Sam Grisman is a bassist and bandleader at the helm of a commanding improvisational ensemble performing live acoustic music in the tradition shaped by Jerry Garcia and David Grisman.

He grew up in Mill Valley, California in a home where some of the great acoustic music of our time was regularly being recorded. His father, legendary mandolinist, composer, and producer David Grisman, often hosted friends at his home studio for recording sessions and rehearsals. These friends, including Doc Watson, Jerry Garcia, John Hartford, Mike Seeger, and Tony Rice, left a lasting impression and inspired him to pursue a life making music with his many talented friends.

The band’s shows create a space where the band and audience share in a deep love and reverence for the great music and musicians who continue to inspire them.

The friends who make up Sam Grisman Project are a rotating cadre of acousticians who are among the brightest individual voices on their respective instruments. Members of this rotating cast include guitarists Max Flansburg, Logan Ledger, Sam Leslie, Henry Moser, Jesse Harper, and Jefferson Hamer; mandolinists Dominick Leslie, Joe K. Walsh, Matt Flinner, and Jesse Appelman; clawhammer banjo maestro Victor Furtado; fiddlers John Mailander, Alex Hargreaves, Nate Leath, Shad Cobb, and Phoebe Hunt; cellist Nat Smith; and Todd Livingston on the Dobro.

The band also frequently collaborates with legendary singer, songwriter, and bluegrass pioneer Peter Rowan, a deeply meaningful connection that ties directly back to David Grisman and the Old and In the Way legacy. Over the years Sam Grisman Project has welcomed a wide range of spontaneous and exciting guests including David Grisman, John Sebastian, Tim O’Brien, Billy Strings, Maria Muldaur, Margo Price, and many more.

This ever-evolving collective of exceptional humans who happen to be incredible musicians reflects the abundance of joy and wealth of experiences that growing up around this timeless music brought into Sam’s life. Sam Grisman Project is committed to putting their love, gratitude, and individuality into the music they share on stage each night, and to participating in the community effort of preserving, expanding, and appreciating great American acoustic music.

To preserve the sonic integrity of their instruments and voices, SGP performs acoustic music into condenser microphones. The sound on stage is fully acoustic and sensitive, so audiences are kindly asked to save conversations for before and after the show or during the set break. Thanks for coming, thanks for listening, and we hope you enjoy the music.

Samgrismanproject.net

TICKETS TO THE SAM GRISMAN PROJECT

On October 17th of 2025, GRAMMY Award-winning banjoists Steve Martin and Alison Brown released their debut collaborative album, Safe, Sensible and Sane, via Compass Records. Featuring guest appearances from luminaries like Jackson Browne, Vince Gill, the Indigo Girls, Tim O’Brien, Jason Mraz, Della Mae, and more, Safe, Sensible and Sane emerges as a captivating new turn in the evolution of banjo music.

Following their chart-topping collaborations “Foggy Morning Breaking,” “Bluegrass Radio,” and “Wall Guitar (Since You Said Goodbye),” the longtime friends and banjo aficionados have crafted a collection of banjo-inspired songs built on Brown’s daringly inventive melodies and Martin’s idiosyncratic yet ineffably tender lyrics. 

One of the most multi-faceted minds in roots music, Alison Brown is a GRAMMY-winning musician, GRAMMY-nominated producer, former investment banker (with an AB from Harvard and an MBA from UCLA), and co-founder of The Compass Records Group which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025.

Although Alison began her musical career as a teenager in the Southern California bluegrass scene, she has built a reputation as one of today’s most forward thinking and innovative banjo players. She is known for taking the instrument far beyond its Appalachian roots by blending bluegrass and jazz influences into a sonic tapestry that has earned praise and recognition from a variety of national tastemakers including The Wall Street Journal, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, and USA Today.

TICKETS - Alison Brown Quintet

The Galaxy Quartet is a Madison-based string quartet featuring Maynie Bradley and Hillary Hempel on violin, Kayla Schultz on viola, and Alex Chambers-Ozasky on cello. Performing throughout the Midwest, they curate engaging programs that blend the classical with the modern, aiming to spark curiosity and reflection through their performances.

While the group enjoys a galactic theme, their name is actually a playful mash-up of their cellist Alex’s name and “the gals” of the group - Alex + gals = Galaxy.

General Admission - Free Will Donation

Dubbed "masters of soulful folk" by Paste, The Wood Brothers formed after brothers Chris and Oliver Wood pursued separate musical careers for 15 years. Chris already had legions of devoted fans for his incomparable work as one-third of Medeski Martin & Wood, while Oliver’s band King Johnson built a loyal following in the South. With drummer Jano Rix added as a permanent third member, The Wood Brothers have evolved into one of roots music’s most revered acts, playing sold out shows across North America, garnering a Grammy Award nomination and releasing nine studio albums, including their forthcoming release, Puff of Smoke, out August 1.

Listening, in its truest sense, is a dying art, but it's one The Wood Brothers are committed to practicing and upholding as a virtue. In fact, it's the secret to the mélange of joyful sounds and musical styles on Puff of Smoke, the American roots trio's ninth album of original music. Indeed, through the near two decades spent together in  the studio and on the road, the GRAMMY Award-nominated trio have honed their interconnected, singular voice to telepathic proportions. On this latest studio effort, a true collaborative effort between its three members, the songs weave a medley of musical ideas — ranging from Latin-inflected acoustic guitar lines, to driving post-jazz rhythms, to infectious sing along choruses — resulting in a cohesive, joyful whole. All with The Wood Brothers' trademark turns of phrase and lighthearted, but subversively profound wisdom at the core. Puff of Smoke is a reminder that life is both precious and precarious, and The Wood Brothers invite you to enjoy the ride.

The Wood Brothers have partnered with American Friends of Canadian Conservation so that $1 per ticket will support The Nature Trust of British Columbia (NTBC) in their efforts to conserve ecologically-rich wetlands and protect irreplaceable land from development. Every $1 donated will be matched by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with $2 so more endangered wetlands can be saved. If you’d like to learn more, please visit this link. 

It took a world-shaking breakup for Amelia Day to find her true sound — and herself. She embraces the full range of her influences with "EGO TRIP," a genre-bending EP stacked high with alt-rock guitars, pop hooks, swooning keyboards, and the sharp songwriting of a lifelong storyteller. Inspired by the sudden collapse of a college romance, "EGO TRIP" finds room for anger, liberation, and healing, with Amelia nodding not only to the folk music she discovered as a child in the Pacific Northwest, but also the electrifying empowerment of her favorite 1990s frontwomen. The result is a collection of melody-driven songs that breathe new life into classic sounds, largely written in her adopted hometown of Nashville and recorded at Bear Creek Studio in her home state of Washington. With "EGO TRIP," Amelia Day creates her own geography.

www.thewoodbros.com

ameliadaymusic.com

TICKETS - The Wood Brothers & Amelia Day

The Travelin’ McCourys didn’t begin as an idea. They began as momentum.

For Ronnie McCoury (mandolin) and Rob McCoury (banjo), bluegrass was never abstract. It was lived. They grew up on the road, on stage and inside the Del McCoury Band, learning the music the only way it truly gets learned – by playing it in front of real audiences, night after night, with no safety net.

For years, their role was clear: help carry one of the most respected bands in American music forward. But history doesn’t stand still. And neither did they.

Ronnie and Rob saw how extended solos, unexpected covers and risk-taking created a different kind of electricity. And they began asking: Where does this music go when the rules loosen?

The band’s self-titled debut album captured what audiences already understood: this wasn’t a side chapter or a satellite project. It was a fully formed band with a clear voice that draws from Bill Monroe and Del McCoury, and also from rock dynamics, jazz instincts and the freedom of improvisational music.

“A good song is a good song,” Ronnie says. “We just like finding new ways to play them.”

That philosophy defines the Travelin’ McCourys on stage. Tight harmonies. Fearless solos. Setlists that breathe. A sense that each night is singular and unrepeatable.

Placed alongside the Del McCoury Band, the relationship becomes clear. It’s not a succession, not a shadow, but an expansion. One band built the architecture. The other explores its outer edges.

www.thetravelinmccourys.com

TICKETS - The Travelin’ McCourys

The Flat Five is Chicago’s beloved band of in-demand music biz touring and recording ringers - Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor (Neko Case, Mavis Staples, The Decemberists, The New Pornographers) Scott Ligon and Casey McDonough (NRBQ, Brian Wilson) and Alex Hall (J.D. McPherson, The Cactus Blossoms.)

For over 17 years, these shameless harmony junkies have come together in their limited off-time to make their own kind of twisted sunshine pop. Their 2016 debut album It’s a World of Love and Hope scored big with critics and fans alike (including high-profile Flat Five fanatics like Nick Lowe and Wilco) and their 2020 follow-up Another World has kept the flame burning bright. From the laid-back simple to the oddly romantic to the slightly subversive, there is a spirit of wide-eyed sweetness at the heart of The Flat Five’s music. The charms of this band are manifest — in-the-pocket harmonies, a vastly diverse genre-hopping repertoire, the infectious energy of their sold-out live shows, and their undeniable love for the music and each other.

flatfivechicago.com

TICKETS - The Flat Five

The Avanti Piano Trio—Alissa Freeman (piano), Hillary Hempel (violin) and Hannah Wolkstein (cello)—brings “impressive energy and musicality” to every stage. Formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 2018, they’ve since performed across the state in concert series, festivals, live on Wisconsin Public Radio, and on PBS broadcasts.
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Driven by a passion to enrich the piano-trio repertoire, The Avanti Piano Trio performs beloved standards and champions a range of styles. They provide a platform for under-explored gems and works by female composers, delivering performances both innovative and rooted in tradition.

general admission - free will donation

Originally from Wimberley, Texas, Sarah Jarosz is a six-time GRAMMY Award winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Since her recorded debut in 2009, she has released seven solo albums and two albums with I’m With Her, her band with Sara Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan. In addition to her multiple GRAMMY, Americana Music Association, and Folk Alliance awards, her work has received widespread critical praise from publications including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and USA Today. Jarosz has appeared three times on PBS’s legendary Austin City Limits television show and numerous times on A Prairie Home Companion, Live From Here, and the Grand Ole Opry. She is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee.

Jordan Tice is an award-winning guitarist and songwriter described by the Fretboard Journal as "quite simply, one of our favorite acoustic guitarists performing today." He has 7 projects to his name as a solo artist and 6 as a founding member of the string band, Hawktail. Equally virtuosic as a flatpicker and fingerstylist, and with a casual vocal style, Tice conjures ingredients from far-flung worlds with ease. His performances call upon the repertories of American and British Isles folk, bluegrass, blues and pop-oriented songs, and though his earlier releases are instrumental in focus, he has been carefully honing his craft as a singer-songwriter in his most recent work. This includes his albums Motivational Speakeasy (produced by Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids and praised by NPR Music as “a really wonderful record”), Wild Rose of Morning (a collaboration with Andrew Marlin and Christian Sedelmyer), and Badlettsville.

He has performed at festivals such as the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Green Mountain Bluegrass and Roots, Red Wing Roots, Wintergrass Music Festival, and the Strawberry Music Festival and opened for artists like Watchhouse, I’m With Her, The Milk Carton Kids, and Madison Cunningham. In addition to his solo and collaborative work, he has performed and recorded as a sideman with Americana artists such as David Rawlings, Yola, Andrew Marlin, and Aoife O’Donovan. 

 sarahjarosz.com

jordantice.net

TICKETS TO SARAH JAROSZ & JORDAN TICE

We’re used to hearing about the power and sonic majesty that comes when two siblings sing in harmony: but what about when they string in harmony? That’s the beautiful alchemy that SistaStrings, the musical duo comprising sisters Chauntee and Monique Ross, create every time they bring their unique blend of classical training, soulful melodies, and contemporary sounds to the stage. With Chauntee on violin and Monique on cello, their virtuoso talents and thrilling live show have found them sharing the stage with Brandi Carlile and Joni Mitchell in just a few years’ time, already making a profound impact on the musical scene that shows no signs of slowing down. Thanks to SistaStrings, you’ll never look at classical instruments the same way again.
Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Chauntee and Monique discovered their love for music at a young age. Growing up in a musically inclined family, the sisters were exposed to a diverse range of genres and instruments, Together, they embarked on a remarkable journey, fusing their classical training with their deep-rooted love for R&B, hip-hop, and gospel. They now reside in Nashville, where they are integral members of the musical community and some of the most in-demand players in town.
In one performance, SistaStrings can cover a classical arrangement, create a mashup of beloved pop songs and spin their own surprising originals that defy any easy genre categorization. It’s that fluidity and sheer talent that have secured them spots in Brandi Carlile’s touring band, as well as supporting Ed Sheeran, Maggie Rogers, Margo Price, Allison Russell and Jason Isbell. When they appear on stage, they aren’t just backing players – they become stars of the show.

They have performed alongside a diverse range of artists, including Metallica and the legendary Joni Mitchell at the Grammy Awards, Andrea Bocelli at the 2024 Oscars, and Elton John, Annie Lennox, Garth Brooks, and Charlie Puth at the 2024 Gershwin Honors. SistaStrings has also graced iconic venues such as Madison Square Garden, The Kennedy Center, the Newport Folk Festival, and Saturday Night Live. In September, they were honored with the title of "Best Instrumentalist" at the Americana Music Association's 2023 awards.
Their eagerly anticipated debut record, produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings is currently in the works.

www.sistastrings.com

TICKETS - SistaStrings

Come celebrate the community in the spirit of the Christmas season. Both the Festival Choir and the Stoughton City Band will dazzle with a variety of sacred music, plus a carol sing-along. A wonderful tradition for the whole family!

www.stoughtonfestivalchoir.wordpress.com

General Admission - Free-Will Donation

Susan Werner doesn’t just perform music — she reinvents it every time she steps on stage. A virtuoso guitarist and pianist with a voice-trained musician’s precision and a storyteller’s wit, Werner has spent more than two decades building a reputation as one of the most original and entertaining performers on the acoustic music scene.

From elegant jazz-pop inspired by George Gershwin and Cole Porter to gospel, Cuban son, and New Orleans piano grooves, Werner’s catalog refuses to sit still. Whether she’s crafting sharp, funny observations or deeply moving songs, her performances blend intelligence, humor, and jaw-dropping musicianship into an unforgettable live experience.

A featured guest on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz and composer/lyricist for Bull Durham, The Musical for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Werner continues to push boundaries with every project. Her latest recordings, The Birds of Florida and Halfway to Houston (2024), showcase an artist still exploring new territory — and making it sound entirely her own.

www.susanwerner.com

TICKETS - Susan Werner

The Cactus Blossoms

At its best, harmony duo singing can transform simple math into a magic trick. One plus one, instead of equaling two, suddenly yields an unexpected third thing. An upper-case ONE. A universal hum. A deep vibration that encompasses two different points of view. On their latest release, Every Time I Think About You, brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum, aka The Cactus Blossoms, once again prove themselves to be among the most adept – and distinctive – modern practitioners of that magic. But like any great magician, The Cactus Blossoms can’t – or won’t – fully explain the illusion they create.

“Harmonies are a big part of our sound, but in some ways they’re the part we focus on the least,” says Burkum. “We put most of our attention and energy into the songs themselves and then the harmonies just happen.”

There’s all kinds of magic happening on Every Time I Think About You, a record that sounds more like a band than any other in the Cactus Blossoms discography, thanks to contributions from Jeremy Hanson (drums), Jacob Hanson (guitar) and Phillip Hicks (bass). “There She Goes” casts its romantic regret against a danceable bop beat, and the title track is a heart-wrencher about loss and letting go.

“Even if you don’t set out to write songs with a theme in mind it seems like one usually presents itself,” says Torrey. “This record keeps returning to the idea of ‘moving on’ — from one place to another, from people and situations that bring you down, from loss and grief.”

thecactusblossoms.com

Joel Paterson

Guitar wizard Joel Paterson brings you the best in Jazz, blues, western swing, and everything in between. Joel is one of the busiest guitarists and steel guitarists on the roots music scene today – this is one act you won’t want to miss!

joelpaterson.com

TICKETS TO THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS WITH SPECIAL GUEST JOEL PATERSON

Join the Harp Twins for a family-friendly concert full of magical winter music, Christmas classics, comedy, stories, and even a sprinkling of classic rock favorites – and you won’t want to miss the show finale featuring Volfgang Twins on double drums! Free meet & greet with the Harp Twins and Volfgang Twins immediately following the concert.

www.harptwins.com

TICKETS - Harp Twins Rockin’ Holiday Concert!

The Nielsen Trust is a new band featuring Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick and his family.

The Nielsens are a pretty talented family. Of course, there's Rick. The legendary guitar player from Rock n Roll Hall of Fame band, Cheap Trick. His son Daxx plays drums for Cheap Trick too. Another one of his sons, Miles,  has his own successful project, Miles Nielsen and The Rusted Hearts. Miles' wife, Kelly Steward, has her career as a singer and songwriter.

They have all jammed together at various times in the past but now it's official. This family band is called The Nielsen Trust. They recently made their debut at the Castle Theatre in Bloomington, Illinois. It was an added surprise for the fans attending the album release party for Miles Nielsen and The Rusted Hearts. Rick and his family continue to bring the heat with an eclectic mix of Cheap Trick and original tunes.

thenielsentrust.com

TICKETS FOR THE NIELSEN TRUST

Between them, fiddlers Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland have earned an astounding 18 IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year awards—more than half of all given in the award’s history—along with 17 GRAMMY® nominations and four wins. Now, these two bluegrass powerhouses join forces on their first-ever duo project, Carter & Cleveland, a collaboration more than 30 years in the making. Longtime friends and musical kindred spirits since their teenage years, Carter and Cleveland bring their effortless chemistry and twin-fiddle brilliance to an album rich in tradition, virtuosity, and heart.

For over three decades, Jason Carter has been a cornerstone of bluegrass, serving as fiddler for the legendary Del McCoury Band and co-founder of The Travelin’ McCourys. A three-time GRAMMY® Award winner and six-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year, Carter has recorded with artists including Steve Earle, Ricky Skaggs, Dierks Bentley, and Billy Strings, and was honored in 2015 on Kentucky’s Country Music Highway alongside Loretta Lynn and Chris Stapleton. Michael Cleveland, widely regarded as the defining bluegrass fiddler of his generation, leads his award-winning band Flamekeeper, has been named IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year twelve times, and was inducted into the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame in 2018. A GRAMMY® winner for his album Tall Fiddler and recipient of the NEA National Heritage Fellowship, Cleveland has toured with Béla Fleck and Tommy Emmanuel, and his masterful fiddle playing can even be heard in the newest season of King of the Hill.

Since its release, Carter & Cleveland has earned Album of the Year at the 2025 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, while its standout track “Outrun the Rain” (featuring Vince Gill and Jaelee Roberts) won Song of the Year. The project is also nominated for a GRAMMY® Award for Best Bluegrass Album, cementing its place among the genre’s most celebrated recordings. With guest appearances from Sam Bush, Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, Darrell Scott, and more, Carter & Cleveland showcases two of bluegrass music’s most decorated and dynamic fiddlers—playing not just in unison, but in complete musical harmony.

www.jasoncarterband.com

www.michaelclevelandfiddle.com

TICKETS - Carter & Cleveland

Richard Thompson will release his 20th Studio Album, Hippies, Thugs and Heroes on October 16, 2026 via New West Records. The 12-track set was produced by Thompson and James Frazee and recorded in Weehawken, New Jersey. It follows his acclaimed Ship to Shore, which the Associated Press called “a gem,” NPR Music described as “expertly constructed, absolutely bleak yet totally engaging trad-rock from the 75-year old master” and Uncut Magazine named one of the “Best Albums of 2024.” The influential singer-songwriter and virtuosic guitarist has been on a singular musical journey for over a half century, from his days in the ‘60s as a pioneer of British folk rock with Fairport Convention, to his seminal ‘70s duo work with his ex-wife Linda Thompson, to the exploratory, deeply emotional music of the solo career that has been his primary concern ever since. 

Clayton Linthicum (Kacy & Clayton) and Quinn Bachand (Diamond Day, Brishen, Ashley MacIsaac) are a guitar/fiddle duo playing traditional music from rural Canada. Their self-titled, debut album is an exploration of reimagined cowboy ballads, Quebecois harmonica reels, Métis fiddle tunes, Acadian country music and more. Their debut record Memorial Hall will be released on Jalopy Records in February 2027

richardthompson-music.com

TICKETS TO RICHARD THOMPSON BAND

Rucksack Revolution is the melding of two of Wisconsin’s most recognized modern singer-songwriters. Adam Greuel, of the high-energy string band Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, and Sarah Vos, of the folk-inspired Dead Horses, draw from broad musical influences ranging from Leonard Cohen to Fleetwood Mac to Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, to bring you a show that will be mostly focused on original material. The duo’s chemistry as musical partners and dear friends is apparent as their music features tight harmonies, introspective lyricism, and soaring melodies. Their sophomore album Polish Flats and Watercress will be released in August 2026 and this show features new material and old favorites, as well as a couple of gems from Dead Horses and Horseshoes & Hand Grenades performed in a more “raw” fashion. 
www.rucksackrevolutioncom.wordpress.com

TICKETS - Rucksack Revolution

Some years ago, when Johnny Cash’s career was undergoing a resurgence during his creative collaborations with producer, Rick Rubin, someone made an attempt to organize Johnny’s songs into three categories: God, Love and Death.

It occurred to me then that maybe those are the only three subjects available to the writer. I have tried to write about all three. And yet, one night over a late night beverage, by way of confession, I admitted to a colleague (a fellow songwriter) that I was embarrassed by the possibility that every song I had ever written was essentially a love song.

Without missing a beat he responded, Well, maybe, but you don’t just write about falling in love: you write about what happens further down the road. I was relieved and grateful to receive that perspective, because ladies and gentlemen, we are indeed further down the road. Karin and I have been writing, and making records together as Over the Rhine for 35 years. We’ve been married for 30 of those. Long live musical couples.

Johnny and June might be our patron saints, but they are not the only ones. A significant swath of our favorite music over the years has been made by that rare and endangered breed of exotic zoo animal: the musical couple. (The list includes Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Buddy and Julie Miller, Richard and Linda Thompson, The Innocence Mission and others.)

But back to further down the road… Poet Christina Rosetti famously wrote the lines: Does the road wind uphill all the way? Yes, to the very end. Few things in life get easier as the years pass. But from this vantage point, after 35 years of climbing, we can see the broader view. We can see the two songwriters who were drunk on love and words and possibility. We can see the couple who almost called it a day, and yet found their way into — and with — each other. We learned that we tend two separate gardens: the garden of our career in music, and the garden of our life together well apart from the noise of the music industry.

We know well the thrill of opening shows for Bob Dylan or Lucinda Williams, getting to play at Newport Folk Festival, or in Japan, or New Zealand. And checking those things off our dream list was indeed a thrill. Seeing the world on the backs of the songs. Watching a community coalesce around our music that crossed borders and boundaries.

And now it is also the deeper abiding joy of quietly walking two Irish Wolfhounds in the cool of the evening. At home. Being together. The fact that we can still make each other laugh. Sharing a story that’s still being written. We live together on a small farm, grow songs, host concerts in the restored barn, and curate and host Nowhere Else Festival — our very own music and arts festival, the festival that we were always looking for but never quite found until we built it ourselves.

We have written a lifetime of love songs in all shapes and sizes. We were curious as to what an evening devoted entirely to the possibilities of love songs might feel like. And so, come Valentine’s Day, we’re going to go find a few favorite stages, and find out. We hope you’ll join us.

Linford Detweiler (w/Karin Bergquist close by) October 2026, Martinsville, Ohio

overtherhine.com

TICKETS TO OVER THE RHINE

Hailed by The Washington Post as “one of Nashville’s finest song interpreters,” Kathy Mattea has enjoyed much success and acclaim during her 35-year career in Country, Bluegrass and Folk music, including 2 GRAMMY wins, 4 CMA Awards, 4 #1 country singles, and five gold albums (plus a platinum Greatest Hits collection). Her latest album is Pretty Bird, produced by her old friend, roots music wizard Tim O’Brien. The wide-ranging collection of songs chronicles a period of rededication to singing, digging back in with a vocal coach and emerging with a poignant and eclectic CD. In addition to creating and recording music and performing live on tour, Kathy is increasingly involved with public broadcasting, consulting and contributing on screen in Ken Burns’ 2019 documentary for PBS “Country Music”, and recently replacing founder Larry Groce as the host of the long-running NPR show “Mountain Stage”. Kathy will bring her band along to give her songs their full expression when she plays in 2027 at the Stoughton Opera House.

mattea.com

TICKETS TO KATHY MATTEA

SOMETHING IS WORKING UP ABOVE MY HEAD

One night in the middle of the night there were a series of noises coming from above which lead to a series of thoughts. It sounded like something was working. Building something… A nest for its family? A trap for its prey? This led to more thoughts about unseen things at work. A God? A voice in your head? It all feels kind of made up until someone responds to it.

Less means more. That’s kind of always how it’s been with us. This time the rules were simple: we can only use what we work with live and whatever we put down on tape must be accomplishable on a stage in a live setting. That’s always seemed to be when we’re at our best. Or most twitchy. Many times we’ve made records that we loved and then, after figuring out how we’d perform it live, we end up falling in love with the live arrangement because being a 2 piece band, it took some real risk and struggle which led to innovation, which gave it a whole new life. (Consider the tortured grape.) So with this one we just started there and worked backwards. The result encapsulates, more than anything we’ve done before, the sound of our live performance. Resulting in what one might consider by definition, a definitive album.

The summer and fall leading up to recording we spent writing songs, hanging out with family in Colorado, and playing shows opening for The Wood Brothers and Gregory Alan Isakov, both of whom have large audiences. So each night we were playing in front of a lot of people, many of whom had never heard of us. We decided to take those opportunities to rattle our comfort zone cage and try out a bunch of brand new, just written songs and basically learn how to play them in front a few thousand people. The songs would grow and change show to show, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Maybe we go down in flames? Maybe something beautiful happens while it’s burning? We happily embraced the chaos. That’s kind of always how it’s been with us.

We had a new song that initially neither of us thought that much of called ‘Love Song From A Dog.” During one of the first nights of the Isakov run, we decided on stage, mid set, to try it out because the show was going well and the audience was warm. And it kind of killed. People honestly wouldn’t shut up about it. Not a brag more like a phenomenon or a weird dream. It became a fan favorite moment of our set each night and honestly in all the years of doing this we’ve never had so many people send us messages or reach out about any one specific song as they did this one. It just goes to show us that we don’t know anything. When it came time to record it we thought it’d be fitting and a nice touch to have Greg sing on it since it was his audience who basically fostered it into being by giving us the confidence and encouragement we needed to see it the way they did. He generously obliged and the song was instantly elevated by the sincerity and richness of mood that colors his voice.

The two of us can’t help but be obsessed with duality. The song ‘Two Wolves’ is a meditation about two conflicting energies competing for power. The first time we ever played it was on New Years Eve in an arena opening for Tyler Childers in front of 15k or so country music fans who surely were like “what the hell is this,” but to us it seemed 100 percent appropriate because it just feels like an arena type song. A fuzzy, thick riffed stomper with a meditative head bob refrain. So we opened with it because, well.. it felt like we had to.

For those who are new here we’ve spent the last decade or so bouncing around in the ‘Americana’ realm quite a bit. Getting branded into that world was admittedly a bit of a head scratcher for us as we’ve always identified as more of a rock band (though we do think of ourselves as folk songwriters and yarn spinners, and we do harmonize well together) but the people were paying attention and we were building a fan base so we kind of felt like “who were we to tell them who we weren’t?” But when you go all the way to Europe and are standing on a stage in front of a few hundred Scandinavians who are dressed in head to toe denim and cowboy hats, we can’t help but feel like we’re about to confuse some people. We will often find ourselves playing an outdoor, ‘free in the park’ type of concert series where a Male and Female with 2 guitars and beautiful harmonies will be booked as the opener, and then we’ll take the stage and proceed to be a little louder and maybe a little more brash than was anticipated. It’s always kind of been this way with us. The joke in our camp when this happens goes something like: And for tonight’s entertainment, we have for you “The What We Thought They Were’s” followed by the “Louder Than We Thoughts”! Recently we did a gig where the spokesperson said to us just before we went on, ‘so maybe don’t come out with your heaviest guitar stuff and your 808 bass bullshit right off the rip…there are kids and old people here and they’ll leave” (he was trying to be helpful). We politely told him “Don’t worry, we have a plan”.. .and then again opened with ‘Two Wolves,’ with it’s loud guitar stuff and it’s 808 bullshit, followed by a dynamic set where we touched on all the different things we do and everyone proceeded to have a great time. That’s kind of always how it’s been with us.

“Something Is Working Up Above My Head” is a catalog of vulnerable characters with sweet and sordid narratives.

‘Colorado River’ is a song about a boy and his Dad disposing of bodies in various ways as the water level recedes and dark surprises surface. The hot dog bun line was initially supposed to be a place holder because it sounded funny and it rhymed, but then we sang it so many times over the summer that it built a little hot dog shack and moved in forever. I still think it’s kind of dumb but it’s also kind of great. For those who pay attention, it’s a pretty obvious John Prine nod. I’d like to think he handed us the hot dog bun like a relay baton on his way to the great mystery. Macabre pairs well with a side of humor.

‘Piranhanana’ is about a boy growing up in a house of sex workers and being fine with it with a little meditation, while his sister struggles to find her zen. ‘I’d Be Lying’ is about navigating a crisis with a long time friend. ‘Double Lines’ follows the journey of a young woman thru pregnancy tests, covid tests, and various other forms of duality and two-ness.

‘Something is Working’ and ‘Dass Hymn’ (referring to Ram Dass) were the last 2 songs written and added to the collection of songs. They book end the record with questions about what, if anything, is pulling the strings? In the closing moments of the last song, 3 generations of our family all sing together about how nobody knows what happens at the end. And in all the not knowing, it’s comforting to sing with your family.

shovelsandrope.com

TICKETS TO SHOVELS AND ROPE

David Francey is a Scottish-born Canadian carpenter-turned-songwriter, who has become known as “one of Canada’s most revered folk poets and singers” (Toronto Star). Born in Ayrshire, Scotland to parents who were factory workers, he moved to Canada when he was twelve. For decades, he worked across Canada in rail yards, construction sites, and in the Yukon bush, all the while writing poetry, setting it to melodies in his head and singing it to himself as he worked. 

A truly authentic folk singer, Francey is a documentarian of the working person who never imagined earning a living from his music. But when he was in his 40s, his wife, artist Beth Girdler, encouraged him to share his songs and sing in public. The reaction was instant. His first album Torn Screen Door came out in 1999 and was a hit in Canada.
Since then, David has released thirteen albums, won four Juno Awards and has had his songs covered by such artists as The Del McCoury Band, The Rankin Family, James Keelaghan and Tracy Grammer.
Francey also had the honour of receiving the prestigious SOCAN Folk Music Award as well as taking home the Grand Prize in both the International Acoustic Music Award and in the Folk category for the John Lennon Songwriting Award.
 In concert David is a singer and a storyteller. His wry humour and astute observations combined with his openhearted singing style have earned him a loyal following.

David lives with his wife, artist Beth Girdler in the quiet but charming Lanark Highlands in southern Ontario. They are visited often by their son Colin, daughters Amy and Julia and grandkids Tristan, Alice and Millicent.

www.davidfrancey.com

TICKETS TO DAVID FRANCEY

In 2010, co-founders David Adler and David Stoler (The Steely Daves) thought it'd be a great idea to put together a tribute “SHOW” for Steely Dan, featuring the best musicians in the Madison, WI music scene. Madison is located in Dane County, WI, thus the name. The first Steely Dane show featured over 30 of Madison's best rock and jazz musicians, and it sold out the High Noon Saloon. Not ones to waste a herculean effort of arranging a full night's worth of the Dan's best stuff, the crew decided to do it again, and again,…..and oops, now it's no longer a show, it's a BAND. Since then, the band has trimmed down to the current 14-piece family that features a four-piece horn section, two female backup singers, two guitars, two keyboards, vibes, and percussion...all of the instruments necessary to recreate the amazing mixes of the Dan's albums and live performances. The members of the band have won countless instrumentalist of the year awards, and there's even a couple GRAMMY nominations in the group. The band has won multiple awards for best tribute band, they've sold out theaters from Chicago to Minneapolis, and packed summer festivals scattered throughout as well. Their songbook features over 50 songs from both Steely Dan and Donald Fagen's solo career, allowing them to play different shows night after night, even including complete album shows for The Royal Scam, Aja, and Gaucho.  

www.steelydane.com

TICKETS - Steely Dane

A Lone Star sheriff hunts quail on horseback and keeps a secret second family. A mechanic lies among the spare parts on the floor of his garage and wonders if he can afford to keep his girlfriend. A troubled man sees hallucinations of a black dog and a wandering boy and hums “Weird Al” songs in his head. These are some of the strange and richly drawn characters who inhabit James McMurtry’s eleventh album, The Black Dog & the Wandering Boy. A supremely insightful and inventive storyteller, he teases vivid worlds out of small details, setting them to arrangements that have the elements of Americana—rolling guitars, barroom harmonies, traces of banjo and harmonica—but sound too sly and smart for such a general category. Funny and sad often in the same breath, the album adds a new chapter to a long career that has enjoyed a resurgence as young songwriters like Sarah Jarosz and Jason Isbell cite him as a formative influence.

jamesmcmurtry.com

TICKETS TO JAMES MCMURTRY

Steep Canyon Rangers arrive at a moment of renewal and reaffirmation with Next Act, their 15th studio album set to be released May 22, 2026. The record represents a conscious tightening of focus: a return to the bluegrass foundations that first bound the band together, approached with the confidence and emotional range earned through years of collective evolution. It is an affirmation that bluegrass still contains endless expressive possibility. Next Act finds the Rangers sounding deeply at home in their own musical language, drawing strength from tradition while continuing to write new chapters within it.

Formed in North Carolina and shaped equally by the Appalachian Mountains and the Piedmont, Steep Canyon Rangers have long occupied a singular space in American roots music. From their earliest recordings, the band demonstrated an unusual ability to honor traditional bluegrass forms while allowing contemporary songwriting, literary influence, and regional storytelling to seep naturally into the music. Over time, this balance earned them both bluegrass credibility and broader Americana acclaim, culminating in a Best Bluegrass Album GRAMMY Award for 2013’s Nobody Knows You, additional nominations for Rare Bird Alert (2012) and North Carolina Songbook (2020), and an induction into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

In recent years, as their audience expanded and their songwriting reach grew wider, the Rangers began to feel a pull back toward the elemental forces that shaped them: acoustic instruments speaking clearly, songs built for ensemble interplay, and stories grounded in lived experience and regional memory. Next Act emerges from that impulse.

Steep Canyon Rangers is made up of Graham Sharp on banjo and vocals, Mike Guggino on mandolin/mandola and vocals, Aaron Burdett on guitar and vocals, Nicky Sanders on fiddle and vocals, Mike Ashworth on drums, dobro, percussion and vocals, and Barrett Smith on bass, guitar, and vocals.

www.steepcanyon.com

TICKETS TO STEEP CANYON RANGERS

In the music of Charlie Parr, there is a sincere conviction and earnest drive to create. The Minnesota-born guitarist, songwriter, and interpreter of traditional music has released 19 albums over two decades and has been known to perform up to 275 shows a year. Parr is a folk troubadour in the truest sense: taking to the road between shows, writing and rewriting songs as he plays, fueled by a belief that music is eternal and cannot be claimed or adequately explained. The bluesman poet pulls closely from the sights and sounds around him, his lyrical craftsmanship built by his influences. The sounds from his working-class upbringing—including Folkways legends such as Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie—imbue Parr’s music with stylistic echoes of blues and folk icons of decades past. Parr sees himself merely as a continuer of a folk tradition: “I feel like I stand on a lot of big shoulders,” he said in an interview. “I hope that I’ve brought a little bit of myself to the music.” 

With a discography simultaneously transcendental in nature and grounded in roots music, Charlie Parr is the humble master of the 21st century folk tradition. Parr started recording in Duluth in 2002, where he lives today. Life in the port town on Lake Superior has a way of bleeding into his work the same way his childhood in Austin, Minnesota does. Parr self-released his debut album, Criminals and Sinners, and did the same for his sophomore album 1922 (2002). With growing popularity abroad, Parr signed with Red House Records in 2015, where he recorded break-out albums Stumpjumper (2015) and Dog (2017). Parr’s music has an overwhelming sense of being present and mindful, and his sound is timeless.

Parr’s mastery of his craft is only more apparent when contextualized within the history of folk tradition of which Parr has dedicated his practice. The land and lives around and intersecting with Parr have always influenced him, from the hills and valleys of Hollandale, Minnesota to the Depression-era stories from his father. Parr strives to listen to everything: “I don’t see that I’d ever be capable of creating anything if it weren’t for these inspirations and influences, books and music as well as the weather and random interactions with strangers and animals. So, the well never runs dry as long as my eyes and ears are open,” Parr said in a 2020 interview. Before he was even 10 years old Parr was rummaging through his father’s record collection—sometimes drawing dinosaurs on the vinyl sleeves—and listening to country, folk, and blues legends, many of whom are staples in the Folkways catalog. When Parr sings and plays his resonator or 12-string, you can hear influences like Mance Lipscomb, Charley Patton, Spinder John Koerner, Rev. Gary Davis, and Dock Boggs. This is especially true in his playing, when, after a diagnosis of focal dystonia, Parr turned to greats like Davis, Doc Watson, and Booker White for two-finger picking inspiration. Gifted a 1965 Gibson B-45 12-string by his father, Parr has never had a formal lesson and learned by listening to records and watching musicians he admired. 

Parr’s first album with Smithsonian Folkways, Last of Better Days Ahead (2021), foregrounded his lyrical craftsmanship and sophisticated bluesman confidence, with spare production highlighting Parr’s mastery of guitar and elevating his poetry. Last of Better Days Ahead is a portrait of how Parr saw the world in that moment, reflecting on time and memories that have past while holding an enduring desire to be present. In his 2024 release, Little Sun, Parr weaves together stories celebrating music, community, and communing with nature. Putting forth an ambitious and raw album that exemplifies the best of Parr's sound: a blend of the blues and folk traditions he continues to carry with him and the steadfast originality of a poet. 

www.charlieparr.com

TICKETS TO CHARLIE PARR

Los Angeles-based and critically acclaimed guitarist and singer Ana Popovic is set to release her highly anticipated album Dance To The Rhythm (Electric Heel Records) on September 26, 2025. Produced by Popovic and Buthel, the album showcases a groundbreaking fusion of groove, blues, funk, and soul.

Building on the success of her previous work, Dance To The Rhythm pushes boundaries, seamlessly blending infectious dance grooves (“Dance To The Rhythm” / “Sho Nuff”) with raw blues guitar and powerful lyrics. From the soulful "Soul’ution" to the funky "Hottest Ticket In Town" and the bluesy “Dwell On The Feeling”, "California Chase," the album weaves a rich tapestry of musical styles, reflecting Popovic's masterful versatility. The track “Sisters and Brothers” channels a Steely Dan-like arrangement, while “Hurt So Good” brings a contemporary mainstream flair. The ultimate jam comes in the form of a clever reimagining of Paul Simon’s "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover."  

Ana says: “One of my biggest strengths on stage is my ability to make people dance. Music should take you to a place where you can let go, feel the groove, and move. You want music to grab you, to have a pocket that you can’t resist. —everything else revolves around it. Blues guitar has never really been part of dance music before, and in that way, it’s revolutionary. Guitar plays a central role in these tracks, breaking down the boundaries created by time, culture, and musical traditions. With this album, I’m pushing those boundaries.” For Ana, blues guitar is the foundation of everything in her music. Yet, she masterfully blends genres, effortlessly shifting from blues to dance, jam band, funk, pop, and even gospel—it's all part of her evolving sound.

A true pioneer, Ana combines her blues guitar roots with bold experimentation, redefining the intersection of blues and dance music. Her live performances, whether with her six-piece or eleven-piece funk band FUNTASTAFUNK, are electrifying, blending fierce guitar work with irresistible rhythms that compel audiences to move.

A multi-award-winning artist, Popovic has earned recognition from major outlets and industry figures, including Bruce Springsteen, who called her "one helluva guitar player." She’s been nominated for seven Blues Music Awards, and her latest album POWER hit #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart. Ana has shared stages with legends such as B.B. King, Joe Bonamassa, Warren Haynes, Robert Plant, and Gary Clark Jr., and is an endorsee of Fender, D'Angelico, Jim Dunlop, and DR Strings.

Popovic's commitment to her craft and fearless boundary-pushing ensures she remains one of the most dynamic forces in contemporary blues and beyond. 

www.anapopovic.com

Tickets to Ana Popović

In today's fast-paced mid-apocalyptic world it can feel like a waste of time to speak about time at all. Why dwell on the past when we could just live in the present because the future won't shut up about how bad it's going to be?

But with This Is The Kit, the pseudonym of songwriter / banjo strummer / pinhole camera lover / Winchester UK born Paris dweller Kate Stables, we're going to have to give time just a modicum of consideration. Because not only is Kate still here and making albums of cataclysmic honesty and welcoming tonal embraces, they are continuing to grow, which is probably the only smart way to move forward through time, unless you're one of those shrinkers. 

This Is The Kit's music places companionship at a premium, so being welcomed into its space feels like an obvious privilege, on record and in concert hall with her stellar supporting cast of Rozi Plain (bass), Jamie Whitby-Coles (drums) and Neil Smith (guitar).  And at this current point in our confusing history, continuing to be here at all, to stand tall and make music to gather to, that's a heroic act. Joyful survival as an act of time-wasting,  I'll take that any day of the week. Look to This Is The Kit to spend at least one day of your week this year, I guarantee it will be time well wasted. 

thisisthekit.co.uk

TICKETS TO THIS IS THE KIT

Che Apalache is a four-man string band formed in Buenos Aires in 2013 with members from Argentina, Mexico and the United States. The group’s founder is Joe Troop, a North Carolinian multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and composer who moved to Argentina in 2010. While patiently carving out a niche in the local music scene, Joe taught bluegrass and old-time for a living.
Corralling three of his most dedicated students, Che Apalache was born. What began as a bluegrass band quickly incorporated Latin American styles into their repertoire. With a combination of instrumental prowess and tight vocal harmonies, they have curated an unusual blend of genres to reflect the nature of their lives, evoking images from Appalachia to the Andes.
Their last album, Rearrange My Heart (2019) was produced by banjo legend Béla Fleck and nominated for Best Folk Album at the GRAMMY Awards that year.
In March 2020, weeks after walking the red carpet, Che Apalache’s momentous ascent in the North American music scene was completely decimated by the pandemic, sending them scurrying back to their places of origin across the Americas and on lockdown. 

In 2027, for the first time in seven years, Che Apalache will return to the United States to delight audiences with their unique cultural exchange - from bluegrass to candombe, gospel to Latin jazz.
The current iteration of the ensemble is Joe Troop (fiddle), Franco Martino(guitar), Pau Barjau (banjo), and Omar Ruiz-Lopez (mandolin).

www.cheapalache.com

TICKETS TO CHE APALACHE

Michael Perry returns to the Stoughton Opera House with fresh stories, a few favorites, and the same relaxed roughneck vibe that has steadily grown his fanbase for two decades. If you've ever seen Perry live, you know to expect an evening of laughter punctuated with soulful moments, surprise tangents, and steel-toed boots.

www.sneezingcow.com

TICKETS TO MICHAEL PERRY

Get ready for a brand new collaboration as two giants of Americana, Bluegrass, and Country take the stage together. Darrell Scott and Rob Ickes join forces for a duo performance that blends soulful songwriting, world-class Dobro, and the kind of musical chemistry that can only happen between true masters.

Darrell Scott, an award winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and one of the most revered voices in roots music, brings his rich, soul stirring vocals and renowned storytelling to the partnership. A Grammy nominated artist and Americana Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Scott’s songs have been embraced by Guy Clark, The Chicks, Garth Brooks, Zac Brown Band, and countless others.

Rob Ickes, a Grammy winning Dobro legend and the most honored instrumentalist in IBMA history, adds his signature touch: expressive, inventive, and technically unmatched. With 39 IBMA awards, including a record breaking 15 wins as Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year, Ickes has shaped the sound of modern Dobro through his work with the highly acclaimed group Blue Highway and collaborations with music icons like Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Tony Rice, and Earl Scruggs.

Together, Scott & Ickes deliver an intimate, genre crossing set that blends Americana, bluegrass, and roots traditions with fearless improvisation. It’s a chance to experience two of the best in the business pushing each other to new creative heights - live, raw, and unforgettable.

DarrellScott.com

RobIckes.com

TICKETS TO DARRELL SCOTT AND ROB ICKES

In a career spanning over 50 years, dozens of albums, and too many shows to count, Marty Stuart still charts a course through new territory at every chance possible. The five-time GRAMMY® Award winner, Congress of Country Music Founder, Country Music Hall of Famer, and AMA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient has left an indelible mark on successive eras of country music and culture. He went from accompanying Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash to launching a storied solo career highlighted by classic albums such as the Gold-certified Hillbilly Rock and Platinum-certified This One’s Gonna Hurt You as well as GRAMMY® Award-winning anthems, including “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’” [with Travis Tritt] and “Same Old Train.” 

Immersing himself in the world of film and television, he notably scored All The Pretty Horses, garnering a Golden Globe® Award nomination for “Best Original Score” and earning GRAMMY® Awards in the category of “Best Country Instrumental Performance” for “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and “Hummingbyrd.”

Recently, 2023’s Altitude incited widespread critical applause. Of the latter, Associated Press applauded how, “Guitarist Kenny Vaughan, drummer Harry Stinson and bassist Chris Scruggs match Stuart’s guitar virtuosity, with thrilling results,” and American Songwriter attested, “Altitude finds Stuart putting his own stamp on a traditional vein of country.” NPR put it best, “For millions, Marty Stuart is the very image of country music—splendid jackets, musical mastery and his respect for country’s traditions and a good jolt of humor.”You’d be hard pressed to find a corner of country music he hasn’t impacted though.

Speaking to his influence, he hosted the long-running fan favorite television series The Marty Stuart Show and notably remains a member of the Country Music Foundation and Grand Ole Opry. Moreover, the Country Music Hall of Fame inducted him during 2020. He also curated and launched Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music in Philadelphia, MS, preserving and celebrating the genre and its history.

Joined by his longtime band The Fabulous Superlatives, he cruises into another stratosphere with his first-ever full-length double LP of original instrumentals entitled, Space Junk. The cover art of Space Junk is a painting by Stuart’s longtime hero and pal, Herb Alpert, leader of the Tijuana Bass, a group Stuart considers to be one of the greatest instrumental bands of all time. The inimitable interplay between Marty, Kenny Vaughan, Harry Stinson, and Chris Scruggs fuels this cosmic cowboy trip with sun-kissed surf guitar, breezy California rhythms, soul stirring steel, and fluid fretwork all-around. Space Junk sounds like country music’s preeminent band crash landing on a Malibu beach and performing the most epic jam you’ve ever witnessed by starlight… 

https://martystuart.net

TICKETS TO MARTY STUART

In a career spanning over 50 years, dozens of albums, and too many shows to count, Marty Stuart still charts a course through new territory at every chance possible. The five-time GRAMMY® Award winner, Congress of Country Music Founder, Country Music Hall of Famer, and AMA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient has left an indelible mark on successive eras of country music and culture. He went from accompanying Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash to launching a storied solo career highlighted by classic albums such as the Gold-certified Hillbilly Rock and Platinum-certified This One’s Gonna Hurt You as well as GRAMMY® Award-winning anthems, including “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’” [with Travis Tritt] and “Same Old Train.” 

Immersing himself in the world of film and television, he notably scored All The Pretty Horses, garnering a Golden Globe® Award nomination for “Best Original Score” and earning GRAMMY® Awards in the category of “Best Country Instrumental Performance” for “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and “Hummingbyrd.”

Recently, 2023’s Altitude incited widespread critical applause. Of the latter, Associated Press applauded how, “Guitarist Kenny Vaughan, drummer Harry Stinson and bassist Chris Scruggs match Stuart’s guitar virtuosity, with thrilling results,” and American Songwriter attested, “Altitude finds Stuart putting his own stamp on a traditional vein of country.” NPR put it best, “For millions, Marty Stuart is the very image of country music—splendid jackets, musical mastery and his respect for country’s traditions and a good jolt of humor.”You’d be hard pressed to find a corner of country music he hasn’t impacted though.

Speaking to his influence, he hosted the long-running fan favorite television series The Marty Stuart Show and notably remains a member of the Country Music Foundation and Grand Ole Opry. Moreover, the Country Music Hall of Fame inducted him during 2020. He also curated and launched Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music in Philadelphia, MS, preserving and celebrating the genre and its history.

Joined by his longtime band The Fabulous Superlatives, he cruises into another stratosphere with his first-ever full-length double LP of original instrumentals entitled, Space Junk. The cover art of Space Junk is a painting by Stuart’s longtime hero and pal, Herb Alpert, leader of the Tijuana Bass, a group Stuart considers to be one of the greatest instrumental bands of all time. The inimitable interplay between Marty, Kenny Vaughan, Harry Stinson, and Chris Scruggs fuels this cosmic cowboy trip with sun-kissed surf guitar, breezy California rhythms, soul stirring steel, and fluid fretwork all-around. Space Junk sounds like country music’s preeminent band crash landing on a Malibu beach and performing the most epic jam you’ve ever witnessed by starlight… 

https://martystuart.net

TICKETS TO MARTY STUART

One of Canada’s finest artists, Bruce Cockburn has enjoyed an illustrious career shaped by politics, spirituality, and musical diversity. His remarkable journey has seen him embrace folk, jazz, rock, and worldbeat styles while travelling to such far-flung places as Guatemala, Mali, Mozambique, and Nepal, and writing memorable songs about his ever-expanding world of wonders. “My job,” he explains, “is to try and trap the spirit of things in the scratches of pen on paper and the pulling of notes out of metal.”

That scratching and pulling has earned Cockburn high praise as an exceptional songwriter and a revered guitarist. His songs of romance, protest, and spiritual discovery are among the best to have emerged from Canada over the last 40 years. His guitar playing, both acoustic and electric, has placed him in the company of the world’s top instrumentalists. And he remains deeply respected for his activism on issues from native rights and land mines to the environment and Third World debt, working for organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, and Friends of the Earth.

Throughout his career, Cockburn has deftly captured the joy, pain, fear, and faith of human experience in song. Whether singing about retreating to the country or going up against chaos, tackling imperialist lies or embracing ecclesiastical truths, he has always expressed a tough yet hopeful stance: to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight. “We can’t settle for things as they are,” he once warned. “If you don’t tackle the problems, they’re going to get worse.”

For his many achievements, the Ottawa-born artist has been honoured with 12 Juno Awards, an induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, and has been made an Officer of the Order of Canada. But he never rests on his laurels. “I’d rather think about what I’m going to do next,” says Cockburn. “My models for graceful aging are guys like John Lee Hooker and Mississippi John Hurt, who never stop working till they drop, as I fully expect to be doing, and just getting better as musicians and as human beings.”

His commitment to growth has made Bruce Cockburn both an exemplary citizen and a legendary artist whose prized songbook will be celebrated for many years to come.

Jeff Pevar & Inger Nova are an Oregon-based duo whose original music blends soul, rock, R&B, jazz, folk, and blues into a sound that feels both deeply rooted and distinctly their own. Their songs move between intimate acoustic storytelling, groove-driven arrangements, and expansive production—anchored by rich vocal harmonies, lyrical depth, and more than two decades of creative collaboration.

Jeff Pevar is a guitarist, bassist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, session musician, and composer whose career spans decades of collaborations with legendary artists. He was a founding member of CPR alongside David Crosby and has also toured extensively with Crosby Nash, Crosby Stills & Nash, and Crosby’s Sky Trails Band. His expansive career also includes extensive tours with Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Phil Lesh, Marc Cohn, Rickie Lee Jones, Bette Midler, Jennifer Warnes, Jefferson Starship, and many others. A New York Blues Hall of Fame inductee, his work has spanned decades across multiple genres, and he has brought his multi-instrumental production skills to his own recordings, including his solo album From the Core and his albums with Inger.

Inger Nova Jorgensen is a vocalist, songwriter, sculptor, and painter whose multidisciplinary career deeply informs her musical voice. As the duo’s primary lyricist, she often brings initial melodic concepts that evolve through a highly collaborative writing process with Jeff. Beyond music, she is widely recognized for her bronze figurative sculpture and contemporary paintings, with work exhibited nationally and internationally. Whether performing in an intimate duo setting or with a full band, Inger contributes lead vocals, percussion, and a dynamic stage presence that reflects her broader artistic sensibilities.

Together, they’ve spent more than two decades writing, recording, and performing original music throughout the U.S. and Europe, including multiple tours across Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. They have released two albums, including Anthem and their latest full-length release, Hear Me Calling, reflecting the full arc of their collaboration—blending soulful songwriting, layered production, and the chemistry they’ve developed over years of creating together.

When they’re not touring, Jeff and Inger record from their Oregon studio and host the acclaimed Stone House Concert Series, an intimate listening-room experience that has become a beloved destination for touring artists and music lovers alike

www.brucecockburn.com

TICKETS TO BRUCE COCKBURN

One of Canada’s finest artists, Bruce Cockburn has enjoyed an illustrious career shaped by politics, spirituality, and musical diversity. His remarkable journey has seen him embrace folk, jazz, rock, and worldbeat styles while travelling to such far-flung places as Guatemala, Mali, Mozambique, and Nepal, and writing memorable songs about his ever-expanding world of wonders. “My job,” he explains, “is to try and trap the spirit of things in the scratches of pen on paper and the pulling of notes out of metal.”

That scratching and pulling has earned Cockburn high praise as an exceptional songwriter and a revered guitarist. His songs of romance, protest, and spiritual discovery are among the best to have emerged from Canada over the last 40 years. His guitar playing, both acoustic and electric, has placed him in the company of the world’s top instrumentalists. And he remains deeply respected for his activism on issues from native rights and land mines to the environment and Third World debt, working for organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, and Friends of the Earth.

Throughout his career, Cockburn has deftly captured the joy, pain, fear, and faith of human experience in song. Whether singing about retreating to the country or going up against chaos, tackling imperialist lies or embracing ecclesiastical truths, he has always expressed a tough yet hopeful stance: to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight. “We can’t settle for things as they are,” he once warned. “If you don’t tackle the problems, they’re going to get worse.”

For his many achievements, the Ottawa-born artist has been honoured with 12 Juno Awards, an induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, and has been made an Officer of the Order of Canada. But he never rests on his laurels. “I’d rather think about what I’m going to do next,” says Cockburn. “My models for graceful aging are guys like John Lee Hooker and Mississippi John Hurt, who never stop working till they drop, as I fully expect to be doing, and just getting better as musicians and as human beings.”

His commitment to growth has made Bruce Cockburn both an exemplary citizen and a legendary artist whose prized songbook will be celebrated for many years to come.

Jeff Pevar & Inger Nova are an Oregon-based duo whose original music blends soul, rock, R&B, jazz, folk, and blues into a sound that feels both deeply rooted and distinctly their own. Their songs move between intimate acoustic storytelling, groove-driven arrangements, and expansive production—anchored by rich vocal harmonies, lyrical depth, and more than two decades of creative collaboration.

Jeff Pevar is a guitarist, bassist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, session musician, and composer whose career spans decades of collaborations with legendary artists. He was a founding member of CPR alongside David Crosby and has also toured extensively with Crosby Nash, Crosby Stills & Nash, and Crosby’s Sky Trails Band. His expansive career also includes extensive tours with Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Phil Lesh, Marc Cohn, Rickie Lee Jones, Bette Midler, Jennifer Warnes, Jefferson Starship, and many others. A New York Blues Hall of Fame inductee, his work has spanned decades across multiple genres, and he has brought his multi-instrumental production skills to his own recordings, including his solo album From the Core and his albums with Inger.

Inger Nova Jorgensen is a vocalist, songwriter, sculptor, and painter whose multidisciplinary career deeply informs her musical voice. As the duo’s primary lyricist, she often brings initial melodic concepts that evolve through a highly collaborative writing process with Jeff. Beyond music, she is widely recognized for her bronze figurative sculpture and contemporary paintings, with work exhibited nationally and internationally. Whether performing in an intimate duo setting or with a full band, Inger contributes lead vocals, percussion, and a dynamic stage presence that reflects her broader artistic sensibilities.

Together, they’ve spent more than two decades writing, recording, and performing original music throughout the U.S. and Europe, including multiple tours across Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. They have released two albums, including Anthem and their latest full-length release, Hear Me Calling, reflecting the full arc of their collaboration—blending soulful songwriting, layered production, and the chemistry they’ve developed over years of creating together.

When they’re not touring, Jeff and Inger record from their Oregon studio and host the acclaimed Stone House Concert Series, an intimate listening-room experience that has become a beloved destination for touring artists and music lovers alike.

www.brucecockburn.com

TICKETS TO BRUCE COCKBURN

Judy Collins has long inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Six decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 55-album body of work, and heed inspiration from her spiritual discipline to thrive in the music industry for half a century.

The award-winning singer-songwriter is esteemed for her imaginative interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk standards and her own poetically poignant original compositions. Her stunning rendition of Joni Mitchell's “Both Sides Now” from her landmark 1967 album, Wildflowers, has been entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Judy’s dreamy and sweetly intimate version of “Send in the Clowns,” a ballad written by Stephen Sondheim for the Broadway musical A Little Night Music, won "Song of the Year” at the 1975 Grammy Awards. She’s garnered several top-ten hits gold- and platinum-selling albums. Recently, contemporary and classic artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Shawn Colvin, Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, and Leonard Cohen honored her legacy with the album Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins.

In 2026, Collins bids adieu to the road with her “SWEET JUDY BLUE EYES” Farewell Tour, launching July 4, 2026 and running through 2027—an expansive final run across North America and beyond that gives audiences one last chance to experience her timeless voice and storytelling live. The tour follows a remarkable recent chapter: six new albums released since 2015, the artistic renaissance of Spellbound (her first album of all self-penned songs, nominated for Best Folk Album at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards), and her 2025 poetry collection Sometimes It’s Heaven: Poems of Love, Loss and Redemption—a vivid extension of the honesty and grace that have defined her enduring legacy.

judycollins.com

TICKETS - Judy Collins

Judy Collins has long inspired audiences with sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and a firm commitment to social activism. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Six decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly as new generations bask in the glow of her iconic 55-album body of work, and heed inspiration from her spiritual discipline to thrive in the music industry for half a century.

The award-winning singer-songwriter is esteemed for her imaginative interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk standards and her own poetically poignant original compositions. Her stunning rendition of Joni Mitchell's “Both Sides Now” from her landmark 1967 album, Wildflowers, has been entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Judy’s dreamy and sweetly intimate version of “Send in the Clowns,” a ballad written by Stephen Sondheim for the Broadway musical A Little Night Music, won "Song of the Year” at the 1975 Grammy Awards. She’s garnered several top-ten hits gold- and platinum-selling albums. Recently, contemporary and classic artists such as Rufus Wainwright, Shawn Colvin, Dolly Parton, Joan Baez, and Leonard Cohen honored her legacy with the album Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins.

In 2026, Collins bids adieu to the road with her “SWEET JUDY BLUE EYES” Farewell Tour, launching July 4, 2026 and running through 2027—an expansive final run across North America and beyond that gives audiences one last chance to experience her timeless voice and storytelling live. The tour follows a remarkable recent chapter: six new albums released since 2015, the artistic renaissance of Spellbound (her first album of all self-penned songs, nominated for Best Folk Album at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards), and her 2025 poetry collection Sometimes It’s Heaven: Poems of Love, Loss and Redemption—a vivid extension of the honesty and grace that have defined her enduring legacy.

judycollins.com

TICKETS - Judy Collins

Väsen-Duo, Mikael Marin and Olov Johansson have, after almost 40 years of interaction and touring, refined their sound and their stage presence to the extent that today they are unique in their kind. With their playful and perfect interplay, they seem to defy the laws of physics in what appears to be a telepathic communication. The music is intense and full of humour. With the foundation firmly rooted in the traditional music of Uppland, they have always looked curiously at new musical goals. Olov & Micke have played together since 1983 when they met at Oktoberstämman in Uppsala and discovered that they had a large common repertoire and a similar way of playing. Olov & Micke started playing intensively together and released their first recording, “Det rister i Örat,” in 1985. Now they go on adventures among old fine musicians, stories and trad tunes, at the same time they continue to break new ground. They perform on a variety of stringed instruments, including kontrabasharpa, oktavharpa, three-rowed nyckelharpa, violoncello da spalla and a blue electric bass-viola.

www.vasen.se

The Shauncey Ali Quartet captivates audiences with evocative melodies and daring arrangements that straddle the intersection of tradition and innovation. The ensemble artfully blends bluegrass, Celtic and Nordic fiddle styles, with sensibilities influenced by pop, rock and classical music. ​​​​​Featuring Nicholas Vanhaute (mandolin), Hans Holzen (acoustic and electric guitar), David Havas (upright bass) and Shauncey Ali (fiddle), the SAQ challenges listeners with an experience that is virtuosic yet accessible, rooted in tradition yet unbound by convention.  Their new album, The Blue Hour, highlights the quartet’s chamber-style interplay and a distinctive collection of original compositions. 

www.madfiddlelessons.com/shaunceyaliquartet 

TICKETS TO VASEN & SHAUNCEY ALI QUARTET

The Squirrel Nut Zippers sack and plunder the old, weird America then sail off to further distant lands. They use New Orleans as their hideout and base of operations. Jean-Lafitte-like theY hide in the lee side of barrier island, receiving goods and making dark back channel deals; hiding in cellars or in plain view.

snzippers.com

TICKETS - Squirrel Nut Zippers