Every time Sadie Gustafson-Zook carves a linoleum block, sews a pencil case out of scraps, or admires the way the ink in her Pilot G-2 glides over her journal, she thinks, “I should be doing this all the time.” The act of creating something tangible is the air Sadie breathes. Her songwriting is the same- weaving an internal dialogue, the stories she tells herself, warm melodies and clever chords into something real, something she can physically feel with her hands and her throat. And chances are that you’ll be able to feel them too.

Sadie’s songs have been endorsed by some of the most respected songwriting contests in the country, winning Kerrville Folk Festival’s 2022 New Folk Contest (as well as placing as a finalist in 2020), earning second place at the Rocky Mountain Folk Fest’s Songwriter Showcase, and winning first place at the NewSong + LEAF Songwriting Contest. Sadie has been featured on the Basic Folk podcast and on Folk Alley. 

On Sadie’s May 2024 album “Where I Wanna Be,” she takes the listener along on an intimate journey as Sadie decides where to call home. Recorded on an 8-track reel to reel, this stripped-down album isn’t hiding behind anything. Over the course of 10 delightful tracks the listener gains insights into Sadie’s middle school crushes on gay boys, a desire to call the weatherman to ask for some guidance, and the nerve-wracking experience of meeting your idols and feeling small. Throughout the album Sadie’s agile vocals and intricate guitar playing shine while her thoughtful lyrics capture the immensity of potential and the complexity of history that emerge during times of life transition

Website

Anna Tivel is a Portland, Oregon-based, internationally touring songwriter who is forever drawn to the quiet stories of ordinary life. The characters and imagery that populate her writing are full of breath and vivid color. With six full-length albums out and a seventh on the way, Anna has been likened to a short story writer and praised by NPR, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and others for her keen observations of the human condition. In fact, Ann Powers of

NPR Music had this to say, “Anna Tivel is just one of my absolute favorite living songwriters. Her writing on [Outsiders] is at the same level as Paul Simon when he wrote ‘The Boxer’ and ‘American Tune.’”

Website

Fusing Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk and global rhythms in songs about immigration, resistance and love, OKAN takes their name from the word for heart in their Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria. With vocals in Spanish, Yoruba and Spanglish, OKAN is led by the Cuban-born violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne, both Grammy and Latin-Grammy nominees.

Having performed and recorded with Bomba Estereo, Lido Pimienta, The Halifax Symphony Orchestra, Hilario Duran and Dayme Arocena, OKAN’s recent release Okantomi was awarded the 2024 Juno Award (the band’s second Juno recognition) and included in NPR Alt Latino, Le Monde, and CBC Music’s “Best of 2023” lists, garnering critical praise from Songlines UK, Billboard, Pop Matters and JAZZIZ.

Charged with the profound power of their Afro-Cuban ancestry, OKAN alchemizes Lacumi chants and rhythms from their Santeria religious practice with virtuosic jazz and classical performances and indie-pop hooks.

Exploring themes of immigration, justice and love, OKAN takes its name from the word for ‘heart’ in Santeria. With vocals in Spanish, Yoruba and Spanglish, OKAN is led by the Cuban-born violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne, both Grammy and Latin-Grammy nominees.

Having performed and recorded with Bomba Estereo, Lido Pimienta, Symphony Nova Scotia, Hilario Duran and Dayme Arocena, OKAN’s recent release Okantomi was awarded the 2024 Juno for Best Global Music Album, earning mentions in NPR Alt Latino, Le Monde, and CBC Music’s “Best of 2023” lists and garnering critical praise from Songlines UK, Billboard, Pop Matters and JAZZIZ. (The album also charted on the transglobal music and WMEC charts, reaching number one on !Earshot international and NACC Latin charts as well top rank on at least 8 North American community stations.)

Website

Website

Folk? Bluegrass? Rock? Irish? Pop?

Why not all of the above?

Tophouse, comprised of Larson (lead vocals, guitar, banjo), Jesse Davis (guitar, mandolin, percussion, backing vocals), William Cook (violin, backing vocals), and Andy LaFave (piano, backing vocals), formed in 2016 in Missoula, Montana, where Cook and Davis met in the music program at the University of Montana. They began as a street performing duo, honing their craft performing instrumental originals on the streets (and empty parking garages) of Missoula. Cook soon brought Larson, a longtime friend, into the fold and the trio began recording original songs and performing up and down the stunningly beautiful Bitterroot Valley.

Website

The Devil Makes Three has always thrived in the spaces between genres, where the grit of folk, the soul of blues, and the rebellious spirit of punk collide. Their music doesn’t just follow the American storytelling tradition—it redefines it. Whether evoking the deep melancholy of Delta blues or the frenetic energy of punk, their sound is raw, powerful, and unmistakably their own. For over two decades, this genre-defying trio has carved out a place in the American roots scene, delivering high-energy performances that leave audiences captivated and wanting more. They’ve released seven studio albums and three live recordings, with their latest, Spirits, marking a return to their stripped-down roots.

Formed in 2002 in Santa Cruz, California by Pete Bernhard and Cooper McBean, the trio, now featuring longtime collaborator MorganEve Swain (taking over on upright bass and vocals for Lucia Turino), has continued to evolve musically while staying rooted in their core sound. The Devil Makes Three has built a devoted fanbase by embracing the raw, unpolished edge of acoustic music, and their latest album, Spirits, adds yet another layer to this ever-expanding sonic palette.

The new album, produced by Grammy-winner Ted Hutt (Old Crow Medicine Show, Dropkick Murphys, The Gaslight Anthem and Violent Femmes among others), takes listeners through a journey of grief, addiction, division, and personal resilience. Songs like “Lights on Me” and “Spirits” delve into the emotional weight of loss and death, reflecting Bernhard’s experience of losing close family members and friends during the album’s creation. Meanwhile, tracks like “Half as High” and “Divide and Conquer” tackle broader social themes, speaking to the ever-widening economic divide and political fragmentation in today’s volatile climate.

Website

With a diverse and far-reaching repertoire, he blends soulful vocals, masterful guitar work, and an authentic approach to both traditional and original music. His easy-going yet deeply expressive style explores the heart of folk and Americana, breathing new life into classic songs while crafting original pieces that feel timeless. Whether delivering a faithful rendition or a fresh reinterpretation, Gilmore’s music resonates with sincerity and artistry.In 2024, Martin Gilmore won both the Telluride Bluegrass Festival Troubadour Songwriting Competition and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriters Showcase, further cementing his place as a standout songwriter and performer in the folk and bluegrass world.

His 2021 album, The Martin Gilmore Trio, showcases the talents of mandolinist Nick Amodeo and bassist Ian Haegele, with special guest appearances by Tim O’Brien, Courtney Hartman, and Mollie O’Brien. The trio has performed across the United States and Ireland, including an official showcase at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass. In 2017, he released the EP East-West, recorded in Cairo, Egypt, where he lived from 2015 to 2017. His self-titled debut album, released in 2009, was produced by Infamous Stringdusters bassist Travis Book and featured members of FY5, Open Road, and Pete Wernick of Hot Rize.

Beyond performing, Gilmore is a dedicated educator. Since 2017, he has been on the faculty at the University of Northern Colorado’s Folk and Bluegrass Program, teaching bluegrass guitar, songwriting, and composition while leading the university’s bluegrass ensemble. He has also been an instructor at Swallow Hill Music in Denver since 2008, where he teaches songwriting, guitar, and vocal performance and directs bluegrass ensembles. Additionally, he has taught courses on bluegrass, country music, the banjo, and cowboy songs for the University of Denver’s Enrichment Program.

Gilmore has shared the stage with The Infamous Stringdusters, Stephen Stills, Judy Collins, and many more. He has toured worldwide as a solo artist, with the Martin Gilmore Trio, and with his bluegrass band Long Road Home.

Website

BANDITS ON THE RUN are a musical trio comprised of Adrian Blake Enscoe, Sydney Shepherd, and Regina Strayhorn, known for their distinct combination of cello, guitar, accordion, and found-percussion with sophisticated three-part harmonies and rotating lead vocals. The Brooklyn-based outfit sprang from a chance encounter while busking in NYC’s bustling subways and burst onto the national stage in 2019 when their song, “Love in the Underground,” was featured on the NPR Tiny Desk Contest’s Top Shelf, with the esteemed tastemakers at the station proclaiming, “the band orchestrates a symphony of sound and story through its impressive musicianship and marvelous harmonies.”

After recording their 2021 EP, Now Is The Time, with producer Ryan Hadlock (Brandi Carlile, The Lumineers), the Bandits took to the screen, devising a short musical film, Band At The End Of The World, commissioned by Prospect Musicals. Since then, they have continued to explore the nexus of indie-folk music and theatrical storytelling, composing music for the Netflix animated series, Storybots, scoring the movie, The Same Storm, adapting several songs from texts by William Shakespeare for a production of As You Like It, and receiving an NEA grant for a new musical with Prospect Musicals, all the while touring the globe with appearances at the Cambridge Folk Festival, Floydfest, Summerfest Milwaukee, Americanafest, F1 Singapore Grand Prix, Mile of Music, and the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival.

Bandits on the Run are currently working on the stage musical adaptation of the novel What’s Eating Gilbert Grape in association with MCC Theater, alongside actor-musician Christopher Sears and Academy Award Nominee Peter Hedges, who wrote the original book and screenplay.

Website

Not long after crossing beyond the neon into Al’s Tavern, one might catch murmurs drifting up and down the bar during Dean Johnson’s bartending shifts – nudges and whispers that he might just be the best songwriter in town. “Wait ’til you hear him sing. Just don’t ask him to do it, because he won’t. He might do another show this year, but probably not.” Al’s regulars, howsoever biased, speak of his talent like a family secret – Seattle folklore. How many times, and for how many years, has Dean elusively replied to some variation of the question, “When will there be a record?”

The phrase “hidden gem” would seem appropriate here, but it’s a misnomer when talking about Dean Johnson. He shines bright, in plain sight, and it was only a matter of time before people stopped to take a look. Dean’s gentle and passionate approach to songwriting has inspired many, and his work provides the listener the opportunity to believe once more that a song can be more than the sum of its parts. If you catch even a phrase of his melodies or the sobering tone of his voice, it waltzes its way into your heart like a letter written, signed, sealed, and delivered just for you.

Website

Alysha Brilla is an Indo-Tanzanian Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, audio engineer and film composer blending folk, world, soul and pop influences. 2025 Women In Music International Leadership Honouree, a three-time JUNO Award nominee and 2024 Canadian Screen Award-nominated composer for The Queen Of My Dreams, Brilla’s work is known for its emotional depth and cultural richness.

Brilla channels her heritage into a vibrant soundscape exploring themes of reconnection with oneself, others and nature. In 2013, she made history as one of the first self-produced female artists to receive a JUNO nomination for her debut album.

Website

Website

Soul music pours out of Lee Fields, as free and unstinting as God’s love. It has ever since the 1960s, when he was a teenager in North Carolina sweating it out on juke joint stages, crumpled dollars hailing at his feet. It continues now that the living legend is in his late sixties, ushering in the most successful and fruitful period of his career.

Like any living legend worth their salt, Fields has suffered despair, obscurity, defeat. Although he now tours stages around the world, and although he helped fellow soul legends like Sharon Jones (who was once Fields’ backup singer) and Charles Bradley (whom Fields took on his first tour) get their first break, he did not always have this position. There were years — they were known as “the 1980s” — when Fields nearly gave up. His success these days, then has a bittersweet tinge: His dear friends Bradley and Jones have both passed, leaving Fields to outlive them and carry their legacy forth.

With all these years, and all this life, comes a sort of divine wisdom, and Fields has it in spades. “I am a sinner, just like everybody else,” he says gravely. He is no “holier-than-thou guy,” he adds. He just believes in people’s ability to love and be loved, and he understands that music is the divine bridge to these places. “We should be conscious at all times of what is good and what is bad,” he tells me. “Once we lose that consciousness, we are deceived, we are tricked.” This worldview, equally stern and loving, rocksteady and welcoming, finds its fullest expression yet on It Rains Love, his latest and possibly his most earnest record ever.

Website

Over a year after Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz of Watchhouse (formerly known as Mandolin Orange) reintroduced themselves on their 2021 self-titled LP, the pair shared a special surprise release: Watchhouse (Duo), a self-produced recording of Marlin and Frantz performing the most elemental possible arrangements of all nine songs from Watchhouse. It’s a project that captures the fundamental power of Watchhouse: Two singers and musicians with profound chemistry, performing earnest yet masterfully crafted songs that encompass the unknowable mysteries, existential heartbreak, and communal joys of modern life.

Starting over a decade ago playing coffee shops and local restaurants around North Carolina, Watchhouse is a grassroots success story that’s been driven by Marlin’s poignant songwriting. They’ve sold out iconic venues (Red Rocks, Ryman Auditorium) and attract hundreds of millions of streams while producing exploratory music that “redefines roots music for a younger generation” (Washington Post).

Website

Colorado musicians Cary Morin (guitar, vocals), Celeste Di Iorio (harmony vocals, rhythm guitar), Luke Hunter (bass ), Josh Vogeler (drums), and Koda Gray (drums, percussion) unite to form a high-energy roots rock band, intent on getting folks up and out of their seats!

Website

For Jon Muq, a singer-songwriter born in Uganda and now living in Austin, Texas, music is part of a larger conversation he’s having with the world and everybody in it. Drawing from African as well as western musical trends and traditions, he devises songs as small gifts, designed to settle into everyday life and provoke reflection and resilience.

“These days the world is sad,” he explains, “so I wanted to make happy songs. I wanted to write songs that connected with the listener in a very personal way. When someone listens to my music, it’s not just about me and what I’m singing. It’s about how they understand the songs individually. I think these songs can speak many languages, depending on what you want from them.”

Muq’s experiences as a child in Uganda and as a man in America give him a unique perspective on the world he’s addressing. “I grew up in a very different life, where so many people pass through hard times just because they don’t have much. Our biggest issue was food scarcity. Then I came to a different world, which gave me a picture of how to write a song that can find balance with everyone wherever they are, whether they have a lot or not much.”

With his May 31st debut album with producer Dan Auerbach and tours with Billy Joel, Norah Jones, Mavis Staples, Amythyst Kiah, Corinne Bailey Rae, and others, Muq is expanding the scope of his music to speak to more and more people.

Website

Describing the musical partnership of Natalie Cressman and Ian Faquini as a duo is accurate, but their collaboration contains multitudes. She’s a trombonist, vocalist and songwriter from San Francisco. He’s a composer, guitarist, and singer from Brasilia. Together they’ve honed a singularly expansive creative communion encompassing their love of the Brazilian songbook, jazz, Impressionism and sophisticated pop songcraft.

Their original material features lyrics in Portuguese, French and English set to music drawing from a vast stylistic spectrum. With sumptuous two-part vocal harmonies hugging Brazilian-accented Portuguese accompanied by trombone and acoustic guitar, Cressman and Faquini’s richly orchestrated sound seems to emanate from a much larger ensemble.

Their third album, Guinga is a tribute to the legendary Brazilian composer, guitarist and vocalist, who has mentored Faquini for more than a decade. Guinga himself performs on five tracks (joining the duo on three songs and Cressman alone on two). Focusing on his lesser known tunes, the project also includes three newer songs featuring Guinga’s lyrics set to music by Faquini. The album is dedicated to Cressman’s dear friend and horn section mate in the Trey Anastasio Band, saxophonist James Casey, who died on the first day of the Guinga recording, “and inevitably all the feelings of grief and loss poured into session,” Cressman says.

The duo’s first two albums together have fueled the rapidly growing recognition of their gorgeous sound, including a finalist nomination for “Duo of The Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2023. Both 2019’s Setting Rays of Summer and 2022’s Auburn Whisper received critical praise and topped many “best of” lists in their respective years. Together Cressman and Faquini have played their music across the US in venues ranging from intimate house concerts to performing arts halls and jazz festival stages such as the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass. They’ve also toured internationally in Brazil, Japan, Portugal, Spain, and Italy.

Website

In a harmonious union, singer-songwriters Zella Day and Jesse Woods come together to reveal their highly anticipated collaboration, “Chaparelle”. Esteemed for their exceptional vocal prowess and celebrated contributions to their distinct genres, Zella and Jesse craft a musical tapestry that harkens back to legendary duets of icons like George and Tammy or Gram and Emmylou. This partnership channels the enduring allure of Country music’s golden age, weaving a melodic narrative that resonates with themes of love and the indomitable Texan essence.

Website

Daniel Rodriguez is a dynamic figure in the Americana psychedelic folk rock scene, crafting songs that resonate with depth, authenticity, and a touch of magic. Originally a founding member and key songwriter for Elephant Revival, he has since established a prolific solo career that transcends the roots of his musical beginnings. Known for penning Elephant Revival classics like “Birds and Stars,” Daniel embarked on a solo journey following the band’s dissolution in 2018. His solo debut, the EP Your Heart The Stars The Milky Way, was released in 2019, marking a new chapter in his artistic journey. This was followed by his first full-length album, Sojourn of a Burning Sun, in 2020 under BMG Records, earning acclaim for its introspective songwriting and emotional depth.

Beyond the studio, Daniel has captivated audiences across North America, opening for The Lumineers during their BRIGHTSIDE World Tour in 2022, performing in sold-out arenas including a memorable homecoming in Denver before 40,000 fans. His collaborations have spanned genres and generations, sharing stages with notable artists such as Gregory Alan Isakov, Ben Harper, Jim James, Dispatch, and John Craigie. 

Website

Say She She, the soulful female-led group, stand rock solid on their disco-delic duty with their boundary-breaking sophomore album Silver (released September 29 on Colemine/Karma Chief Records). The strong voices of Piya Malik (El Michels Affair, Chicano Batman), Sabrina Mileo Cunningham and Nya Gazelle Brown front the band. Following the NYC siren song, the trio was pulled from their respective cities — Piya from London, Nya from DC, and Sabrina from NYC — to Manhattan’s downtown dance floors, through the Lower East Side floorboards, and up to the rooftops of Harlem, where their friendship was formed on one momentous, kismet evening.

Silver was written and recorded live to tape at Killion Sound studio in North Hollywood in early 2023, and produced by Sergio Rios (Orgone, Neal Francis, Alicia Keys). While these analog recording techniques help root Say She She’s sound in a bedrock of tonal warmth that only tape can achieve, it is also their process of cutting the track in the moment and capturing the magic of communal creativity that have critics reeling. Musical inspirations include Rotary Connection, Asha Puthli, Liquid Liquid, Grace Jones, and Tom Tom Club.

Described as “a glorious overload of joyful elation and spiritual elevation” (MOJO) and “infused with the wonky post-disco spirit of early 80s NYC” (The Guardian), the band consistently tops the radio charts of tastemaker stations KCRW and KEXP, as well as BBC’s Radio 6 Music. Sold out shows from London to Los Angeles and televised appearances on CBS Saturday and Later…with Jools Holland are a testament to a rapidly growing fan base. Say She She has toured with the likes of Thee Sacred Souls, and have already played iconic festivals like Glastonbury, Central Park Summerstage, and more.

Website

For nearly six decades, the three-time GRAMMY Award-winning Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has entertained audiences with their top-shelf musicianship and timeless hits. Now the time has come for the band who has carried a torch for American country and roots music to say so long to the highways and byways they’ve crossed an unimaginable number of times throughout their career. This isn’t goodbye forever, but it will be the last fans see of multi-city runs and long bus rides. These special shows will celebrate he music created by the legendary, yet ever-evolving NGDB.

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band trades on a mix of reimagines classics and compelling newer works. The group formed in 1966 as a Long Beach, California jug band, scored its first charting single in 1967, and embarked on a self-propelled ride through folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll, pop, bluegrass, and amalgam known as “Americana.”

Website