more about Frank Fairfield

Frank Fairfield is a rising old-timey star. Since being hand-picked by Fleet Foxes to open their U.S. tour in 2009, he has played many festivals in the U.S. and Europe, appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition, released a compilation of 78 rpm recordings on Tompkins Square Records, was extensively interviewed by Pitchfork, and even had a film made about him (produced by KEXP’s Greg Vandy). His music has made fans of people like Ry Cooder, Grammy-winning producer Chris King (Charley Patton, People Take Warning box sets) and Greil Marcus, to name a few.

Fairfield is worthy of your consideration, even if you've never heard or considered the old-time music. ... This has nothing to do with genre; hip-hop, jazz and rock all feel this way, too. Like the best of it all, Fairfield's music seems inexorably real and entirely necessary. – Grayson Currin, Pitchfork

more about Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen

Frank Solivan grew up in a musical family and racked up wins in fiddle and banjo contests throughout his childhood. He also spent time in Alaska as a music teacher, principal violinist in the University of Alaska Symphony Orchestra, and a mentor to bluegrass groups in the area. He released his first album, "I Am a Rambler," in 2002, just before enlisting in the U.S. Navy and joining its prestigious Country Current band. Along the way, Solivan met bassist Stafan Custodi and banjo player Mike Mumford, who joined him on his second solo album, "Selfish Tears," released while he was still in the Navy.

Once the Navy stint ended in 2008, Solivan, Custodi and Mumford officially formed Dirty Kitchen with guitarist Lincoln Meyers The group’’s self-titled debut album was released 2010 to critical acclaim:

"Interesting, innovative, traditionally contemporary bluegrass! Great listening!" – Rhonda Vincent

"Don't miss it. Solivan is a major talent." – Bluegrass Unlimited

On the road, the band is known for "The Dirty Kitchen Experience," which includes a house concert and home-cooked meal by Solivan.

more about Mary Gauthier

Mary was orphaned at the St. Vincent’s Infants Home in New Orleans in March 1962. Raised in Baton Rouge, Mary felt a deep alienation – from her cookie-cutter neighborhood of little boxes, from school, and from her adoptive parents. The only thing that was saving her was the music, the "truth-tellers." But, Mary was decades away from finding her muse as a songwriter.

She released her first album, "Dixie Kitchen," in 1997 at age 35 after opening a successful Cajun restaurant of the same name. Her next album, "Drag Queens and Limousines," released in 1999, garnered a four-star rating from Rolling Stone. Her 2007 release "Between Daylight and Dark" was produced by Joe Henry and drew comparisons to Johnny Cash, Steve Earle, and Bruce Springsteen.

Her current album, "The Foundling," tells the story of a kid abandoned at birth who spent a year in an orphanage and was adopted, who ran way from the adopted home and ended up in show business, who searched for birth parents late in life and found one and was rejected, and who came through the other side of all of this still believing in love. It continues to resonate with fans and critics across the country.

more about Doug & Telisha

Doug and Telisha Williams hail from Martinsville, Virginia, where boarded-up factories stand as monuments to how fast the world can change. The songs for their latest record, "Ghost of the Knoxville Girl," weren’t written by people who like to imagine what it’s like "out there," instead they came from stories told across kitchen tables or between friends after a couple of pitchers at the Ten Pin.

Like the ghost in the title track, the characters in this collection of songs are resilient spirits who face their troubles straight on, never looking away. Telisha’s voice rises from way down deep and delivers the honest truth with a frank clearness that never wavers. You never for one minute doubt that the emotion is real. Having played and written together since they were teenagers, Doug’s guitar and harmonies follow suit giving soul to heart.

The duo has traveled around the country and performed with artists such Lucinda Williams, Darrell Scott, Charlie Louvin, and Joe Ely. Wherever Doug and Telisha go they always make quick friends with their audience, pulling them right into their lives. "That’s what it’s all about for us," says Doug, "being out there, playing on the road, meeting people. Everything else is just... everything else."

more about Darrell Scott

Much of the commentary about Darrell Scott’s career has focused on the songs he’s written that have been recorded by famous names and voices – those known in music industry parlance as "artists." But then there’s the actual word artist, whose definition has nothing to do with radio hits and red carpets. We refer of course to those who create artifacts of aesthetic and intellectual contemplation and wonder, built from experience, skill, reflection and emotional intent. That’s an artist. And that, at the end of the day, is Darrell Scott

“…he ranks as the most outstanding and underrated songwriter and performer in the United States today” – Vintage Guitar

“His songs are every bit as good as those of Steve Earle, John Prine or writing partner/sometimes band mate Guy Clark; and when he lays into a Les Paul or a vintage Martin, sparks fly…one of the baddest cats in Nashville. Or anywhere.” – The Houston Press