Rosie Flores, triple-threat Texas musician, has never allowed the challenge of navigating the male-centric worlds of rock and country music slow her down.

Flores has remained a spark plug live performer for more than five decades, a goosebump-inducing electric guitarist and songwriter as well as champion of the trailblazers who preceded her. Notably, she lured pioneering rockabilly heroines Wanda Jackson (2005 NEA National Heritage Fellow) and Janis Martin (“the female Elvis”) back into recording studios and onto concert stages for lauded late-career rejuvenations. Flores won a 2007 Peabody Award for her narration of the NPR rockabilly documentary, Whole Lotta Shakin’.

Tapping her Mexican heritage, Flores formed Las Super Tejanas with singer-songwriter Tish Hinojosa, accordionist Eva Ybarra (2017 NEA National Heritage Fellow), Shelly Lara, and Las Madrugadoras mariachi trio.

Sparrow Smith, a multi-instrumentalist based in Marshall, NC, is well loved for her evocative songwriting, tasteful banjo playing, epic accordion chops, and striking style. She has made a mark as a longtime leader of bands, (most notably the Resonant Rogues) alongside her husband and creative partner, Keith Josiah Smith, and she is now stepping into the spotlight under her own name.

Sparrow’s journey into Appalachian old time started in her late teens with freight trains and Tommy Jarrell tapes, and her musical taste is informed by a lifelong love of social dance. When not on tour, Sparrow can be found in the North Carolina mountains where she is building her own house with her own hands.

Nova Scotian sisters Cassie and Maggie have been lighting up the world with their unique blend of traditional and contemporary Celtic instrumentals and vocals. Appearing on stages across North America, the UK, and Europe the sisters have enchanted audiences far and wide with lively fiddle, piano and guitar arrangements, stunning sibling vocal harmonies in both English and Gaelic, all complemented by their intricate and percussive stepdancing style. 

"2016 Live Ireland Radio’s “VOCALISTS OF THE YEAR” “NEW GROUP OF THE YEAR”, Chicago Irish-American Newspaper’s EMERGING ARTIST RECORDING OF THE YEAR winners, Galaxie Radio Rising Stars, Independent Music Award "World Song of the Year" nominees, multiple Canadian Folk Music Award, East Coast Music Award and Music Nova Scotia Award nominees, Nova Scotian sisters Cassie & Maggie "are among the top musical acts in demand on the Irish/American/Canadian scene"- Irish Music Magazine

Born in the bluegrass of Kentucky and raised on Wyoming’s high plains, Shelby Means is one of the foremost bassists in bluegrass, with nearly two decades of experience in bluegrass, folk, rock, Americana, and country outfits. Now based in Charleston, SC, Means spent a dozen years in Nashville, TN. During that time she performed most notably as a member of the GRAMMY®-nominated all-women bluegrass band Della Mae. She later joined Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway on bass and vocals, earning her first GRAMMY® win for their 2023 album, City of Gold.

Means is a driving player with a deep pocket, a singular stage presence, and a magnetic, centered approach to the upright bass. Beyond her work on the instrument, she’s also an accomplished songwriter and a heartfelt vocalist whose voice is rooted in tradition while authentically her own. With her debut solo music Means invites listeners to experience the same soulful presence and adventurous spirit she has built her career on. Her singing and playing has been heard across the country and around the world, from NPR’s airwaves, the Grand Ole Opry, Bonnaroo, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and Newport Folk to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Kazakhstan, Australia, and beyond.

Anglo-American singer-songwriter Sarah Gillespie is renowned for mixing elements of folk, jazz, and Americana with her signature poetic lyricism.

Over the past 15 years, Gillespie has released five critically acclaimed albums to widespread praise from the UK press and beyond. She's toured extensively across the UK, Europe, and the US, performing at leading venues and festivals including Blue Note (Milan), Ronnie Scott’s (London), CBGB’s (NYC), the Singer Songwriter Festival (Lahr, Germany), and sold-out shows at the Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room.

A compelling live performer and articulate commentator, Gillespie has appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour (twice), Loose Ends, and Start the Week, where she was invited to speak about the intersection of politics and the arts. (She holds an MA in Philosophy and Politics.) Her work has received airplay on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 2, and public radio stations across the United States. Her band features top-tier jazz musicians: Chris Montague (guitar), Tom Cawley (piano), James Maddren (drums), and Conor Chaplin (bass).

Following his 2021 Into The Light album, Byrne delivered strong new works in 2022.

His unmistakable voice and cinematic lyrics continue to touch our universal humanity. Supported by legendary musicians from Emmylou Harris’s band he presents another gem with “Only a Man”. Recorded at The Next Waltz with Bruce Robison and band, “Until it Isn’t” is a gorgeous rendition wistfully recalling lost love. Byrne’s December 2022 release, “Feels Like Living”, makes palpable the working musician’s struggle and uncertainty, underpinned by a nostalgic arrangement of strings and harmonium.

Into the Light, recorded at the Sound Emporium studio in Nashville, takes the listener on an emotional journey with lyrics both touching and agonizing—heightened by Byrne’s dynamic vocal style.

Tish Hinojosa is a singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas. Hinojosa’s blend of folk, country, Latino, and pop has an undeniable far reaching appeal, garnering her accolades such as a White House concert at the invitation of President and Mrs. Clinton and teaming up with artists such as Joan Baez, Booker T. Jones, Flaco Jimenez, Pete Seeger, and Dwight Yoakam.

She has recorded as an independent artist as well as for A&M, Warner Bros, and Rounder Records and has been a featured artist on Austin City Limits, A Prairie Home Companion and other NPR programs.

With seventeen CDs to her name, Tish’s distinct sound has gained her much critical acclaim. Tish has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe and continues to draw a loyal and growing audience.