Award-winning songwriter Melody Walker brings a curated round of LGBTQ+ artists for a night of songs and the stories behind them. Walker is a songwriter, producer, performer and fervent believer that songs can change the world. Best known for her writing with Molly Tuttle, Sierra Ferrell, Della Mae and her own band Front Country, Melody's post-pandemic recalibration has found her rooting down in her home community of East Nashville, co-writing with her talented neighbors and hosting her weekly writers' round, Writers' Kitchen. Her blend of Americana and Pop has won her accolades from Merlefest to Telluride and now the GRAMMYs with co-writes on Molly Tuttle's two GRAMMY-winning albums, including IBMA Song of the Year "Crooked Tree". Recent years have found Walker releasing her first solo music in a decade, stepping into her own as a songwriter and artist and finding magic in queer collaboration.

$10 suggested donation at the door.

Kentucky musician and composer Ben Sollee, has been blurring boundaries with his musical style and career for nearly two decades – his latest album, Long Haul (2024) is no exception. Drawing on tonal influences from the American and global south, Sollee’s vocals and unique cello style thread through each track binding seemingly disparate chapters of his journey – the Long Haul. 

After his last album in 2017, Sollee took a break from touring to grow his family and deepen community connections in Louisville, KY. Now a father of three, Sollee has leaned into his work as a composer; scoring films such as LAND from director Robin Wright, and Maggie Morre(s), a John Slattery film featuring Tina Fey and Jon Hamm. He also scored the podcast series Unreformed, which was recently nominated for a Peabody Award. Outside of music, Sollee helped launch the non-profit Canopy, which supports Kentucky businesses positively impacting their communities and planet.

Like so many, the COVID-19 pandemic years, which Sollee refers to as “the great pause,” brought loss and grief. The deaths of his mentor Jon Rieger, his father Bob Sollee, and his long-time musical partner Jordon Ellis presented him with opportunities for reflection and growth. This in turn, gives the new record a sense of buoyancy, a feeling of rising out of a depth, seven years coming.

The title track “Long Haul” tells the story of Sollee’s nearly two year struggle with long-COVID. The lyrics paint in broad strokes and are relatable to anyone who’s been forced – for whatever reason – to shift their relationship to their body. He sings, “I didn’t know how rich I was until this poverty,” lilting up to a high note letting us know he’s embraced and grown from the experience. “I realized I had a very exploitative relationship with my body and my creativity,” says Sollee. “I realized the most radical thing you can do is to care for yourself; not in some optimized, individualistic way, but as an aspect of nature and society” Serving as the album’s title, “Long Haul” takes on a universal meaning as a journey that we’re all on together.

While working on the record, Sollee lived by the mantra, “show our fingerprints,” referencing the guidance of NY Times tech reporter Kevin Roose in his book Futureproof. In this age of automation and generative technologies, Sollee chose to employ breathy woodwinds, choirs, tactile hand percussion, and his signature cello style, all of which shine through in the Dolby ATMOS Spatial Audio version of the album (a first for Sollee). Evoking the music of Paul Simon, there is a forward momentum to the songs that creates a sense of journey. And this traveling groove comes through on key songs like “Misty Miles” and “Under the Spell”, both of which explore the friction of being human in the rush of technology and consumerism. The refrain “When will enough be enough?” in Misty Miles is sung over the smooth, rhythmic cadence of bicycling, juxtaposing imagery of “crooked live oaks” with Charleston, South Carolina’s more artificial landscapes.

Both of these songs give an honest description of how Sollee relates to his work, accomplishments, family and community. “I’m constantly trying to let go of all of these ambitions and desires… just be present with my family, with nature…and to be present where I am in life.”

While many of the songs on Long Haul ask questions, the track “One More Day '' makes a plea. “It’s a love letter,” Sollee explains “My greatest hope for this song is that it can be shared in times of crisis, maybe when someone you know is toeing the line of that irreversible choice: ending their life.” In February of 2023, Sollee lost his long-time musical brother and close friend Jordon Ellis to suicide. The two had recorded and toured together since 2009. The idea for “One More Day'' came to Sollee as he walked through the Louisville airport for the first time without his travel companion. In his words, “His spirit was everywhere. I realized, no matter where I went, the memory of him was going to be there… pretty much every airport and venue, I've walked through and played with him.” The lyrics, rich with descriptive imagery of their travels together, ride the song’s distinct percussive groove, “a strange groove” as Sollee describes it. It was inspired by free-range jams on and off stage with Ellis that explored Tejano, Soca, and Caribbean musical influences, full of buoyancy and joy. 

Without Ellis as his percussive and collaborative keystone, Sollee found himself creatively adrift while writing the record. But over time, he viewed it as an opportunity for growth and to explore new collaborative relationships. This, and Sollee’s desire to bring hand-percussion to the album led him to multi-instrumentalist, Patrick Duke Graney.

Other creatives featured on the album include Grammy nominated Jason Clayborn and the Atmosphere Changers, Stuart Bogie who arranged and performed the winds and horns, bassist Alana Rocklin, of STS9, long-time friend Dan Dorff on keys and drums, and multi-instrumentalist Brandon Coleman. Kentucky-based artist Ceirra Evans painted the album cover. The image features a man sauntering along a winding path through Eyvind Earle-esque woods. It conveys a sense of wonder and flow, similar to the record, with the man distinctly in the middle of his journey – constantly arriving, but not yet finishing – on a long haul.

"Originally from Boyd County, KY, Chaney has since relocated to Lexington and is sure to be the next big thing coming out of Kentucky. At only 21 years old, Chaney’s catalog may be small, but he already boasts an absolute masterpiece of an album in which he proves wise beyond his years.

Mercy, his debut album released in 2021, is a 12-song showcase of Eastern Kentucky, blue collar anthems highlighted by Chaney’s deft lyricism and storytelling. An unknown musician prior to the album’s release, Chaney has since experienced a meteoric rise in popularity and has quickly amassed a growing and dedicated fan base, already thirsty for new music."

-Whiskey Riff

Kindred Valley is an indie folk band out of Huntington, West Virginia focused on

intentional lyrics and good music. They are passionate about story telling and

infusing the character of their Appalachian home into everything they release. They

are a young group eagerly looking forward to a long life spent with music and

crowds.

THE HOOTEN HALLERS

For the past seventeen years, The Hooten Hallers have been crisscrossing the country as inveterate road warriors, bringing their peculiar vision of Americana: a fiery, bluesy, rock and roll fever dream birthed in Missouri’s fertile musical heartland. They’ve put so many miles into the road that they’ve burned through multiple tour vans and left twisted metal and frayed rubber strewn across the road behind them. The Hooten Hallers are known for their incendiary live shows that must be experienced to be believed, taking the listener on a dynamic journey from explosively raucous blues to expressive three-part vocal harmonies to danceable grooves.

The enduring hope and tinges of madness from this power trio are driven by the infernal vocal growl and swirling electric and lap steel guitars of John Randall, the powerful drumming and falsetto howl of Andy Rehm, and the burning baritone and bass saxophone lines of Kellie Everett. The Hooten Hallers have always been musical colliders, smashing together blues, garage rock, country, punk, and a hint of jazz into a refreshingly unique sound. It’s Morphine meets ZZ Top mixed with a dash of George Thorogood and Tom Waits. But anyone who has seen this band live knows that this group is unlike anything they’ve experienced before. When The Hooten Hallers come to town, you know it’s gonna be a party!

LUCAS WAYNE & THE COTTONMOUTHS

Lucas Wayne is a storyteller at heart singing about the quirks of everyday characters and the experiences of growing up in rural Eastern Kentucky and Southern Illinois. Classically trained, his vocal range and natural vibrato leaves crowds stunned. Wayne’s songs are simultaneously funny and devastatingly sad, captivating audiences in bars, halls, and anywhere he can as a solo artist. He is touring now with his band The Cottonmouths whose members have toured extensively with Vince Herman Band, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, and many more.Lucas Wayne’s mix of Country, Bluegrass, and Soul make a sound that is both refreshingly new and also timeless.

Heralded by Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine, Amy Speace is one of contemporary folk and Americana music’s leading voices of the new generation. Lauded by mentors Judy Collins, Tom Paxton and Janis Ian, as well as the songwriting community in Nashville, her songs have been recorded by Judy Collins, Red Molly, Sid Selvidge among others. After 20 years of touring, she has played concerts all across the US and Europe and has graced stages from Glastonbury Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival in the UK to Rocky Mountain Folks Festival and Mountain Stage.

She began her career in the iconic folk venues of New York City where she was discovered by Judy Collins and signed to her Wildflower Records label. Relocating to Nashville in 2009, she quickly became embraced by the songwriting community, with regular shows at The Bluebird Café as well as her international touring. In 2020, her song “Me and the Ghost of Charlemagne” was named International Song of the Year by the Americana Music Association UK. Her 2021 release, “There Used To Be Horses Here” received widespread critical acclaim from Rolling Stone to Billboard. Performing Songwriter gave it 5 out of 5 stars and named it as the #4 release of 2021. Her latest album, “Tucson” (Windbone/Proper Records) landed #1 on the Folk Radio Charts in April, 2022 and was widely lauded as one of Speace’s finest work. This year, her 2013 record, “How To Sleep In A Stormy Boat,” which was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered was named to the Top 10 Albums of the century.

A “writer’s writer”, she is a published poet, with pieces appearing in 2022’s Spring edition of 2River Review and Euophia. Her essays have been published in The New York Times, Salon.com, American Songwriter, No Depression.

McNally is a Zen-like, post-Beat song poet”. For those who have followed McNally’s nearly twenty year career the thing that most sticks with the listener about her, is the timeless effortlessness that she brings to all she does. With a long catalog and longer list of peers with whom she has written, recorded and toured, McNally continues to turn out great music that defies blatant genre-fication.

Headed out this summer on tour with Mike Campbell!!!

At home across the American (Americana) music spectrum, the Grammy nominee who’s live music career began on the jam band circuit of the 1990’s with bands like Robert Randolph and Derek Trucks, writes as well as she interprets the songs of others, has a top tier musicality to her craft, a soul stirring voice that immediately grabs one by the heart strings and a troubadour’s wanderlust, not to mention as it turns out, she is also an excellent electric guitar player.

On his forthcoming album, Windchimes (set to release on April 19th) he delves into the slow, reflective and “at-home” nature of starting a family as well as the hopes and fears you encounter along the way. Windchimes unfolds as an exploration of life's seasons, a delicate dance through the past, present, future and the tension that arises as you navigate through it all. 

When he last released a record in 2020 Thomas was unmarried, childless and cooped up in his house like much of the rest of the world. Now married, a father and releasing an album with a full team it can feel like a lot more is at stake. “Modern life can make you feel like you have to prove yourself to others constantly. I don't know if that's always great, but it's definitely something that’s a part of me,” says Csorba. Luckily, starting a family and the process of making Windchimes have helped to find a counterbalance to the pressures that come along with ambition - honest and open collaboration. Collaboration in a family unit, with business colleagues and of course with fellow artists.

“Jim Lauderdale is a consummate entertainer, a sharp dressed man as well, a terrific songwriter and a great singer."– George Strait

“He’s my favorite part of Americana music” – Ketch Secor, Old Crow Medicine Show

“He’s a man of great style, an exceptional songwriter and tremendous singer” – Elvis Costello

“Jim Lauderdale could easily be called a renaissance man. He’s a great singer, great guitar player and there’s no way you could miss his work as a songwriter.” – Ricky Skaggs

At any given time, you’re likely to find Jim Lauderdale making music, whether he’s laying down a new track in the studio or working through a spontaneous melody at his home in Nashville. And if he’s not actively crafting new music, he’s certainly thinking about it. “It's a constant challenge to try to keep making better and better records, write better and better songs. I still always feel like I'm a developing artist,” he says. This may be a surprising sentiment from a man who’s won two Grammys, released 34 full-length albums, and taken home the Americana Music Association’s coveted Wagonmaster Award. But forthcoming album Game Changer is convincing evidence that the North Carolina native is only continuing to hone his craft.

The Goldenrods are a fresh take on “country and midwestern” with a master’s touch on all the traditional instrumentation you’d expect to hear. They will waltz you to tears and two step you to a joyous grin. The Goldenrods are fronted by Ryan Koenig singing and playing octave mandolin, fiddle, banjo and guitar. The band is completed with Jess Adkins singing and playing accordion and guitar, as well as Kellie Everett singing and playing upright bass.

Georgia born, Alabama raised and Nashville based Americana and Country artist, India Ramey was singing before she could talk. “When I was a toddler, my Grandmaw would take me to church and I would stand out in the isle and sing my guts out to the choir even though I wasn’t actually saying actual words. The granddaughter of a Sand Mountain, Alabama bluegrass and gospel singer, she came by her love to music honestly. “There was always music around me growing up whether it was Grandaddy’s gospel singing or Saturday house cleaning days with my Mom and sisters singing Fleetwood Mac at the top of our lungs.

India’s musical journey was not typical. “Having grown up poor, there was a lot of pressure for me to ‘go to college and make money’ so I convinced myself that music was a hobby”. Ramey, a domestic violence survivor graduated college, got a law degree and became a domestic violence prosecutor. “I thought if I was helping people like my Mom, I would like being a lawyer more”. Despite her love of helping people, Ramey’s love for music won in the end. She gave up her law career to become a full time musician and songwriter and has never looked back.

Join us at the 1857 following the eclipse for drink specials and live music!!

For the past sixteen years, The Hooten Hallers have been crisscrossing the country as inveterate road warriors, bringing their peculiar vision of Americana: a fiery, bluesy, rock and roll fever dream birthed in Missouri’s fertile musical heartland. They’ve put so many miles into the road that they’ve burned through multiple tour vans and left twisted metal and frayed rubber strewn across the road behind them. The Hooten Hallers are known for their incendiary live shows that must be experienced to be believed, taking the listener on a dynamic journey from explosively raucous blues to expressive three-part vocal harmonies to danceable grooves.

The enduring hope and tinges of madness from this power trio are driven by the infernal vocal growl and swirling electric and lap steel guitars of John Randall, the powerful drumming and falsetto howl of Andy Rehm, and the burning baritone and bass saxophone lines of Kellie Everett. The Hooten Hallers have always been musical colliders, smashing together blues, garage rock, country, punk, and a hint of jazz into a refreshingly unique sound. It’s Morphine meets ZZ Top mixed with a dash of George Thorogood and Tom Waits. But anyone who has seen this band live knows that this group is unlike anything they’ve experienced before. When The Hooten Hallers come to town, you know it’s gonna be a party!

“At her most compelling, Hunt crafts breathtaking ballads with heartrending melodies reminiscent of Merle Haggard’s soulful best.” — No Depression

“Searching for a spiritual poignancy in the emotional sentiments of folk storytelling, Phoebe Hunt is acutely aware of the human condition, its triumphs and setbacks, and the divides set between us. ” — PopMatters

Whereas the fiddle and voice are often the final elements, or icing on the cake of a full band recording, on Earthly Syndication, due out mid 2023 on Thirty Tigers, Phoebe Hunt explores what it sounds like when the fiddle and vocals represent the whole cake. Drawing from 30 years spent studying the violin/fiddle, Hunt amalgamates her classical upbringing with Appalachian Old Time, Texas Swing, and a maturity of songwriting that create an unfiltered, raw expression dripping with palatable vulnerability.

Parker Millsap quickly made a name for himself with his captivating live performances, soulful sound, and character-driven narratives.

He’s had a string of successes including an appearance on CONAN, a performance with Elton John at the Apple Music Festival, an Austin City Limits taping & an Americana Music Association nomination for Album of the Year. He's shared the stage with folks like Jason Isbell, Shovels & Rope, Patty Griffin, Houndmouth, and many others.

Parker’s early releases showcased a mastery of acoustic folk rock, with their flourish for revelation and fiery dynamics. Be Here Instead, Millsap’s 2021 release produced by John Agnello, hinted at the wildness to come while exploring newer, more personal songwriting styles. Parker's newest album, Wilderness Within You, is a natural step in Parker's evolution which interweaves threads of his musical past and newer influences to gorgeous effect.

Nick Dittmeier is a singer-songwriter from Southern Indiana.  With the support of his backing/touring band, The Sawdusters, he has released three full length albums, “Midwest Heart/ Southern Blues” in 2016, “All Damn Day” in 2018, and "Heavy Denim" in 2022, and a slew of ep's in between. These albums are gritty collections of songs, full of characters who were developed while staring over the dash of a beat up tour van, cruising through towns all over the South and Midwest. Relentless touring through the United States and Europe have accompanied these releases and he will be on the road in 2024 and beyond.

At any given time, you’re likely to find Jim Lauderdale making music whether he’s laying down a new track in the studio or working through a spontaneous melody at his home in Nashville. And if he’s not actively crafting new music, he’s certainly thinking about it. “It's a constant challenge to try to keep making better and better records, write better and better songs. I still always feel like I'm a developing artist,” he says. This may be a surprising sentiment from a man who’s won two Grammys, released 34 full-length albums, and taken home the Americana Music Association’s coveted Wagonmaster Award. But his forthcoming album Game Changer is convincing evidence that the North Carolina native is only continuing to hone his craft.

Many artists are defined by place, but only a handful of artists come to define the places they’re from. The Local Honeys are Kentucky and Kentucky runs through their veins like an unbridled racehorse. When a master songsmith like Tom T. Hall calls an artist “a great credit to a wonderful Kentucky tradition” it’s time to pull up a chair and pay attention. As it pertains to The Local Honeys he was right on the money. For almost a decade the duo (Linda Jean Stokley and Montana Hobbs) have been an integral part of the Kentucky musicscape. They’ve paid their dues, garnering countless accolades and accomplishments (tours with Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, praise from the New York Times) and have become the defining sound of real deal, honest-to-God Kentucky music.

The Local Honeys come from a long line of storytellers, a lineage of strong Kentucky women who aren’t afraid to tell it like it is and their self-titled La Honda debut is proof it’s in their bones. The duo have mastered the art of telling a good story. The narratives and landscapes they weave into song, the deep understanding and love they share for old time traditions, their undeniable charisma and charm, and their blatant disregard to follow the rules make it clear the duo is poised to become not only the defining voices of their home state of Kentucky but the defining voices of a new Appalachia.

catl. are a rock n’ roll duo hailing from Toronto with a reputation for getting people off their asses to do a little drinkin’ and dancin’. They have released 5 full-length records to critical acclaim and toured extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Canada since 2010. catl. recently released their 5th LP titled “Bide my time until I die” on Beast Records (France), and Romanus Records (US).

catl. features Jamie Fleming bashing away on his 40’s Gretsch, while Sarah Kirkpatrick holds down a steady, dirty groove, on the 2-piece drum kit. This super-charged couple have been lauded for their intense live performances and engaging stage presence.

catl. has shared the stage with Alabama Shakes, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Sadies, Andre Williams, The Sonics, The Gories, The Schizophonics and The Reigning Sound. They have played The Montreal International Jazz Festival, NXNE, SXSW, Pop Montreal, Sled Island Music Festival, TURF, Deep Blues Festival in Bayport, MN, and Clarksdale, MS, Binic Folk and Blues Festival in France, Muddy Roots Europe, as well as The Raut Oak Fest in Germany.

BROWNS

Local father daughter (Nathan & Nora Brown) duo bringing you guitar playing, drum banging and killer vocals!!!

“Searching for a spiritual poignancy in the emotional sentiments of folk storytelling, Phoebe Hunt is acutely aware of the human condition, its triumphs and setbacks, and the divides set between us. ” — PopMatters

Whereas the fiddle and voice are often the final elements, or icing on the cake of a full band recording, on Earthly Syndication, due out mid 2023 on Thirty Tigers, Phoebe Hunt explores what it sounds like when the fiddle and vocals represent the whole cake. Drawing from 30 years spent studying the violin/fiddle, Hunt amalgamates her classical upbringing with Appalachian Old Time, Texas Swing, and a maturity of songwriting that create an unfiltered, raw expression dripping with palatable vulnerability.

North Carolina's Sarah Shook sings with a conviction and hard honesty sorely lacking in much of today’s Americana landscape. Always passionate, at times profane, Sarah stalks/walks the line between vulnerable and menacing, their voice strong and uneasy, country classic but with contemporary, earthy tension. You can hear in their voice what they've seen; world weary, lessons learned—or not—but always defiant. They level-steady mean what they say. Writing with a blunt urgency—so refreshing these days it's almost startling—Sarah's lyrics are in turn smart, funny, mean, and above all, uncompromising. The Disarmers hit all the sweet spots from Nashville’s Lower Broad to Bakersfield and take Sarah's unflinching tales out for some late-night kicks. At times, it’s as simple and muscular as Luther Perkins’ boom-chicka-boom, or as downtown as Johnny Thunders. The Disarmers keep in the pocket, tight and tough. The Disarmers line-up is currently Jack Foster on drums, Blake Tallent on guitar, Andrew Lambie on bass, and Nick Larimore on pedal steel.

The Goldenrods are a fresh take on “country and midwestern” with a master’s touch on all the traditional instrumentation you’d expect to hear.  They will waltz you to tears and two step you to a joyous grin.  The Goldenrods are fronted by Ryan Koenig singing and playing octave mandolin, fiddle, banjo and guitar.  The band is completed with Jess Adkins singing and playing accordion and guitar, as well as Kellie Everett singing and playing upright bass.

For the past sixteen years, The Hooten Hallers have been crisscrossing the country as inveterate road warriors, bringing their peculiar vision of Americana: a fiery, bluesy, rock and roll fever dream birthed in Missouri’s fertile musical heartland. They’ve put so many miles into the road that they’ve burned through multiple tour vans and left twisted metal and frayed rubber strewn across the road behind them. The Hooten Hallers are known for their incendiary live shows that must be experienced to be believed, taking the listener on a dynamic journey from explosively raucous blues to expressive three-part vocal harmonies to danceable grooves. 

The enduring hope and tinges of madness of this power trio are driven by the infernal vocal growl and swirling electric and lap steel guitars of John Randall, the powerful drumming and falsetto howl of Andy Rehm, and the burning baritone and bass saxophone lines of Kellie Everett. The Hooten Hallers have always been musical colliders, smashing together blues, garage rock, country, punk, and a hint of jazz into a refreshingly unique sound. It’s Morphine meets ZZ Top mixed with a dash of George Thorogood and Tom Waits. But anyone who has seen this band live knows that this group is unlike anything they’ve experienced before. When The Hooten Hallers come to town, you know it’s gonna be a party!

Doug and Telisha Williams, the Nashville-based, country-roots musical duo known as Wild Ponies, have a mystical connection. Sweethearts and bandmates since high school, they have the sort of telepathy that makes both conversations and music come naturally (albeit to the constant bewilderment of their drummers). They finish each other’s thoughts, turning something special held inside into something beautiful, shared with both one another and with their community.

The Venn diagram between Doug and Telisha and Wild Ponies — the personal and the professional — has been close to a circle. In fact, their debut album, 2006’s Rope Around My Heart, was credited simply to Doug & Telisha Williams because their passion for their songs and for each other felt so in tune. Over the course of their 17-year career, they have released five albums, hosted the long-running “Whiskey Wednesday” radio show on Nashville’s WSM, led eight annual distillery tour Trail Rides for fans and friends, and garnered devoted musical audiences all over the world.

Their live shows, which have often totaled into the hundreds per year, are notoriously personal. No one is merely a spectator at a Wild Ponies show; there are only enthusiastic participants on a collective musical journey. Whether it’s Doug and Telisha with their acoustic guitar and upright bass, respectively, or a full rock ‘n’ roll outfit with drums and electric guitar, everyone is welcomed into the magic.

With a voice like cinnamon and a pen like butter, Roberta Lea is a rising artist, ready to give the world a taste of what she's made of. Fellow artists have called her Hampton Roads’ best kept secret. It's as though she's a family recipe, kept hidden until now. Pursuing music at 35 may seem like it's a late start for some, but for Roberta Lea, it's ideal. She's been slowly marinating and soaking in LIFE. Now that she's ready to do music, she has a buffet of songs that are sure to appease any listener's pallet. Just ask the Black Opry. Her single “Sweet Baby Ray” hit the spot in the hearts of fellow artists and music lovers alike and drove her to record her very first country project “Just A Taste”. Now, she’s been nominated for 6 music awards including Song of the Year and Best E.P.! “Just A Taste” showcases the different flavors of country she infuses in her songwriting. She goes from classic country, to country soul, country rock, pop country and country folk. As a songwriter, she has no limits when it comes to expressing herself through song and telling a good story. As a Virginian, Roberta Lea follows a long list of iconic artists and hitmakers. From classics like Ella Fitzgerald and Patsy Cline, to icons like Pharrel, Timberland, and Missy Elliot, legends like The Dave Matthews Band and Pat Benatar, to modern day rising stars like Old Dominion and Morgan Wade. As a songwriter and an artist, she’s in great company and confident that she's next.

Doug and Telisha Williams, the Nashville-based, country-roots musical duo known as Wild Ponies, have a mystical connection. Sweethearts and bandmates since high school, they have the sort of telepathy that makes both conversations and music come naturally (albeit to the constant bewilderment of their drummers). They finish each other’s thoughts, turning something special held inside into something beautiful, shared with both one another and with their community.

The Venn diagram between Doug and Telisha and Wild Ponies — the personal and the professional — has been close to a circle. In fact, their debut album, 2006’s Rope Around My Heart, was credited simply to Doug & Telisha Williams because their passion for their songs and for each other felt so in tune. Over the course of their 17-year career, they have released five albums, hosted the long-running “Whiskey Wednesday” radio show on Nashville’s WSM, led eight annual distillery tour Trail Rides for fans and friends, and garnered devoted musical audiences all over the world.

Their live shows, which have often totaled into the hundreds per year, are notoriously personal. No one is merely a spectator at a Wild Ponies show; there are only enthusiastic participants on a collective musical journey. Whether it’s Doug and Telisha with their acoustic guitar and upright bass, respectively, or a full rock ‘n’ roll outfit with drums and electric guitar, everyone is welcomed into the magic.

Chuck E. Costa and Mira Costa, is an Upstate New York based indie folk-pop duo featuring what Bob Boilen (NPR’s All Songs Considered) calls “excellent harmonies” & Huffington Post calls, “Two of the loveliest male-female voices you might ever hear this or any other year.” The group’s 2020 release, Stumbling Home, dubbed “otherworldly” by RollingStone marks the duo’s third full-length album, and the duo’s first primary recording / engineering credits on one of their albums, as well as that of co-producers—teaming up with recent Grammy and Tony award winner Todd Sickafoose (Hadestown, Anais Mitchell, Ani DiFranco, Andrew Bird). Previous releases from The Sea The Sea—Love We Are We Love (2014), In the Altogether (2016 / EP), and From The Light (2018)—have been praised by outlets including NPR, American Songwriter, and No Depression, and the animated video for their song "Waiting" sparked viral interest from Buzzfeed and Pitchfork, as well as inclusion at the international TED 2015 conference. The band has garnered features across all music platforms including Apple Music “Best of the Week” and “A-List Singer/Songwriter,” gathering 20+ million streams on Spotify to-date. Live performance broadcast appearances of The Sea The Sea include Mountain Stage, whose host Larry Groce calls them "ready to take their place among the best young male/female duos now performing,” Audiotree, and Paste Music / Daytrotter—recently describing the band as "defined by their infallible vocal harmonies and their unconventional song arrangements. The Sea The Sea is a pop band only in their melodic infectiousness—otherwise they are at their best when subverting conventions."

John Moreland doesn't have all the answers, and he's not sure anyone does. But he's still curious, basking in the comfort of a question and along the way, those of us listening feel moved to ask our own. "I don't ever want to sound like I have answers, because I don't, "he says. "These songs are all questions. Everything I write is just trying to figure stuff out."

Moreland is discussing his new album Birds in the Ceiling, a nine-song collection that offers the most comprehensive insight into the thoughts and sounds swimming around in his head to date. A compelling blend of acoustic folk and avant garde pop playfulness, Birds in the Ceiling lives confidently in a space of its own, enriched by tradition but never encumbered by it. The songwriting that has stunned fans and critics alike since 2015’s High on Tulsa Heat remains potent, while the sonic evolution that unfolds on the record feels like a natural expansion of 2020’s acclaimed LP5.

The New Yorker, Pitchfork, Fresh Air, Paste, GQ, and others have embraced Moreland’s meditative songs, while performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CBS This Morning, NPR Tiny Desk Concert, and more have introduced Moreland to millions. And yet, while the Tulsa-based Moreland is grateful for the respect and musical conversation he’s now having with people around the world, he is also more focused on the idea of just talking to one person––or even himself. “Through the years, I’ve felt like I’m increasingly talking to myself in my songs, more and more,” he says. “Maybe in the past, I wasn’t aware of it, but now, I am. I think doing that has helped me be less hard on myself, which makes you more generous and compassionate in general.”

That helps explain why even if Moreland is reaching out to someone else, there is no judgment. “I’m in the same boat with whoever I’m talking to,” Moreland says.

We are going to have amazing LIVE music, a silent auction and a surprise TREAT from Cafe de Fae. 

This is a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood.

There’s something uniquely fun about Amy LaVere, even when she’s breaking your heart. She is well known among songwriters and critics alike. NPR’s Robert Siegel says she “specializes in lyrics that are more barbed than her sweet soprano prepares you for.” Her growing catalogue of material and steady critical acclaim suggest a first-tier presence on the Americana and indie-folk/punk circuits. Her latest album Painting Blue comes out August 16th on Nine Mile Records (Glorietta, David Wax Museum, Carson McHone, Patrick Sweany, Greyhounds).

“Most of my life,” says Will Sexton, “I’ve complicated things musically. But, nowadays, I have a different approach: it’s less cerebral, and more about gut and soul.” 

Emanating from the low hills of western Kentucky are the unmistakable songs of Melanie A. Davis. A thespian at heart, her ability to craft tunes that are simultaneously poignant and liberating is steeped in an appreciation for the nuances of human relationships. Whether it’s contemplating the potential of her immediate community or considering her own vices and tendencies, she never shies away from the glaring truths therein. 

From the artist herself:

"My name is Bee Taylor. I can't stand pretentious biographies, so I'll just tell you my story from my own mouth.

I grew up on my family's ranch in the pines of East Texas. My love for music starts there, singing along to cassette tapes of Hank WIlliams and Kitty Wells. At thirteen I started playing a guitar my mother borrowed from a neighbor, and I would take this guitar out to the hay field and sing to the cows. As my playing and audience progressed, I began cutting my teeth on the stages of the Texas Opry Circuit. These were places locals gathered in old movie theaters to hear classic country on Saturday nights. In between weekends I raised piglets on the ranch and once they were old enough I would take them to the town's auction barn and sell them to farmers. Saving up all of my pig money I was able to buy my first guitar.

During all of this, Nashville was heavy on my mind, so I applied for a job with the U.S. Postal Service and carried the mail to over 2,000 houses a day in the most menacing parts of Texarkana, Texas and Arkansas. I spent a year there saving my money to pull the trigger. I moved to Tennessee.

That's when everything changed.

I found myself amongst the most peculiar and fascinatingh walks of life who turned me on to the likes of delta blues, gypsy jass and all styles of alternative music. I soon moved into a 1972 Airstream trailer nestled in a Tennessee hollow. There wasn't running water or a kitchen, but music flowed through me like the creek I would dip my toes in. This is where I found me, where my songs came to life, where my soul found its place in this world. I spent the next two years cultivating my songwriting and musicanship in that hollow. I recorded. my first album there which showcased the new sound of Bee Taylor.

After gaining a reputation within the cracks and crevices of Nashville's underground scene, I slowly gathered my band together one member at a time. I made it clear to each of them; my goal is to make history and we will succeed at such. Since that time we found ourselves at home on Nashville's favorite stages such as Exit In, 3rd and Lindsley, Bluebird Cafe, and all while traveling extensively the U.S. playing my original music.

After leaving the airstream, I moved into the upstairs of the full tape and analog Pecan Valley Studio. That's where the ever present piano called my naame almost daily. I began to fall for the jazz and funk piano styles of Dr. John, Professor Longhair and Mose Allison. Since that time I've continuously been teaaching myself how to play in that style.

John Randall’s demonically-tinged vocals and manic guitar, and Andy Rehm's screaming falsetto vocals and steady, pounding drum beat keep the band focused on their unique blend of deep blues and country punk. Kellie Everett brings the power with the deep rumble of her baritone and bass saxophones. When The Hooten Hallers come to town, you know it’s gonna be a party!

With her spellbinding voice and time-bending sensibilities, Ferrell makes music that's as fantastically vagabond as the artist herself.

Growing up in small-town West Virginia, the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist left home in her early 20s to journey across the country with a troupe of nomadic musicians, playing everywhere from truck stops to alleyways to freight-train boxcars speeding down the railroad tracks. After years of living in her van and busking on the streets of New Orleans and Seattle, she moved to Nashville and soon landed a deal with Rounder Records on the strength of her magnetic live show. Now, on her highly anticipated label debut Long Time Coming, Ferrells hares a dozen songs beautifully unbound by genre or era, instantly transporting her audience to an infinitely more enchanted world.

Co-produced by Stu Hibberd and10-time Grammy Award-winner Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Dolly Parton, Gillian Welch), Long Time Coming embodies a delicate eclecticism fitting for a musician who utterly defies categorization. “I want my music to be like my mind is—all over the place,” says Ferrell, who recorded the album at Southern Ground and Minutia studios in Nashville.“I listen to everything from bluegrass to techno to goth metal, and it all inspires me in different ways that I try to incorporate into my songs and make people really feel something.”In sculpting the album’s chameleonic sound, Ferrell joined forces with a knock out lineup of guest musicians (including Jerry Douglas, Tim O'Brien, Chris Scruggs, Sarah Jarosz, Billy Strings, and Dennis Crouch), adding entirely new texture to each of her gracefully crafted and undeniably heartfelt songs.

Over the last two decades, Kentuckian Ben Sollee has distinguished himself as multi-faceted creative, blurring the lines between music, tech, and activism. A graduate of the Univeristy of Louisville School of Music, he holds a BFA in cello performance. Since his debut record in 2008, Mr. Sollee has released 6 studio records and nearly 10 EPs garnering praise from the New York Times and NPR. His music has been featured in tv shows such as Weeds and Parenthood. In addition, Sollee has a growing career as a composer for film, tv, and interactive media earning a Emmy Award in 2018 for his score on the ABC special Base Ballet. Beyond music, Mr. Sollee is known for his social and environmental advocacy working with organizations like Oxfam America, The Nature Conservancy, and Canopy KY to protect people and the land. He currently lives in Louisville, KY with his wife and three children.