Full Concert

In 2005, Ryan Montbleau and his band headed into Applehead Recording in Saugerties, New York, to cut their debut album. With nothing more than ambition and a relentless work ethic to their names, they bootstrapped the whole thing, maxing out credit cards to fund it themselves and launch their careers from the ground up. Twelve years, eleven records, thousands of shows, and 60 million Spotify streams later, Montbleau returned to the studio for a special one-night-only concert that would become the latest entry in his venerable catalog: ‘Woodstock Sessions.’

Blending rock, folk, Celtic, bluegrass, and Americana traditions into a high-energy style the group calls ether-electrified porch music, the Virginia quintet’s poetic songs are brought to life with acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin, fiddle, bass, drums, cello, banjo, penny whistle, pedal steel, accordion and rich vocal harmony. Carbon Leaf writes, records, and produces its music independently from their studio in Richmond, VA, and has performed over 2,400 live shows across 17 albums in their long career. The group’s independent music and spirit continue to resonate with its fans.

Six-piece band Delta Rae hails from Durham, NC with Liz Hopkins and Brittany Holljes fronting the robust group with sultry harmonies rounded out by Holljes’ brothers Eric (vocals, piano) and Ian (vocals, guitar) as well as Mike McKee (drums) and Grant Emerson (bass). The band chose their moniker from a mythical story the Holljes siblings’ mother wrote about a Southern girl of the same name who summons the Greek gods to earth.

Smooth Hound Smith is a foot-stompin’ American roots and rock band founded by Zack Smith and Caitlin Doyle-Smith. Established in 2012, and based in East Nashville, TN, they record and perform a varied and unique style of folky, garage-infused rhythm & blues. Using primal foot percussion, complex, fuzzed-out, finger-picked guitar patterns, warbled harmonicas, tasty harmonies and syncopated tambourine, they are able to create something rugged and visceral: a modern interpretation of early blues, soul, and rock ‘n’ roll music that harkens back to the traditions of hazy front porch folk songs as well as raucous back-alley juke joints.

On New Year’s Day in 2013, Kris Allen and his then-pregnant wife Katy were in a head-on collision that left the singer/songwriter/guitarist with a career-threatening shattered wrist. In the two years that followed, he underwent three surgeries, re-learned how to play guitar (despite regaining just 30 percent movement in the damaged wrist), recorded his third album, and toured relentlessly – including a two-month-long stint that started just one week after his accident. The American Idol season 8 winner ultimately retreated from the whirlwind and immersed himself in a songwriting spell that yielded more than 70 new tracks. Culled from the collection of songs, Allen’s fourth full-length album Letting You In finds the Nashville-based artist delivering his most intimate and dynamic work to date.

Paul McCartney once sang, “Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs” but on David Cook’s latest EP, CHROMANCE, he isn’t one of them.  While he has written his share, he decidedly took a different turn this time out. “I wanted this EP to feel like the darker side of love. I recently found some psychology textbooks from college and read about different forms of love – parental, platonic, romantic, obsessive. When most people, including me, write love songs, it’s usually “you and me against the world,” but I wanted to tap in to the murkier aspects of love people rarely talk about.”

Renowned for his eloquent Americana style, engaging live shows, and off-the-cuff clever observations, John Craigie carries on the legacy of classic singer-songwriters, while blazing a trail of his own. Recently, that trail twisted and turned into new territory for the Portland, OR performer who The Stranger appropriately dubbed, “the lovechild of John Prine and Mitch Hedberg.” His music speaks loud to both audiences and fellow artists. Todd Snider notably hand-delivered a gift on-stage, and Chuck Norris has sent fan mail. His fifth full-length album, No Rain, No Rose boasted two collaborations with Gregory Alan Isakov, namely “Highway Blood” and “I Am California.” Both quickly cracked One Million Spotify streams and counting as his knack for a captivating narrative and rustic aural palettes powered the 13-track offering together.