PERFORMING ARTS ROSTER
Welcome, performing arts center programmers. While our entire roster is stocked with artists who are comfortable in virtually any setting, the artists you’ll find below are particularly suited to appreciative audiences that will hang on their every note. They offer unique sounds rooted in traditions along with a desire to push their music to its contemporary limits.
AJ LEE & BLUE SUMMIT
BLUEGRASS / AMERICANA
AJ Lee & Blue Summit are an award-winning, energetic, charming, and technically jaw-dropping band quickly rising on the national roots music scene. Based in Santa Cruz, California, the group met as teenagers, picking and jamming together as kids at local music festivals, but they now find themselves rising to the top of national roots-music prominence.
They earned nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female Vocalist at the 2025 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, and their new album, “City of Glass,” has begun racking up plays on both traditional radio and the streaming services. You’ll find it travels well beyond their bluegrass roots.
Summer of 2025 sees them criss-crossing the country as one of the more in-demand artists on the festival circuit.
BCUC
GLOBAL / WORLD
BCUC is a live band from Soweto, South Africa, whose music derives from a blend of genres across the ages. Drawing inspiration from Indigenous sounds that have not been exposed in the mainstream, they aim for a timeless, honest, and ritualistic sound. The traditional music resonates with the spirituality, history and the future of the people. Bantu Music (Africa Ngungungu) is not constrained to where their roots lie, but instead recognizes human connection regardless of geography, culture or social standing. They are the now generation. They are relevant. It is music for the PEOPLE, by the PEOPLE, with the PEOPLE.
Need an introduction? Their 2016 EP “Our Truth” is a seminal work that continues to build their legend, while 2023’s “Ntuthwane” single shows they’re just getting started. Their performance at 2025’s Newport Folk Festival was breathtaking.
BIG RICHARD
AMERICANA / INDIE FOLK
The world-class musicians in Big Richard initially convened in 2021 for a festival date. But then the quartet showed up to the one-off like it had been together for years and decided they needed to keep this thing going, quickly becoming Denver’s best bluegrass band — and much more.
The quartet have previously played together in various configurations, but united to rage fiddle tunes and smash the patriarchy in Big Richard. You’ll find platinum recording artist Bonnie Sims on mandolin (Bonnie & Taylor Sims, Everybody Loves an Outlaw, Bonnie and the Clydes), multi-genre musician Dr. Joy Adams on cello (Nathaniel Rateliff, Darol Anger, Half Pelican, Bruce Hornsby, Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea, Ben Folds; she’s won both a Grammy and an Emmy), Hazel Royer on bass and guitar, and Eve Panning on fiddle (Lonesome Days, TEDx, Barrage, Hollywood Film Score Orchestra).
Early 2025 saw them release their first full-length album, “Girl Dinner,” including the exquisite single, “Town Line,” and tour extensively behind it, moving effortlessly from club stages to festival grounds to seated theaters.
CHATHAM RABBITS
AMERICANA / INDIE FOLK
The North Carolina duo of Austin and Sarah McCombie don’t so much play in a band as live their lives out loud, inviting fans to experience their daily grind on the farm and on the road. Their intimate portraits, sung in harmony and accompanied by acoustic guitar and banjo, hearken back to the very roots of country music.
Their 2025 record, “Be Real with Me,” offers a massive step-change forward in their songwriting and instrumentation, filling out their sound with the help of longtime collaborator Saman Khoujinian (The Dead Tongues, Lou Hazel), and ultimately crafting songs that reevaluate life, and help them, through trial and error, figure out who and what they want to commit to moving forward.
Whether in full-band mode, though, or stripped down to nothing but their vocals and stringed instruments, the core of their appeal comes from their willingness to be perfectly authentic, exploring their relationship, their life’s work, and what it is that makes life worth living.
COCHEMEA
FUNK / JAZZ / R&B
A California native of Yaqui ancestry, Cochemea draws on ancestral memory, mythology, and dreams to guide his creative process. Across his 25-year career, Cochemea has collaborated with a wide range of artists — from his tenure with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings to work with Amy Winehouse, The Roots, Kevin Morby, Run The Jewels, Jon Batiste, and Quincy Jones. His distinct voice on saxophone and flute evokes the lineage of jazz greats like Yusef Lateef and Eddie Harris while forging a path uniquely his own — one that’s grounded in reverence and guided by experimentation.
In September of 2025, he will release “Vol. 3: Ancestros Futuros,” for which he has assembled a core ensemble of longtime collaborators — including a powerhouse octet of New York percussionists and members of the Daptone Records rhythm section. Recorded live to 8-track analog tape and produced by Gabriel Roth (aka Bosco Mann), “Ancestros Futuros” is both a meditative offering and an imaginative act of cultural continuity.
THE CODY SISTERS
BLUEGRASS / AMERICANA
Playing bluegrass festivals before they were done with middle school, Megan and Maddie Cody know the bluegrass traditions by heart, and embrace them. But with the 2025 release of “All the Quiet People,” they demonstrate a keen interest in pushing forward into folk and Americana sounds that allow them to show off their impressive chops without being bound by the bluegrass box.
With the full-time addition of bassist Will Pavilonis, too, they’ve formed a core performing trio that has become road-hardened and effortlessly playful, giving Megan and Maddie the freedom to fire off breathtaking improvised solos without fear of the song getting away from them. Audiences tend to get whisper quiet, enraptured by the sweet harmonies and tasteful instrumentation.
Newly relocated to New York from their home base in the Colorado foothills, they offer up a uniquely wide-open and western take on stringband music as they investigate the sounds and venues that were at the heart of the folk revival of the 1960s. Watch out for what comes next.
EAST NASH GRASS
BLUEGRASS
East Nash Grass is one of the hottest young bands in Bluegrass, picking up 2024’s International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for Best New Artist and 2025 for Entertainers of the Year nominees. And they are stacked with IBMA Best Instrumentalist winners: Grand Master Fiddle champion and 2025 IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year Maddie Denton, Cory Walker (banjo), and Harry Clark (mandolin). Put them alongside charismatic frontman James Kee and bassist Jeff Partin (Rhonda Vincent, etc.) and you’ve got a powerhouse leader of the next generation in bluegrass excellence.
Their individual talents, though, pale in comparison to the chemistry they’ve developed over a decade as Nashville’s bluegrass house band, hosting jams at Dee’s and backing the likes of Dan Tyminski, Tim O’Brien, and Rhonda Vincent. While some highly technical bluegrass bands can treat music like a math problem, this is a band that never forgets to have a hell of a good time.
Further, on their brand-new “All God’s Children,” they show they can do much more than play straight bluegrass, with nods to gypsy jazz, early folk, and just a little ear for the classic pop standard. This is band both at the height of their powers and just getting started.
LaMP
JAZZ / FUNK
Featuring Russ Lawton (Drums), Scott Metzger (Guitar) and Ray Paczkowski (Keys), LaMP fuses the tested synergy of Russ and Ray — honed over two decades with the Trey Anastasio Band, as well as their duo Soule Monde — with Metzger’s acrobatic melodies on telecaster, made famous with his band WOLF! and the critically acclaimed Joe Russo’s Almost Dead.
What began as a single show has turned into sold-out gigs and rave reviews, with LaMP releasing a melodic swirling and crackling debut EP that quickly established them as one of the great power trios, and now “One of Us,” widely hailed as one of the best instrumental albums of 2025.
This is jazz, rock, funk, jam, and psychedelia melded into something truly improvisational and wild. It’s never the same thing twice, but it’s a sound completely their own.
MIGHTY POPLAR
BLUEGRASS / AMERICANA
At its heart, bluegrass music is about what happens when you commit to the moment. The joy of improvisation keeps the music fresh, and the fun of crafting ideas on the fly keeps the musicians on their toes. This true spirit of bluegrass infuses the self-titled record from Mighty Poplar, an all-star roots project featuring Andrew Marlin of Watchhouse, Noam Pikelny and Chris Eldridge of Punch Brothers, bassist Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon) and fiddler Alex Hargreaves (Billy Strings).
With the musicians gathered knee-to-knee in a rural studio outside Nashville, the collaborative 10-track album emerged organically over a few days. “It felt so special and effortless; it didn’t take work,” says Eldridge, “other than the work and effort we’ve put in the rest of our lives.” Mighty Poplar’s album and fantastic show capture the fierce and playful energy of an all-night jam between old friends who just happen to be grandmasters of the music.
REBIRTH BRASS BAND
NEW ORLEANS
Formed in 1983 by the Frazier brothers, Rebirth Brass Band has evolved from playing the streets of the French Quarter to playing festivals and stages all over the world. While committed to upholding the tradition of New Orleans brass bands, they have also extended themselves into the realms of funk and hip-hop to create their signature sound, which is, itself, the sound of New Orleans.
Or, as Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers puts it: “Unbelievable. Hard as hell. Free as a ray of light. There is not a band on earth that is better. Stunning.” Sounds about right.
Winners of two Grammy Awards and countless other accolades, theirs is a sound that’s truly authentic and absolutely captivating.
SAM BUSH
AMERICANA / BLUEGRASS
In a genre that loves its legends, Sam Bush is among the lofty elite of bluegrass originators — in the Bluegrass Hall of Fame not once, but twice — and part of the very foundation of its expansive community. But, as founder of New Grass Revival, he helped propel bluegrass forward into the mainstream and beyond, and he has never stopped pushing boundaries, making a name for himself in Americana circles well beyond his traditional roots.
Nor is he slowing down: 2025 sees him once again nominated for Mandolin Player of the Year, a recognition of his continuing growth on the instrument and his commitment to excellence.
With decades of live performance behind him, audiences still marvel at his boundless energy and his seemingly endless instrumental versatility, always ready to hop into a set with whoever’s on stage.
THE SENSATIONAL BARNES BROTHERS
SOUL / R&B / GOSPEL
The Sensational Barnes Brothers are a melting pot of the old and the new. As Pop Matters put it, “The brothers run through a spectrum of moods and modes in their gospel soul, often bridging the gap between, say, the Soul Stirrers and Stax, all the while keeping a local flavor.”
The brothers are able to dive deep into their roots, creating a sound that reflects the music of their history, all the while drawing in a modern-day audience. Want a taste? Try out, “I’m Trying To Go Home.” See if you’re not immediately enraptured.
THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH
INDIE / SINGER-SONGWRITER
Kristian Matsson has spent much of the last 20 years touring the world as The Tallest Man On Earth, captivating audiences using “every inch of his long guitar cord to roam the stage: darting around, crouching, stretching, hip-twitching, perching briefly and jittering away...” (The New York Times). He is the rare performer who commands the stage and the audience all by himself, through his talent and sheer charisma.
He is a willing collaborator, too, working with the likes of the string orchestra Amsterdam Sinfonietta, the New York-based string quartet Brooklyn Rider, and the Swedish Gävle Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Karl-Johan Ankarblom. A versatile and inventive songwriter and performer, Matsson’s work as The Tallest Man on Earth has become an important cultural touchstone.
VICTOR WOOTEN & THE WOOTEN BROTHERS
FUNK / JAZZ
As a five-time Grammy award winner and founding member of Belá Fleck & The Flecktones, Victor Wooten is one of the foremost bass players in the world. Now, he’s playing with the people who influenced him the most: his brothers Regi, Joseph, and Roy (Futureman). Together, the Wooten Brothers embark upon a musical journey of songs that influenced them as well as original compositions they’ve been working on since they were kids in the garage.
Regi Wooten is known as the TEACHA! Joseph Wooten is a three-time Grammy-nominated artist, songwriter, keyboardist, and vocalist who has been an integral member since 1993 of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The Steve Miller Band. Roy “Futureman” Wooten is also a five-time Grammy award winner and an original founder of Belá Fleck & The Flecktones, as well as a drummer, a musician, and a composer.
Together, the quartet is unstoppable.
THE WILDMANS
FOLK / AMERICANA
Growing up in Floyd, VA, Aila and Elisha Wildman grew up as steeped in old-time music as any couple of kids could be, living in the shadows of the Blue Ridge Mountains and winning the Galax Fiddlers Convention. But then they went to Berklee and took those traditional notions and sculpted them into something lush and modern, creating a sound that’s both fresh and timeless.
You’ll hear it on 2025’s “Longtime Friend,” where you can’t tell the difference between their own songs and a cover of Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers, such is the way they inhabit songs and make them hum. Yes, the blood harmonies are captivating, but so is the quiet they allow to enter and drift through songs, a desperate longing for something real.
This is where folk music is going and the Wildmans are leading the way.
YONDER MOUNTAIN STRING BAND
BLUEGRASS / JAMGRASS
In late 2024, Yonder Mountain released “Nowhere Next,“ their 11th studio album, and showed once again that they’re at the very forefront of stringband music. With founding members Adam Aijala (Guitar, Vocals), Ben Kaufmann (Bass, Vocals), Dave Johnston (Banjo, Vocals), now joined by Nick Piccininni (Mandolin, Banjo, Fiddle, Vocals) and cross-genre violinist and fiddle-shredder Coleman Smith (Rapidgrass, David Lawrence & The Spoonful, The Bluegrass Journeymen) the band is reaching yet new heights, even after two decades on the road.
As they work on album 12, due in March of 2026, they continue to build a fanbase unlike any other in bluegrass, drawing from fans who love everything from the Grateful Dead to Hank Williams, Bill Monroe to Bill Frisell. Their festival appearances are legendary, and they know how to rock a club, but they have begun exploring their more artistic side in a series of Arts Center appearances that allow them to draw on the length and breadth of their storied career.