AJ LEE & BLUE SUMMIT

BLUEGRASS / AMERICANA

AJ Lee and Blue Summit made their first appearance in Santa Cruz in 2015. Led by singer, songwriter, and mandolinist, AJ Lee, the bluegrass band has performed all over the world, but finds home in California’s Bay Area. Drawing from influences such as country, soul, swing, rock, and jam music, the band uses the lens of bluegrass as a vessel through which to express and explore the thread that binds and unifies all great music.

BCUC

GLOBAL / WORLD

BCUC is a live band from Soweto, South Africa whose music derives from a blend of genres across the ages. Drawing inspiration from Indigenous sounds that were not exposed in the mainstream. they aim for a timeless, honest and ritualistic sound. The traditional music resonates with the spirituality, history and the future of the people. Bantu Music (Africa Ngungungu) is not constrained to where their roots lie, but instead recognizes human connection regardless of geography, culture or social standing. They are the now generation. They are relevant. It is music for the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE, with the PEOPLE. Their only two North American performances have been earth-shattering appearances at GLOBALFest during APAP 2019 and at AfroPunk in Atlanta later that year.

BIG RICHARD

AMERICANA / INDIE FOLK

The world-class musicians in Big Richard initially convened in 2021 for a festival date.

The quartet showed up to the one-off like it had been together for years and quicklygraduated to club shows and dates. The musicians siphon from bluegrass, old time, classical, country, and pop. Bursting with jaw-dropping virtuosity; playfully irreverent stage banter; stunning four-part harmony; imaginative arrangements; a refreshingly eclectic repertoire; and a healthy dose of lady rage, Big Richard is poised to penetrate the Americana music world and beyond.

To date, the quartet has issued 3 singles, the Live from Telluride album, and it has new music on the way.

CHATHAM RABBITS

AMERICANA / FOLK

As one of North Carolina’s most beloved roots music outfits, Chatham Rabbits has swiftly emerged from the fertile Americana scene in the Triangle. The husband-and-wife duo of Sarah and Austin McCombie favors rustic, minimalist acoustic arrangements—mainly clawhammer-style banjo and guitar that showcase deftness and maturity with their songwriting. Chatham Rabbits has a truly unique and inspiring way of connecting with their audiences that is warm and universal.

DAN TYMINSKI

BLUEGRASS

Throughout his 30+ year career, Dan Tyminski has left his mark in every corner of modern music. Honored with 14 Grammy Awards, Tyminski has performed with Alison Krauss and Union Station since 1994, His unmatched instrumental skills and burnished, soulful tenor voice have been a key component of numerous records by Nashville's greatest, and famously accompanied George Clooney's performance of the Stanley Brother's classic song, "I'm A Man of Constant Sorrow," in the film, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou. Tyminski's collaboration with Swedish DJ Avicii on the song “Hey, Brother” was a global smash, streamed over 1 billion times to date. His first ever album of original bluegrass compositions God Fearing Heathen (released June 23, 2023) debuted at #1 on Billboard's Bluegrass Albums Chart. Its lead track is a bluegrass treatment to his smash hit with Avicii, ”Hey Brother”.

The Dan Tyminski Band is Maddie Denton (fiddle), Jason Davis (banjo), Grace Davis (bass) Gaven Largent (dobro), and 2022 IBMA Momentum Award-winner for Best Instrumentalist, Harry Clark (mandolin).

EAST NASH GRASS

BLUEGRASS

"Nashville's newest bluegrass ambassadors," East Nash Grass comes as a refreshing break -- a balance of undeniably hard-driving bluegrass alongside surprisingly introspective songwriting and earnest narration. Featuring a who’s-who of Nashville’s hottest young pickers, the joy and passion these musicians feel towards the genre is infused in every note they play and every word they sing. Their second full length album was released in 2023.

East Nash Grass is Grand Master Fiddle champion Maddie Denton, Gaven Largent (dobro), James Kee (guitar & vocals), Grammy Award-winning bassist Geoff Saunders and TWO! IBMA Momentum Award-winners for Best Instrumentalist, Cory Walker (banjo) & Harry Clark (mandolin).

ELEPHANT REVIVAL

INDIE FOLK

Elephant Revival is a unique collection of multi-instrumentalists blending elements of Celtic, Americana, Folk and Indie Art Rock. The band consists of Bonnie Paine (vocals, cello, djembe, washboard and musical saw), Bridget Law (fiddle, vocals), Dango Rose (upright bass, mandolin, vocals), Charlie Rose (banjo, pedal steel, mandolin, vocals) Darren Garvey (drums, percussion, vocals) and Daniel Sproul (guitars, vocals) of Rose Hill Drive. The music they create together is like weather systems meeting in the sky, Bonnie’s warmly haunting voice either merging with the rhythms and melodies of the band or providing a counterpoint and transforming it. 

LaMP

JAZZ / FUNK

Features Russ Lawton (Drums), Scott Metzger (Guitar) and Ray Paczkowski (Keys). LaMP fuses the tested synergy of ‘Russ and Ray’ honed from over 2 decades with the Trey Anastasio Band as well as their duo band Soule Monde with Metzger’s acrobatic melodies on telecaster made famous from his band WOLF! and the critically acclaimed Joe Russo’s Almost Dead. What began as a single show turned into a sold-out gig and rave reviews, with LaMP releasing a melodic swirling and crackling debut EP that quickly established them as one of the next great power trios. 

MIGHTY POPLAR

BLUEGRASS / AMERICANA

At its heart, bluegrass music is about what happens when you commit to the moment. The joy of improvisation keeps the music fresh, and the fun of crafting ideas on the fly keeps the musicians on their toes. This true spirit of bluegrass infuses the self-titled record from Mighty Poplar, an all-star roots project featuring Andrew Marlin of Watchhouse, Noam Pikelny and Chris Eldridge of Punch Brothers, bassist Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon) and fiddler Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings) on Free Dirt Records. Gathered knee-to-knee in a rural studio outside Nashville, the collaborative 10-track album emerged organically over a few days. “It felt so special and effortless; it didn’t take work,” says Eldridge, “other than the work and effort we’ve put in the rest of our lives.” With their debut album, Mighty Poplar has captured the fierce and playful energy of an all-night jam between old friends who just happen to be grandmasters of the music.

THE MOTHER HIPS

ROCK / AMERICANA

Founded nearly 30 years ago, The Mother Hips caught their first big break before they’d even finished college, when legendary producer Rick Rubin signed the band to his American Recordings label. In the decades to come, the group would go on to release ten critically acclaimed studio albums and cement themselves as architects of a new breed of California rock and soul, one equally informed by the breezy harmonies of the Beach Boys, the funky roots of The Band, and the psychedelic Americana of Buffalo Springfield. Praised by Rolling Stone as “divinely inspired” and hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “one of the Bay Area’s most beloved live outfits,” the group’s headline and festival performances have become the stuff of legend, earning them slots everywhere from High Sierra to Outside Lands alongside dates with the likes of Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Wilco, and The Black Crowes.

REBIRTH BRASS BAND

NEW ORLEANS

Celebrating their 35th anniversary with their second Grammy Nomination this year, Rebirth Brass Band continues to bring the New Orleans brass band tradition to festivals and stages all over the world!

Formed in 1983 by the Frazier brothers, the band has evolved from playing the streets of the French Quarter to playing festivals and stages all over the world. While committed to upholding the tradition of brass bands, they have also extended themselves into the realms of funk and hip-hop to create their signature sound.

SAM GRISMAN PROJECT

ACOUSTIC / BLUEGRASS / JAMGRASS

The music that Sam Grisman, his father David Grisman, and Jerry Garcia made in the early 90s in the house Sam grew up in is not only some of the most timeless acoustic music ever recorded, it also triggers his oldest and fondest musical memories. What Sam finds most inspiring about this material and these recordings is how much camaraderie, love, and joy is simply oozing out of them, but also how deeply they get underneath their favorite songs (originals, covers, and traditional/ old-time tunes) and how expertly that material was curated. Sam's aim in starting Sam Grisman Project is to build a container where he and his friends can showcase their genuine love and appreciation for the legacy of Dawg and Jerry’s music, the impact it has made on their own individual musical voices, and also to showcase the original music that their squad has to offer the world. Ultimately, there is nothing that makes Sam happier than playing great songs with his best friends, and his goal with this project is to share that happiness with audiences all over!

THE SENSATIONAL BARNES BROTHERS

SOUL / R&B / GOSPEL

The SenSational Barnes Brothers are a melting pot of the old and the new. As Pop Matters states, “The brothers run through a spectrum of moods and modes in their gospel soul, often bridging the gap between, say, the Soul Stirrers and Stax, all the while keeping a local flavor.” The brothers are able to dive deep into their roots, creating a sound that reflects the music of their history, all the while drawing in a modern-day audience.

TINSLEY ELLIS

FOLK / BLUES

Georgia troubadour Tinsley Ellis has been immersed in music his whole life. Born in Atlanta 1957 and raised in southern Florida, he acquired his first guitar at age seven, inspired by seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. Like many kids his age, Ellis discovered the blues through the back door of British Invasion bands like The Yardbirds, Cream and The Rolling Stones as well as Southern rockers like the Allman Brothers Band. 20 albums (and millions of miles traveled) later on record labels such as Alligator and Capricorn, Ellis has become an elder statesman of the blues world.

With his new project Tinsley Ellis - Acoustic Songs And Stories, Ellis performs many of his most popular songs (plus delta blues and classics by artists like Gregg Allman, Bob Dylan and Leo Kottke) on his 1937 National Steel and 1969 Martin D-35. Ellis weaves the music together with interesting and sometimes ribald stories from over 40 years of a life spent on stages and in motels and truck stops. Ellis shows no signs of slowing down and is headed your way with his newest and perhaps most unique project.

THE WOOTEN BROTHERS

FUNK / JAZZ

5 time Grammy award winner and founding member of Belá Fleck & The Flecktones Victor Wooten and the people who influenced him the most, his brothers Regi, Joseph, and Roy (Futureman), embark upon a musical journey of songs that influenced them as well as original compositions. Regi Wooten is known as the TEAHCA! Joseph Wooten is a three-time Grammy-nominated artist, songwriter, keyboardist, and vocalist. Since 1993, Joseph has been an integral member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, The Steve Miller Band. Roy “Futureman” Wooten is also a 5 time Grammy award winner and an original founder of Belá Fleck & The Flecktones as well as a drummer, a musician, and a composer.

YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND

BLUEGRASS / JAMGRASS

With their latest album, “Get Yourself Outside,” Colorado-based Yonder Mountain String Band once again echoes out into the universe their place as not only a pioneering jam-grass act, but also one of the most innovative groups in the live music scene — something the groundbreaking ensemble has proudly held high for the better part of a quarter-century.

Artistic collaboration and musical discovery—remain a thick thread of inspiration and ambition within Yonder Mountain but it’s the fans and fellow musicians they’ve met and collaborated with along the way that have made this bountiful journey something they’ve never taken for granted.

From selling out Red Rocks Amphitheatre at a time that was unheard of for string acts, to performing for tens of thousands at festivals like Bonnaroo, Yonder Mountain was the initial spark in an acoustic inferno decades ago that endures headlong into the 21st century.