Like the powerful mandolinist and composer at its helm, John Reischman and the Jaybirds fashion a stylish take on bluegrass that seamlessly blends original songs and instrumentals with Appalachian old-time music for a truly unique band sound. Now in their 20th year, with seven acclaimed albums and two Juno nominations, the Jaybirds are simultaneously innovative and unadorned, sophisticated and stripped-down, happily old-fashioned and 21st-century contemporary.

People know him in Minnesota, where most bar bands seem to cover at least one of his songs, but otherwise he’s still one of the best kept secrets in the country. He sings about an America that doesn’t get much play anymore, the one where the people at the bottom can’t quite get ahead, and where working people aren’t cartoon props in a culture war, but shrewd human beings living hard lives, and hard loves. His songs have the diamond-hard clarity and simplicity of Tom Petty, and like Petty, Koskinen can sing a literal statement without metaphor or ornament, and make it move like poetry. The spiritual hunger in rock ‘n’ roll that came from blues and gospel is still a hunger in these songs, and if you listen hard, you can hear that lean coyote voice – wary, feral, full of fierce delight – lighting up the wee hours from somewhere out on the prairie.

Experience the spellbinding artistry of Hiroya Tsukamoto / a master of fingerstyle guitar and evocative storytelling that transcends cultural boundaries. 

Praised by Acoustic Guitar Magazine for his “delicate, fluid, and beautifully details” style, Hiroya’s music weaves intricate melodies with poetic narratives, creating an unforgettable, soul-stirring performance.

Hiroya Tsukamoto is a Japanese-born fingerstyle guitarist who moved to the United States in 2000 to attend the Berklee College of Music. Needless to say, he’s not only a dizzyingly agile fingerpicker, but a soulful and transcendent performer, with compositions that combine instrumental guitar work with lyrical performance and spoken stories from his life. 

Tsukamoto has been recognized for his talents on stages such as at Blue Note in New York City, NHK Television, International Storytelling Center and United Nations, and by scoring second place at the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship both in 2018 and 2022. 

“Hiroya Tsukamoto takes us to an impressionistic journey ” -Boston Herald

”...chops, passion and warmth. Zealously recommended!”  -Jazz Review.com

Caitlin Canty’s songs harness the grit and spark at the heart of American music, tempered with a voice both haunting and distinct. Her new record, Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove (October 2025) marks a return to her roots, a grittier and more electric Americana sound. Recorded live in the studio while nearly 8 months pregnant with her second child, the songs can be seen in the light of major shifts in Cantys life, from pre-parenthood city life in Nashville to present day raising a young family on a mountain in southern Vermont. She is currently touring Night Owl Envies the Mourning Dove with her four-piece band.

Since the release of her critically-acclaimed Reckless Skyline in 2015, Canty has put thousands of miles on her songs, touring throughout the U.S. and Europe. A constant collaborator, as a cowriter with Jamey Johnson and Peter Bradley Adams, she also appears on albums by Joy Williams, Jeffrey Foucault and Darlingside. She has performed at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, FreshGrass, Tonder and Green Mountain Bluegrass and Roots festivals and won the Telluride Troubadour songwriting competition at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2015. Her song, Get Up, was nominated for Song of the Year in the Folk Alliance International Music Awards and was featured on NPR Musics, Songs We Love. Her songs have appeared in film and TV, including Rainmaker, House of Cards, Money Heist, and Rebuilding, and have garnered over 40 million streams on Spotify alone.

“Dreamy and daring” ROLLING STONE

“A beautiful voice both strong and deliberate. Her stage presence is radiant and her songs pack a big lyrical punch” NO DEPRESSION

“Caitlin Canty mixes a gritty side with aching ballads” WORLD CAFE

“Profound musical and lyrical authenticity sets Canty apart [and] draws so many of the acoustic worlds greatest artists into her corner” THE BLUEGRASS SITUATION

Sparrow Smith, a multi-instrumentalist based in Marshall, NC, is well loved for her evocative songwriting, tasteful banjo playing, epic accordion chops, and striking outfits. A longtime member and leader of multiple bands (most notably Resonant Rogues) with Keith Josiah Smith, her husband and collaborator, Sparrow is stepping out under her own name with a new album of Appalachian originals. Her journey into old time started in her late teens with freight trains and Tommy Jarrell tapes, and her musical taste is also inspired by a lifelong love of dance. When not on tour, Sparrow can be found in the North Carolina mountains where she teaches Womens Basic Carpentry and is building her own house from scratch.

There is a somewhat quiet giant making their way around America, Europe, and a few other territories that isn’t always noticed, but when he’s there, there is no way to ever overlook his music. Joachim Cooder is one-of-a-kind. That is all there is to it. He plays a variety of instruments, writes songs that seem to come from a slightly different universe and is unforgettable once seen and heard. Cooder has a handful of recordings now, and every one is absolutely  unforgettable. Which isn’t hard to understand once it’s clear what kind of musical discoveries he’s had in his life, and one he continues to chase with the kind of energy of a champion athlete. One of Cooder’s true calling cards is how his music is able to float in air. He is not tied to the tyranny of a snare drum or any one instrument. What the man is able to do is a blend of percussion, strings, vocals, and other wonders without names into a breathing animal all its own. This really is popular music for people beyond popularity. People that live in a time of their own.

Joachim Cooder grew up surrounded by music alongside his father, legendary guitarist Ry Cooder who took him on the road at an early age on the drums, playing both live and in the studio. These touring and recording projects allowed him to share stages and recordings with Johnny Cash, Ali Farka Touré, V. M. Bhatt, Steve Earle, John Lee Hooker, Dr. John, Nick Lowe, Mavis Staples, The Happy Mondays, and most notably the award winning project The Buena Vista Social Club which has sold more than eight million copies worldwide and entered the book of Guinness World Records as the best-selling world music album of all time.

Bill Bentley