Chris Pierce is a singular American voice. An artist whose songs carry equal parts soul, truth, and grace. Rooted in folk, blues, and Americana, his music speaks plainly yet profoundly to the human condition, earning him a reputation as one of the most moving performers of his generation.
Featuring five musicians who grew up in El Paso, Lubbock and Amarillo, the West Texas Exiles draw upon the wide-open western reaches of the Lone Star State with a wide-ranging, Americana-centered sound. Rising from the embers of the Dirty River Boys, which Marco Gutierrez co-founded in 2009, the Austin band features a triple-threat of songwriters in Gutierrez, Daniel Davis and Colin Gilmore (son of legendary Texas troubadour Jimmie Dale Gilmore), plus seasoned bassist Eric Harrison and latter-day Dirty River Boys drummer Trinidad Leal
Rodney Crowell is the songwriter’s songwriter and an icon among giants. Native Texan, Crowell is a multi-Grammy Award-winning troubadour with fifteen number one hits. Over the course of his career, Crowell has gracefully blended his own mainstream success as an artist with a prolific catalog of songs cut by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Keith Urban and more, making him a master among his peers.
Lost Mary is the songwriting project of Luke Martin and David Johnson III. Hailing from the small, rural town of Hillsdale, Michigan, Lost Mary is committed to the essence of Folk music: storytelling. Pulling from both traditional and modern Folk and Americana influences, Luke and David bring together their unique musical backgrounds to create songs and stories that are as personal as they are universal.
Special Guest: Moe Reen
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesRiver Shook carries the country-rock torch of Sarah Shook & the Disarmers into an exciting new era. Shook debuts as a solo artist this year, and continues to deliver everything we’ve come to expect from them: killer songwriting, a smoking hot band, and high-energy, heart-winning live shows.
Special Guest: Meels
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesThe Brudi Brothers are a dynamic Americana band hailing from Seattle, Washington. Often recognized as the city's favorite buskers and street poets, they are known for their raucous performances and distinctive old-world soul that stands out in the world of modern music. They gained rapid popularity worldwide when a live clip of their latest single, "Me More Cowboy Than You," went viral, with over 10 million views cumulatively and quickly rising. Comprising of three brothers, Johannes, Conrad, and George, the boys have an inimitable musical and performance dynamic replete with wit and humor.
With I Hope We Can Still Be Friends, his debut for Saddle Creek, Dean Johnson makes a pact with the listener: He will sing you his truth in the most heartfelt and charming way possible, if you promise to keep an open mind. Johnson spent years tending bar at Al’s Tavern in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood. There, he encountered folks of all stripes; and regulars enthusiastically murmured about his budding musical greatness — There’s the best songwriter in town! Johnson was a kind of local lore, a long-held family secret, before the singer finally broke out in 2023 with his debut album, Nothing For Me Please, at age 50.
Special Guest: Madeleine Roger
The Ark 316 S. Main, Ann Arbor, MI, United StatesThe Bros. Landreth are two-time JUNO Award winners from Winnipeg, known for their blend of guitar-driven, soulful, blood harmony roots music. The band, the core of which consists of brothers Dave and Joey Landreth, has earned critical acclaim and a dedicated audience for their heartfelt songs, inventive musicianship, and powerful performances.
Cousin Curtiss brings to the stage a fiery dynamic rarely seen by a solo act and now partnered up with the equally enigmatic and soulfully driven electric guitar prowess of Harrison B, these two road warriors are on a mission to electrify audiences everywhere with their two-man full-band sound.
Fiercely independent, Nashville-based recording artist, Ron Pope, carved his niche in the digital era's early days with his breakout hit, "A Drop in the Ocean,” which has amassed over 1 billion streams, earning platinum status in the US, alongside double platinum status in Sweden. His prolific songwriting is a natural fit for Music City’s Americana, roots, and country communities, garnering praise from publications such as Rolling Stone, Billboard, CMT, Relix, and The Tennessean.
From their beginnings in mid-Sixties Ohio as a group of friends playing cover tunes to the present-day unit featuring the propulsive team of drummer Scott Thompson and bassist Jared Camic, Keyboard Master Randy Harper, Guitar Ace/vocalist Jeff Zona and Pedal Steel/Saxophonist John Heinrich, PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE continues to embellish the rich 50-plus year history of one of Country-Rock’s pioneering forces.
Sarah Jarosz is a six-time GRAMMY Award winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Since her recorded debut in 2009, she has released seven solo albums and two albums with I’m With Her, her band with Sara Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan. In addition to her multiple GRAMMY, Americana Music Association, and Folk Alliance awards, her work has received widespread critical praise from publications including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and USA Today. Jarosz has appeared three times on PBS’s legendary Austin City Limits television show and numerous times on A Prairie Home Companion, Live From Here, and the Grand Ole Opry. She is currently based in Nashville, Tennessee.