Bill Kirchen (1948- ) plays a diverse style of American roots music. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he currently lives in the Washington DC area. In addition to his own band, Kirchen appears on recordings by dozens of other artists. Most notably, he served as the guitarist for Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen in the late 60s and early 70s.
The Staves, comprising of sisters Jessica, Camilla and Emily, are a melodious folk trio from Watford who are garnishing some well deserved praise for their infectious and seductive harmonies. Their new EP,
Looking at the world through a windshield. That’s been Cam Penner’s view for the last two years. In those two years he has toured five countries, six provinces, twelve states and performed over three hundred shows. He has opened for Chip Taylor, Richard Thompson, Slaid Cleaves, Fred Eaglesmith, Greg Trooper, Carrie Rodiguez, Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, John Prine, Glen Campbell, Lyle Lovett, and the Flatlanders. With no label or booking representation Cam has found his own way into the bars, theatres, cafes, backyards, and honkytonks across this wide land.
Glasgow based singer/songwriter. Blues, country, folk and rock influences. Best described as Scottish alt.country. Sounds like a cross between John Martyn and Lloyd Cole.
Sons of Bill are a country rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia, that formed in the fall of 2005. At its core are brothers James, Sam, and Abe Wilson, the sons of Bill Wilson, the source of the band's name. The brothers returned to Virginia from very different paths in life to form a band based in the country music they grew up learning from their father while bringing along their interests in rock and jazz to influence their sound.
Read more about Sons of Bill on Last.fm.
Lauded by his musical peers but largely ignored by the mainstream, Billy Franks can count Oasis and Peter Gabriel among his admirers, as well being cited as a songwriting influence by Bono. With his then band, the Faith Brothers, he opened for U2 in front of 50,000 people at Milton Keynes Bowl in 1986, and his last Scottish performance saw the Faith Brothers supporting REM at Barrowlands. Since the Faith Brothers broke up in 1988, Billy Franks has recorded four solo albums: “Mass”, “Genius & Grace”, “Sex, Laughter & Meditation” and, most recently, “The Turtledove Boutique”.
Quoted as being one of the hardest working independent musicians in Canada, Romi Mayes has toured internationally to festivals, theatres, dance halls, bars, pubs, cafes, and living rooms. Her last two albums "Living Room Sessions" (2005) and most recent "Sweet Somethin' Steady" (Gurf Morlix, 2006) have been nominated for prestigious Canadian music awards. Both of Mayes' albums have charted on radio stations worldwide landing on a plethora of "Best of" top year picks.
Groanbox, the North American trio of Michael Ward-Bergeman, Cory Seznec and Paul Clifford, are a musical hybrid of ideas and ideals. They are at first glance a roots band, soaked in the traditions of American music, with all the guts of rock and roll and all the soul of the wandering troubadour. But somewhere along the way, that troubadour turned off the road and, from the melting pot of New Orleans, began a new journey that would take the Groanbox sound to new and unexplored places...
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Elliott grew up in a Jewish family[1] and had always wanted to be a cowboy, inspired by the rodeos he attended at Madison Square Garden, during his youth. Pressured by his parents to follow in his father's footsteps and become a doctor, Elliott resisted and instead ran away from home (at the age of 15) to join the then-famous J.E. Rodeo, the only rodeo ranch east of the Mississippi River. The rodeo traveled throughout the Mid Atlantic and New England states.
Diana's music is informed by the themes that have run through her life…love, loss, and redemption…bringing to mind both Emily Dickinson & Loretta Lynn in the same breath. From the mournful lament of a dance hall girl, to the stomping melodic rant of a young woman's burial instructions, each of Diana's original songs from her latest CD, My Remembrance of You, draws life from the rich cross currents of old timey, country blues and mountain music.