Grace Potter is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In the years that followed the release of her widely acclaimed 2015 album Midnight, Grace Potter considered never putting out a record again. Having endured the tumult of the breakup of her band and consequent divorce— as well as far more joyful events like a new marriage and the birth of her first child— Potter continued writing on her own, but had no intention of sharing those songs with the world. “Too many things had happened, and I needed to take a step back,” says the Vermont-born artist.
But by the end of 2017, Potter began to feel the call of the studio and soon started laying down tracks in the Topanga Canyon home she’d recently settled into with her husband, Midnight producer Eric Valentine. Unsigned and entirely free of any pressure to appease, Potter slowly carved out the songs that now make up Daylight: an album that emerges as her most emotionally revealing, musically daring, and exactingly realized body of work to date.
From the days of playing greasy, local juke joints to headlining major festivals, JJ Grey remains an unfettered, blissful performer, singing with a blue-collared spirit over the bone-deep grooves of his compositions. His presence before an audience is something startling and immediate, at times a funk rave-up and other times a sort of mass-absolution for the mortal weaknesses that make him and his audience human. When you see JJ Grey and his band Mofro live—and you truly, absolutely must—the man is fearless.
LETTUCE is (a) the prime ingredient in a salad, (b) a slang for cash, (c) a green herb that can be smoked, (d) a genre-busting six-member funk/jazz/soul/jam/psychedelic/hip-hop/avant-garde/experimental collective formed in 1992 by four alumni of the prestigious Berklee College Of Music, or (e) all of the above.
“Loose interpretations of Grateful Dead songs done in a bluegrass style. Take my fascination with Grateful Dead songs and mix it together with my love of psychedelic improvisational bluegrass music and out burps this project.
WARNING: If you like your Grateful Dead songs performed in their original way, or if you prefer traditional bluegrass, this is not the project for you. If you like singing along to Dead songs in that song’s normal tempo but dancing double time to the music, this is definitely your jam. A lot of people seem to dig it and I dig them for that.”
In 2010, the five Wisconsinites that make up Horseshoes & Hand Grenades found themselves in a living room in the college town of Stevens Point, WI, holding acoustic instruments and enjoying a hodgepodge of fermented beverages. Music and revelry ensued that evening and, while many of the party guests eventually bid their goodbye well into the morning hours, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades wasn’t ready to let the get-together fade. Many years later, the music still hasn’t stopped and the party is still going strong, from the mountain west to the river towns of the Midwest that the quintet calls home, and all across America.
Dustbowl Revival has always been about pushing the boundaries of what American roots music can be. In many ways, they could have continued creating joyful, booty-shaking songs and cut-to-heart folk-rock ballads that lift up their transcendent live shows – and mining new energetic material from the place where folk music, funk and soul meet.
Born of a life-long friendship rooted in music, paired with an endless appetite for elevating and evolving their craft, Buffalo-bred four-piece rock group Aqueous has definitively carved out their place on the national music scene over the past decade. Following several critically acclaimed full-length studio albums, EP’s, and live releases, high profile performances at music festivals like Electric Forest, The Peach Music Festival, and Summer Camp Music Festival, as well as favorable press from Billboard, Huffington Post, and Guitar Player Magazine, the band finds themselves selling out headlining shows all over the United States.
Hailing from Seattle, The Dip is an electrifying seven-piece ensemble that melds vintage rhythm and blues with classic pop storytelling. Acclaimed by KEXP as “one of the most exciting and joyous acts to emerge in recent years,” the band features frontman Tom Eddy’s compelling vocals over an effortlessly deep pocket and energetic melodies from the three-piece Honeynut Horns. Hard-hitting but sensitive, The Dip draws inspiration from the musical roots of decades prior while sounding undeniably relevant today.
Today, touring nationally and internationally year round, Lindsay Lou and her band continue to collect a mass of friends and fans along the way. Notable U.S. festival plays include Telluride Bluegrass festival, Merlefest, Stagecoach, Redwing, ROMP, GreyFox, and a slew of others. Abroad, they have appeared at Scotland’s Shetland Island Folk Fest and the Celtic Connections tour, Australia’s National Folk Festival, and others. The Boot, who featured Lindsay Lou Band as a “Can’t Miss Act at AmericanaFest 2018, says “…Lou brings introspection and masterful vocal work to her live show.”
TK & The Holy Know-Nothings…affectionately dubbed “psychedelic doom boogie,” the group was born out of Kingman’s desire to create a loose, groove-heavy bar band that never sacrifices the importance of good, honest songwriting. This supergroup including drummer Tyler Thompson and multi-instrumentalists Jay Cobb Anderson (lead guitar, harmonica), Lewi Longmire (bass, guitar, pedal steel, flugelhorn) and Sydney Nash (keys, bass, slide guitar, cornet). It’s a band of deeply contrasting styles buoyed by a sincere and palpable mutual trust–one that allows them to find and lose the groove with the same ease. This is irreverent rock and roll, tempered and deepened by the sacred mystery of western country.
In an age when independence is idolized and every person seems to be seeking their own lone wolf career path, Seattle-based roots band Western Centuries believes that the way forward is better together. Collaboration, inspiration and mutual admiration are what Cahalen Morrison, Ethan Lawton, and Jim Miller cite as the heart of their project. Unsurprisingly for such an egalitarian outfit, the collection offers harsh criticism of dogmatic belief systems, all while leading by example with a unique, genre-defying sound.
Hailed as “The hottest band in the Wasatch” by the Intermountain Acoustic Music Association, Pixie and the Partygrass Boys create a uniquely American sound that can turn the room into a ruckus, but offers a full variety of other dynamics as well – approaching Bluegrass/Folk with a Classical and Jazz background while incorporating elements of Broadway, Pop-Punk, and an unbashed love for having a damn good time.
“Dragondeer hit the stage with their thick blues rock sound. Reminiscent of early Led Zeppelin, The Black Keys, and electric Taj Mahal, the quartet stunned the audience with their hybrid of Mississippi Delta blues and 1960s psychedelic rock. Lead vocalist, guitarist and harmonica player Eric Halborg led the band with a rare ferocity, his deep growl and swampy harmonica blending perfectly with Cole Rudy’s raw pedal steel playing. Shocking many in attendance and quickly catapulting onto the Denver scene, Dragondeer is a growing force to be reckoned with.” – Live For Live Music
The Sweet Lillies’ high-energy, melodic tunes have quickly captured the hearts of fans in Colorado and beyond. The band credits its appeal to the original and compelling songwriting of three people who share an unwavering commitment to life on the road. The magnetic combination of Julie Gussaroff on the upright bass, Becca Bisque on the viola, and Dustin Rohleder on guitar gives the band a rare and alluring sound. Based out of Colorado’s Front Range, The Sweet Lillies are continually expanding their audience and reach with a contagious love of music and a get-up-and-dance attitude that spreads lots of love and smiles.
The Higgs have become one of the fastest-growing, original jam bands in California today. The Higgs blur musical boundaries and unify the different sounds of jam rock, prog, alt-rock, reggae and blues into an awesome musical fusion. The four members include John Lovero (Guitar/Vocals), Garrett Morris (Drums), David Barsky (Bass/Vocals), and Jesse August Jennings (Keys/Organ/Synth). With their tremendous stage presence showing how much they truly enjoy interacting with their audiences, it shows up in their sound, which is known for being tight & infectious.
Portland, Oregon junkbox blues duo HILLSTOMP is infamous for digging through the dumps and forgotten backwoods of American music, recycling traditional elements into a refreshing and distinctive brand of do-it-yourself hill country blues stomp. North Mississippi trance blues, a bit of Appalachia, and a dash of punkabilly come clanging and tumbling from assorted buckets, cans and BBQ lids, all drenched in rambunctious slide guitar. Somehow it works.
Travers Brothership are consummate musicians and live music aficionados with a deep understanding of their preferred genres. Utilizing the band’s unmatched live energy, they create a concert atmosphere that transforms an audience into a community and their enthusiasm, gusto, and talents carry the day. In 2018 Travers Brothership brought their instrumental prowess and tasteful songwriting to Echo Mountain Recording Studios and The Eagle Room in their hometown of Asheville, NC. The result, “Let The World Decide” adds to their already abundant catalogue, and sets a new bar for the band musically.
Tenth Mountain Division was born in 2010 when high-school classmates, Winston Heuga (mandolin) and MJ Ouimette (guitar) first met when they discovered a shared musical interest. The two young musicians started penning songs together that were inspired by the lore of the 10th Mountain Division military infantry and the natural beauty that surrounded their hometown in the Rocky Mountains. Since then they have become a regular presence on the festival circuit including stops at Summer Camp, Aiken Bluegrass Festival, Winter Wondergrass, Yarmony, ARISE, and Leftover Salmon’s Boogie at the Broadmoor.
Band of Comerados plays music that makes you feel good. In the past five years, BoC has come a long way – from campfire jams to sharing stages with the best of the jamgrass/newgrass scene. Their music incorporates traditional bluegrass instrumentation with songwriting and improvisational jamming that puts them in a category all their own. Come to a BoC show and you’ll be entertained: you might laugh, you might cry, you might dance, you might sing. One thing is for sure – you’re going to have a good time! 2019 was a year of big leaps, where Comerados fans were earned up and down the west coast, and for 2020 there is no end in sight.
Students of String Theory Music under the guidance of Joe Schulte who plays in local favorite bands Moon Mountain Ramblers, Popcorn and Skillethead. These high school aged students play old time bluegrass and celtic fiddle tunes mixed with unique instrumental versions of timeless Pop favorites.
Yoga with Nicole Baumann
When she found yoga, it felt like coming home in both her body and spirit. Through her own practice, she has experienced yoga’s ability to heal grief, deepen consciousness, cultivate mind-body connection, and awaken true potential in the spirit of dharma. When her lifelong passion for travel merged with her love of yoga, it led her to pilgrimages in Nepal, Bali, and Thailand for a deeper immersion in the culture, sacred sites, and traditions of the East.
Past Lineups
Our festival strives to bring great national, regional and local acts to Central Oregon and create a community of artists and attendees that will last throughout the years.
- 2019 – The Woods Brothers, Billy Strings, Los Lobos, Sonny Landreth, Rasing Appalachia, The Lil Smokies, Poor Man’s Whiskey, Sister Sparrow, Andy Frasco, Pink Talking Fish, Matador! Soul Sounds, Polyrhythmics, The Drunken Hearts, Mestizo, Scott Law…
- 2018 – Greensky Bluegrass, Nahko & the Medicine for the People, North Mississippi Allstars, The New Mastersounds, Brothers Comatose, Mother Hips…
- 2017 – Railroad Earth, Moe., Infamous Stringdusters, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Liz Vice, Matt Scofield…
- 2016 – Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Jackie Greene, Jeff Austin Band, Robben Ford, Stone Foxes, Della Mae…
- 2015 – The Motet, Rusted Root, ALO, Melvin Seals and JGB, Poor Man’s Whiskey, Roy Rogers and the D.R.K…
- 2014 – Railroad Earth, Dumpstaphunk, The Pimps of Joytime, Carolyn Wonderland, Poor Man’s Whiskey, Hot Buttered Rum, Brothers Comatose…
- 2013 – Greensky Bluegrass, March Fourth Marching Band, Poor Man’s Whiskey, Head for the Hills, Delhi 2 Dublin, Moonalice, Acorn Project, True Spokes, Grant Farm…
- 2012 – Melvin Seals & JGB, Poor Man’s Whiskey, The Mother Hips, Hot Buttered Rum, Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers…
- 2011 – Poor Man’s Whiskey, New Monsoon, Elephant Revival, Ten Mile Tide, Taarka, Moon Mountain Ramblers…
- 2010 – Poor Man’s Whiskey, Handful of Lovin’, Wild Rye, Mostest…
- 2008 – Tea Leaf Green, Hot Buttered Rum, Zilla, Everyone Orchestra, Poor Man’s Whiskey, Blue Turtle Seduction…
- 2007 – ALO, New Monsoon, Hot Buttered Rum, Blue Turtle Seduction, Trampled By Turtles, Jackstraw…