With a handful of acoustic instruments and the clear harmonies of bluegrass song, Cahalen and Eli have created an entirely new strain of roots music. Their sound crosses the warmth of Cahalen’s clawhammer banjo with the blistering runs of Eli’s bluegrass guitar and percussive mandolin, and adds high lonesome harmonies that would fit into any evening at the Opry. Together, they’ve taken time-tested musical traditions and bent them into new shapes to fit a new world.
Mike + Ruthy have refined their sound down to the very core of acoustic American music, demonstrating an uncommon ability to create songs as lyrically sophisticated as Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen and as harmonically beautiful as Gillian Welch & David Rawlings or Simon & Garfunkel.
Both on stage and in the recording studio, the Wilders stay true to the old-time and bluegrass traditions, and infuse them with the unique, often hair-raising energy that has become their namesake. Initially, the band cut its teeth on the classics of Americana and bluegrass, performing spirited resurrections of tunes from honky-tonk heroes like Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell, Jimmie Rodgers, and Roy Acuff and the Skillet Lickers. Over time, The Wilders’ sound has expanded, embracing greater individual expression and originality, as the band members have grown and matured together.
Recorded at the 2011 Pickathon Music Festival.
Checkout The Wilders website.
“A good song has a way of speaking to everybody” Danny Barnes says. “I have faith that more people are going to hear my songs, which is really what I have to offer.” Part Southern Gentleman, part humble artist, Barnes is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and genre-bending artists of his craft, Barnes’ musical interests are both varried and adventurous, and he incorporates that versatility into a progressive approach to an instrument that is musically polarizing and steeped in tradition.
Recorded at the 2011 Pickathon Music Festival.
Checkout Danny Barnes’ website.
In an underground music landscape where lone MP3s propel bands to momentary internet stardom, bands are here today and gone tomorrow. Califone is a band that defies this blueprint. Their albums are full of layers and textures, offering endless depth, entire universes to lose yourself in – and beyond the thick spectrum of sound, they do something even more important: They write great songs.
Whitey Morgan and the 78’s are a Honky Tonk band from Flint, Michigan. They haven’t re-invented the wheel, they just picked it up and started it rolling all over again. In Flint, the factories are closed, jobs are scarce and the people are bitter. Whitey sings songs these people can relate to. In much the same way his grandfather and mentor did over 3 decades ago, to a whole generation of southern transplants who came up US-23 to Flint looking for the good life. In the spirit of William Morgan, Waylon, Merle and Paycheck; Whitey’s melodies help people forget their problems for a few hours and serve as the guideline for drinking sorrows away.
Recorded at the 2011 Pickathon Music Festival.
Checkout Whitey Morgan’s website.
With a handful of acoustic instruments and the clear harmonies of bluegrass song, Cahalen and Eli have created an entirely new strain of roots music. Their sound crosses the warmth of Cahalen’s clawhammer banjo with the blistering runs of Eli’s bluegrass guitar and percussive mandolin, and adds high lonesome harmonies that would fit into any evening at the Opry. Together, they’ve taken time-tested musical traditions and bent them into new shapes to fit a new world.
The Cardboard Songsters are a creative group of folks from Portland, Oregon who explore the mix of song and performance. Animated with giant cardboard props, they entertain all ages with songs both odd and old.
The Cardboard Songsters are a creative group of folks from Portland, Oregon who explore the mix of song and performance. Animated with giant cardboard props, they entertain all ages with songs both odd and old.
Over the course of more than a decade, Fruit Bats have looked for ways to file down the cynical edges of modern life. Using bright melodies, defiant major-key chord structures, and natural imagery mixed with the occasional blazing insight or tender observation, Fruit Bats have never shied away from darkness, but have also resolutely refused to shy away from light.
Recorded at the 2011 Pickathon Music Festival.
Checkout The Fruit Bat’s website.
