Logan Ledger

Native Californian Ledger came to music fairly early: he began singing as a young child and started playing old-time and bluegrass music on guitar at age 12. Enamored of early roots music recordings of Appalachian ballads and string bands from the 1930s, he soon discovered the music of Hank Williams and George Jones – he describes it as “a bomb going off in my mind” – and devoted himself wholeheartedly to learning all he could about country music.

After college, he briefly returned to the Bay Area where he played with a bluegrass band, but Nashville’s pull on him was strong. As he explains, “This was a further expression of my archaeological impulse with regard to music-making – I’ve always believed that in order to create something new with purpose, one must be steeped in the past and work from within the tradition.”

Upon his arrival in Nashville, he threw himself into writing and performing and was quickly embraced by the city’s thriving music community. He was signed by Burnett, who brought him to the attention of Rounder. He released his critically acclaimed eponymous debut record in 2020. Three years later, the Shooter-Jennings-produced Golden State followed.

Darren Buck

Raised in a small town west of Boston, Darren Buck received a BFA in Advertising Design from Syracuse University. After a decade in New York City working as an artist and performer, he returned to Massachusetts to become an art educator. Now in his eighteenth year, he’s the proud holder of a Masters of Science in Art Education from MassArt, and continues to pursue visual arts and music-related endeavors outside the classroom.

Along with fiddler Annie Bartlett and guitarist Michale Loria, he founded the soulful Americana band Hank Wonder. They have released two acclaimed records; Little Mysteries (2017) and Waylaid (2021).

Paul Rishell & Annie Raines

For over 30 years Paul Rishell & Annie Raines have been hailed as one of the world’s best blues duos. They have recorded 6 albums together including the W.C. Handy Award-winning Moving to the Country (2000), and received numerous award nominations from the Blues Foundation. They have performed and recorded with John Sebastian, Susan Tedeschi, Pinetop Perkins and Rory Block. They have opened for Ray Charles, Dr. John, and Little Feat, and performed on international radio and TV shows including Late Night with Conan O’Brien and A Prairie Home Companion. They continue to perform American roots music and their own compositions at festivals, concert halls, and clubs all over the world. As a working team, Paul and Annie have racked up hundreds of thousands of miles on the road in the U.S. and Europe, collaborated on original songs, and released the Blues Foundation Award nominated TALKING GUITAR , I WANT YOU TO KNOW (Tone-Cool/Artemis 1996), MOVING TO THE COUNTRY(2000), the W.C. Handy Award winner for Acoustic Blues Album of the Year, and GOIN’ HOME (2004), which was nominated for two Handy Awards.

Paul Rishell and Annie Raines’s sixth project together, TALKING GUITAR was released in 2012 and received 2 Nominations for the Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Awards. It features Paul returning to the bare essence of country blues, with stunning solo performances of gems by Lead Belly, Blind Boy Fuller, Skip James and others, with Annie joining in on a few tunes. It is stark, stripped down and intimate. Their previous album, the live recording “A NIGHT IN WOODSTOCK” was released in 2008 as a CD and in 2009 as a DVD on their own Mojo Rodeo label, and distributed internationally by Burnside Distribution, each release earning multiple Blues Music Award nominations. The live concert features special guests John Sebastian, Bruce Katz, and Paul and Annie’s own backing band joining the duo for an eclectic, high-energy set of acoustic and electric originals and classic blues songs.

Paul and Annie are equally passionate about their craft and devoted to the study and performance of a wide range of blues styles, from the syncopated acoustic guitar wizardry of Blind Lemon Jefferson and Son House to Chicagoan “Little” Walter Jacob’s swinging amplified harmonica. Paul has reached what Boston Phoenix writer Ted Drozdowski called “a place deep and resonant as Robert Johnson’s crossroads, where authenticity, soul, and a sense of purpose and commitment ring out in every note he sings and plays.” Annie has added vocals, mandolin, piano, and other instruments to her musical arsenal, while being recognized by top professionals and fans worldwide as the “queen of the blues harmonica.” Says blues legend Pinetop Perkins, “She plays so good it hurts!”

Touring internationally at festivals, clubs, and concert halls, and teaching workshops and seminars, Paul Rishell & Annie Raines have earned loyal fans around the globe. Paul and Annie are featured in the new jug band music documentary, Chasin’ Gus’ Ghost, which debuted at the San Francisco Film Festival in August 2007. They have performed on diverse radio and TV shows including A Prairie Home Companion, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and PBS’s Arthur. They have performed and recorded with Susan Tedeschi, John Sebastian, Pinetop Perkins, and Rory Block. Susan Tedeschi recorded an “unplugged” version of Paul’s Blues on a Holiday with Paul and Annie for her 2003 release, Wait For Me.

“W.C. Handy Award-winners Rishell & Raines are rousing interpreters of country blues, the original acoustic style that gave birth to electric blues, R&B, and rock. While their guitar, harmonica, and vocals are roiling, muscular, and masterful, their shows are down home-friendly and fun-loving.” –Scott Alarik, BOSTON GLOBE

Sons of Town Hall

Introducing Sons of Town Hall, the theatrical-folk duo of Ben Parker — celebrated British singer/songwriter/producer and David Berkeley — beloved American singer/songwriter/author. Dressed in threadbare Victorian outfits and armed with old, weather-beaten Gibson guitars, their show is part concert, part performance art, and unlike anything you have ever seen. Whilst crossing the Atlantic on a raft of their own making, Sons of Town Hall crafted songs of wonder and woe, heartbreak, and hope. Their harmonies are sublime. Their stories are hilarious.

In late 2024, Sons of Town Hall will release their sophomore album and an accompanying podcast series. Hosted by British actor Oliver Maltman, the podcast, entitled “The Adventures of the Sons of Town Hall,” is produced in the style of old radio theater — complete with beautifully scored music and lush soundscapes. Each of the fifteen globe-spanning episodes tells one of the duo’s many adventures drawn from their mythic lives together and features a brand-new song from the forthcoming album.

Jay Nash

I remember when I was kid, being dumbfounded, paralyzed and terrified all at once, when the notion of infinity first dawned on me. I think that I was eleven years old and in the sixth grade at Enders Road Elementary School. It was then, that the expanse of the Universe and the endless stream of time first dwarfed my perception of my own reality and it was then, for the very first time that I felt afraid and alone.

This pre-pubescent, existential crisis was thankfully subverted by a fortunate discovery.

Music.

Sure, I had been listening to bands like Def Leppard, Quiet Riot and Kiss on expandable suitcase-record player since I was seven, which was all well and good. But, it was the sound of the Grateful Dead, emanating from my Sanyo boombox, as I laid in my bunk bed, that reconnected me to the world, humanity and I dare say, the universe. There was a language of truth that I had never heard before in Jerry Garcia’s fiery playing (circa the 1971, ‘Skull and Roses’ release), that intertwined in conversation, chorus and harmony with Bob Weir’s, glassy, rhythmic punctuations. The entire band was communicating with each other and it’s audience in way that I could barely comprehend. Suddenly, I was no longer alone.

Shortly thereafter, I flipped that 90 minute Maxell tape over and discovered a resonance of similar amplitude in the songs and voice of Cat Stevens. Of course, his music was of a completely different shade, but the connection was just as strong. It was clear to me, at that moment, in my eleven year old mind, that Cat had pondered the same questions and fears that I had in my early existentialism. Again I realized, I was not alone.

What followed between then and now, was probably not all that different than the experience that many American songwriters have had growing up. My uncle gave me a guitar, I became obsessed with the recordings of the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and the like, and I began to figure out how to play some songs. Slowly (though not particularly surely) I would also begin to find my voice as a singer, a player and a writer. Eventually, I found my way to New York City, then on to Los Angeles and onto stages all across the land.

All of that stuff hardly seems as important though, as that discovery that I made when I was just a kid. It wasn’t necessarily The Dead, Jerry or Cat Stevens, specifically…it really could have been anyone, I think. Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson, Charlie Parker…Frank Sinatra. What I discovered, was the connective power of music. Every once in a while, throughout my life, I will forget and when I do, I suppose that I let my perception of the world around me fade in to black and white. Then, I will hear a voice, or a song…or find myself onstage with a particularly open and enthusiastic audience, or sharing a harmony with a friend…and BOOM! Everything explodes back into technicolor.

So – that is what I do. I seek that connection. I search for that sound. I suspect that the universe has some particular resonant frequencies and I believe that is truth that we are all looking for. Just as it exists in the physical world, I think that we can find that resonance in melody, harmony, rhythm and poetry. I was lucky enough to discover it very early on in my life – and so, I take that as a hint from the universe that I should encourage and enable others to make similar discoveries.

Jordie Lane

Following on from the critically acclaimed album ‘Glassellland’ landing in many top 50 album lists, top 10 success on the Roots Music Report Chart and cracking the top 100 on the AMA/CDX Americana Chart, Jordie Lane returns with his new studio LP Tropical Depression slated as his first ever label release, August 16, 2024 via ABC Music Australia, along with being signed to Universal Music Publishing Group. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, with Grammy nominated producer, engineer, instrumentalist Jon Estes (Kacey Musgraves, Dolly Parton, Rodney Crowell), and mixed by famed engineer Noah Georgeson (The Strokes, Devandra Banhart, Andy Shauf, Marlon Williams) and mastered by Juno Award winning Phillip Shaw Bova (Feist, Father John Misty, Angel Olsen, Bahamas). Jordie Lane marks this new chapter with a sound that consistently defies genres, with his latest wandering somewhere close to the outskirts of Americana and 60’s inspired Folk while “creating a pathbreaking and inspiring sound” all of its own. With Irreverent wit and satirical commentary, the songs on Tropical Depression tackle (among other things) Lane’s own growing obsession with extreme weather (ignited by a close call with an EF-3 Tornado) and its eventual collision with his own mental health battles.
Heavy themes juxtaposed with an upbeat playfulness grinning its way right through the album. Jordie Lane and his latest offering, Tropical Depression are an important addition to the ever expanding Americana/Folk world as an Australian artist based in Nashville, Tennessee with a unique perspective and voice that may just become legendary while he’s still alive.
Jordie Lane has continued to delight audiences around the world now for over a decade, performing major festivals in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. He has toured with a wide range of international legends, from Gotye to Billy Bragg, Cat Power to Old
Crow Medicine Show to Marlon Williams, Ruthie Foster to The Moody Blues and several tours with Aussie legends The Waifs.
A career that has taken Lane from performing the role of the late Cosmic Country legend Gram Parsons in the stage play ‘Grievous Angel’, to the Beatles Rubber Soul/Revolver shows at Sydney Opera House, and becoming a composer for the screen writing the Musical Score for newly rebooted adaption of the classic Australian comedy ‘Mother and Son’. Jordie has appeared on Australian TV shows Rock Wiz singing with Grammy nominated artist Mary Gauthier, and guesting on the hit Music Quiz show ‘Spicks and Specks’ along with CW Stoneking.

The Wildwoods

In the heart of Lincoln, Nebraska, The Wildwoods emerge as a folk/Americana trio, a musical tapestry woven by the husband-and-wife duo, Noah (guitar) and Chloe Gose (violin), accompanied by the bassist Andrew Vaggalis. Their story is a symphony of exploration and connection, a journey that has taken them from the Midwest to international stages, carving out a unique place in the folk landscape. Their presence has graced stages alongside artists such as Mighty Poplar, Sierra Ferrell, Aiofe O’ Donovan, Melissa Carper, Jamie Wyatt and Joe Nichols at concerts and festivals like Summerfest, FreshGrass and the Oyster Ridge Music Festival.

The Wildwoods have become a force in the folk scene, boasting accolades like being finalists at the FreshGrass Music Festival Band competition and Gems on VHS “Gems in the Rough” competition in 2023. Their songwriting prowess is underscored by semi-final placements in the International Songwriting competition, with tracks like “Untitled” and “Way of Train.” Recognized consistently at the Omaha Arts and Entertainment Awards, they were crowned “Best Band” by the Lincoln Journal Star’s Lincoln Choice Awards in 2022.

Their sonic journey unfolds through albums like the debut “Sweet Nostalgia” (2017), followed by “Birdie & Goose” (2017), “Across A Midwest Sky” (2019), and their latest masterpiece, “Foxfield Saint John” (2023). The band’s evolution is evident in each track, a testament to their commitment to pushing musical boundaries.

United by a passion for folk/Americana, the trio’s influences range from Watchhouse and Nickel Creek, to Gillian Welch & David Rawlings. Their music, though comfortably under the folk/Americana umbrella, weaves intricate chord structures and emotional textures that defy genre boundaries. Together, their harmonies resonate with artful sincerity, drawing inspiration from nature, their shared experiences of growing up in Nebraska, and life on the road.

Nigel Wearne

Nigel Wearne saunters after dark in the music of the night, blending blues, jazz and Americana-noir. Hailing from Gunditjmara country in the deep south of Australia, Wearne is a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist with diverse influences such as Nick Cave, Tom Waits and Rickie Lee Jones.

Nigel has played some of the world’s most prestigious music festivals, including Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, MerleFest, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, Adelaide Guitar Festival (Australia) and the Cambridge Folk Festival (UK).
His sophomore album, ‘Black Crow’ garnered wide critical acclaim including a 4-STAR review in Rolling Stone, a nomination for Best Country Album at the Music Victoria Awards and it debuted at #1 on Australia’s AMRAP Charts. His latest offering, ‘The Reckoning’ received back-to-back nominations for Best Blues Work at the 2023 & 2024 Music Victoria Awards, a 4-STAR review in The Weekend Australian and had two songs selected as finalists (top #10) in the International Songwriting Competition.
A deep thinker and truth seeker with a penchant for all things peculiar, he sings of human frailty, grace and the cosmos; songwriting that cuts to the bone. “Tailor made for fans of Tom Waits… with fire and brimstone lyrics that recall Nick Cave” – Rhythms Magazine. “Poignant and mysterious” – Maverick Magazine UK. “Vocal swagger of Van Morrison and dark spirituality and intelligence of Nick Cave” 4 STARS – The Weekend Australian.

Palmyra

Birthed in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Palmyra explores the fusion of traditional folk string instruments, lush harmony, and earnest songwriting. The trio, now based in Richmond, captures the collective spirit of three Virginia natives: Teddy Chipouras, Mānoa Bell, and Sasha Landon. Often described as a distant cousin to The Avett Brothers and The Wood Brothers, Palmyra nods toward Appalachian and Midwestern Americana, with intricate arrangements that create the illusion of a full, larger-than-three ensemble.

The breakout folk trio has worked diligently to cement themselves as an unmistakable force in the Americana music landscape at large. Their forward momentum is propelled by their craftsmanship and dedication to an intimate performance experience; at the heart of the Palmyra is the evident love and regard that the three musicians share for each other and their craft.

Palmyra has directly supported Watchhouse, Mipso, and Illiterate Light, and has won honors and recognition from institutions including the historic Newport Folk Festival, American Songwriter, The Boston Globe, Under The Radar Magazine, Americanafest, and Floydfest.

Suitcase Junket

Matt Lorenz’s vision, manifest in The Suitcase Junket, developed in the tension between the grand and the solitary. Grand in its imagery, sound, and staging. Solitary in its thrift and self-reliance. What instruments he requires, Lorenz builds from scratch and salvage. What parts five players would perform, he performs alone. The spectacle of his one-man set bears constant comparison to legends of showmanship, brilliance, madness, and invention.

While audiences are captivated by his solitary form and the show itself, Lorenz, who homesteads in rural Western Massachusetts, is most serious about the songs. He has been building a catalog, writing a world into existence. Solitary on stage and on the road, his mind is crowded with characters, narratives, voices, imagery, sounds as wide and varied as mountain throat singers and roadhouse juke boxes, plus newsreels of the planet’s destruction and salvage. With this 2020 release, The End is New, Lorenz’s grand vision for the song overrides the how of it.

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