Hailed by David Grisman as a “wonderful mandolin player”, and by Darol Anger as “one of the finest mandolin players ever”, Portland, Maine-based musician Joe K. Walsh is known for his exceptional tone and taste, and his collaborations and recordings with acoustic music luminaries including Darol Anger, Brittany Haas, Grant Gordy, Molly Tuttle, Sam Grisman, Mike Block, Danny Barnes, Scott Nygaard, Matt Flinner, Mike Marshall’s Ger Mandolin Ensemble, and pop-grass darlings Joy Kills Sorrow, a band he co-founded. He has performed at festivals, club and theaters all over North America, Europe and Japan. After a number of award-winning years with bluegrass stars the Gibson Brothers, Joe currently splits his time between the stylistically-omnivorous string band Mr Sun (featuring Darol Anger, Grant Gordy and Aidan O’Donnell), the Mike Block Trio, a duo with Matt Flinner, and a trio with Ella Jordan and Jed Wilson. His most recent solo record “Trust and Love” was released in 2025 on Adhyaropa Records, which also released his previous record ”If Not Now, Who?”.
An in-demand educator, Joe is an associate professor at the Berklee College of Music. He was director of the Berklee American Roots Weekend string camp, currently co-directs the Ossipee Valley String Camp, and is coordinator of Swannanoa Mandolin and Banjo Week. He teaches regularly at music camps and workshops all over North America and Europe, and teaches online through Peghead Nation.
For several years Brooklyn-based guitarist Grant Gordy has been a major voice on the American “acoustic music” scene, and one of the most highly regarded young instrumentalists of his generation. Having held the guitar chair in the legendary David Grisman Quintet for six years, he’s also worked alongside such musical luminaries as Edgar Meyer, Steve Martin, Tony Trischka and Darol Anger. Grant has performed all over North America and Europe, everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Montreal Jazz Festival; Jazz at Lincoln Center to Bonnaroo.
His music has been heard on NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts, and he’s received attention from international music periodicals such as The Fretboard Journal, Acoustic Guitar Magazine, Japanese bluegrass publication Moonshiner, Just Jazz Guitar and Flatpicking Guitar Magazine.
LEW, is a twenty two year old local singer-songwriter who translates something intangible, emotion, into an embrace that is rough but real. His voice is a melodic silky sound that hugs you like a friend, and takes you home.
In 2017, LEW released his debut album “Lullacry” at his sold-out album launch. “Lullacry” reached #1 on the Singapore iTunes Charts, #6 in China and #9 in Taiwan respectively, and has now amassed over 3.8 million plays on Spotify. The acoustic-pop artist is now based in Boston, pursuing a degree in songwriting at Berklee College of Music, and has more recently released two EPs in 2018, entitled “There’s Something In My Eye” & “ENFJ” respectively.
LEW participated and completed the Noise Singapore Music Mentorship Program, and was very honoured to receive the NOISE Award for 2015. He has performed for many festivals and on various stages including “SHINE Festival 2017/2018” , ‘MOSAIC Music Series‘ at The Esplanade Outdoor Theatres, “Bandwagon Nights’ at Hard Rock Cafe and was also part of the SCAPE Invasion Lineup for 2016.
LEW’s debut album ‘Lullacry’ was released in July 2017 and has already garnered over 2.1 million plays on Spotify. It also hit #1 on the Singapore iTunes Charts, #6 in China, #9 in Taiwan, #11 in Hong Kong and #12 in Indonesia respectively.
Lindsey Sampson, Greg Daigle, and Jim McCann are musicians and songwriters from the Boston area who team up to create the band Visiting Wine. They blend smooth harmonies with Southern stomp and holler for a sound with depth and energy.
Greg and Lindsey started making music together in spring 2017, song by song, just for fun. Some they released immediately, some they released months later just to friends and family, some they never released at all. They were both songwriters playing solo around Boston – they started playing shows together and spending hours and hours in Greg’s home studio. Their creative voices and twisted senses of humor complimented each other’s to a point at which they decided, we have no choice but to be in a band together.
They released their debut album, Visiting Wine, in July 2018. It mixes tight harmonies with Southern stomp & holler for a sound with depth and energy. Their music marries a wide variety of music influences, from the intertwining harmonies of early church music to the rhythm-forward influences of heavy metal. As Greg describes, “now we’re just metal guitarists with acoustic instruments.”
They celebrated the release of the album with a sold out show at the Burren in Cambridge. After the release, they have been performing around New England and continue to create new music for release in 2019.
A good rule of thumb when going to a Mindy Smith concert, bring a hanky, a tissue or an extra sleeve. Your tear ducts don’t know the difference between laughing tears and crying tears and you’ll likely be doing both. “Humor is how I compensate for singing so many sad tunes back to back,” says Smith.
Mindy Smith is a Long Island-born, Nashville based singer-songwriter with a clear and honest passion for Americana, jazz, pop, rock, blues, and folk and is a self-proclaimed music genre mutt.
She first created a buzz in the music world in 2003 charming fans with her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” for the tribute album ‘Just Because I’m a Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton.’ In 2004, Mindy solidified her place and won critical acclaim with her own debut album, ‘One Moment More’ which was re-issued on vinyl for the first time in 2019, to commemorate its 15th Anniversary.
She has since released four additional full-length studio albums, a Christmas EP, and numerous singles.
Her original songs have been recorded and released by the likes of Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack, Faith Hill and many more. Mindy has performed alongside the likes of Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, John Prine, and Mary Chapin Carpenter and was most recently the featured vocalist on Kenny Chesney’s charting single, “Better Boat”.
The Ladles have three part female harmony perfected – but their sound is more than that… They are an amalgamation of their respective histories and influences. With sophisticated arrangements, they create a dreamy otherworldly atmosphere that draws audiences in and demands attention. They quiet noisy bars and liven up staid concert halls. The Ladles are Katie Martucci, Caroline Kuhn, and Lucia Pontoniere.
Rainbow Girls are an eclectic folk trio hailing from the golden countryside just north of California’s Bay Area. Vanessa May, Erin Chapin, and Caitlin Gowdey seamlessly combine soul-touching harmonies, varitextured instrumentals, and poignant lyrical content into a beautiful sonic tapestry. Throughout their performance, voices are paired with an ever-changing amalgamation of acoustic and slide guitar, keys, upright bass, harmonica, and an array of vocal techniques creating an engaging and often emotionally moving live show.
Their music delves deeply into themes of the human experience: hopeful love, honest self-reflection, and pursuits of social justice. Their latest album, “American Dream,” crystallizes these ideas in acoustic amber, encapsulating a beautiful new direction for their ever-evolving sound.
Originally formed in Santa Barbara, CA in 2010, the Rainbow Girls have spread their musical wings both internationally and domestically, from busking on the streets of Europe to playing pubs and theaters in the UK, to house concerts, festivals, and shows in the US.
“A gang of sweet angels punching you in the heart”
A native of Scituate, MA, south shore based artist Sam Luke Chase is a multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter who writes heart-on-your-sleeve roots-based acoustic pop songs. Whether solo, or with his band, Sam’s raspy baritone, acoustic guitar chops and quality songwriting help Chase standout among a sea of contemporary songwriters.
Chase has recorded three studio albums, the latest of which – Lift Me Up – showcases his musical abilities by playing all the instrumentation and is entirely self produced. It is a solo record in the truest sense. Chase released a new single called “Vortex” in 2018 that debuted on Boston’s 92.5 The River.
2018 also saw Chase appear at the prestigious Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase in Hillsdale, NY as well as a MainStage appearance at Black Bear Americana Festival in Groton, CT. He then teamed up with the Berkshire-based outfit The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow for a show at The Linda (WAMC Performing Arts Center) in Albany, NY.
A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Chase maintains a heavy playing schedule in the northeast from Cape Cod up to Portland, ME. Recently he has started performing as the Sam Luke Chase Trio in addition to his solo sets.
Eighteen year- old Quentin Callewaert has only been on the music scene for a few years now, but he is creating a major buzz as one of the most gifted guitarists around. Classically trained, Quentin’s interest in fingerstyle acoustic guitar was inspired by Doc Watson and Merle Travis. He is also a gifted singer with a refreshingly bluesy voice that compliments his blend of Americana, gospel and bluegrass.
Scottish duo The Jellyman’s Daughter lands squarely in the middle of a strange crossroads between bluegrass, post-rock, folk and soul. Mixing their unique vocal harmonies with wild and visceral cello, driving guitar and sweet mandolin, Emily and Graham write their songs together with a focus on doing something new.
The Jellyman’s Daughter have now finished their second album, ‘Dead Reckoning’. The new album takes its title from a navigational term that, when applied to the human spirit, is analogous to navigating our way through life, and how we progress (or otherwise). This theme permeates the 10 songs on the new record in different ways, ranging from the overwhelming sense of bleakness imbued by many world events in recent years to more personal experiences of steering a course through relationships and journeys both physical and emotional. Featuring prominently is banjo player Jamie Francis (of Radio 2 Folk Award nominees Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys) and double bassist Paul Gilbody (KT Tunstall, Adam Holmes & The Embers) while Toby Shaer (Cara Dillon, John McCusker) provides fiddle on two songs. Graham himself wrote the arrangements for the 16-piece string orchestra, while Edinburgh-based composer Luci Holland conducted the ensemble during recording. The album is a marked step forward in maturity, depth and scope while retaining the affinity that is the foundation of the duo’s sound.
