4848 Festival

Since forming in 2004, Lake Street Dive have matched their sophisticated musicianship with a fearless refusal to limit their sound. As shown on their most recent album, 2021’s critically acclaimed Obviously, the Boston-bred band also possess a keen talent for combining sociopolitical commentary with immediately catchy pop gems. With their current lineup comprised of founding members Rachael Price (vocals), Bridget Kearney (bass), and Michael Calabrese (drums) — as well as keyboardist/vocalist Akie Bermiss and touring guitarist James Cornelison — Lake Street Dive continue to create joyously soulful rock & roll with equal parts ingenuity, intelligence, and irresistible abandon.

Although a certain spirited eclecticism has defined Lake Street Dive since their earliest days, the band’s four original members (including former guitarist/trumpet player Michael “McDuck” Olson) first crossed paths while studying jazz at Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music. Their full-length debut In This Episode… arrived in 2007, followed by three more independently released and rapturously received albums. As the band’s energetic live show continued to earn them a devoted following, Lake Street Dive made their Nonesuch Records debut with Side Pony: a 2016 effort that instantly shot to No. 1 on three Billboard charts and later landed on Paste’s 50 Best Albums of 2016 list. The following year, the group experienced a new infusion of creative energy with the addition of Bermiss (previously their touring keyboardist), who has since begun sharing writing and arrangement duties. Arriving in 2018, Lake Street Dive’s self-produced sixth album Free Yourself Up debuted in the top ten on the Billboard 200 and spent seven-and-a-half months on the non-commercial radio charts, with the smoldering hit single “Good Kisser” holding steady in the top five at Americana radio for over a month.

In recent years, Lake Street Dive have brought even more boldness to their kaleidoscopic sound while deliberately expanding their songcraft. To that end, Obviously finds the band examining such complex matters as gender inequality (on “Being a Woman”) and the monumental challenges faced by younger generations (on “Making Do”), shaping each track with a profound intentionality and ineffable mastery of melody and groove — a process Price refers to as “putting these messages into three and a half minute snippets, dropping whatever truth we can and hoping it’s the type of thing that people want to ruminate on.” Made with producer Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple, Mary J. Blige), the result is an endlessly illuminating body of work that’s earned praise from the likes of Rolling Stone (who noted that “[a]t a moment when pop strives for lo-fi, solitary-world intimacy, the jazz-popwhatever band refuse to think small”).

Over the years, they’ve captivated massive audiences at such esteemed festivals as Newport Folk Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and Toronto Jazz Festival, in addition to headlining tours all across the globe and sharing stages with acts like Brandi Carlile and Sheryl Crow. And through their fierce commitment to constantly elevating their artistry, Lake Street Dive have ultimately emerged as one of the most compelling voices in alternative music today, both reliably sublime and thrilling unpredictable.

For two decades now, Greensky Bluegrass have been building an empire, brick by brick.  They are widely known for their dazzling live performances and relentless touring schedule, but that is only the tip of the complex tale of the five musicians that make up Greensky Bluegrass: Anders Beck [dobro], Michael Arlen Bont [banjo], Dave Bruzza [guitar], Mike Devol [upright bass], and Paul Hoffman [Mandolin].  The five are connected through a deep bond, just as they are seasoned road warriors, they’re a band of brothers who have seen each other through decades of ups and downs, personal and collective highlights, and the moments when life turns it all upside down. These are real people having real experiences. As with traditional bluegrass, they write about their own contemporary day-to-day happenings, emotions, and experiences in the modern world.

The band’s underground die-hard fans pack out venues across the country. They travel in droves and sell out multiple-night show runs at iconic venues like Red Rocks and The Ryman.

“As songwriters and musicians, we have a need for people to be on board,  we’re not just regurgitating the same shit,” explains Bruzza.  

Hoffman adds, “we aren’t a band all for money. We did it for romantic reasons such as love, catharsis, and because it mattered to us and the listeners. It would be easy to make decisions based on our needs to eat or the desires of others, but that’s not doing it for love. We love what we do, and we’re grateful for the love we receive in return from the people listening.”

Bruzza continues, “I hope they know we’re doing this for us and them.”

Performing to critical acclaim for over 25 years and over 3100 shows, Dark Star Orchestra continues the Grateful Dead live concert experience. Their shows are built off the Dead’s extensive catalog and the talent of these seven fine musicians. On any given night, the band will perform a show based on a set list from the Grateful Dead’s 30 years of extensive touring or use their catalog to program a unique set list for the show. This allows fans both young and old to share in the experience. By recreating set lists from the past, and by developing their own sets of Dead songs, Dark Star Orchestra offers a continually evolving artistic outlet within this musical canon. Honoring both the band and the fans, Dark Star Orchestra’s members seek out the unique style and sound of each era while simultaneously offering their own informed improvisations.

Dark Star Orchestra offers much more than the sound of the Grateful Dead, they truly encapsulate the energy and the experience. It’s about a sense of familiarity. It’s about a feeling that grabs listeners and takes over. It’s about that contagious energy…in short, it’s about the complete experience and consistent quality show that the fan receives when attending a Dark Star Orchestra show.

Dark Star Orchestra has performed throughout the entire United States, including a sold out debut at Colorado’s Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater, plus shows in Europe and the Caribbean with the band touching down in seven different countries. DSO continues to grow its fan base by playing at larger venues for two and even three-night stands, as well as performing at major music festivals including Bonnaroo, Milwaukee’s SummerFest, The Peach Music Festival, Jam Cruise, Wanee Festival, SweetWater 420 Festival, Mountain Jam, and many more.

In addition to appearing at some of the nation’s top festival, Dark Star Orchestra hosts its own annual music festival and campaign gathering, titled the “Dark Star Jubilee”, currently in its eighth year where DSO headline all three nights and are joined by a mix of established and up and coming national touring acts. Beyond the shores of the United States, DSO has taken its internationally-acclaimed Grateful Dead tribute to the beaches of Jamaica in the dead of winter for the past six years, with their event appropriately titled ‘Jam in the Sand’. Featuring an ocean-side stage, DSO sets up camp to perform shows for four nights along the tropical sands of an all-inclusive resort, selling out the event each year for hundreds of lucky attendees.

Fans and critics haven’t been the only people caught up in the spirit of a Dark Star show. The band has featured guest performances from six original Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Vince Welnick, Tom Constanten and even toured with longtime Dead soundman, Dan Healy. Other notable guests have included Mike Gordon and Jon Fishman of Phish, Keller Williams, Warren Haynes, Steve Kimock, Peter Rowan, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot and many more.

“For us it’s a chance to recreate some of the magic that was created for us over the years,” keyboardist and vocalist Rob Barraco explains. “We offer a sort of a historical perspective at what it might have been like to go to a show in 1985, 1978 or whenever. Even for Deadheads who can say they’ve been to a hundred shows in the 90s, we offer something they never got to see live.”

On his third full-length album, soul artist Allen Stone proves himself deeply devoted to making uncompromisingly soulful music that transcends all pop convention. Made in collaboration with Swedish soul singer/songwriter/phenom Magnus Tingsek, Radius captures the warm energy of that creative connection and transports the listener to a higher and more exalted plane. Now embarking even higher ATO Records will be releasing Radius Deluxe on March 25th, which will include a second disc of 7 bonus tracks that didn’t make the original record release.

“I couldn’t be happier to return to ATO,” Stone exclaimed. “They are a label that works tirelessly for their artists. Their team is made up of genuine music lovers whose concern is creating timeless art not bolstering their 401k’s.” Radius marks the follow-up to the Chewelah, Washington-bred 28-year-old’s self-released and self-titled 2011 sophomore effort that climbed to the top 10 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. As the New York Times recently said Stone’s lyrics “promise honest sentiments, grooves built with physical instruments and a gospel-rooted determination to uplift … glimmers of Al Green, Bill Withers, Curtis Mayfield, George Clinton, Prince and a bit of Sting.”

Along with immersing himself in a songwriting approach that involved unflinching examination of “some very dark and negative moments in my life,” Stone shaped the sound and feel of Radius by pushing himself to “get past the boundaries of what I felt comfortable with, so that I could progress into a whole new level of creativity.” Despite that sometimes-daunting process, Radius wholly reveals Stone’s easy grace in blending everything from edgy soul-pop and earthy folk-rock to throwback R&B and Parliament-inspired funk.

Culled from several dozen songs penned through a year and a half of constant writing and refining, Radius Deluxe bears a title that reflects both its scope and intimacy.

“The radius is that line extending from the center of the circle to its exterior,” says Stone. “And in a lot of ways this album is about getting out things deep inside—whether it’s love or insecurity or joy or frustration about things going on today.”

When it comes to the new bonus tracks Stone added, “I am very excited for “Bed I Made” to finally be released to the public. It’s a song that has long been a favorite of my audience and I’m glad that they will finally have a studio version.”

Radius first began to come to life back in the fall of 2013, when Stone headed to Sweden to join in a writing session with Tingsek. “His musicality is so outside-the-box, and it really stretched me as an artist,” says Stone, who’d tapped Tingsek as one of his opening acts for an 85-date headlining tour in 2012. “We just kept on throwing a wrench into the works and tried to create something that’s the complete antithesis of what you’d expect from pop music.” After recording the bulk of the album in Sweden, Stone rounded out Radius’s production at his own studio in the woods of northeast Washington and in L.A.-based sessions with producers like Benny Cassette (Kanye West) and Malay (a co-producer on Frank Ocean’s channel ORANGE).

Like many of his own musical heroes—Stevie Wonder chief among them—Stone pulls off the near-magical feat of channeling a weight-of-the-world sensitivity into his songs while still radiating hope and promise. And though that depth of consciousness feels transmitted from a more golden era, Radius continually hones in on issues both timeless and of-the-moment, with Stone’s breezily poetic lyrics touching on topics ranging from rampant materialism (on the tenderly string-accented, harmony-soaked “American Privilege”) and the toxic takeover of technology in art (on the gutsy and groove-heavy “Fake Future”). “That song’s mainly about how technology’s infiltrating music in a way that’s making it less and less human and taking all the heart out of it,” Stone says of the latter track, a soul-pop powerhouse peppered with playfully cutting lines like “Rock stars pushing buttons/Few actually play/City wasn’t ever built on lights and Special K.” And as evidenced by Radius’s lush yet raw sonic landscape—wherein the only hint of synth comes from a Moog analog synthesizer—Stone stayed true to his pledge to “keep fakeness completely out of this record” and rely entirely on live instrumentation.

Equally introspective and outwardly searching, Radius also finds Stone exploring intensely personal matters, such as depression on the stark and lovely, acoustic-guitar-woven ballad “Circle” (“That one was written at a pretty dark time for me,” Stone points out. “It’s about how depression can put you into a kind of circle, where you’re just trying to find a way out but it keeps on leading you back inside”). Showing his skill at crafting a killer love song as well, Stone looks at heartbreak and regret on the aching, electric-piano-infused “I Know That I Wasn’t Right,” slips into hopeless romanticism on the dreamy R&B pastiche “Barbwire,” and unleashes some starry-eyed affection on the dance floor-ready “Symmetrical”. And in tracks like the ultra-catchy album-opener “Perfect World” and the fiery, horn-laced “Freedom,” Radius unfolds into epically joyful anthems that show the full range and power of Stone’s vocals. Stone started working those vocals as a kid, thanks largely to his parents’ influence. “My father was a minister so I spent about half my childhood in church, watching my mom and dad sing together and lead the congregation in song,” he recalls. By the time he was 11 he’d picked up a guitar and written his first song, and soon began self-recording demo tapes to pass along to classmates. Although Stone enrolled in Bible College after high school, he quickly dropped out to move to Seattle and kick start his music career. “I had an ’87 Buick and I’d drive up and down the west coast, playing any gig I could get just to try to put my music out there,” he says.

At age 22, Stone self-released his debut album, 2010’s Last To Speak. But it was his self-titled follow-up (on which he joined forces with former Miles Davis keyboardist Deron Johnson) that ended up earning him serious recognition. Along with entering the top five on iTunes’ R&B/Soul chart after its digital release, Allen Stone prompted him to score appearances on such late-night talk shows like Conan. And upon partnering with ATO Records for a physical release of his self-titled album in 2012, Stone soon turned up on the likes of the Late Show with David Letterman and landed a gig as the opening act for soul legend Al Green. In the midst of the buzz, he also took up a grueling touring schedule, tearing through nearly 600 shows in just two years.

For Stone, all that time onstage went a long way in preparing him for the many creative breakthroughs he’s made on Radius.

“I think you really grow as a musician when you’re playing right in front of people, and for me constantly growing and progressing and getting better is really the most important thing,” he says. Ruminating on the emotional undertones of his new album’s title and noting that, “the center of me is my heart,” Stone says he also hopes that Radius will ultimately help listeners shed new light on their own struggles. “There’ve been times in my life when records were my saving grace and really helped me to figure out who I am, and I’d love for my music to have that kind of impact on a kid who’s looking for his or her own place in this life,” he says. “Because I absolutely believe that if you’re going to stand at a microphone and say something, you need to recognize that as a privilege. You’ve got to be incredibly careful about it, and really put all your heart into the message that you’re sending out into the world.”

The sandy shores of Asbury Park, New Jersey are hallowed ground in the northeast; the rolling waves have ushered generations of venerated musicians to worldwide acclaim. Dogs in a Pile, an eclectic quintet, has emerged as the heir apparent to the town’s rich musical legacy. Merging funk, jazz, and rock and roll with psychedelia, the quintet presents a completely original vibe built on kaleidoscopic soundscapes eerily reminiscent of the days of yesteryear.

The Dogs employ a unified approach to performance and songwriting, crafting aural mosaics through adept instrumentation and humble precocity. As avid storytellers, they draw inspiration from personal experiences, balancing life’s foibles with ever-present youthful sanguinity.

Dogs began when Philadelphia University of the Arts guitar gun-slinger Jimmy Law began playing with young Joe Babick (drums), a student at the Count Basie Theater program in Red Bank, NJ.  Lightning struck when they were introduced to Berklee School of Music student and bass player Sam Lucid, who immediately suggested fellow Berklee student and keyboard player Jeremy Kaplan. The addition of fellow Berklee student Brian Murray (guitar) in 2019 made for the quintessential final piece in the Dogs’ puzzle. 

A string of successful local shows drove the development of a massive northeast fan base, affectionately known as the Dog Pound. The band’s astronomical growth culminated in an epic, sold-out performance at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park during the summer of 2021. Armed with a fresh batch of new material, Dogs in a Pile is taking its perpetually evolving testament to the Great American Songbook on tour in 2022, visiting plenty of new cities and spreading good music and good energy to good people along the way. 

For over two decades, The New Mastersounds have maintained more than just a reputation of longevity. Instead, they’ve cultivated a rare balance of consistency, yet commitment to constantly evolving their sound. Forged out of the golden age of the modern funk and soul revival in 1999, the band has amassed a catalog of sixteen albums, embarked on countless world tours, and drawn in a broad audience through both their original material and collaborations with esteemed vocalists and remixers.

After a two-year hiatus of in-person engagements, the band retreated to the brand new Floki Studios in Iceland to hunker down and create their 17th studio album. ‘The Deplar Effect’ was released on Color Red in September 2022, and features Atlanta based vocalist Lamar Williams Jr, son of Lamar Williams of the Allman Brothers.

There seems to be an aura in the air when the five members of The Main Squeeze enter a room. A multicultural five-piece from Los Angeles, CA, The Main Squeeze have built a cult following in the States on the road – putting rubber to pavement and playing over 1,000 shows together over the past nine years. For a group of men with completely different backgrounds, tastes, religions, and opinions, there’s already a spirit shared among them when they sit down to play together.

The Main Squeeze, who have toured with the likes of George Clinton & The Parliament Funkadelic, String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s McGee, and many more and are lauded across North America’s live music circuit. They’ve graced hundreds of stages and played festivals including Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Firefly, and many more. Their breakout moment came during the pandemic, the band quickly developed a huge following on TikTok. They’ve since gained praise from NPR, Rolling Stone, Relix, and Wonderland as well as collaborated with artists such as 6LACK and Gallant and regularly hosted celebrity-attended gigs at their fast-becoming infamous “Squeeze House.”

The band is coming off their fourth album “To Be Determined” a body of work showcasing the unique chemistry the Los Angeles, CA based band have developed together over the years – and seem to be hinting towards a new album coming soon.

The music that my father David Grisman and his close friend, Jerry Garcia, made in the early 90s (in the house that I grew up in) is not only some of the most timeless acoustic music ever recorded, it also triggers my oldest and fondest musical memories. What I find most inspiring about this material is the way their camaraderie and their love and joy for the music, simply oozes out of each recording. It is also impressive how deeply they get beneath their favorite songs—whether they are originals, covers or traditional/old time tunes—and how expertly that material was curated.

My goal in starting Sam Grisman Project is to build a platform for my friends and me to showcase our genuine passion and appreciation for the legacy of Dawg and Jerry’s music. By playing some of their beloved repertoire and sharing the original music that our own collective has to offer, we will also show the impact that this music has had on our own individual ​ musical voices. Ultimately, there is nothing that makes me happier than playing great songs with my best friends and my hope is to share that happiness with audiences all over!

The music and magic of ALO (aka Animal Liberation Orchestra) shines vividly on their new album, Frames, on Brushfire Records. Frames embodies the spirit of a band riding a creative wave, sharing art through four unique windows, with a depth and character that feels fresh and vital. There is great joy in listening to this band of lifelong friends, as they playfully meld their distinct musical personalities into one cohesive and beautiful voice.

Inspired by the energy of their live performances, Steve Adams (bass, vocals), Zach Gill (vocals, keys), Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz (guitar, vocals), and Ezra Lipp (drums, vocals) entered a studio wonderland in the summer of 2024, alongside close friend and studio collaborator, David Simon-Baker (aka,“DSB”). Ten tracks were collectively born, exploring themes of connection and reflection, balancing optimism, humor, and emotion.

The concept of Frames emerged organically during the recording process. “The idea of frames – both literal and metaphorical – kept popping up in different ways,” says Gill. This theme is explored in tracks like the Lebo-penned future-pop-disco anthem “Space Between Frames,” which reflects on moments of clarity.

“So often we find ourselves trapped in a warp-speed life with frames of information coming at us faster than fire,” says Lebo. “Some of it’s inspiring and some of it’s scary, but it’s all so rapid paced that we just can’t keep up. The space between frames is about finding that quiet place without so much noise, where we can actually reflect on what we want to be and what we want to offer the world.”

The album’s first single and lead-off album track, “Blank Canvas,” written by Gill, sets the tone with its dreamy, feel-good anthem of optimism and adventure. “It’s about looking at the world with fresh eyes and leaving behind cynicism,” explains Gill. Adams adds, “Sonically and thematically, it felt like the perfect beginning. Bare and vulnerable, yet full of possibility.”

Of his own composition “Separated, Come Together,” Adams ruminates, “after many days of word-wrestling, I ended up with this simple little rocker, depicting a day on the town, people-watching, letting the mind untangle, getting lost in the stars and accepting that life’s connections are just a mess of rubber bands. A song about appreciating our moments together and trusting more will come.”

On “Rescue Our Demons” Lipp explains  “the song reflects the idea of not just confronting our darker instincts, but learning to live with them, even embrace them.” “Hey Hello (Tale Of The Twist and Shout),” another Gill composition, “was inspired by our 2024 summer tour of Colorado mountain towns and all the colorful characters who came out to dance and sing with us under the stars. It’s a greeting, a campfire conversation, and an ole’time-y hoedown.

“ALO is a California  rock n’ roll institution, going on over 30 years, and it is the most egalitarian band I have ever been a part of,” says Lipp. “I think that’s one of the reasons for its longevity.” ALO’s biography is a timeless, feel-good rock n’ roll musical love story. California natives Lebowitz, Adams and Gill joined forces in junior high in the ‘80s, stayed together throughout their years at UC Santa Barbara in the ‘90s, returned home to the San Francisco Bay Area in the ‘00s, and have cultivated a devoted following over the course of decades, keeping the band in high demand at venues and festivals worldwide. Ezra Lipp has held down the drum seat for over 7 years, with Frames being his second full length album with the band.

While all four members of the quartet spend time outside of ALO playing with luminary artists such as Jack Johnson, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, and Nicki Bluhm, it is within the framework of ALO that these four musicians really shine. Individually, each band member writes and sings, and together they create an eclectic yet accessible blend of heartfelt song-craft, dance-floor booty beats, and expansive improvisations. ALO is more than just a band, it’s the comfort of lifelong friendships, the spontaneity of late-night road trips and the discovery of treasures hidden in car seats, green rooms and buried voice memos.

Frames feels both old and new, fresh and classic. It’s a powerful and engaging statement and step forward for ALO. It’s a beautiful sounding record, with depth and character that balances the emotion, musicality and touches of clever humor in a new way for the group. It holds dreams in its folds, and possibilities in its frames. “Now we get to go out into the world with these 10 new songs, share them with people, and let them develop on stage,” says Lebo. “Getting to know them and letting them grow on the road is really exciting for all of us.

In a world obsessed with selfies and the claims of overindulged individualists, it’s a joy listening to this band of lifelong friends as they work together, playfully melding their distinct musical personalities into one cohesive and beautiful voice. A voice that is ALO.

Blending virtuosic instrumental acrobatics with riveting lyrical craftsmanship, The Lil Smokies have earned a reputation as one of the most electrifying acts in modern American roots music thanks to their exhilarating live show and critically acclaimed studio output. Since forming on the streets of Missoula, Montana, where the group got its start busking back in 2009, the band has performed everywhere from Red Rocks to The Rialto and captivated festival audiences at Telluride, High Sierra, LOCKN’, Freshgrass, FloydFest, and countless more. Their latest album, 2020’s Tornillo, showcases the hard touring four-piece at its most adventurous, teaming up with producer Bill Reynolds (The Avett Brothers, Band Of Horses) for a genre-bending joyride from the hills of Laurel Canyon to the wide-open deserts of West Texas.

Saxsquatch is a 7’ tall multiinstrumentalist, producer, and electronic music artist from North Carolina.

He has accumulated over 3 million followers online through releasing music with legends such as John Oates, Billy Ray Cyrus, the band WAR, and songs with the infamous electronic music label Monstercat. In 2021, Saxsquatch created theme music for Rocket League, and the following year had music featured in Fortnite. Saxsquatch has been trending on Rolling Stone’s website and on the front page of Forbes for his music releases.

Showcasing his spell binding stage presence, he has been a guest on Jimmy Fallon’s “That’s My Jam!’ and Tosh.0 and has shared the stage with Tedeschi Trucks Band, Goldfish, Andy Frasco, Here Come the Mummies, Sam Bush, and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong.

Saxsquatch’s live show is a mind bending experience showcasing his music production, stage plot, and saxophone skills over original music, remixes, and crowd participation. His dream of creating the “Bigfoot Rave” tour came to fruition in 2024, adding a laser show to an already dynamic set. Well received across the United States and selling out major markets, the search for this cryptid won’t be hard. You can find him on tour or at major festivals across the world.

The Davisson Brothers Band are a genre-blurring mountain rock band formed in Clarksburg, West Virginia, by Chris and Donnie Davisson. Along with nephew Gerrod Bee and life-long family friend Aaron Regester, the band has created a uniquely authentic Appalachian country sound, which has helped them grow into one of the most successful independent acts in the world.

Since their founding in 2006, the band has recorded three albums, been celebrated as a Highway Find on Sirius XM, charted on country radio with “Foot Stompin’” and scored a hit song in Australia with “Po’ Boyz,” while also earning a dedicated following in the Jam Band/Bluegrass scene and standing shoulder to shoulder with mainstream country stars at festivals like CMC Rocks (Australia) and the Carolina Country Fest.

The new album, Home Is Where the Heart Is, was produced by Brent Cobb and David “Ferg” Ferguson, and features Tim O’Brien, Rob McCoury, Stewart Duncan, Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman, Ronnie Bowman, Kyle Tuttle, Lindsay Lou and more.

A quintet who cheerfully disregard every kind of one-dimensional label that might be attached to their music, Fireside Collective has been on a roll since emerging seven years ago from the fertile roots music scene of Asheville, North Carolina. In quick order, the progressive bluegrass group released its debut album, won the 2016 Band Contest at MerleFest, earned an International Bluegrass Music Association Momentum Band of the Year nomination and embarked on an ambitious touring schedule that’s earned an enthusiastic reception from traditional bluegrass to wide-ranging, eclectic music festival audiences alike.

​Blending the characteristic interplay of bluegrass instrumentation and harmonies with strong original material and exuberant energy, Fireside Collective has drawn on folk, blues, funk and a wide variety of bluegrass sounds to create a distinctive body of work that’s all their own. 

Each member—Joe Cicero (guitar); Alex Genova (banjo); Jesse Iaquinto (mandolin); Tommy Maher (resonator guitar) and Carson White (upright bass)— brings a strong, original voice to his instrument, and the unique contributions of different lead and harmony vocalists complement the variety in the group’s many original songs. “Depending on where you come from and your experience with folk music, you may think we’re very traditional, or on the other hand, consider us a progressive act,” says Iaquinto. “We appreciate both ends of the spectrum and may lie on a different end on any given night.” But whether they’re bringing the classic sound of bluegrass or exploring new musical territory, Fireside Collective delivers a fresh, energetic approach and a blast of enthusiastic creativity that’s electrifying audiences across the country.

Trumpeter and vocalist, Jennifer Hartswick is one of the most exciting performers in music today. She exudes confidence and joy and brings her own refreshing spirit to the stage every time she performs. Jennifer’s music is honest, soulful and comes with a maturity far beyond her years.

Hartswick is an original member of the Trey Anastasio Band and has recorded/shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Phish, Christian McBride, Tom Petty, Aaron Neville, Carlos Santana, The Rolling Stones, Big Gigantic, Dave Matthews and countless others.

Jennifer’s live performances are renowned as spontaneous, joyful and contagious. Her natural charisma and sincerity shines through, and each performance is a celebration of musical collaboration. And whether she is wailing on the trumpet or singing an intimate vocal solo, her performance is all part of a single seamless instrument, one that is played not only with astounding technical proficiency, but also with sensitivity, conviction and heart.

More than a mere practitioner of her craft, Cristina Vane has a breadth and depth of serious musical skill compiled from countless miles across all kinds of geography. On her third studio album ‘Hear My Call,’ the pairing of a lifetime pursuit and growing treasure trove of songs makes for a record that demands to be heard.

Her sound reflects and amalgam of experiences; born at the foothills of the alps in Italy and raised between Italy, England and France, Cristina’s half American – half Guatemalan heritage is as unique as her sound. She is a product of a merging of numerous worlds- her classic rock, 90s indie, and heavier roots with her passion for prewar blues, old time fiddle banjo music, country and bluegrass. Rolling Stone described her early single Badlands as “evocative of a young Bonnie Raitt and early PJ Harvey […] entrancing stuff”.

A deft multi-instrumentalist and captivating vocalist, she began writing songs and playing guitar in her teens, before the power of slide guitar captured her attention one summer in London and changed the course of her sound. After graduating from Princeton University, Vane moved to Los Angeles with a dream to pursue her constant passion, music. There, inspired by Rory Block, Skip James, and Blind Willie Johnson, she began teaching herself slide in open tunings and found herself working at folk staple McCabe’s guitar shop where the universe conspired in her favor by putting under the tutelage of her fingerstyle guitar mentor, Pete Steinberg. It was also at McCabe’s that Vane began her journey on the clawhammer banjo, and continued to busk on the Venice Boardwalk, putting in countless hours of practice to become closer to the powerhouse performer she is today.

After four years in Los Angeles, Vane felt the itch to move. True to her industrious and fearless nature, she used her small social media following at the time to crowd sourced her first tour, which she called “Show Me Your Hometown Tour” and describes as one of the most transformative experiences of her life. Six months of living out of her tent, car, and strangers couches, she dove into life on the road with a gusto that culminated in her moving to Nashville and recording her first studio album- “Nowhere Sounds Lovely”, recorded by Grammy award winning producer and drummer Cactus Moser (Wynonna Judd, Noelline Hoffman). ​ Her second full length album came a year later, recorded at The Studio by Brook Sutton and coproduced with Jano Rix (Wood Brothers).

This third album is different, though. In some ways, it retains the musical diversity of the first two- Vane refuses to bend herself into a box, writing excellent bluegrass songs that exist cohesively alongside her blues, rock, and hill country blues inspired tunes. But she feels differently now- a decade of finding herself has brought her full circle; in her words, “ “When it came to the album, I wanted it to be a reflection of who I am, not just of the old music that I’ve come to love”, she explains, “and I’m essentially a rock kid who is obsessed with old music. After being exposed to all of this music that was foreign to me, I am slowly figuring out how to find my own voice within it. It is the sound of growing up.”

Recorded with Brook Sutton at The Studio, she had her touring band come in to reflect the reality of what she spends her year doing as a nationally touring artist, and features exciting co-writes with Mike Harris (Old Crow Medicine Show) and Silas Lowe, as well as guest features from Molly Tuttle, JD Simo, Kenny Vaughan, Bronwyn Keith Hines and Brenna MacMillan.

Cristina has an extensive touring history and has provided direct support for: Molly Tuttle, Bob Weir, Jerry Douglas, Wynonna Judd, Sam Bush, Nikki Lane, Town Mountain, Duane Betts Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Arlo McKinley, and Willi Carlisle. She has been mentioned in Rolling Stone Country and NPR, and was featured in the Bank of America ad for Ken Burns’ ​ “Country Music” documentary. She was an invited guest for Billy Strings’ String the Halls 3, has appeared on Travis Book’s (Infamous Stringdusters) Happy Hour and at Portland Blues Festival, Under the Big Sky Four Corners Folk Festival, and Roosterwalk.

The Blue Ridge Mountains wind through eight states over a stretch of 615 miles. In Virginia, they overlook Franklin County south of Roanoke. Back in the day, bootleggers would refer to the area as “The Moonshine Capital of the World” due to its perfect placement to export contraband. These days, the textile mills of Rocky Mount and other once cozy-towns have shut down, leaving minimal opportunity and a lot of hopelessness. At the bottom of the Southwest Virginia foothills half-a-mile from the nearest neighbor, Colby Helms resides in an “underground house” built by his late father. He hunts and takes care of his mom. He also pens the kind of raw and real country music that cuts to the bone. After signing to Photo Finish Records, he introduces himself with a series of 2023 singles and his forthcoming debut album.

“I want to show what it’s like to grow up in a rural, impoverished area,” he says. “A lot of these old little towns in Virginia and North Carolina used to be thriving, and now they’re nothing. There are a lot of people on welfare who can’t hardly do anything besides struggle to survive. There’s addiction. There’s pain. Sonically, I’m drawing from all of the classic Appalachian musicians. I believe a lot of the old music is too good to be lost. I’m trying to be a time capsule and hold this true feeling and carry it with me. In my music, I’m telling a story about people who came from nothing—like my dad and me—and made something out of it.”

Colby’s mother and father became parents later in life. Mom worked as a secretary, while dad was a handyman and “the go-to guy for anyone around here for when something went wrong.” At the same time, pops loved to sing classics from yesteryear to his boy and constantly play the Juice Harp. “He played that thing so much he had false teeth,” recalls Colby. After achieving a Civil Engineering Degree during the energy crisis of the seventies, dad chose to build a sustainable home underground. Made from different types of wood and rocks from the mountains, it evoked a certain fairytale magic. At 12-years-old, Colby endured the loss of his father due to cancer. Beset by sadness and loneliness, he turned to music. He taught himself guitar, banjo, and mandolin by watching local performers and YouTube videos. He amassed a growing record collection, combing through the stacks at flea markets and browsing eBay. Under the influence of the forefathers of country, he listened to dusty vinyl from Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, Bob Willis & His Texas Playboys, and Jimmie Rodgers in addition to embracing modern artists.

Along the way, he carefully developed a signature style of his own.

“This is a vision I’ve had since I was in early high school,” he goes on. “I really got into the history of the genre. I wish I had earlier, because I could’ve talked to my dad about it. The music tells part of my life and hopefully shows listeners a part of the world they haven’t seen before.”

Joined by his band The Virginia Creepers, he cut his teeth with countless gigs around the area. He also shared a series of arresting D.I.Y. performance videos on YouTube, including “Smoke and Flames.” With starkly honest songwriting and a sharp angular twang to his vocals, he struck a dynamic balance between country storytelling, blue grass energy, and blues power. He caught the attention of Photo Finish Records and inked a deal with the label in 2023.

Now, he’s shining a light on a very special part of America and offering up hope.

“When you listen to me, I hope you feel like you’re not alone and you have a chance to fulfill your purpose,” he leaves off. “Everyone deserves to know this. I also want you to know Appalachia is not just a dead-end place full of dead-end people. There is still growth happening here. I’m trying to give you a taste of our way of life.”

Characterized by No Depression as “the future of bluegrass”, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road twine innovation, tradition, and excellence into a unique musical experience. Though only in his 22nd year, North Carolina’s Liam Purcell has already established a name for himself in the world of American Stringband music. Growing up less than a mile away from the legendary guitarist Doc Watson, Purcell was steeped in Appalachian Old-Time and Bluegrass traditions from an early age. Taking inspiration from the local Deep Gap legacy, Liam began writing, performing, and storytelling from an early age.

Entering the professional bluegrass circuit during his teenage years, Purcell formed the stringband-supergroup Cane Mill Road. He would go on to lead the virtuosic ensemble through regional appearances, building a fanbase across the Southeast and bringing his homespun rapport to some of the most revered festivals in the scene. By the time Purcell was 17, the project had seen multiple entries on the Billboard Top 10 Bluegrass charts, performed in 25 states, and was recognized by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2019 as the recipient of their Momentum Band of the Year Award.

New paths emerged for Liam in 2020 when he was accepted to attend Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA) on a full scholarship. However, plans quickly ground to a halt with the onset of a global pandemic. Using this time to write and record, Purcell began his studies remotely while multi-tracking a 10-song album released as “Roots” later that year. This independent project led to a widely anticipated tour and a recording contract with Pinecastle Records over the following years.

Departing his native Appalachia, Purcell took up residence in Boston while attending Berklee, following in the footsteps of Molly Tuttle, Infamous Stringdusters, Sierra Hull, Crooked Still, and many others who came out of the College’s famed American Roots Program. Despite the rigorous course of study, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road performed over 80 dates per year around an academic schedule. In 2022, Purcell shook the bluegrass world by sweeping the Rockygrass Instrumental Championships in Colorado, taking home first place honors on mandolin, banjo, and guitar. He is the only person to ever achieve a simultaneous victory in multiple championships.

Recording their latest album “Yellow Line”, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road dug deep into the writing and arranging facets of creativity. Purcell described the responsibility of carrying on a living tradition; “It was very important to me that I began this project the way I had learned from my heroes. Just us, telling stories in songs, building on the rich and diverse folk culture I had grown up in. However, I couldn’t simply leave it there. Everyone I’ve ever looked up to as an entertainer, Doc in particular, had never acknowledged boundaries between genre, style, origin, or influence. While I cared deeply about honoring the Appalachian Stringband music I loved, I also have my own songs inside, my own feelings to express, and my own innovations to contribute.”

Finishing his degree in String Performance, Purcell graduated from Berklee in May of 2024, promptly hitting the road for over two months of heavy touring. Relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, Liam maintains his Deep Gap roots, watering them on stage each night in front of new audiences, as if to transport listeners beyond the lights and curtains, to a front porch up in the mountains where the journey all began.