Kris Kristofferson, John Prine and The Allman Brothers Band, Roberts continues to find modern inspiration from the likes of Jason Isbell and Blaze Foley. “My grandfather, Roland Sr., was an old country music guy and my dad was a big southern rock guy,” recalls Roberts “So both those genres played an early role. Another monumental thing was when one of my friend’s older brother gave me a Drive-By Truckers tape when I was around 14 or so, Gangstabilly was the album. I played that tape until it didn’t work anymore.”  With So It Goes, Roland Roberts wants listeners to understand that life goes on. “We love people, we lose people. Sometimes your whole world is turned upside down in both good ways and bad, but you gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other because time never slows…and So It Goes.”

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Kris SchultzKris Schultz — November 6, 2022

Kris Schultz took the scenic route to songwriting. She spent years working for Austin-based musicians and bands as merch slinger, van driver, and road manager without playing, writing or singing herself. After taking a break from that life to start a pet care business with her twin sister, on a whim she bought a cheap guitar and decided to take a songwriting coaching consultation with one of the artists she had previously worked for. After penning her first song, Kris was hooked. Within five months she was playing her first set at a local coffeeshop, discovering she loved live performance as much as she did writing songs. In the five years since that first song, she’s toured the Midwest, the Southwest and part of the Southeast, as well as playing dates around Texas. She released her debut album, “Standard Issue Heart” - produced by Charlie Richards - in October of 2021, and plans to record the follow up with Richards producing in 2022-23.

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Aimee Van DyneAimee Van Dyne — October 30, 2022

After a 15-year hiatus, Folk-Americana singer-songwriter Aimee Van Dyne is receiving a warm welcome back to the music community. Her new 11-song release, ‘Broken Love Songs’ has been aired on over 100 radio stations nationally and abroad, and has placed on the Alt-Country Chart, the FAI Folk Chart, and the RMR Americana-Country Album Chart, to name a few. Her song, ‘Lonely Me,’ was selected as a finalist in the Country category for the 2022 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and her song, ‘Hold On,’ was selected as a finalist in the Folk category for that same contest.

Born into a musical family, Van Dyne is a classically-trained pianist who picked up the acoustic guitar at the age of thirteen after discovering the music of Neil Young. Moving on to study art and architecture in college, it wasn’t until she was in her thirties and working as an architect in New York City that Van Dyne began to pursue music professionally, performing at venues such as The Bitter End and The Living Room, where her live performances were hailed as “three of the best voices in town soaring through a uniquely imaginative blend of ideas.” (NY Music Daily).

With the birth of her twin daughters, Van Dyne made the difficult decision to devote herself to child-rearing full-time, casting aside her guitar into her cellar, where it remained for the next ten years. A move from Brooklyn to the Berkshire Mountains, along with the dissolution of her 23-year marriage, was the impetus for her return to songwriting.

Written and arranged by Van Dyne, ‘Broken Love Songs’ is a deeply personal and confessional exploration, whose “loosely connecting thread is that of going into the wilderness and emerging intact” (NY Music Daily). Indeed, Van Dyne has submerged herself into wild places, both figuratively and literally, examining the dark entanglements of failed relationships, but acknowledging that “on the other side of dark comes the light.” Her original compositions, acclaimed as “songs of durable beauty and intricate craftsmanship” (Alan Young, Lucid Culture), are characterized by strong melodies, catchy hooks, and symphonic, three-part harmonies. They reflect influences such as Neil Young, John Lennon, and Lucinda Williams.

Co-produced by multi-instrumentalist Jim Henry (Tracy Grammer, Eliza Gilkyson) and recorded by David Chalfant of The Nields, ‘Broken Love Songs’ features a first-class team of musicians, including Jon Carroll (Mary Chapin Carpenter), Paul Kochanski (Lori McKenna), and Jon Graboff (Ryan Adams, Norah Jones).

Van Dyne is thrilled to be playing live music again! She has upcoming shows scheduled in New York City and throughout the New England area. She currently lives in Berkshire County, MA, with her two lovely daughters and her three silly cats.

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Kris AngelisKris Angelis — October 16, 2022

Kris grew up on a farm in Florida making up songs with her sister in their treehouse. She started doing plays and musical theater and moved to LA to pursue acting. But she kept writing songs and eventually that became her main focus. She put out a full-length album called “The Left Atrium” in 2013, then “Heartbreak Is Contagious” EP in 2017, and “Pieces That Were Stolen” in 2018.

In 2019, Kris Angelis packed up her broken heart into her little blue Prius and personally booked and performed over 100 shows across all 50 states. The album that came out of her experiences "That Siren, Hope" produced by Bill Lefler, partially co-written with Garrison Starr, and featuring fiddle by Jeb Bows (Gregory Alan Isakov) came out on Jan 24th, 2020 debuting at #1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart and as the highest ranking independent release that week on the Billboard Top Current Albums chart at #79. It also appeared on the first-round Grammy ballot and Kris was selected for the Grammy NEXT program.

“That Siren, Hope” was on the Americana Albums radio chart for 19 weeks, getting to #59 with spins all over the country on FM and SiriusXM, the title track was featured on Netflix’s “Atypical”, and the music video was premiered by American Songwriter Magazine. Her music video for “Photobooth” had 4 nominations including Video of the Year and 3 wins in the International Independent Music Video Awards including Best Folk/Americana Video and Fan Favorite.

Apart from writing and recording the new record, Kris kept busy in 2020 with live-stream performances including the UnCancelled Festival, Folk Alliance Unlocked showcases, Happy Hour for the Guild of Music Supervisors with KT Tunstall, Live from The Hotel Cafe, RoadNation's Road-Less Series, and many many more, as well as releasing a Live album and some singles including an original Holiday song with Abe Abraham.

Kris’s last album, “The Skies We Look To” came out April 30th at #1 on the iTunes singer/songwriter chart and “I’d Give Anything” was featured in American Songwriter, landed on New Music Nashville, Next From Nashville, and Indigo Official Spotify playlists, and charted for 15 weeks on Americana radio. “My Quiet”, another song from the album, is a winner in the International Songwriting Competition.

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Lynn CrossettLynn Crossett — October 9, 2022

Lynn Crossett is a singer-songwriter based in San Marcos, Texas, who travels between Central Texas and Southern California performing Americana, alt-country style music. His latest album titled "In the Company of a Song" was produced by Grammy Award winning alt-country legend Lloyd Maines and features not only signature steel guitar work by Lloyd Maines but also fiddle and mandolin by Dennis Ludiker (Asleep at the Wheel, Milkdrive) and harmony vocals by HalleyAnna Finlay Welch on two songs ("Warren and Whitney" and "Child Support Trips"). Because Lynn divides his time between his home base in the Austin, Texas area and Southern California, the album contains a wide range of lyrical and musical themes - from the tale of a busker on the Santa Monica Pier in the first song ("Stay Awhile"), the road trip song, "California Ride," the title track with its Eastern, Central, and Pacific Time Zone allusions, the more playful "Do You Remember Me," the word-painting storytelling of "Warren and Whitney" and "Child Support Trips," to the observations of Los Angeles in the final song, "Boulevard," which has elements of reggae on this Americana/folk record and even has Lloyd Maines singing harmony vocals, something he has only done for artists with whom he has worked for many years, such as Joe Ely, Terry Allen, and Terri Hendrix. The songwriting combined with the masterful yet minimal production makes this album an engaging listen from start to finish.

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