Ben Sollee wants you to experience all the beauty and banality that life has to offer. It’s a serious request, and his enthusiasm is genuine. Armed with a cello, Sollee is canvassing the country, sometimes by bicycle, imploring folks to rediscover the connections between music, art, film, dance, their community, and personal relationships.
Music was one of the few constants in Sam’s life. His family never stayed anywhere for long, which meant that friendships were forged between himself and the music he absorbed, from Roy Orbison to Van Morrison to Willie Nelson. The influence of Ray Charles can be felt from the first note to the last beat, making Sam’s debut a complimentary companion to Charles’ own, two-volume Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.
Dom Flemons is the “American Songster,” pulling from traditions of old-time folk music to create new sounds. Having performed music professionally since 2005, he has played live for over one million people just within the past three years. As part of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, which he co-founded with Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson, he has played at a variety of festivals spanning from the Newport Folk Festival to Bonnaroo, in addition to renowned venues such as the Grand Ole Opry.
Brett Dennen’s music career began humbly around the camps of the Sierra Nevada mountain range–a retreat to which he would eventually return for inspiration on Smoke and Mirrors. Brett’s 2006 release, So Much More, officially launched him as a discovery artist and drew frequent comparisons to troubadours like Paul Simon and Tom Petty.
For over a decade, Matt Menefee and Ross Holmes have been composing, imagining, and shaping the sounds of fiddle and banjo. As founding members of the progressive acoustic band Cadillac Sky, Matt and Ross have become part of a movement to expand the direction of acoustic/bluegrass music and venture into new areas of sound that have never been explored.
In a relatively short period of time, Della Mae has become a sensation in the music world. Commanding a powerful collective chemistry with vocal, instrumental, and songwriting talent to spare, the Boston-based combo mines time-honored elements to create music that’s unmistakably fresh and contemporary.
Patterson produced records for Fontella Bass, Chuck Jackson, Ted Taylor, Shay Holiday, Roscoe Robinson, The Montclairs, Tommie Young, and Little Johnny Taylor. Albert King recorded the song, “That’s What the Blues is All About,” which Patterson co-wrote. A version appeared on King’s album, I Wanna Get Funky. Another of Patterson’s songs, “She Don’t Have to See You” was recorded by Golden Smog for their 1995 album, Down by the Old Mainstream.
As the quintessential Americana artist for the 21st century, Woody Pines epitomizes the swinging ragtime and country sound and embraces a simpler time. “Everything from swing band to old country blues goes into our music, along with life’s influences,” says Pines, who left home with his guitar on his back and made it through 49 states before he was 19.
Cereus bright finds its muse—and its name—from the Cereus: a white desert flower that blooms only at night. This flower, blossoming in the most desolate of places, is a symbol of art and story, which draw their beauty from brokenness and heartache. In their lyrics and melodies, Cereus Bright aims to embrace life as both messy and beautiful.
Guy Marshall is an American Folk husband/wife duo, based in Knoxville, TN. They’re named after front man Adam McNulty’s grandfather. They sing original tunes that make you feel like it’s your story; simple, happy, sad. Life, in short.
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