2010 Artists

Loretta Lynn:
For over four decades now, Loretta has fashioned a body of work as artistically and commercially successful—and as culturally significant—as any female performer you’d care to name. Her music has confronted many of the major social issues of her time, and her life story is a rags-to-riches tale familiar to pop, rock and country fans alike. The Coal Miner’s Daughter—the tag refers to a hit single, an album, a best-selling autobiography, an Oscar-winning film, and to Lynn herself—has journeyed from the poverty of the Kentucky hills to Nashville superstardom to her current status as an honest-to-goodness American icon.
VISIT:  www.lorettalynn.com

The Swell Season:
In 2005 Glen Hansard, lead singer of The Frames and Marketa Irglova recorded an album together in Prague while working together on the soundtrack of a movie, that record 'The Swell Season' was released in April 2006. In many ways, it was to prove partly inspirational for John Carney’s 'Once', a low-budget Irish indie film that turned out to be the most successful independent features of 2007. The pair not only wrote the songs for the movie but they both starred in it as well. Since the release of the film Glen and Marketa have toured extensively as The Swell Season and in February 2008 they took the Academy Award in the Best Original Song category for 'Falling Slowly'. They have recently released their newest album Strict Joy in October of 2009.
VISIT:  www.theswellseason.com

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings:
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings have come a long way since their humble beginnings nearly a decade ago. Steeped within the gilded and gritty sounds of gospel, soul and funk, this nine-piece Brooklyn collective has continued to electrify fans, and critics the world-over with their authentic, heart-felt sound. The authenticity clearly demonstrated on the band’s three critically-acclaimed albums – Dap Dippin’ (2002), Naturally (2005) and 100 Days, 100 Nights (2007) – captured and released by the independent Daptone Records.  Their albums recall an analog era led by iconic studios like those at Motown and Stax Records.As distinguished as their recordings may be, however, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings have truly become renowned thanks to their incredible live show.
VISIT:  daptonerecords.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings.html

Todd Snider & Great American Taxi:
Snider is a vociferous musician whose fans know him to be quite the workhorse. His acclaimed 2006 release, The Devil You Know found the barefoot troubadour performing live on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with David Letterman and the CD appeared on numerous year-end Top 10 lists including Spin, Blender and Rolling Stone. More recently, last year’s Peace Queer EP--a concept record featuring all the peace, love and anarchy Snider is known for--inspired Blender to say he “morphed from a wisecracking country-ish journeyman to the sharpest and funniest protest singer working today." The EP spent five weeks at number one on the Americana chart and Spin Magazine dubbed him, "One of roots music's slyest, smartest songwriters."
VISIT:  toddsnider.net  •  myspace.com/toddsnider

Billy Joe Shaver:
Shaver is truly one of the most respected living figures in American music today. Johnny Cash called him "my favorite songwriter." (His songs have been recorded by Cash as well as Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, The Allman Brothers and Bobby Bare.) He was named Texas State Musician by the Texas Commission on the Arts, and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. He continues to tour and record new work to this day, it is this career that has led Willie Nelson to say "Billy Joe Shaver may be the best songwriter alive today", not too bad coming from the Red-Headed Stranger...
VISIT:  billyjoeshaver.com

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears:
Anatomy texts might not show it, but the greatest soul and blues music leaves no doubt that the hip bone is directly connected to the heart –– a fact that’s driven home in every note laid down by Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. As they prove on their Lost Highway debut, Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is, the Austin–based combo has the kind of gritty attitude and deliciously greasy groove–consciousness that’d pass muster in the toughest juke joint.
VISIT:  blackjoelewis.com  •  myspace.com/blackjoelewis

Michael Hurley:
Michael Hurley's carefully crafted songs and hand-painted album covers have endeared him to a small but devoted group of musicians and critics. Now, more than 40 years into his career, Hurley is reaching a broader audience, including a younger generation of fans who are covering his songs. Like a troubadour of old, he has lived in Virginia, New York, Kentucky, Florida, California, Oregon, Ohio and Massachusetts, and has seldom remained in one location for an extended period of time. Although Hurley has never gained a large audience, critics, musicians, and loyal followers alike have sung his praises.
VISIT:  snockonews.net

Detroit Cobras:
Crawling out from the weed-choked lots of the once proud town, The Detroit Cobras whip out ass-shaking anthems to good times, wild times, and the high and lows of L-U-V-E; you best believe it and you best not mess with it. Singer Rachel Nagy and guitarist Mary Ramirez are the bad girls by the exit doors at the school dance, all leather and heels, sneaking smokes and passing the flask. Rachels warm as the bourbon under the seat of your car voice can boom to the back pews (Did we say "pews?" We meant "barstools") and Marys riffs let you know that love and good times can be found in the tilt of a hip or at the end of a fist.
VISIT:  detroitcobras.org  •  myspace.com/thedetroitcobras

Those Darlins:
Informed by Nashville and its intersecting indie, pop, and country scenes—and aware of the twisted tradition of Appalachian roots music that stretches back beyond the Carter Family, Those Darlins are, nevertheless, not of Nashville. The musicians in question are Kelley Darlin, the group's bassist, Jessi Darlin, who plays guitar, and Nikki Darlin, on baritone ukulele.  Everyone sings. Everyone writes. The forthcoming album is grounded in the old-time country they started out emulating, but its public face is pop with interludes, psychedelic guitars, and sly tales of triumph. And their live show is part grit, part glamour.
VISIT:  thosedarlins.com  •  myspace.com/darlins

Buffalo Killers:
Cincinnati's Buffalo Killers have made quite a name for themselves, churning out blues-y, psychadelic garage rock in bars around the country, even opening up several dates for The Black Crowes. Mark Deming of All Music Guide says "Mixing up hard rock, loose-limbed boogie, psychedelia, and early heavy metal into a sound that ambles and pummels at once, Cincinnati's Buffalo Killers aren't so much a stoner rock band as a band that makes rock that's ideal for stoners. The Buffalo Killers were founded in early 2006, shortly after guitarist Andrew Gabbard and his brother, bassist Zachary Gabbard, decided to break up their previous band, the powerful Stones-influenced garage rock act Thee Shams."
VISIT:  buffalokillers.com

Drakkar Sauna:
Drakkar Sauna, have been making music and records since 2003. Wallace Cochran and Jeff Stolz, who comprise its essential elements, have been enemies for much longer. In 2007 after the release of their third full length Jabraham Lincoln they agreed to put out two more records before settling their age’d grudge. In 2008 they released Wars and Tornadoes, an homage to the Louvin Brothers. Their new record 20009 (pronounced two thousand-ousand nine) is about the development of the rocket from Hermes Trismegistus and the cults of ancient Egypt to the twenty-third century.
VISIT:  drakkarsauna.com  •  myspace.com/drakkansasauna

Southeast Engine:
Southeast Engine was formed in 2000 by Adam Remnant (lead vocals, guitar) and Leo DeLuca (drum kit, percussion). Both attended the same high school in Dayton, in 2000 the pair moved to Athens, Ohio and were equally inspired by the Appalachian old-timey and folk music of the area. Thus, Southeast Engine is a unique hybrid of the Dayton, Ohio musical underground and the Athens, Ohio folk scene. The band signed to Misra in February of 2007 and released "A Wheel Within A Wheel" later that year. "From the Forest to the Sea" is the title of the group's newest album. Recording commenced in a forsaken, 1800s high school auditorium in the hills of Stewart, Ohio. It was released in early 2009.
VISIT:  southeastengine.com  •  myspace.com/southeastengine

Woody Pines:
"Certain talented musicians have the ability to transport the listener to a different time by just hitting some strings or directing the air that fills their lungs. For Woody Pines, you find yourself in the Mississippi Delta when AM radio is king, sippin’ whiskey if you’re fortunate and moonshine if you’re desperate. The band; comprised of Woody on guitar, banjo, harmonica and lead vocals, Zack Pozebanchuk on upright bass, Nathan Taylor on drums, and Darin Gentry on fiddle; epitomizes the Dixieland sound and embraces a simpler time."
- Max Bonem, Athens, Ohio.
VISIT: woodypines.com

GIVERS:
What do Givers give? It is an often overlooked, yet all too important question concerning these starry-eyed melodi-mystic rebels. They take hearts, this much is known. They certainly take away any restraint one may have had concerning revealing dance moves. They take time, they take care, they take naps, they STEAL attention... but what do they GIVE?! I stare intently between songs, through lasers, feathers, sweat, confetti, paint, at these friends who i must now call people as they are at once also strangers in the throes of the prismauditory hallucination that is their music. The colors, tones, shapes, and threads, up-beat, weaving, psych-folk, meshing, afro-delic, beckoning my mind out into the open, much as a dream catcher above one's bed.
VISIT:  myspace.com/giversmusic

Samantha Crain:
Samantha Crain's newest album Songs In the Night plays out to wander confidently in the badlands where abrasive, jangly indie rock and smooth, whispery folk meet. It chronicles the fear she saw in herself and those around her, that assumed embracing health and clarity would, in turn, destroy every particle of poetry and each grain of ingenuity dwelling within the artist. Crain's distinct voice presents each song with an unfeigned fervor as it rises and falls over the panorama painted by the Midnight Shivers and their roots-infused, fertile arrangements. As this album unfolds, the listener can rest easy knowing they are not experiencing illusions—and this band can be comforted with the reassurance they have been genuine.
VISIT: samanthacrain.com

The Honeycutters:
In a world that is becoming increasingly digitalized and impersonal, the Honeycutters are building a reputation based on live performance and songs that tend to stick with you.  Singer/songwriter Amanda Anne Platt has been hailed as "one of the best songwriters coming out of WNC these days" by WNCW programming director Martin Anderson, and her voice has been described as "perfectly unadorned" and "recklessly beautiful". Lead guitarist and Producer Peter James compliments Platt's vocals with seamless harmonies and tasteful instrumentation. Spencer Taylor on mandolin, Ian Harrod on bass, and Richard Faulk on the drums effortlessly round out the Honeycutters sound, creating an original brand of americana that has proved equally appealing to both the musician and the music lover, the country and the city, and the old and the young.
VISIT:  myspace.com/thehoneycutters

Alwood Sisters:
Amy and Meagan Alwood have picked up where their father left off with an innovative and truly unique style of music. Their songs are all original and are created in the spirit of that tasty kind of rock you can only get from a good piece of vinyl. In 2007, the sisters were joined by the brothers Jovan and Milan Karcic who also embody a rich musical heritage. To name a few, these boys wrote and recorded with some of Columbus, Ohio's most successful bands including Scrawl, Gaunt, Haynes Boys, Burn Barrel, and Salthorse. Their debut independent release Black Falcon and the Forest Spirit is sure to be an appropriate salute to real live honest to goodness m-u-s-i-c!
VISIT:  alwoodsisters.com

The Ragbirds:
Ask The Ragbirds how to describe their hard-to-define Folk Rock and World fusion and theyll tell you its infectious global groove. Led by fiery front-woman Erin Zindle (called Highly Impressive by USA TODAY), they put on a show that is designed to engage the audience on many levels - to get people thinking, listening and dancing. As the bands founder and songwriter, Zindle is like a bright excited tour guide through a beautiful foreign world of sights and sounds. Her earthy-sweet voice is the center of the storm of energy around her - the whirlwind of guitarist T.J. Zindle and dynamic bassist Dan Hildebrandt spinning over the ethnic grooves of drummer Randall Moore and percussionist Tim Dziekan. Amidst this blissful, restless energy Zindle skillfully switches between violin, mandolin, banjo, accordion, and percussion in addition to singing lead vocals (all while dancing!)
VISIT:  theragbirds.com

Moon High:
Moon High is from Columbus, Ohio. Here is what Cincinnati's CityBeat said about them, "These Ohioans make utterly transcendent Indie Folk that shimmers with organic grace. The five-piece should be the next favorite band of everyone entranced by the current Indie Folk revolution. Moon High's self-titled album (recently released in a gorgeously-packaged, handmade second edition, complete with Moonflower seeds) has attracted a lot of attention, largely by word of mouth. The band has been the toast of several music blogs, the modern day equivalent of Alan Freed taking a shine to your record promotion man's free and loose cash flow. Expect big things."
VISIT:  moonhighmusic.com

Todd Burge:
Over the last decade, Todd Burge, has played everything from Alternative Rock to Bluegrass, performing over 150 shows per year in venues as diverse as CBGB’s and the Kennedy Center.  Burge is a regular guest on Public Radio’s Mountain Stage and has been called the “dean of WV songwriters, the best we have”, by the show’s host, Larry Groce.  Todd recently recorded Telephone Girl by Blind Alfred Reed, for a tribute compilation (Always Lift Him Up – Proper American) that benefits the WV Music Hall of Fame and includes Kathy Mattea, Ray Benson, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Tim and Mollie O’Brien, Little Jimmy Dickens and More.  Burge also hosts his own radio show and podcast, Songwriter Night with Todd Burge (www.songwriternight.com).
VISIT:  toddburge.com

Missoula Oblongata:
The Missoula Oblongata is an experimental theatre company dedicated to creating and touring original work. Our lights, sound, and sets are all homemade, transportable, and operated by the performers themselves. This allows us to perform in venues which are accessible—financially and geographically—to a larger population than the regional theatre system serves. We meet unlikely audiences in their neighborhoods, their parks, their favorite music venues, and their homes—and transform these spaces into temporary, anarchistic theaters.
VISIT:  themissoulaoblongata.com

J.D. Hutchison:
J.D. is a maker and singer of songs. He offers up neither apology nor pretention in his effort to communicate his ideas to others through melody and verse – and a wry sense of humor. He is a fairly accomplished multi-instrumentalist who uses such skill as he possesses to create color and contour in and about the work at hand. Some artists and groups who have used or recorded J.D. Hutchison’s material are: Tim O’Brien and Hotrize; Texas singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen; Jan Howard of the Grand Ol’ Opry; K.T. Oslin; England’s House Band; The Flying Neutrinos (NYC); and the Hotmud Family from Dayton, Ohio. J.D. has appeared at many clubs, colleges, and festivals throughout the U.S. In the progress of his journey, he has shared billings with many of the great and wonderful players of the day.
VISIT:  myspace.com/jdhutchisonohio

Dragline Brothers:
Bio coming soon!
VISIT:  myspace.com/thedraglinebrothers

Adam Torres:
Adam Torres is a beloved musician in the town of Athens, Ohio. He was a member of the much-acclaimed Southeast Engine up until the early part of 2008. During the recording of Southeast Engine's "A Wheel Within A Wheel", he set forth to make a record of his own material with Josh Antonuccio and most of Southeast Engine at 3 Elliott Studio. Adam ending up taking the name Nostra Nova for the album, as well as for his peforming band which was made up of local young musicians, mostly from Ohio University. He went on to gain a cult following of fans and shared the stage with the likes of John Vanderslice, Over The Rhine, and The Wrens, to name a few. Adam doesn't play nearly as often as we would like.
VISIT:  myspace.com/nostranovafanclub

Duke Jr & the Smokey Boots:
Hailing from Athens, Ohio, Duke Junior & The Smokey Boots have quickly impressed crowds and critics since their formation in March 2009. Known for contemplative songwriting and a fresh, contemporary take on American roots music Duke Junior & The Smokey Boots continue to gain new fans playing live all over Ohio. The will be releasing a CD in early 2010.
VISIT:  myspace.com/dukejuniormusic

She Bears:
Don't be fooled by the warm welcome. SHE BEARS aren't just here to entice you with memorable lyrics and catchy refrains. That's not their aim. Layering their debut I Found Myself Asleep with crushing piano melodies, powerful guitar work, subtle electronica and diary-relatable lyrics, She Bears claim ownership of their own undeniably honest brand of musical mastery. This energetic indie rock six-piece finds themselves immersed in a menagerie of life's ups and downs, lifted hearts and letdowns. Photo by Dustin Franz.
VISIT:  myspace.com/shebearsband

Manor Animals:
When Tim and Zach's roommates found them in the basement scratching one another, they sang sweet songs to the poor, scraggly unhumans then fed them berries. Soon the unhumans became far too dependent and made their way upstairs - in search of more tasty berries, of course. This frightened many a guest of The (Bruce) Manor, so the unhumans were slyly duped by being blindfolded, twirled three times, and directed back downstairs. Oh, what a beautiful basement it was! There the unhumans stayed.
VISIT:  myspace.com/manoranimals

Seascapes:
Seascapes is a four-piece band from Athens, Ohio that makes incredibly catchy and jangly garage rock and roll. They contain members of Spooktober, Paper Machetes, Manor Animals, Russenorsk, and The Donnybrooks. They promise you will like them.
VISIT:  myspace.com/seascapesband

Chris Biester:
I WAS RAISED IN A CANE BREAK BY AN OLD MAMA LION...STOLEN BY GYPSIES... AND SOLD TO A CARNIVAL... WHERE I WORKED MY WAY UP FROM A GEEK TO RUNNING THE DANCING CHICKEN ATTRACTION WHEN COLONEL TOM MOVED ON... THERE I HEARD MY FIRST PHONOGRAPH RECORD... I WAS HOOKED... I FASHIONED A BANJO FROM AN ARMADILLO SHELL AND HIT THE ROAD ON MY OWN... THUMBED RIDES FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA AND BACK AGAIN TILL I FINALLY GOT A GIG WITH WASHBOARD SAM ON THE STREET IN CHICAGO... I FASHIONED A AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM OUT OF AN OLD STEUDEBAKER ALTERNATOR AND A STOLEN POLICE BULLHORN AND THE REST IS HISTORY.
VISIT:  myspace.com/chrisbiester

Mike Elliott:
Bio and picture coming soon!

Broken Ring:
Broken Ring is an Athens-based mix of three veteran players and a spirited female lead. Drawing on raw and sassy originals with a bucketful of vintage and contemporary alt country/Americana tunes, Colleen Carow (rhythm guitar), Jeff Redefer (guitar), Bill Rawlins (percussion), and Tom Daniels (bass) approach each song with thoughtful reverence. It’s fine fodder for this fatback, toe-tapping throwdown – which is lovingly complicated by the brooding elixir of a searching songbird.
VISIT:  myspace.com/brokenringlive

Liz Pahl:
Liz Pahl is a singer songwriter from Athens, Ohio. Her songs range from mafia bosses and childhood homes to love & loss. Inspired by the local music scene, the world's natural syncopation and her 1 year old daughter, Liz continues to write and sing in her own sweet bliss. Photo coming soon!
VISIT:  lizpahl.com

Flyaway Saturn:
Flyaway Saturn is an Athens-based band, writing and performing music the whole family can enjoy. Flyaway Saturn shows are an event with interactive songs, infectious hooks, and melodies to get the whole family singing along. The band features Tony Xenos (a long-time member of the Athens music scene, and founding member of The Cactus Pears), Geoff Osterland (former member of The Cactus Pears and The Substitutes) and Eleni Zulia (who, while new to the local music scene, has long been active in the local community). These three core band members strive to create a stage show that is not just consumed, but fully experienced by everyone in attendance. We hope to see you at the next Flyaway Saturn show!
VISIT:  reverbnation.com/flyawaysaturn

The Shazzbots:
Rocking and rocketing through the spaceways in their interstellar winnebago, The Shazzbots are bringing cool quirky rock music to all the children of the cosmos! Join the crew as they jet from planet to planet and gig to gig laughing, learning, writing songs and getting into all kinds of shenanigans... All the while teaching the kids they encounter about the joys and excitement of music of all kinds.
VISIT:  theshazzbots.com

The Fed:
Out of work in January, old friends Zeb Dewar and Justin Gordon
devised a plan to drive south through Mexico in Justin's aging station
wagon, the Blue Goose, hole up on the cheap somewhere in Guatemala,
and maybe make some music until spring arrived again in the north.
Along for the ride this time they brought 'handsome' Dan Galucki, who
had been playing in Portland with Zeb in the loose but powerful
psychedelic garage band Horse of the Rising Sun. In their dingy
concrete room in paradise, the three set to work with little to work
with. An old Sears Silvertone guitar, a thrift store Casiotone, a
sticky student bass borrowed from the neighboring bar, and whatever
they could find that sounded good when hit with a stick. They
instantly produced a dry, broken, honest, and minimal sound that
married well with their Crazy Horse vision and direct, rootsy songs.
VISIT:  myspace.com/thefed

John Atzberger:
Olentangy John is John Atzberger and vice versa. John relocated from Ohio, to Brooklyn in the August of 2006. While in New York John performed solo under the aforementioned moniker Olentangy; a name given to him by a mentor of sorts who shall remain anonymous. He won the Williamsburg Live Songwriter's competition in 2007. John is now living in North Tinsel Town, California, pretending the mountains are greener than they are.
VISIT:  myspace.com/olentangyjohnsongs

Steve Zarate:
A talented 48-year-old singer-songwriter with a vast repertoire, a Columbus native and a 2007 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest Regional Co-Finalist, Steve Zarate began playing guitar and harmonica and writing songs at 15, emulating counselors he saw around mid-'70s summer campfires. Eventually earning three O.U. degrees, he grew to cherish SE Ohio before spending half of the '90s in Alaska, where he made his first CD, "Homecoming." Based in Athens since '97 and performing frequently in the region since '06, he's created four more CDs full of original songs with visionary positive imagery, catchy melodies and intricate guitar parts, most recently 2008's "Silver Linings."
VISIT:  stevezarate.com

Darrin Hacquard:
Undaunted. This was Darrin Hacquard’s response when critics unanimously repudiated his experimental three act stage show for kolo dancers and tympani: Night Moves. “It’s my swan song,” the artist doted in a 2008 interview. It’s been like that for Hacquard—movin and shakin out there in the shadows, singing the low notes, auditioning for obscurity like a park bum nibblin on a cheese sandwich. Hacquard came up in the cutthroat world of the Sweet Adeline’s barbershop circuit. Trading sequins and false eyelashes for teardrops and twang, Darrin Hacquard has hewn his image into the anthracite of American roots music. With a body of work that’ll leave you wondering, this songman’s bound to deliver. Strange, but no stranger.

Weedghost:
Bio and picture coming soon!
VISIT:  myspace.com/weedghost