When you hear Marielle Kraft’s music or experience her candid live shows, you feel as though you already know her. The Nashville-based indie pop singer/songwriter, originally from Rhode Island, displays craftsmanship beyond her years, evident through her use of salient detail, raw emotion, and poignant word choice to describe moments “exactly as they feel.”
The Wildwoods are an enchanting Folk/Americana trio based in Lincoln, Nebraska, whose flowing songwriting tandem has been praised by Paste Magazine as "focused and charmingly human". The Wildwoods' delicate melodies and descriptive lyrics come from nature, love, experiences from the road, and growing up in Nebraska. The Ark's Artist Spotlight Series is made possible with support from Ford Motor Company Fund. Nonperishables accepted for Food Gatherers
It’s the old way of doing things that inspires a new sound for upstate NY based artist, Shane Guerrette. Drawing influence from classic soul and roots rock genres, Shane has only just begun to craft his own retro flavored sound. With a recent self-released debut album called “Here’s Hoping” and plans of touring in the near future, you’ll want to keep an eye out for what’s to come from this rising star.
Buffalo Rose is a wildly charismatic six-piece modern folk/Americana band from Pittsburgh. They take the singer-songwriter tradition to a new level by crafting original songs which are emotive, meticulously arranged, and inspired by a world of idiosyncratic influences that never let a dull or predictable moment creep in. Fans of Lake Street Dive, Nickel Creek, and Punch Brothers will find much to like in this crew.
If you haven’t heard of the cheerfully named supergroup Mr. Sun, you’ve certainly heard its proponents, four of the finest musicians on the American Roots scene: Renowned fiddler Darol Anger, Professor Emeritus at Berklee College of Music, who has released dozens of influential solo albums over a 50-year career in addition to his work with David Grisman and Mike Marshall, and founded the Turtle Island Quartet, Psychograss, and Republic of Strings; Joe K. Walsh, mandolin virtuoso and vocalist who spent four years with the award-winning bluegrass act the Gibson Brothers before becoming a solo artist, songwriter, and Strings Department Professor at Berklee; all-around guitar genius Grant Gordy, a former member of David Grisman’s band and respected solo artist and educator; and the phenomenal Scots bassist Aidan O’Donnell, who has backed harpist Maeve Gilchrist and countless modern jazz heroes. Their appearances in the last few years at Wintergrass, Rockygrass, Grey Fox, Freshgrass, Redwing Roots, and at IBMA conventions have created a reverberant clang throughout the Acoustic Americana music world.
Quebec folk-pop musician Geneviève Racette has captivated listeners with her gentle, yet compelling, emotional resonance, and garnered impressive industry support for her folk-pop tracks ever since her first EP in 2014. Through her vulnerable lyricism and ethereal vocals, Geneviève has emerged as a rising star in both French and English-speaking Canadian music scenes. The trajectory for Geneviève’s career has been on a tremendous incline since her album “No Water, No Flowers” catapulted her from Quebec recognition to national praise, including a Canadian Folk Music Award, performing on stage with City and Colour, rave reviews from media, music publications and blogs, and tracking on multiple radio stations right across Canada.
Aleksi Campagne is uniquely qualified to offer a contemporary, indie-folk take on the time-honored fiddle-singing tradition. When playing live, Aleksi floors audiences by singing while bowing his violin and leading his four-piece band. His original music blends folk song writing with an edgy, multi-layered sound resulting from his unique combination of voice, violin and looping-effect pedals. He’s not just a folksinger with a guitar!
Rachael Kilgour is a Minnesotan songwriter and performing artist whose sincere, lyric-driven work has been called both brave and humane. The 2015 grand prize winner of the international NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition and winner of the 2017 Kerrville New Folk Contest, Rachael has been featured at NYC’s Lincoln Center, at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and by the ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival.
Stringfever is a group of talented musicians who have lived and breathed music since a young age. Formed in 2003, and currently composed of three siblings and their cousin, this internationally acclaimed quartet has performed 1000+ Shows in 33 countries since 2004, from private performances for the British Royal family to a packed audience at Madison Square Garden. Stringfever’s selections range from inspiring classics to popular music; every performance engaging audiences with humor and energy.