Artist Category: Country | Page 2

Mason Via

When you think about the current popularity rising around bluegrass and its culture, for years the conversation has at length been dominated by the steel-driving break out stories of Chris Stapleton, then Billy Strings. But who is the next pioneer to represent an untapped demographic well? Many Nashville legends would suggest; Grammy-nominated artist, Mason Via.

Since Via’s original album release with Mountain Fever Records, New Horizons, he has taken the bluegrass and americana scenes by storm. He was listed by NPR as one of the top 10 bluegrass artists thriving in modern Nashville. In the past three years, he has been touring as the youngest member of Old Crow Medicine Show, guitar-picking, singing, and songwriting on their newest Grammy-nominated album, Jubilee. His songwriting can also be seen on Molly Tuttle’s recent Grammy-winning album, City of Gold, with “Down Home Dispensary,” and on Del McCoury’s grammy nominated album, Almost Proud, with “Brown Paper Bag.”

Via has toured and performed in 47 of the 50 U.S. states, along with sections of Canada, Ireland, The United Kingdom, and The Netherlands. Some highlights include: Red Rocks, The Grand Ole Opry, The Ryman Auditorium, the O2 Arena in London for C2C Fest, and the Eagles Stadium opening for Luke Combs. During these travels he has shared stage time with the likes of Willie Nelson, Dierks Bentley, Sierra Ferrell, Steve Earle, Turnpike Troubadours, Keb’ Mo’, Margo Price, Amos Lee, Drew Holcomb, Cam, Brittany Spencer, Allison Russell, Shovels & Rope, Jerry Douglas, Gov’t Mule, Mike Gordon of PHISH, and many more.

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.

Wes Westmoreland

Wes is a four time World Champion Fiddler, a seven time Texas State Champion Fiddler, a four time “TOTFA” Champion, and has finished in the “top 3 ” his last two trips to the National Fiddle Championship in Weiser, Idaho.

In 1989 Wes made the move to Branson, Missouri to play for Boxcar Willie for one year before accepting a job to play for Mel Tillis. He played for Mel for ten years. During those years he not only played shows in Branson, he also traveled with Mel and the “Statesiders” to the Grand Ol Opry in Nashville, Las Vegas, Okinawa, and all across the United States. During his stay with Mel, Wes learned to coordinate an 18-piece band and played not only first, but also second, third and fourth fiddle harmonies.

Flamy Grant

Award-winning and Billboard-charting artist Flamy Grant is a shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen from western North Carolina. Her 2022 debut record, Bible Belt Baby, reached the #1 spot on the iTunes Christian Charts (the first drag performer to achieve this feat), was nominated for Best Pop Album at the San Diego Music Awards, and was named one of the Top Ten Queer Country Albums of 2023 by Rainbow Rodeo Magazine. Her single “Good Day” also debuted at #20 on the Billboard Christian digital sales chart. Flamy is a winner of the 2023 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition and a 2023 QueerX Award nominee for Best Drag Artist and has been featured in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, People, and more. Her music has over 750,000 streams on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon music. A powerhouse vocalist and intrepid songwriter who blends folk, gospel, and roots, Flamy drags you into a therapeutic, theatrical mix of storytelling and song.

Brennen Leigh

Brennen Leigh is an American songwriter, guitar player, mandolin player and singer whose to-the-point storytelling style has elevated her to cult icon status in Europe, Scandinavia, across the United States, South America and the United Kingdom. Her songs have been recorded by Lee Ann Womack, Rodney Crowell, Sunny Sweeney, Charley Crockett, and many others. As renowned for her musicianship as for her writing, it’s easy to see how Leigh caught the ear of greats like Guy Clark, who colorfully endorsed her flatpicking: “Brennen Leigh plays guitar like a motherfucker,” and David Olney, who described her writing as “tender, violent, sentimental, foolish and wise, she is always Brennen. Confident and at ease with herself, without being a jerk about it.

Melissa Carper

Carper’s deep, old-timey music roots were firmly planted as a child, playing upright bass and singing in her family’s traveling country band in rural Nebraska. Her love of country classics was cultivated as she laid beneath the console listening to her parents’ record collection. Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, and more became the soundtrack of her youth.

After two years of college, wanderlust set in, and Carper hit the road in the family’s 1980 Dodge Maxi Van, and landed in historic Eureka Springs, Arkansas. There, she was welcomed into the busking community, and found a new home base—a place to write, reflect, and rejuvenate in years to come. Along the way, she founded award-winning bands like power trio The Carper Family, the perfect outlet for her unique skills and style. The band brought her original work to life in a simple yet dynamic fashion that also served her inspirations – country, bluegrass, western swing, and old- style jazz, playing festivals and shows across the globe, and on shows like “A Prairie Home Companion.” Carper also holds a spot in award-winning Arkansas foursome Sad Daddy, and founded roots duo Buffalo Gals with Sad Daddy bandmate and partner, award-winning fiddler Rebecca Patek.

She released her critically acclaimed solo release Daddy’ s Country Gold in 2021, followed by the equally revered Ramblin’ Soul, which came out in the fall of 2023.

Kelly Willis

On some other plane out there in the great big multiverse, Kelly Willis could well be the biggest Nashville country music star of the last 35 years. But things panned out rather differently for her here on this Earth. The Oklahoma-born Army brat was barely into her early 20s and still cutting her teeth fronting a spunky rockabilly band in Austin when a “check-this-kid-out” tip from Texas songwriter Nanci Griffith landed her on the radar of producer Tony Brown, who promptly signed her to MCA Records. But it wasn’t until she left Nashville for Texas that she took off. Liberated from the Nashville playbook and emboldened by a jolting shot of nothing-left-to-lose, she set about making her next record in Austin her way. The end result, 1999’s aptly-titled What I Deserve, changed everything. What I Deserve may not have made Kelly a household name on the order of Shania, Faith, or Reba, but it clinched her standing as a bona fide darling of the national (and international) alt-country scene. Writers from No Depression to Rolling Stone cheered her “comeback,” and fans in her adopted hometown voted it “Album of the Year” in the Austin Music Awards.
The six albums Willis has made since What I Deserve have only burnished her reputation as Austin’s reigning queen of Americana. Three of those albums, including 2019’s Beautiful Lie, were duo records made with her now ex-husband, fellow singer-songwriter Bruce Robison — who also produced Willis’ last solo album, 2018’s “richly satisfying” (NPR) Back Being Blue. The couple (who in addition to recording and touring together for years also raised four children together) announced their separation in early 2022, marking both the end of an era and the beginning of yet another “big sea change” for Willis.

Zachary Lucky

Zachary Lucky is unapologetically old-school country, armed with a husky, baritone voice. He sings of Canadian places and people as knowingly as he might Townes Van Zandt or the Rio Grande. Hailed as a master storyteller by No Depression, Zachary is becoming a legend in his own right and has safely reserved his spot at the table of Canadian roots royalty.

Nashville Hitmakers

Nashville songwriters CJ Solar, Ben Williams, Rick Huckaby, Paul Sikes, & Dave Kuncio sing the hit songs they wrote for superstar artists like Morgan Wallen, Selena Gomez, Lainey Wilson, Ty Dolla $ign, Trace Adkins, Alicia Keys, Government Mule, Megan Maroney, Thomas Rhett, Steve Aioki Justin Moore, Jameson Rodgers, Cody Johnson, Jason Aldean & tell the stories behind them!

Nicholas Edward Williams

Host of the popular roots music history podcast American Songcatcher, Nicholas Edward Williams is a multi-instrumentalist and storyteller who is dedicated to “playing it forward” by preserving the songs and styles that have shaped our country: ragtime, Piedmont blues, traditional folk, old time and early country. Williams has spent the last 15 years touring around the US, the UK, Western Europe and Australia, blending the roots music spectrum in his own style. He’s opened for Taj Mahal, The Wood Brothers, Dom Flemons, CAAMP, John Paul White, Town Mountain, John Craigie, Rachel Baiman and Lucy Daucus, and has performed at festival stages on three continents. William’s debut record As I Go Ramblin’ Around made the International Folk Radio DJ Charts in 2019 with the #6 Top Album, #7 Top Song. His critically acclaimed sophomore release Folk Songs For Old Times’ Sake unveiled in November of 2021 and has been heralded by the likes of Grammy-winning musician David Holt who said: “With tasteful guitar arrangements and a voice that draws you right in, Nicholas’ recordings roll along like a mountain stream.”