Ramblin’ Jack Elliott

One of the last true links to the great folk traditions of this country, with over 40 albums under his belt, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is considered one of the country's legendary foundations of folk music. Long before every kid in America wanted to play guitar—before Elvis, Dylan, the Beatles or Led Zeppelin—Ramblin’ Jack had picked it up and was passing it along.

From Johnny Cash to Tom Waits, Beck to Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder to Bruce Springsteen, the Grateful Dead to The Rolling Stones, they all pay homage to Ramblin’ Jack Elliott.

In the tradition of roving troubadours Jack has carried the seeds and pollens of story and song for decades from one place to another, from one generation to the next. They are timeless songs that outlast the musical trends of any given day. He wrote one of the first trucking songs—Cup of Coffee—recorded by Johnny Cash, championed the works of new singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and Tim Hardin; and became a founding member of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue. He continued the life of the traveling troubadour influencing Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Tom Russell, The Grateful Dead and countless others.

Ramblin’ Jack is a two-time GRAMMY winner, National Medal Of Arts recipient, and in 2016, received a Folk Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award. Featured in the recent Rolling Thunder Revue film by Martin Scorcese and also in the early 2019 PBS release of the Woody Guthrie All Star Tribute Concert Center, Ramblin’ Jack is an icon of American roots and folk music. A lover of storytelling and veteran troubadour style musician, on tour he is in his element and known for telling the tales gathered along his magnificent journey through the roots of Folk, Blues, Americana and Cowboy music and poetry. His permanently enshrined seat at Woodie Guthrie Center Theater in Tulsa, OK, sits among other greats, including Lead Belly, Cisco Houston and Pete Seeger.

Brittany Haas

Brittany Haas is widely regarded as one of the most influential fiddlers of her generation. Born in Northern California, Brittany grew up honing her craft at string camps nationwide, and developed her unique style of fiddling at the influence of her mentors, Bruce Molsky and Darol Anger. A prodigious youth, Haas began touring with Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings at the age of fourteen. At seventeen, she released her debut, self-titled solo album, produced by Anger. Haas continued to tour and record while simultaneously earning a degree in Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University, where she also minored in Music Performance and composed tunes with her professor Dan Trueman that eventually became their co-written album Crisscross. It was during her time at Princeton that Brittany was asked to join the seminal chamber-grass band Crooked Still, with whom she has made four recordings and toured the world.

Haas has always been a much sought-after collaborator and session musician. She has performed on Late Night With David Letterman and Saturday Night Live as part of Steve Martin’s bluegrass band, and features on Martin’s Grammy-winning album The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo. Over the years, she has performed with Bela Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Tony Trischka, Yonder Mountain String Band, The Waybacks, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas (her cellist sister), and more.

Now residing in Nashville, TN, Brittany is currently involved in many exciting projects. In January of 2020, her quartet Hawktail (formerly Haas Kowert Tice, featuring bassist Paul Kowert of Punch Brothers, guitarist Jordan Tice, and mandolinist Dominick Leslie) released their follow-up album to 2018’s Unless. They continue to tour around the country with their original material. In 2015, Haas began touring with the Dave Rawlings Machine (featuring Gillian Welch) and can be found on their latest releases Nashville Obsolete and Poor David’s Almanac. In the fall of 2016, Haas began performing as part of the house band for Live From Here (formerly known as ‘A Prairie Home Companion’) hosted by Chris Thile. Brittany also continues to collaborate with her cellist sister Natalie Haas, Quebecois guitarist Yann Falquet, master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, Swedish fiddler Lena Jonsson, and percussive dancer Nic Gareiss.

In addition to her work as a performer, Haas is an instructor at various string and fiddle camps across the globe, sharing her knowledge and passion in hopes of inspiring the next generation of fiddle players.

Annie Staninec

Born to a musical family, and imbued with an undying passion for traditional music, Annie Staninec was destined to play the fiddle, and has unwaveringly followed that path since childhood. It has been her sole profession, and she has saturated herself in the early generation artists and traditional idioms spanning bluegrass, old-time, Irish, and Cajun/Zydeco and swing. Her performances and teaching have inspired countless players – young and old – to follow her path.

Annie was exposed to American roots music since day one. Her father, born in Czechoslovakia, was a bluegrass and old-time enthusiast and guitar player. He met her mother, from Japan, at an old-time music gathering in Osaka. They eventually married in San Francisco, where Annie was born and where music was a part of their daily life. She began regularly attending bluegrass festivals since infancy, and spent her childhood learning fiddle tunes from her father, playing at home or at local sessions nearly every night, learning from her peers, and participating in youth-focused musical programs at festivals and events.

In addition to bluegrass, Annie began exploring Cajun and Zydeco while living in the bay area, and was fortunate to be introduced to Andrew Carriere, a Louisiana native born into a family deeply rooted in Cajun music and culture. Andrew instantly recognized her talent “You sound just like my father!” and they have been collaborating ever since, including several duet tracks on Annie's eponymous first album. Annie is renowned in the SF bay area Cajun scene, and is a regular fixture at dances and parties.

Annie was discovered in 2012 by internationally renowned singer/songwriter Mary Gauthier, who invited her on several tours and collaborations in the US and abroad, and also it was here she was discovered in 2016 by pop legend Rod Stewart.

Rod had recently released his Another Country CD, and was recruiting for a female fiddler who could also play the banjo. He was captivated by a YouTube video spontaneously  recorded by her father of Annie playing banjo and singing to her younger siblings. Annie was invited to audition in Los Angeles, was quickly hired, and after a few stints in London and Las Vegas, continued on to a whirlwind tour of 13 countries over two and half months, performing to crowds of over 30,000. Annie continued working with the Rod Stewart band through much of 2016, and then returned to her focus on bluegrass recording, performing and teaching. She is at work on additional recordings and books presently, including a folio of twin fiddling solos and techniques. 

Snap Jackson

In July of 2006, after hearing John Hartford’s Mark Twang album, singer-songwriter, Snap Jackson , walked into a music store in Stockton, California and purchased his first banjo. He has been obsessing over it ever since. Aside from playing both Scruggs Style and clawhammer banjo, Snap also plays the ukulele and mountain dulcimer. In recognition of his efforts, Snap received both the Northern California Banjo Player of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year Awards in 2018. He has also received endorsement deals with the Deering Banjo Company and Kala Brand Ukuleles.

In recent years Snap has become a sought after instructor in all things banjo, lending his talents to both private students and music camp attendees. When he is not on the road fronting his band, Snap Jackson & the Knock on Wood Players, he can be found at home spending time with his family and working on his art and photography. Some of Snap’s major influences include: John Hartford, Nina Simone, Aesop Rock, Tony Trischka, Jerry Garcia, Earl Scruggs, Bob Dylan, and Stevie Wonder.

Kamara Thomas

KAMARA THOMAS is a singer, songspeller, mythology fanatic, and multi-disciplinary storyteller based in Durham, NC. In 2021 she will release a new album: “Tularosa: An American Dreamtime”, a song-cycle exploring the current American zeitgeist through the lens of the mythic West.

Currently, Kamara is also spearheading "Country Soul Songbook," a music performance and documentary project that spotlights under-represented voices in Country and Americana music. The project explores and demonstrates how these genres share roots and history within a diverse and multi-ethnic American identity.

Kamara honed her craft for over a decade in New York, fronting numerous bands and touring internationally with hard rock trio Earl Greyhound. She also founded Honky-Tonk Happy Hour, a weekly country revue series at the Living Room on the Lower East Side that became a seminal cult favorite of the NYC alt-country scene. Her band Kamara Thomas & The Ghost Gamblers coagulated from the cooling embers of HTHH, releasing their EP “Earth Hero” in 2013.

As a multi-disciplinary storyteller, Kamara has created works for public spaces, film, and stage. She made her directorial debut in 2016 with "Oh Gallows", a film that incorporated dance, theatre, and photography. She also wrote, directed, and produced the group work SOAPBOX, a series of traveling public space performances commissioned for Downtown Durham Inc.’s Public Space Grant. She used material from these performances to create the video “Good Luck America”,  which was featured at the 2019 Hayti Heritage Film Festival. .

Kamara has been a featured artist for Lincoln Center Education's repertory season and a resident at Yaddo artist colony. She was named one of the “14 Artists Proving Black Americana is Real” by Paste Magazine. She has been commissioned for work by Cassilhaus and Duke University, and has been a guest speaker at Duke, Princeton, and Indiana Universities.

www.kamarathomas.com