A folk-pop singer/songwriter in the lineage of Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Carole King, Lauren Balthrop makes captivating, candid music propelled by her crystalline voice. Her “bell-clear vocals” and sophisticated, folk-leaning pop songwriting have earned her praise from major music publications across the country, including Stereogum and Audio Femme. She’s a valued performer who has collaborated with a wide range of acts, from singing on notable Bob Weir, Kevin Morby, Elizabeth and the Catapult, and Benjamin Booker records to touring and performing with Kevin Morby, Lucius, Sara Bareilles, Bob Weir, Benjamin Booker, and Michaela Anne.
Known for developing different characters and experimenting with various genres over the course of her career, Balthrop’s songs have been featured in HBO series Bored to Death, EPIX series Get Shorty, coming-of-age drama film The Myth of the American Sleepover (produced by Moonlight’s Adele Romanski), and a Match.com commercial which won the Gold Lion award for Best Use of Music at the 2011 Cannes Advertising Festival.
Lauren’s second full-length solo album Things Will Be Different – released August 12, 2022 on Olivia Records – showcases her characteristic clarity and crisp, luminous vocals while revealing a fresh, more intimate sound.
As the Sparrow is an indie-rock band based out of Boston, MA. The members of the band are; Mark Damon, Crystal Araiza, Leo Fonseca, Theresa Cleary, Nathaniel Diamond-Jones, Dylan Sullivan, and Adam Amoroso.
Lay Low Moon is an Indie-Folk-Pop collective built around the songs of Seán McKenna and is comprised of Seán and various friends around Boston, MA. The name Lay Low Moon was inspired by some lyrics from the Beck song, “Guess I’m Doing Fine” — off of the album, Sea Change, a collection that inspired McKenna’s early songwriting.
Their sound and songwriting have been compared to Ryan Adams, Mojave 3, Neil Young, The Essex Green and Jeffrey Gaines. In various forms, Lay Low Moon has performed at many of the well established venues around the Greater Boston area, including Club Passim, The Middle East and many others.
In 2015, a version of their song, “Thru & Thru” was featured on a compilation titled One Hundred Thousand Voices, with proceeds benefiting a great charity organization called ‘Active Minds,’ who’s mission is to provide mental health outreach on college campuses around the country.
Having released two EPs, respectively titled One Summer and One Winter in 2014, Lay Low Moon is currently working on it’s first full length album.
For the past five years Kaitlin has been gigging, recording, and starting to tour with the band she composes, plays tenor ukulele, and sings lead vocals for called Nosy Mangabe. Though somewhat of a potpourri of influences, their sound can be described as progressive-jazz-folk, whimsy-pop, or her personal favorite – bubblegum jazz! Together they have released recorded material, booked 3 national and international tours and are currently organizing a monthly series of events called Weird Folk Fests.
Furthermore, having just graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Therapy and a minor in Psychology, Kaitlin will be beginning a Music Therapy internship at the Louis & Lucille Armstrong Music Therapy Program at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City starting September 2016.
Tina & Her Pony met in Asheville, N.C. in 2009. Tina Collins (tenor banjo, tenor ukulele, guitar, vocals) and Quetzal Jordan (cello, guitar, vocals) spent two years holed up in the high desert mountain town of Taos, New Mexico, making music and friends, and becoming one of the iconic artist colony’s most beloved performing acts.
Tina and Her Pony released their full length, self-titled debut album in March 2012. The album was mixed and mastered in Oakland, Calif. with Myles Boisen (The Tigerlilies; Kronos Quartet) and features trumpeter Chris Grady (also featured on Tom Waits’ Mule Variations). After an 18 month album release tour spanning the United States and Canada, they established a new home base in Asheville, NC and began recording their forthcoming album, Champion at Echo Mountain Recording studio. Champion draws inspiration from and meditates on dreams, the subconscious, and death. The album will be released November 3rd 2017.
Collins and Jordan’s songwriting incorporates complexities in harmony and arrangement that queer the american folk tradition. Their unique sound draws inspiration from artists such as Nickel Creek, Sarah Jarosz, Gillian Welch and Crooked Still.
Fully Human is the solo project of Liv (from Oh Pep!). It is an invitation for the audience to collaborate, to send stories that Liv turns into song. Generally, Liv is on tour with Oh Pep! or writing music for various projects. At the moment she is living in NYC writing music for a play. She has toured the world and performed at Glastonbury, SXSW and on NPR’s Tiny Desk.
We’re Not Going Anywhere: At a historical moment of immense political, social, and ecological uncertainty, those four simple words comprise both a promise and a protest, a comforting reassurance of inclusion as well as a hearty cry of defiance. It’s a statement that offers no small sense of hope, in that sense matching the music contained on the album.
On these vividly imagined and passionately performed songs David Ramirez takes in the world from his unique perspective: “Being half white and half Mexican has made this current political climate especially interesting. So many cultures in this country are being viewed as un-American and it breaks my heart. My family have raised children here, created successful businesses here, and are proud to be a part of this country. Most of what I’ve seen as of late is misplaced fear. I wanted to write about that fear and how, instead of benefiting us, it sends us spiraling out control.”
The album that bears that title marks a departure for Ramirez, who builds on the rootsy sound of his early albums to create something new, something bold, something anchored in the here and now. Scouting out unexplored music territory, these songs bounce around energetically, toying with new ideas and experimenting with new sounds, as barbed-wire guitars and retro-futuristic synths grind against his anguished vocals and evocative lyrics.
Eszter Balint released her new album Airless Midnight in late 2015. It was recorded at New York’s Brooklyn Recording and Richmond’s Montrose Recording, produced by JD Foster, and features Chris Cochrane, Marc Ribot, Dave Schramm on guitar as well as singer songwriter Sam Phillips on harmonies.
Eszter has been very busy for the past few years. In 2014 she was making progress gathering material for the new album when out of the blue-after a long hiatus from acting she was offered a part she couldn’t refuse. She agreed to star in a six-episode arc of Louis C.K.’s F/X series Louie, Season 4, a performance which would earn her considerable critical praise. Eszter also improvised compositions, sang and played violin for the episodes which featured her performance. As soon as filming wrapped, Eszter returned to work on her album.
The album boasts three of New York’s most distinguished and original guitarists: Chris Cochrane (John Zorn, Zena Parkins, long time EB alumni) Dave Schramm (The Schramms, Yo La Tengo, others) and Marc Ribot (too many to name!). They are joined by drummer Brian Wilson (Johnny Dowd, Neko Case), JD Foster on bass, and Sam Phillips on vocal harmonies. Andy Taub and Don Piper engineered at Brooklyn Recording, and Adrian Olsen mixed with JD and Eszter at Montrose Recording. Eszter is featured on vocals, guitar, violin, melodica, mandolin, random sounds, whistling, and she wrote all the songs.
All Our Exes Live In Texas are…
Hannah Crofts // vocals & ukulele
Georgia Mooney // vocals & mandolin
Elana Stone // vocals & accordion
Katie Wighton // vocals & guitar
All Our Exes Live in Texas is a fantasy draft of Australia’s finest singer-songwriters – Elana Stone, Katie Wighton, Hannah Crofts and Georgia Mooney – here combining in four-part indie-folk harmony heaven. On mandolin, ukulele, accordion and guitar, the Exes are a powerhouse of charm and songwriting prowess.
Known as much for their side-splitting banter and feminist politics as their devastatingly beautiful harmonies, All Our Exes Live in Texas have had an impressive career to date. Since forming for an O Brother Where Art Thou? tribute show in 2013, they’ve circumnavigated Australia more times than they can count, playing sold-out headline tours and almost every festival the country has to offer.
All Our Exes Live in Texas has gained a wide and loyal audience, touring with such diverse artists as The Backstreet Boys (USA), Passenger (UK), Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats (USA), St Paul & The Broken Bones (USA), Marlon Williams (NZ), not to mention Australian icons Midnight Oil, Megan Washington and Kate Miller-Heidke. They also provided backing vocals on Kesha’s multi-platinum selling comeback single “Praying”.
