Rodney Crowell

Two heavyweight guitar slingers and singers find a common ground with their deep history in honky-tonk and rock ’n’ roll and their command of the electric guitar.

Bill Kirchen graduated from Ann Arbor High School in 1965, and with his jug band the Who Knows Pickers shared a stage that year with Jim “Iggy Pop” Osterberg, He co-founded Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen here in Ann Arbor, then moved the band to SF, CA in1969. His diesel-fueled licks drove Hot Rod Lincoln into the Top 10 nationwide. A Grammy nominee for Best Country Instrumental in 2001, he has recorded and played live with Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Dan Hicks, Maria Muldaur, Hoyt Axton, Hazel Dickens, Gene Vincent and Link Wray. He has toured the world with Nick Lowe.

Redd won a Grammy in 2009 after making an international name for himself as lead guitarist with the great country legend Merle Haggard. His interpretation of the classic Roy Nichols guitar style led to a quote in Guitar Player magazine by Merle: “When I close my eyes I sometimes hear Roy Nichols playing over there, and that has never happened before.” Redd has played live with a host of world-class artists, among them Ray Price, Leona Williams, Eric Johnson, Johnny Paycheck, Rhonda Vincent, Statler Bros, Albert Lee, Vince Gill, John Jorgensen, Bobby Bare, George Jones, Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, Connie Smith, Dwight Yokum, Tim McGraw, Allison Krause, Charlie Pride, Asleep at The Wheel, Johnny Gimble, Leon Raush, Johnny Bush, Brad Paisley, Billy Gibbons, Jr Brown, Jimmy Vaughn, Tommy Allsup and just a couple more …

A near-lifelong songwriter who names Merle Haggard, Guy Clark, and Willie Nelson among his main inspirations, Jason Eady grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, and got his start performing in local bars at age 14, showing his natural grasp of everything from soul and R&B to blues and country. His eighth full-length album, “To The Passage Of Time” first took shape in a frenetic burst of creativity back in the doldrums of quarantine. Over the course of a three-day period last August, the Fort Worth, Texas–based musician wrote more than half of the album, locking himself in his bedroom and emerging only when he felt completely burnt out. “I went in thinking I was going to write just one song—but then the songs kept coming, and I didn’t want to break the spell,” he recalls. “I’d go to sleep with the guitar by the bed, pick it back up when I woke up the next morning, and do it all again. I’d never really experienced anything like that before. ”With its nuanced exploration of aging and loss and the fragility of life, “To The Passage Of Time” arrives as the Mississippi-bred artist’s most lyrically complex and compelling work to date.

Hailing from Akron, Ohio, The Shootouts are known for their energetic blend of honky-tonk, Americana, and traditional country. After releasing their acclaimed 2019 debut Quick Draw, the band charted Top 50 on Americana radio. In 2020, the band was nominated for “Best Honky-Tonk Group” at the Ameripolitan Music Awards, an honor they have been nominated for again at the upcoming 2023 awards ceremony.

They have shared the stage with luminaries such as Marty Stuart, Asleep at The Wheel, Steve Earle, Sheryl Crow, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Charley Crockett, Radney Foster, Chris Isaak, Raul Malo, Jim Lauderdale, Chuck Mead, Kim Richey, Dale Watson, and many more. The band also performed an official showcase at AmericanaFest 2021 in Nashville.

Jo Serrapere, a songwriter from Detroit, Michigan, started playing guitar at 23 when seeking out lessons from Delta blues guitarist Shari Kane. Jo’s music is original while always reflecting her love of American roots music. Her eclectic writing and performance fuses elements of various modern and traditional folk music, classic country, old-time and electric blues, garage rock, surf, swing and alt-country. With her new band, the LaFawndas, Jo’s writing is heavily inspired by the music of Wanda Jackson. Sometimes dark and heartbreaking, but mostly fun and satirical, they change up their instruments and musical styles with ease. From classic country to swing to garage rock, Jo’s original material often sounds very familiar, yet with a fresh, smart voice.

Rachel Brooke grew up performing in the family bluegrass band but spent her teen years raging away in an all-girl punk band. An introvert off stage, whose wall-shaking voice has earned her a place at cutting- edge roots music festivals like Muddy Roots, SXSW, and the Rochester International Jazz Festival.