2025 Artists
This activity is supported in part by an award from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.
SCYTHIAN
Named after Ukrainian nomads, Scythian (sith-ee-yin) plays roots music from Celtic, Eastern European and Appalachian traditions with thunderous energy, technical prowess, and storytelling songwriting, beckoning crowds into a barn-dance, rock concert experience. Nashville’s Music City Roots says Scythian is ‘what happens when rock star charisma meets Celtic dervish fiddling’, and the Washington Post claims “Scythian’s enthusiasm is contagious, and shows seem to end with everyone dancing, jumping around or hoisting glasses.”
The foursome made up of Alexander Fedoryka (Vocals, Fiddle, Mandolin, Harmonica), Danylo Fedoryka (Vocals, Guitar, Accordion), Ethan Dean (Vocals, Upright and Electric Bass, Percussion, Guitar) and Johnny Rees (Vocals, Drums, Percussion) brings various influences together to create a conglomerate which is technically precise and steeped in various folk traditions: The classically trained Fedoryka brothers grew up on Ukrainian folk music and bluegrass, while Ethan Dean was raised on the greats of 60’s & 70’s folk-rock. Lafayette LA raised Johnny Rees brings a Cajun backbeat to the Celtic-Americana fusion giving Scythian yet another dimension which keeps audiences entertained and moving. You have to catch the live show to understand why The Cammel City Dispatch said of their Merlefest performance: “[Scythian gives] no quarter in their quest to entertain and bring a joy to their music that gives it an irony-free, wide open feel of manic possibility. The playing is technically brilliant, but it is the energy that carries the day.”
BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO, JR. & THE LEGENDARY ILS SONT PARTIS BAND
Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. was born into a musical family in Lafayette, Louisiana, a city deeply rooted in the sounds of zydeco and Creole culture. His father, Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural, Sr., was a legendary figure in zydeco music, and Buckwheat, Jr. was immersed in music from a young age. At just 17, Buckwheat, Jr. began his musical journey by joining his father’s band, initially playing the rubboard, a signature instrument in zydeco music. His early training was informal, as he learned by ear, much like his father had done. Over time, Buckwheat, Jr. expanded his musical talents, becoming a multi-instrumentalist who played the Hammond B-3 organ, accordion, and other instruments.
Following the death of his father in 2016, Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. assumed the mantle of his father’s musical legacy, continuing to lead the Ils Sont Partis Band. This band, which was originally formed by Stanley Dural, Sr., is a tribute to the vibrant tradition of zydeco and remains a vital force in spreading the genre’s infectious rhythms worldwide. Buckwheat, Jr. now performs with his father’s iconic custom monogrammed accordion and shares the stage with his son, Kyle Anthony Dural, who plays the rubboard. This family connection is deeply meaningful to Buckwheat, Jr., who reflects, “Everywhere I go, my son is on my right. It really is a blessing.”
Buckwheat Zydeco Jr.’s career has been marked by significant milestones, both alongside his father and as a solo artist. He shared the stage with some of the most renowned figures in music, including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Mavis Staples, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Dwight Yoakam, and Los Lobos, to name a few. These collaborations helped him hone his craft and shape a unique musical voice that blends zydeco, blues, and rock influences. Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. and The Ils Sont Partis Band have earned numerous prestigious awards and nominations including 2024 Winner, Best Regional Roots Music Album – New Beginnings (66th Annual GRAMMY Awards); 2024 Winner, 2 Best of The Beat Music Awards; and in 2024 was Inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
An ambassador for zydeco and blues, Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. is committed to ensuring that these musical traditions are passed on to future generations, ensuring that zydeco music will continue to inspire and uplift audiences for generations to come.
Damn Tall Buildings
Damn Tall Buildings is a celebrated folk-bluegrass band known for their soulful melodies and intricate instrumentals. Based in Brooklyn, this seasoned trio—Max Capistran, Sasha Dubyk, and Avery Ballotta—has spent over a decade honing their craft through dedicated touring and recording. With a distinctive sound that weaves heartfelt lyrics into masterful fiddle, guitar, and bass arrangements, they embody a unique blend of Americana roots and contemporary finesse. From intimate local venues to larger global stages, their magnetic performances resonate deeply, leaving a lasting mark on audiences around the world.
Initially honing their skills through busking, Damn Tall Buildings brings an infectious energy to their music. Their varied influences extend beyond bluegrass, infusing elements of old-time, blues, and jazz into their songwriting. With seamless vocal harmonies and captivating instrumental solos, the trio creates a cohesive sound that feels greater than the sum of its parts. As they continue to travel and grow, Damn Tall Buildings fosters a welcoming spirit, inviting audiences to join them on a journey through their vibrant, well-crafted performances. Critics have praised their ability to establish a musical blend that defies categorization, offering a warm and reflective embrace that is both enthusiastic and deeply resonant.
“Think of: The Carter Family for the millennial generation. Old Crow Medicine Show meets Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros meets Flatt & Scruggs meets Nickel Creek, with a dash of Avett Brothers and a sprinkle of Johnny Cash. The band coined the term “guerrilla roots” to describe its sound, which draws on early-20th-century Americana/bluegrass music, “repurposed for a modern audience.” — The Boston Globe
The Slambovian Circus of Dreams
New York’s Slambovian Circus of Dreams has been coloring ‘outside the lines’ of the Americana genre with their fantastic stories and performances since forming 20 years ago in the Hudson Valley of New York. Their Woodstock-tinged psychedelia has a hint of southern rock, Celtic and British folk combined with solid songwriting – a slice of Americana pie that is irresistIble!
The band has headlined Fairport’s Cropredy Festival, Wickham Festival and more where they were voted “Best Band” by fans and promoters alike. Playing towns and festivals from Lochinvar to Penzance since 2008, the Slambovians’ touring history in the UK goes back several years. Their Album “A Very Unsusual Head” was included in Rock’n’Reel Magazine’s “Best Albums of 2022” and described as ‘their finest work to date.’ Exploring the depths of Americana with an artful edge, elements of Dylan, Bowie, Incredible String Band, Syd Barrett, and The Waterboys flavor the musical mix.
Joziah Longo (the resident shaman of Slambovia), leads with vocals described as “soothing and bewitching as a snake oil tonic.” Longtime bandmates Tink Lloyd (accordion, cello, mandolin, flute) and guitarist/mandolin wizard Sharkey McEwen bring their own magic to the Slambovian brew with “a little help from their friends” – RJ McCarty (keys, bass, sax), Bob Torsello (bass), and Matthew Abourezk (drums).
Charlie Parr
In the music of Charlie Parr, there is a sincere conviction and earnest drive to create. The Minnesota-born guitarist, songwriter, and interpreter of traditional music has released 19 albums over two decades and has been known to perform up to 275 shows a year. Parr is a folk troubadour in the truest sense: taking to the road between shows, writing and rewriting songs as he plays, fueled by a belief that music is eternal and cannot be claimed or adequately explained. The bluesman poet pulls closely from the sights and sounds around him, his lyrical craftsmanship built by his influences. The sounds from his working-class upbringing—including Folkways legends such as Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie—imbue Parr’s music with stylistic echoes of blues and folk icons of decades past. Parr sees himself merely as a continuer of a folk tradition: “I feel like I stand on a lot of big shoulders,” he said in an interview. “I hope that I’ve brought a little bit of myself to the music.”
With a discography simultaneously transcendental in nature and grounded in roots music, Charlie Parr is the humble master of the 21st century folk tradition. Parr started recording in Duluth in 2002, where he lives today. Life in the port town on Lake Superior has a way of bleeding into his work the same way his childhood in Austin, Minnesota does. Parr self-released his debut album, Criminals and Sinners, and did the same for his sophomore album 1922 (2002). With growing popularity abroad, Parr signed with Red House Records in 2015, where he recorded break-out albums Stumpjumper (2015) and Dog (2017). Parr’s music has an overwhelming sense of being present and mindful, and his sound is timeless.
Parr’s mastery of his craft is only more apparent when contextualized within the history of folk tradition of which Parr has dedicated his practice The land and lives around and intersecting with Parr have always influenced him, from the hills and valleys of Hollandale, Minnesota to the Depression-era stories from his father. Parr strives to listen to everything: “I don’t see that I’d ever be capable of creating anything if it weren’t for these inspirations and influences, books and music as well as the weather and random interactions with strangers and animals. So, the well never runs dry as long as my eyes and ears are open,” Parr said in a 2020 interview. Before he was even 10 years old Parr was rummaging through his father’s record collection—sometimes drawing dinosaurs on the vinyl sleeves—and listening to country, folk, and blues legends, many of whom are staples in the Folkways catalog. When Parr sings and plays his resonator or 12-string, you can hear influences like Mance Lipscomb, Charley Patton, Spinder John Koerner, Rev. Gary Davis, and Dock Boggs. This is especially true in his playing, when, after a diagnosis of focal dystonia, Parr turned to greats like Davis, Doc Watson, and Booker White for two-finger picking inspiration. Gifted a 1965 Gibson B-45 12-string by his father, Parr has never had a formal lesson and learned by to listening records and watching musicians he admired.
Miss Tess
When most people think of defiant music, they think of punk rock or outlaw country. But defying genres while transcending eras and resisting cliche’s is hard to pin down when it comes to artistry–unless you’re talking about Miss Tess, who does all of that and more on her forthcoming release, The Moon Is an Ashtray.
To help capture and shape her own unique sound, Miss Tess enlisted her trusty 1930s Weymann archtop and heavy input from co-producers Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Hurray for the Riff Raff) and Thomas Bryan Eaton, her full-time bandmate and musical partner. Combining Eaton’s arranging ideas and skilled instrumental work with Tokic’s studio full of vintage mics, tube amps, and tape machines, the resulting record has a rich, buttery warmth well-suited to Miss Tess’s voice and authentic, retro-contemporary songwriting style. As she kicks open the old soul gates with deep, rolling grooves, New Orleans-style rollicks, rapid-fire country rock, and laid-back jazz-blues, Miss Tess shows both the pluck and poise to fold a multitude of styles into her own. The idea of defiance parlays itself into the tongue-in-check metaphor of the album’s title track–it’s not about what we look at necessarily, but what we see that matters. From our earthbound vantage and oft storied lore, the moon is a romantic and mystical entity; though as one looks closer, the moon is dusty, barren, and empty. Here, Tess breaks from the moon’s typical cliche to deliver a much more cynical, yet whimsical point-of-view, conveyed with her smoky vocals set against a swaying backdrop of bright guitar licks and yearning pedal steel.
After over a decade on the road, now making her home in Nashville – by way of Baltimore, Boston, and Brooklyn – Miss Tess has found a creative community that encourages and embraces wide artistic exploration and expression as much as she does. Alongside Eaton, local heavyweights like Dennis Crouch, John Pahmer, Jimmy Lester, Jack Lawrence, and Larry Atamanuik fill out the albums liner notes.
Throughout the record, Tess uses many of these songs to look at love from every angle she can think of, except the usual. As Miss Tess shows in every moment of The Moon Is an Ashtray, questioning the status quo while maintaining her unique identity and challenging our ideas of perspective, well, there’s nothing more defiant than that.
Jeffrey Foucault
In two decades on the road Jeffrey Foucault has become one of the most distinctive voices in American music, refining a sound instantly recognizable for its simplicity and emotional power. With a string of critically acclaimed studio albums – “Stark, literate songs that are as wide open as the landscape of his native Midwest” (The New Yorker), “Beat-up troubadour folk whittled to dolorous perfection” (Uncut), “Songwriting Brilliance,” (Irish Times) – he’s built a brick-and-mortar international touring career and a devoted following, one that includes luminaries like Van Dyke Parks, Greil Marcus, and Don Henley.
In September of 2024 Jeffrey Foucault released THE UNIVERSAL FIRE, his first album of entirely new material since 2018. A series of high-voltage performances cut live in one room, the album is both a working wake – Foucault lost his best friend and drummer Billy Conway, to cancer in 2021 – and a meditation on the nature of beauty, artifact, and loss.
THE UNIVERSAL FIRE sets Conway’s death against the massive 2008 fire at the Universal Studios lot in California that destroyed the master recordings of some of our bedrock American music, to interrogate ideas about mortality, legacy, meaning, and calling.
Erik Koskinen
“Writes like Dylan, looks like Hank Williams, walks like John Wayne, smokes like James Dean, and plays like no one else.” — Spinout Records
Erik Koskinen is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer, whose music is not categorized by sub-genres. Stylistically he is on his own while heavily influenced by American roots music. The rhythmic integrity and musical tone is as important as the lyrical content and the artistic intent. Koskinen has reverently entered the anthology of uniquely crafted wry songs with the likes of Woody Guthrie and Ry Cooder while speaking as plainly as your neighbor. The Minneapolis Star Tribune calls Koskinen “the real deal” and “The best country songwriter in Minnesota”
Ivy Ford
Ivy Ford, singer, songwriter, musician and ENTERTAINER. Self-made she is a multi-instrumentalist (guitar, bass, drums, piano) that is considered to be one of the current heavy hitters in the Chicago blues and music scene! 2015 kicked started opening for Buddy Guy at his club ‘Legends’ and is a household name there and other Chicago blues clubs. She is known for her high energy guitar playing and showmanship onstage that gives her audience and listeners an experience they won’t forget, raising the bar show after show.
Currently Ivy Ford has three original albums which have been recognized in ROOTS magazine, Chicago Blues Guide and other publishings both in the United States and abroad. She made her Canadian debut in 2019 and since has been on several European tours. She has been highlighted in the last three Chicago Blues Festivals as well and continues to spread her music, performance and entertainment near and far.
Caleb Caudle
Just as the marbled salamanders emerge from under damp logs and leaves, the mushrooms—smooth, pearlescent ones and spongy morels—turn on like night lights glowing in the dark, and the long-horned beetles and regal moths begin buzzing. The fiddlehead ferns and trout lilies curl inward, a copperhead slowly swerves, and a fox steps into the moonlight looking for prey. It is here, in that restless middle of the night, under cover of darkness, where Caleb Caudle’s sixth studio LP Sweet Critters is nestled. Through sometimes shadowy arrangements that creep and lurk, Caudle continues to mine both the brightest and murkiest corners of his imagination, finding that purest of points where tenderness and grit collide, inspired by musical heroes like Buddy Miller and Guy Clark, and mentors like Elizabeth Cook and John Paul White. It was White who Caudle tapped to produce Sweet Critters, along with Ben Tanner, at the duo’s Florence, Alabama studio Sun Drop Sound. “”I was very excited to work with Caleb on this record. Iʼve been a fan for years and count him as a friend,” White says of working with Caudle. “Heʼs a stellar songwriter, so I knew heʼd bring the goods. And he did.” The album features Allison Russell, Aoife OʼDonovan, John Paul White, and Caudleʼs own touring band. These songs are a showcase of Caudle’s singular command of language. He sees the world through a hyperreal lens wholly unique to him, one that renders dank humidity “horsefly heat,” a moody sky “cast iron skillet” dark, or a loved one’s “wind chime of a smile.” For Caudle, details are the last frontier in a world where thousands of new songs are created every day. As such, he weaves his intricate tales of redemption, sacrifice, forgiveness, and loss with the colorful threads of living, breathing characters and all the rich idiosyncrasies and ephemera that fill out their worlds. Caudle and his band have played Stagecoach, Cayamo, Luck Reunion, Mountain Stage, Merlefest, Americanafest, The Long Road (UK), AMAUK (UK), and recently supported Marty Stuart, Steve Earle, Hayes Carll, Elizabeth Cook, Brent Cobb, Charles Wesley Godwin, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and many more.
Gizzae
More than just a Chicago band, Gizzae is a musical tapestry woven from the diverse experiences of its members, hailing from across the globe. Gizze’s story began in 1992, rising from the ashes of Ziggy Marley’s touring band and Moja Nya.
With over 35 years of grooving, they’ve earned Grammys, Chicago Music Awards, and shared stages with reggae royalty like Ziggy Marley, Rolling Stones, and Toots & the Maytals.
Their musical journey isn’t confined to just reggae. Collaborations with legends like Bruce Springsteen and Carly Simon have infused their sound with Soca, Calypso, and even jazz, rock, and blues. Expect unexpected twists and turns as they seamlessly blend genres, leaving you wanting more.
The Bootstrap Boys
Born from a shared love of classic country, gritty Americana, and a rebellious spirit, The Bootstrap Boys deliver a sound that’s both timeless and undeniably their own. Their music tells stories of life on the road, love lost and found, and the enduring spirit of the human experience. Fronted by Jake Stilson’s powerful vocals, the band delivers high-energy live shows that are as captivating as their music.
