RAILROAD EARTH (2 nights, 3 sets)
For over two decades, Railroad Earth has captivated audiences with gleefully unpredictable live shows and eloquent and elevated studio output. The group introduced its signature sound on 2001’s The Black Bear Sessions. Between selling out hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, they’ve launched the longstanding annual Hangtown Music Festival in Placerville, CA and Hillberry: The Harvest Moon Festival in Ozark, AR—both running for a decade-plus. Sought after by legends, the John Denver Estate tapped them to put lyrics penned by the late John Denver to music on the 2019 vinyl EP, Railroad Earth: The John Denver Letters. Beyond tallying tens of millions of streams, the collective have earned widespread critical acclaim from David Fricke of Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, Glide Magazine, and NPR who assured, “Well-versed in rambling around, as you might expect from a band named after a Jack Kerouac poem, the New Jersey-built jam-grass engine Railroad Earth has let no moss grow under its rustic wheels.”
BUILT TO SPILL
Built to Spill was formed in 1993 by Doug Martsch and over the years they have toured extensively and made several albums with a rotating cast of musicians, currently featuring Teresa Esguerra (Prism Bitch) on drums, and Melanie Radford (Blood Lemon) on bass.
ANDY FRASCO & THE U.N.
With curly tufts of a recognizable Jewfro peeking out from his omnipresent knit cap, Andy Frasco is a cross between John Belushi’s “Joliet” Jake Blues and Jimmy Buffett. He’s a band-fronting, songwriting party animal who turns into a swirling rock ‘n’ roll Tasmanian Devil onstage leading his U.N., not unlike Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band. From switching instruments mid-song to Frasco stagediving into the crowd or kibitzing with them, an Andy Frasco & The U.N. show is a celebration of inclusivity and tolerance where “You do You” and “let us do us.”
STEVE POLTZ (3 sets)
Steve Poltz has fun on stage. Steve Poltz has fun off stage. Every show has its own vibe. Raucous, joyous, improvisational and always strange. Stellar guitar work and songs that will have you smiling one minute and crying the next. Born in Halifax Nova Scotia Canada and raised in Southern California and now living in Nashville Tennessee. Steve Poltz tours nonstop and is the surprise sleeper hit of any festival. He also thinks he's an attorney for dogs but that's a whole different story. Catch him while you can. He's elusive like Bigfoot.
SHOOK TWINS
It just happened.
Perhaps, it could be attributed to cosmic design, good old-fashioned magic, or the unspoken, yet understood bond all twins share. One day back in 2007, identical twin sisters Katelyn Shook [vocals, guitar] and Laurie Shook [banjo, vocals] found themselves writing, recording, and performing as Shook Twins. To their recollection, the pair never hatched a plan or even properly discussed it.
Hundreds of shows, four albums and 2 EPs later, the duo continue to tread this path.
“Neither of us remember a time where we planned things out, it all unfolded naturally,” affirms Katelyn. “We simply started to play out and call ourselves Shook Twins, because that’s simply who we are.”
“We never set specific goals either,” adds Laurie. “We talk about our hopes and dreams, but we’ve just let everything grow organically with the band. We’ll see what happens next.”
TODD SHEAFFER
JENNY DON'T AND THE SPURS
Jenny Don’t and the Spurs have spent over a decade forging their own path in music, pioneering a unique brand of high-energy Country Western that captivates fans from the traditional Western scene to the raw energy of garage rock. Their captivating stage presence, infectious enthusiasm, and extensive discography have garnered them a global following, leading to tours on continents rarely visited by country bands.
THE SWEET LILLIES
The Sweet Lillies' music is first and foremost heartfelt and collaborative. Those defining traits are given life by the quartet of musicians who make up the Lillies. Together they have combined their individual strengths to deliver powerful narratives of life in song. With their lineup of guitar, viola, upright bass, drums, washboard, djembe and ethereal vocal harmonies that float like a dream, the Sweet Lillies' music has a hard hitting original flavor with a forward looking eye. They have incorporated all of their cumulative life experiences into their music, songwriting and artistry, crafting an uncommonly beautiful style which is a nod to the band’s all encompassing musical tastes and willingness to experiment with genres ranging from folk and rock all the way to hip-hop.