Hubby Jenkins is a talented multi-instrumentalist who endeavors to share his love and knowledge of old-time American music. Born and raised in Brooklyn he delved into his southern roots, following the thread of African American history that wove itself through America’s traditional music forms. As an integral member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and later Rhiannon Giddens band, Hubby has performed at festivals and venues around the world, earning himself both Grammy and Americana award nominations. Today he spreads his knowledge and love of old-time American music through his dynamic solo performances and engaging workshops.
Artist Category: Old Time
Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers
Original, Old-Time & a little bit of Scandinavian fiddle tunes with a contemporary groove.
Bruce Molsky
Grammy-nominated, described as “an absolute master” (No Depression), Molsky transports audiences to another time and place, with his authentic and personal interpretations of rarities from the Southern Appalachian songbook and other musical traditions from around the globe. Best known for his work on the fiddle, Bruce’s banjo, guitar and his distinctive, powerful vocals also resonate with listeners. His combination of technical virtuosity and relaxed conversational wit makes a concert hall feel like an intimate front porch gathering.
Bruce’s take on tradition has landed him in collaborations with some of the world’s most highly respected players from roots to rock. He is a special guest on legend rocker Mark Knopfler’s recent CD, “Tracker.” His 1865 Songs of Hope & Home with Anonymous 4, was on Billboard’s top 10 for weeks. Along with Andy Irvine & Donal Lunny, Bruce is a founding member of the supergroup Mozaik, with three recordings. You can see Bruce on the BBC TV “Transatlantic Sessions” with Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas, and on “David Holt’s State of Music” on PBS. He stays active touring and recording with longtime collaborators Darol Anger, Tony Trischka and Mountain Drifters’ Allison de Groot.
February 2022 will mark the long-anticipated release of Bruce’s solo guitar CD: “Everywhere You Go” which is the coming-together of new interpretations and arrangements of a wide swath of styles.
Bruce holds the title of “Visiting Scholar in the American Roots Music Program” at Berklee College of Music, where he is the go-to guy for the next generation of roots musicians.
Miles of Music
Miles of Music Island Camp is a week-long retreat exploring traditional folk music, modern songwriting, and how they work together. The week includes classes, dances, jams, great food and plenty of free time on a gorgeous private island in New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee. We teach fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, bass, singing, and occasionally other instruments, and we also have instruction for non-instrument-specific musical skills like songwriting, ear training, ensemble playing, and performance. All ages and abilities are welcome.
Our staff and guest artists are a mix of renowned touring professionals, players steeped in regional traditional music styles as well as up-and-coming original musicians. With 120 creative people including instructors, guest artists, kitchen staff, boat pilots and students, we become a vibrant village for one week. There are moments of jamming and dancing in large groups as well as opportunities to steal away for one-on-one song sharing or tunes on the porch.
Julian Pinelli
Recently named the winner of the 2016 Fresh Grass fiddle competition, Julian Pinelli is a free-spirited violinist who spins a deep tone in his music. Rooted in the bluegrass of his home in Southern Appalachia, Julian taps into a new dimension combining diverse musical influences with the intricacies of acoustic sound.
Julian spent his childhood surrounded by many iconic acoustic musicians including fiddler Bobby Hicks – whose smooth and lush sound has had a big impact on Julian’s playing. Now residing in Boston and attending Berklee College of Music, Julian has been honored with both the 2016 Fletcher Bright Award and Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival’s 2015 Bill Vernon Memorial Scholarship.
Julian unites his passion for improvising with the earthy resonance of acoustic music. “I have always been drawn to the simple and pure tone of acoustic instruments and their inherent expressiveness.” Both adventurous and traditional, Julian creates music that respects traditions such old time and bluegrass while staying fresh at the cutting edge of musical innovation.
Tim Rowell
Tim Rowell teaches music in the greater Boston area. Clawhammer banjo is his specialty. His goal is always to to discover the students individual learning style. In addition to banjo Tim teaches guitar, mandolin, piano, dulcimer, ukulele and harmonica.
Tim is the director of the Traditional Music Project at The Real School of Music in Burlington, Mass. and teaches privately from Boston, Cambridge and Somerville through the North Shore and Metro West.
Nic Gareiss
Named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” dancer and musician Nic Gareiss has been hailed by the New York Times for his “dexterous melding of Irish and Appalachian dance” and called “the most inventive and expressive step dancer on the scene” by the Boston Herald.
Gareiss draws from his deep love of sound and gesture from across the North Atlantic: from a capella percussive dance pieces, simultaneous song and flatfoot numbers following the legacy of fellow Midwestern singer and dancer John Hartford, and virtuosic improvisations interpreting traditional Irish and Scottish tunes, Gareiss offers warmth, finesse, and do-it-yourself folk inventiveness through the medium of dance as music.
Nic received the Michigan Heritage Award, his state’s highest distinction bestowed on traditional artists and a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination for traditional singer of the year. He has performed in sixteen countries with artists including The Chieftains, Bruce Molsky, Liz Carroll, The Gloaming, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, Bill Frisell, and Phil Wiggins at venues such as London’s Barbican Centre, the Munich Philharmonic, the Kennedy Center, and Steve Reich’s 75th birthday at the Cork Opera House. Always jubilant, often puckishly queer, Nic Gareiss is swiftly becoming recognized as a singular artistic presence in traditional dance and music.
Lonesome Ace Stringband
Masters of their trade, The Lonesome Ace Stringband bring grit, skill and abandon to Americana music, bridging old-time, bluegrass and folk traditions into a seamless hybrid of original material that is at once fresh and timeless.
Instrumentation alone sets this Toronto-based trio’s sound apart: consisting simply of fiddle (John Showman), clawhammer banjo (Chris Coole), and upright bass (Max Heineman). The spine-tingling harmonies and interchanging lead vocals only bring more magic to the equation. They’ve become festival favourites at Rockygrass, Celtic Connections, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Merlefest and regularly tour the USA, UK, Germany and, of course, Canada.
With more than a decade of group music-making under their belts, they’re releasing their fifth album, a feisty and mighty collection of all-original material titled ‘Try To Make It Fly’ (October 13, 2023).
Call Lonesome Ace Stringband whatever genre you want – they are just unorthodox enough to be brilliant.
Tyler Hughes
Tyler Hughes hails from Big Stone Gap, Virginia, where he began learning the traditions of mountain music and dance at age 12. He performs regularly, but also dedicates time to teaching through private lessons, camps, and a variety of music classes as an adjunct professor at the Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap. Tyler is an accomplished square dance caller and also took the 3rd place ribbon in clogging/flatfooting at the Morehead Old-Time Festival in 2015. As a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, he has performed all across the southeast of the United States both as a soloist and with several bands including the East Tennessee State University Old Time Pride Band, Fifthstring, and the Empty Bottle String Band. He graduated from East Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Bluegrass, Old Time, and Country Music Studies in 2015. He has studied traditional music at home in the Appalachians and across the Atlantic in Ireland and Scotland.
Today, Tyler performs a mix of Old Time, Country and Western music reminiscent of the first half of the twentieth century. His country music variety show is sure to include influences from his native Wise County, Grand Ole Opry stars like Little Jimmy Dickens, and Hollywood cowboys such as Roy Rogers. Along with solo performances, Tyler appears with the Empty Bottle String Band and as a duo with Sam Gleaves. He is available for teaching private lessons, workshops, and camps.
Sam Gleaves
Appalachian singer – multi-instrumentalist – songwriter
Born and raised in Wythe County in southwest Virginia, Sam Gleaves performs innovative mountain music with a sense of history. Under the direction of local teacher and barber Jim Lloyd, Sam took up stringband instruments as a teenager, including the banjo, guitar, fiddle, autoharp and dulcimer. With his mentor ballad singer Sheila Kay Adams, Sam found his voice and fell in love with the mountain love songs, which he carries into his generation with pride. Sam’s performances combine traditional Appalachian ballads, dance tunes, original songs and the stories that surround the music.
Sam writes new songs in the Appalachian tradition, telling stories about love, the home place, working people and present social issues in the mountains. Appalachian author Lee Smith has deemed Sam as “courageous as hell and country to the bone . . . the best young songwriter around.” Sam’s music has been featured by National Public Radio, Kentucky Educational Television, West Virginia Public Radio, Appalshop’s WMMT FM, KEXP, Exclaim!, The Windy City Times, Sing Out!, The Bitter Southerner, and Still Journal. AIN’T WE BROTHERS, Sam’s debut record of original songs, is produced by Cathy Fink and was released November, 2015.
