Doors open at 7:00 pm; show at 7:30 pm
Fall 2025 Season
Winter/Spring Season Pass $195
Oswego Music Hall Ticket Information:
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Season Pass Holders purchase the entire season at a discount. They get the best seats in the house which are typically upfront tables. Anyone sitting with pass holders must purchase VIP seating.
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VIP seating (typically $5 above general seating) is preferred, forward seating. It is usually table seating.
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General seating is the balance of seating in the house. Any ticket level may sit there.
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Guest Curator shows are NOT included in a season pass.
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NOTE: Ticket prices listed here for individual shows DO NOT include Eventbrite fees.
National Stage
Abby Posner (Jessie Elizabeth opening)
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Abby’s songs have been critically acclaimed, winning the 28th Annual USA Songwriting Competition in 2023!
“Abby balances authenticity & vocal prowess on alternate tuning stunner “Simple Life” - Glide Magazine
November 15th $17-22
Abby Posner has been a working musician in Los Angeles for the past 18 + years. She is best known for her ability to play nearly any instrument that she can get her hands on, twisting genres, and pushing the boundaries of folk, roots, electronic, and pop music making her "Genre Fluid." If you have seen Abby perform live, you know she can play a fierce lead-blues guitar solo, or throw down a complex Earl Scruggs banjo riff. You also may have spotted her playing drums, mandolin, or bass while using her looping pedal. In addition to her versatility, she puts passion and soul into everything she does. Posner's live shows are simply mesmerizing. Her energy is comparable to Chris Thile of Nickel Creek, and The Lumineers. Posner’s songs range from intimate haunting folk songs, to upbeat festival/dance your pants off hits.
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This CalArts music graduate has composed & produced music for commercials/TV, films, and radio shows all over the globe (including Hulu’s Maggie, The Fosters, This American Life, The Art of More, and Last Tango in Halifax, custom songs for Facebook, Viacom-CBS, and CW’s Kung Fu). She also has music placed in commercials and TV shows all over China, Sweden, The UK, and Australia. Posner appeared in two episodes of GLEE in season four, playing banjo and guitar, and the Freeform show Famous In Love playing banjo, as well as performing live several times on KCAL 9 news and Good Day LA.
Abby has also scored the music for multiple films (Across Land Across Sea, Through Their Eyes, award winning short animation Elizabeth Sees, and recently scored the Award-winning Documentary Lady Buds) while playing and touring all over the US. In 2019 Posner played banjo and sang Wagon Wheel as a featured principal role in Bank Of America's ad campaign for the Ken Burn’s PBS Country Music Documentary alongside Dom Flemons and Amythyst Kiah.
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After signing with Gary Calamar’s licensing company Laurel Canon in 2016, Abby Posner has gained major recognition in the LA music scene, opening for such iconic acts as PHRANC, Sierra Hull, and Dustbowl Revival. She has released multiple albums under her name, and Abby & The Myth, and recently released her first full length album under Blackbird Record Label in 2023 titled Second Chances.
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Abby Posner teamed up with Ships Have Sailed to write hit song Get Loud in 2023. Get Loud continues to Chart the Alternative Rock/indie Radio charts, and won the grand prize in the USA Songwriter Competition in 2023.
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Website: https://www.abbyposner.com/
Video: https://youtu.be/2wsViCAgWlk
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Jessie Elizabeth website: https://jessieelizabeth.com
Guest Curator Series
Curator: Dave Kaspar
#JazzByTheLake: Actual Proof
November 21st $17-20
The final show of the Fall season showcases the Quintet Actual-Proof: ive amazing artists who share a common vision and sensibility for Contemporary jazz.
Saxophonist/Flautist Brian Scherer is an active touring artist both in New York and Florida. Locally, he has been a featured player with The Maria DeSantis Orchestra, ESP, Funky Jazz Band and his own Quartet. Nationally he has shared the stage with Don Menza, Count Basie, Frank Sinatra Jr, and Martha Reeves, to name a few.
Bassist Ronnie France has a long local history working with Atlas Linen Company and Ronnie Leigh and Alliance. Nationally, he has worked as a touring bassist with Doc Severinsen. He has shared the stage with Paul Shaffer, David Clayton Thomas, and drummers Steve Smith and Dennis Chambers, and many more.
Guitarist Rick Balestra has been a featured soloist with The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Pops Orchestra, and Syracuse Opera Company. He is currently a professor of guitar at Colgate University, Hamilton College, and SUNY Oswego. For ten seasons Rick was the founder and facilitator for The Jazz Guitar Festival in Upstate N.Y., where he shared the stage with Peter Bernstein, Vic Juris, Mike Stern and many more.
Keyboardist Ed Vivenzio had major label success with the rock band 805 in the 80's with two releases on the RCA label. Since then he has played contemporary jazz around CNY with Dave Hanlon's Cookbook, Funky Jazz Band, and the Dave Hanlon Trio.
Drummer Evan DuChene toured with Inner City recording artists Dry Jack, backing such artists as McCoy Tyner and Freddie Hubbard. Locally, Evan is a member of the Sammy's winning group ESP. He's also a member of Monk Rowe's Ensemble, Five Families.
This is presented by The Ontario Center for Performing Arts Guest Curator Program and made possible in part by The New York Council on the Arts.
National Stage
Mad Agnes
December 6th $17-22
“Setting the standard high, Mad Agnes offers great harmonies, a sense of humor and a theatrical flair…” - M. Jackson – Forksville Folk Festival
Mad Agnes has won hearts on two continents with their signature intricate harmonies, compelling songwriting, and passionate delivery. The genre-bending trio—Margo Hennebach, Adrienne Jones and Mark Saunders—creates an exciting, inclusive performance, delivering new original songs, selections from their thirteen album catalog, story telling and impromptu vocal improv.
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In their current iteration, Mad Agnes uses primarily one microphone around which they form and re-form, early-radio style. Their ease with one another on stage invites the audience into their world of human connection and spontaneous fun. Well-crafted instrumentation – using guitars, mandolin, ukulele, piano, melodica, an inventive keyboard and three-part harmonies as tight as jeans from the dryer – enthralls audiences again and again. Mad Agnes’ latest recording, Likely Story, was released on Feb. 1, 2024, and is being nationally promoted from Feb-April.
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Mad Agnes has performed internationally at listening rooms and festivals, including The Greenwich Village Folk Festival (on-line), The Kerrville Folk Festival (TX), Mountain Stage New Songs Festival (WV), The Birchmere (VA), The Frick Pittsburgh (PA), The Forksville Folk Festival, The Sellersville Theatre, Bethlehem Musikfest and Godfrey Daniels (PA), The Bitter End and the Towne Crier (NY), Old Settlers Inn (KS), WFMT’s Live Stage (IL), Cedarburg Cultural Center (WI), Sunrise Civic Center Theater (FL), University of Hartford and Cheney Hall (CT), The Ark (MI), and First nights Morristown (NJ), Northampton (MA), Worcester (MA), Cropredy Festival (England), Swanage Folk Festival (England) and Fylde Folk Festival (England), at private events and a gaggle of house concerts. Mad Agnes was also honored to be formal main stage artists at the SW-2007 and NE-2004 Regional Folk Alliance Conferences.
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Website: https://madagnes.com/
Video: https://youtu.be/hpcJs7FHEAM
Winter/Spring 2026 Season
National Stage
Joe Crookston (Mark Wahl opening)
January 10th $20-25
Meet and Greet reception at 6:30 to welcome the new year
Whether he’s weaving through lap slide songs or fiddling an American Southern tune, Joe draws you in. With unwavering courage to be himself, he is literate, poignant and funny as hell.
Joe is a force of nature on stage. Pure magic. He’s in his power AND communes with his audience.
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From touring with Gordon Lightfoot, headlining major US festivals, receiving Folk Alliance International “Album of the Year,” releasing NINE BECOMES ONE (2024) to being named Folk Alliance International Artist-in- Resident, Joe is on fire. He’s played with Suzanne Vega, Dar Williams, David Francey, John McCutcheon, John Gorka, Judy Collins and 100’s more. His songs are being made into award winning films. Watch this trailer for Brooklyn in July.
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He’ll surprise you. He awakens the cynics. His rhythm is infectious. In concert, he is funny as hell one moment and transcendent the next.
8 acclaimed studio albums of award-winning songs, many of which have been covered by other musicians. Toured in 2021-2022 with Gordon Lightfoot. Able Baker Charlie & Dog was awarded “Album of the Year” by Folk Alliance International (2009), indicating that it received more radio airplay than any other folk album released the year prior. Chosen as Folk Alliance International’s “Artist in Residence” (2016) and invited to collaborate and perform “The Letters of Florence Hemphill” as part of the keynote gathering featuring Judy Collins. Invited to play international music festivals such as The Goderich Roots Festival, The Kerrville Folk Festival, The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, The Philadelphia Folk Festival, 30A Songwriters Festival, Mariposa Folk Festival, Caramoor Music Fest, Fayetteville Roots Festival, The Heartwood Stage Festival. Performs in many iconic music venues such as Kennedy Center, Club Passim, The Hangar Theatre, The Irvington Town Hall Theatre, The Garland Theatre, The Guthrie Center, Heartwood SoundStage, The Chatfield Arts Center, Godfrey Daniels, Evanston SPACE, The Columbus Performing Arts Center, and the Deane Center for the Performing Arts. Has toured with & shared stages with Gordon Lightfoot, Judy Collins, Dar Williams, Mary Gauthier, Shawn Colvin, The Decemberists, and John Gorka. Joe Crookston is a master storyteller & he is seeking the creative edge. His music swirls with themes of lightness, darkness, clocks ticking, fiddle looping, weeping willows, slide guitar bending, cynicism, hope, and the cycles of life and rebirth. If you love a moving song and musical madness, Joe Crookston delivers it all, the melodies, the lyrics, the energy, and a deep passion for exceptionally well-written songs.
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Website: https://www.joecrookston.com
Video: https://youtu.be/hcIUXe-tS4E
Mark Wahl
Website: https://www.markwahlguitars.com
Video: https://youtu.be/Uq-vOkzJ7uQ
National Stage
Driftwood
January 24th $20-25
Music has guided Driftwood to hallowed ground many times since its founding members, Joe Kollar and Dan Forsyth, started making music as high schoolers in Joe's parents' basement. Whether the Upstate New York folk rock group—which today also includes violinist Claire Byrne, bassist Joey Arcuri, and drummer Sam Fishman—are converting new fans on a hardscrabble tour across the country or playing to a devoted crowd at hero Levon Helm’s Woodstock barn, the band’s shapeshifting approach to folk music continues to break new ground. And yet in many ways Driftwood's latest work, the transformative December Last Call, finds the group coming home.
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Recorded in that very same basement where the Driftwood dream began, December Last Call lyrically reflects on the recent past, musing on the ways the group grew up, together and apart, through curveballs like new parenthood or pandemic shutdowns. But sonically, the band’s sixth album looks confidently to the future, experimenting with new sounds while staying true to the bluegrass roots that built them. Across the album’s nine tracks, the band often leans into hard-rocking electric guitars and driving percussion: On “Every Which Way But Loose,” we get a foot-tapping beat and a sweeping chorus, and on “Up All Night Blues,” the band shines with an ambling, sing-along-able reflection on the challenges of new motherhood. But other tracks, like standout closer “Stardust,” take a simpler route, allowing bare-bones vocals and acoustic instrumentals to underpin a deeper emotional message.
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One of Driftwood’s biggest differentiators—and perhaps its biggest strength—is the sheer breadth of talent in its lineup, with Claire, Joe, and Dan all contributing as songwriters and vocalists. This creative push-pull, where each selects songs to share with the group and record together, bakes vulnerability and collaborative spirit into every recording. “It's at the heart of what we do,” says Dan. “Everybody has a strong love for songs, for songwriting, and we each appreciate everybody else and the way that they contribute to that.”
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While 2019’s acclaimed Tree of Shade tapped Simon Felice as producer, the band opted to self-produce this latest effort, leaning into their creative impulses and striving to capture their distinctive live energy. Figuring out how to channel that on-stage intensity into a recording has actually, in many ways, been a lesson in restraint. “When I look back at the things we were writing and playing, oh, I don't know, 10, 12 years ago, they were really arranged: a lot of you do this here, we're going to do this there, we're going to break down, we're going to do a big build,” Claire explains. “These days, it's more like, ‘Let's play the song and just see what happens.’”
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This approach makes all the more sense when you consider Driftwood’s live shows, which operate not only as effervescent, twang-studded musical parties, but also as reunions for their throng of devoted listeners—folks who have started to feel less like fans and more like something bigger. “They're supporters. They're friends,” explains Joe. “It's crazy how much love we've got and how many wild situations on the road we've gotten out of because of those people.” Many of them are quite literally invested in the band’s future: December Last Call was a crowd-funded effort, and it wasn’t the band’s first. It’s as if every listener, ticket buyer, album backer, and general band evangelist is in on Driftwood’s biggest secret: this whole band thing has endured for nearly two decades because it offers a kind of community you can’t get just anywhere.
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“Driftwood is basically a beautiful friendship that happens to play music together,” says Joe. “I know it's rare. I know I'm lucky to know these people and lean on them and go through these massive life changes together.” For Driftwood, each song is like a journal entry: cathartic to create, yes, but capable of unlocking new lessons—and when shared—forging new bonds. “We're communal, right? Humans need to be connected,” Joe says. “And we get to have this special thing.”
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Website: https://www.driftwoodtheband.com/
Video: https://youtu.be/4J0XcJfddFk
National Stage
Cliff Eberhardt accompanied by Louise Coombe
February 7th $20-25
“Cliff is one of the most talented musicians on the solo acoustic circuit... full of well-crafted songs and rich, emotional vocals.” - Seattle Post Intelligencer
"Louise Coombe's voice is a gift from the gods, and how she uses it is a gift to us” -Christine Lavin
Cliff Eberhardt knew by age seven that he was going to be a singer and songwriter. Growing up in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, he and his brothers sang together and their parents played instruments. His dad introduced him to the guitar and he quickly taught himself to play. Fortunate enough to live close to the Main Point (one of the best folk clubs on the East Coast), he cut his teeth listening to the likes of James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bonnie Raitt, and Mississippi John Hurt — receiving an early and impressive tutorial in acoustic music. At the same time, he was also listening to great pop songwriters like Cole Porter, the Gershwins, and Rodgers and Hart, which explain his penchant for great melodies and clever lyrical twists.
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At fifteen, Cliff and his brother Geoff began touring as an acoustic duo, playing the Eastern club circuit until Cliff turned twenty-one and moved to Carbondale, Illinois. There he found space to develop his own voice within a vibrant and supportive music scene that included Shawn Colvin. After a couple of years there and a short stay in Colorado, Cliff moved to New York in 1978. Because the clubs were great (the Bitter End, the Speakeasy, Kenny's Castaway, Folk City) and the company amazing (John Gorka, Suzanne Vega, Lucy Kaplansky, Julie Gold, Steve Forbert, Christine Lavin, and Shawn Colvin), New York was an ideal musician's boot camp. Though he put in long hours as a taxi driver, Cliff worked steadily on his music throughout the 80's, doing solo gigs and studio work, and playing guitar on the road with Richie Havens, Melanie and others. Singing advertising jingles for products like Coke, Miller Beer and Chevrolet ("The Heartbeat of America" campaign) allowed him to devote more time to his songwriting.
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In 1990 Cliff's song "My Father's Shoes," appeared on Windham Hill's Legacy collection, leading to a deal with the label. They released Cliff's first album, The Long Road (1990), a work featuring a duet with Richie Havens. The critical response to this debut was outstanding (The Philadelphia Inquirer called the album a "repeatedly astounding collection"). He followed with two more records on Windham Hill before releasing 12 Songs of Good and Evil (1997) on Red House Records, which stemmed from a chance meeting with Red House founder Bob Feldman at John Gorka's wedding. Cliff recorded two more albums before his critically acclaimed The High Above and the Down Below, named the #5 album of 2007 by USA Today. Produced by Eric Peltoniemi, it was recorded in Minneapolis with noted jazz players Gordy Johnson, J. T. Bates and Rich Dworsky and was his first album after spending several years recovering from a car accident.
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In 2021, Cliff released "Knew Things" - a new album of original songs that includes a few from The Heal. The album reached #4 on the Folk Alliance International's Folk Radio Chart in June 2021! You can order it here on his site for a signed copy.
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Cliff is well-known as a songwriting teacher all over the U.S. at songwriting camps and private lessons. He also produces, arranges and advises on other artist's recordings. He tours constantly.
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Louise Mosrie grew up in McEwen, TN on a cattle farm - riding horses and writing poetry. She began writing songs after college while working in TV/radio in Knoxville. She moved back to the Nashville area in 2004 and began co-writing with country, bluegrass and folk artists (Donna Ulisse, Mike Richardson) and writers. Louise had a major creative breakthrough in 2007 when she had a fortuitous co-writing session with famed Americana producer and writer, Ray Kennedy (Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams). They wrote the song, "Doubling Back", for a documentary film by IU professor, Ron Osgood, called “My Vietnam, Your Iraq” which was broadcast on PBS stations nationwide.
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Website: https://cliffeberhardt.net
Video: https://youtu.be/mixXpDEnU0A
Website: https://louisecoombe.com
Video: https://youtu.be/zQd6TksCjoI
There are so many stars in the music world that shine only for a moment. And there are stars that rise and fall, but the heat of some stars can’t be contained and must rise again. Toronto based singer-songwriter Julian Taylor is one of those phoenix-like stars.
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His first moment in the sky started and ended with the hit-making band Staggered Crossing. After their breakup, Julian could have walked away, satisfied with that bright, brief moment. Instead, he went back to work, starting at the bottom, playing in cover bands, working bars, running an open stage as a solo artist. There were moments of impact when he formed the Julian Taylor Band and released two albums. But those were mere steps in the process. When he decided to strip his songs to the basics and go solo with his soul-folk 2020 album, The Ridge, his career rose over the horizon again and sparkled brighter than the first time. Mostly acoustic and sung in Julian’s distinctive warm baritone, The Ridge earned him two JUNO Award nominations, one Canadian Folk Music Award for Solo Artist, five Native American Music Award nominations, plus a nomination for the Polaris Music Prize.
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In 2022, Taylor released his follow up album Beyond the Reservoir. It received a nomination from the Country Music Association of Ontario Awards in the Roots Artist of the Year category, a nomination for a JUNO Award in the Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year category, and two Ontario Folk Music Award nominations for Song of the Year and Performing Artist of the Year. “Julian Taylor’s music is a beacon of hope in troubled times. His lyrics are thoughtful and inspiring, and his voice is both powerful and tender. This is music that will lift your spirits.” (Canadian Beats) - Wayne Arthurson
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Website: https://juliantaylormusic.ca/home
Video: https://youtu.be/Ta4yuqBG5rc
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"Rising folk music star" --Ann Powers, NPR
“Matthews puts it all on the line, speaking words of hope at every turn”
– Bob Fish, Folk Radio UK
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A troubadour of truth, Nashville resident Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. An award-winning, prolific lyricist and composer, Matthews blends Country, Americana, Folk, Blues, and Bluegrass into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. She is made for these times.
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Of Matthews, ASCAP VP & Creative Director Eric Philbrook says, “By wrapping honest emotions around her socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a warm heart and a strong voice, she lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times.” Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation adds, her gift is a "reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides." In her own words, Matthews says her mission is: "to amplify the voices of the unheard, to shed light on the unseen, and to be a steadfast reminder that hope and love are the truest pathways to equity and justice." Her new album is an embodiment of and a testament to that mission.
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When Matthews attended a panel at Folk Alliance International in February of 2024, she heard a Scottish Folk artist inquire as to how many record labels pursue what the artist referred to as "music from my tradition," four words that intrigued Matthews. "I loved the idea of that. It seems like the best way to talk about music: what is your tradition, who are your people, what is the fabric of you?"
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A daughter of the South by way of Nashville now and North Carolina forever, and the self-proclaimed poster child of intersectionality, Matthews is boldly answering those questions on her new album aptly titled Reclamation.
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Recorded in Nashville, TN at Sound Emporium Studios, Reclamation was produced by Levi Lowry (co-writer of Zac Brown Band's hit song Colder Weather). The project features her partner on and off stage Heather Mae, her friends and fellow singer-songwriters Kyshona, Melody Walker, and Chris Housman, and some of the best musicians in Music City like Megan Coleman, Megan Elizabeth McCormick, Ellen Angelico, Ryan Madora, Jen Gunderman, and Michael Majett.
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"This album is both sonically and ideologically the fullest representation of who I am as an artist and as a human," she says. A preacher's kid, a Black woman, a Butch lesbian, and a proud Southerner who sings social justice music right alongside 'traditional' Country and Americana music, Matthews is reclaiming not just of the space Black artists have been denied in Country and Americana music, not just of the space LGBTQ people have been denied in communities of faith, not just of the autonomy women have been denied over their own bodies, she is reclaiming the South that raised her.
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Website: https://www.crysmatthews.com
Video: https://youtu.be/GyrH9D79-uY
National Stage
3rd Annual Women in Music Show
The Rebel Eves (Amanda Rogers opens)
March 7th $20-25
Meet & Greet reception with local, women-owned businesses at 6:30
A fearless, sister-powered musical movement, grounded in honest storytelling, three-part harmonies, and shared struggles as women in the male-dominated music industry, the trio calls their music “Empowered Americana.”
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The Rebel Eves started with a "stars-aligning" type of friendship and musical collaboration. With beginnings in early 2022, the group formed from the love of creativity and the belief that the joy of connection can break down barriers that women have historically been put into in the music industry, society, and religious spaces. Composed of three Michigan bred award winning songwriters, Katie Pederson, Grace Theisen and Jilian Linklater have spent the better part of the last decade writing, touring, and harmonizing across the country with successful solo careers. With Grace and Jilian both coming out as queer in the last couple of years and Katie being a strong ally to the LGBTQIA community, it is incredibly important to the band that the Rebel Eve shows create safe spaces for this community in particular, especially in a world where their rights are being challenged and taken away at lightning speed. They wrote Heaven Without You as a way to reframe and push back on the messaging that heaven is only accessible to certain groups of people; they believe heaven can be created right here, right now, no matter who or how you love. In June of 2023 for the single’s release, they partnered with the Tennessee Equality Project, a nonprofit that is working for the equality of the LGBTQIA community in Tennessee through legislation. This year, they will be donating a portion of the proceeds from their merchandise towards the ACLU for the continued fight for the many injustices happening in the United States.
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With a motto of connection over perfection, in less than two years the band has reached new heights in their collaboration, outselling venues in Michigan and sharing main stages at large independent midwest festivals with national touring acts such as The Wood Brothers, The War & Treaty and The Accidentals. They have played festivals such as BlissFest, Mile of Music, and Sonic Lunch. This summer they will be making their debut appearance at Frederik Meijer Gardens, Wheatland Music Festival and Sisters Folk Festival in Oregon. With record merchandise sales over the last two years, they have quickly won over the hearts of their audiences with their honest storytelling, hair raising harmonies, and compelling lyricism that makes for true listening room moments attendees won’t soon forget. Cultivating moments of vulnerability, laughter, original songs, and incredible 3-part harmonies in their shows, they can promise you will walk away feeling inspired, connected, and hopeful. Their first EP, Shake The Ground, will be out this September. You can hear the first two singles off this album, American Dream and Rebel Eve on all streaming platforms. Their full length album will be out in the spring of 2026.
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Website: https://www.therebeleves.com
Video: https://youtu.be/INaKp0P9MRs?list=RDINaKp0P9MRs
Amanda Rogers
Website: https://www.amandaspiano.com
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF--oUzDHNE&list=RDzF--oUzDHNE&start_radio=1
National Stage
Liz Longley (Cam Caruso opens)
March 21st $20-25
Billboard: "...from Americana to gospel-flavored soul to shimmering pop anthems and touches of jazz!"
Funeral For My Past's warm sound was curated by 5time Grammy-nominated producer Paul Moak (Mat Kearney, The Weeks, Caitlyn Smith). Liz launched a wildly successful crowd-funding campaign that placed her as the fourth most-funded solo female musician ever on Kickstarter history. Her deeply devoted fans contributed over $150,000 in order to help her purchase the rights to and independently release Funeral For My Past, far surpassing the initial goal of $45,000. The elements of Longley's demeanor that have helped foster such a connection with her fans show up throughout the album itself: it's at times cozy and heartwarming, but with a bite that makes each track difficult to forget.
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Website: https://www.lizlongley.com
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1hrm8f6oqs&t=4s
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National Stage
2 x 2 Partner Series
Co-bill with The Rough & Tumble and The Honey Badger
April 11th $17-22
The Rough & Tumble
"Wow, what an appealing package. High-quality originals in all sorts of traditional veins, from haunting ballads to stomping, screaming folk anthems.”​ - M. McLeod, Empty Nest Concerts
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The Rough & Tumble, a dynamic duo comprised of Mallory Graham and Scott Tyler, have been captivating audiences with their unique blend of dumpster-folk and thrift store-Americana for over a decade. The Pennsylvania-born Graham and Central California's Tyler have a knack for weaving together elements of joy, sorrow, comedy, and drama in their music, leaving audiences on the edge of their seats. On November 24, 2024, the band released their new record, Hymns for My Atheist Sister & Her Friends to Sing Along To.
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An album for the faithful, the faithless and the somewhere-in-between. The Rough & Tumble’s latest, Hymns for My Atheist Sister & Her Friends to Sing Along To, is a record wherein all are welcome. For those that are brokenhearted from a faith that didn't love them back, those who are still carrying religious baggage, or those who are continuing in the faith they were taught as children. It's an album about truth, about mystery, and most importantly about loving your neighbor. This message is at the forefront of the vocally expansive opening track and first single “Love Them Too,” released October 4, 2024.
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In contrast to their full-band 2023 studio album Only This Far, Mallory Graham & Scott Tyler’s approach to this record is a path less traveled. Instead of the band’s signature unpredictable multiple instrumentation, they created a challenge of using less. All instrumentation on this record was limited to what Graham was permitted to have in her church growing up– piano, organ, guitar, and tambourine. This intention meant that The Rough & Tumble would lean heavily on the human voice– and not just their own. Orchestrating from across the country, the duo called on fellow musicians Dave Coleman, Alice Wallace, Flagship Romance, Halley Neal, The Honey Badgers, Ordinary Elephant & Sam Robbins to fly in vocals from afar. The result is what the duo calls “The Congregation of Kind Souls.” The collaboration not only forms an irrepressibly emotive sound, but embodies the theme of inclusion and acceptance, as each artist utilized their artistic voice with full creative license without Graham & Tyler dictating specific notation.
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Hymns for My Atheist Sister & Her Friends To Sing Along To is already profoundly reaching live audiences as the band performs on tour– for both the religious and irreligious. The Rough & Tumble are walking a tightrope– not of neutrality, but of radical love that appeals to the heartstrings of a wide array of audiences– most poignantly in a time of a country critically divided.
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The curious listener may not be able to decipher the particulars of the band’s beliefs from listening to the record– and that might be the point. Hymns for My Atheist Sister & Her Friends to Sing Along To is neither dogma nor doctrine, but a direct path to the soul.
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Website: https://www.theroughandtumble.com
Video: https://youtu.be/3kyIZZxGjaQ
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The Honey Badgers
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“Hope in a chaotic world… The Honey Badgers are true poets who know the secret of thoughtful lyrics.” - Indie Boulevard
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When Michael Natrin asked Erin Magnin to dust off her fiddle and join him for a couple songs at a local songwriter showcase, the two never imagined they were creating a musical partnership that would continue far into the future. Playfully calling themselves The Honey Badgers, more to make themselves chuckle than to make any sort of a statement, the two discovered a chemistry between their voices that demanded to be heard. Thus, the duo was born.
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The Honey Badgers’ folk/Americana sound has been likened to that of The Civil Wars and The Swell Season. They are known for their intense, unique harmonies, their sincere lyrics and melodies, and their undeniable and captivating onstage charm. Weaving their voices together with Michael’s driving guitar and Erin’s wistful violin, they spin stories and songs about finding yourself, finding each other, and finding your way in the world.
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The Honey Badgers have been creating music together since the summer of 2011. In their first several years working together they released their debut EP, “Booth Bay”, a thoughtfully crafted second EP, “Soul”, as well as a collection of live recordings entitled “Mad Season”. In the years following the duo’s conception, they played all over their home state of Delaware and the surrounding area, from the Delmarva Folk Festival in Hartly to the World Cafe Live at the Queen in Wilmington. They opened for nationally touring act The Lone Bellow, as well as local Delaware favorite New Sweden.
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In 2019 they committed to diving further into their music in many ways, quitting their respective jobs to pursue music full time, and releasing their first full length album, “Meet Me” in March 2019. “Meet Me” is a colorful story that has been unfolding since Michael and Erin met. The songs are new, but the feelings within them are familiar - from the blooming of new love to the comfort of seasoned love, losing yourself and finding yourself, from feeling alone in a fast moving world to finding connection in a room full of strangers.
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In June of 2024, following a devastating few years of navigating personal loss and a global pandemic, The Honey Badgers released their second full-length album, “The Earth Turns and So Do We”, a mature and varied collection of original songs focused on the repeating cycles of life, death, love, and time itself. The album reached #15 on the July 2024 FAI Folk Radio Chart. A song from the album, “Bring With You Nothing,” won Gold in the Folk Category and 3rd place overall in the 2025 SAW Mid-Atlantic Song Contest.
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With the release of their most recent album, The Honey Badgers are back to touring, creating, and building community on the road. They continue to meet new people, fall in love with new places, and write new songs. Their most recent single, “Summer Skin”, reached #1 on the June 2025 FAI folk radio charts. They hope to continue growing alongside their music - after winning the 2023 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase and the 2024 Susquehanna Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase, “emerging” has become a guiding light for the two musicians.
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Website: https://www.honeybadgerfolk.com
Video: https://youtu.be/jwKZIDBwPrI
National Stage
An Evening with Tom Rush, accompanied by Seth Glier
April 25 $35-$40
“Never miss a chance to see Tom Rush live. He's got that rare one-of-a-kind quality that makes you realize you’ve seen somebody who really matters.” - Exclaim Magazine
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Tom Rush is a gifted musician and performer, whose shows offer a musical celebration…a journey into the tradition and spectrum of what music has been, can be, and will become. His distinctive guitar style, wry humor and warm, expressive voice have made him both a legend and a lure to audiences around the world. His shows are filled with the rib-aching laughter of terrific story-telling, the sweet melancholy of ballads and the passion of gritty blues.
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Rush’s impact on the American music scene has been profound. He helped shape the folk revival in the ’60s and the renaissance of the ’80s and ’90s, his music having left its stamp on generations of artists. James Taylor told Rolling Stone, “Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences.” Country music star Garth Brooks has credited Rush with being one of his top five musical influences. Rush has long championed emerging artists. His early recordings introduced the world to the work of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor, and in more recent years his Club 47 concerts have brought artists such as Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin to wider audiences when they were just beginning to build their own reputations.
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Tom Rush began his musical career in the early ’60s playing the Boston-area clubs while a Harvard student. The Club 47 was the flagship of the coffee house fleet, and he was soon holding down a weekly spot there, learning from the legendary artists who came to play, honing his skills and growing into his talent. He had released two albums by the time he graduated.
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Rush returned with a splash in 1981, selling out Boston’s prestigious Symphony Hall in advance. Time off had not only rekindled Rush’s love of music, it had re-ignited music audiences’ love of Rush. He instinctively knew that his listeners were interested in both the old and the new, and set out to create a musical forum like the Club 47 of the early sixties to allow artists and newcomers to share the same stage. In 1982, he tried it out at Symphony Hall. The show was such a hit it became an annual event, growing to fill two, then three nights, and the Club 47 series was born. Crafting concerts that combined well known artists such as Bonnie Raitt or Emmylou Harris with (then) unknowns like Alison Krauss or Mark O’ Connor, Rush took the show on the road. From the ’80s to the present day, Club 47 events have filled the nation’s finest halls to rave reviews, and have been broadcast as national specials on PBS and NPR.
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Today, Tom Rush lives in New Hampshire when he’s not touring. His voice has grown even richer and more melodic with training, and his music, like a fine wine, has matured
and ripened in the blending of traditional and modern influences. He’s doing what he loves, and what audiences love him for: writing and playing …passionately, tenderly…knitting together the musical traditions and talents of our times
Seth Glier is a five-time Independent Music Award winner and received a Grammy nomination for his album “The Next Right Thing”.
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Website: https://www.tomrush.com
Video: https://vimeo.com/912351572?fl=pl&fe=sh
Seth Glier
Website: https://sethglier.com/bio
Video: https://youtu.be/qSBjcil9WGc
National Stage
Season Finale & Emerging Artist Showcase
Headliner Announcement coming soon!