Rachel Sumner & Traveling Light are shaking up the bluegrass world with their fresh take on traditional music. Led by Lennon Award-winning songwriter Sumner, the string band's dynamic sound showcases bold chord progressions, unforgettable stories, and mesmerizing harmonies…
Asheville NC's Dirty Dawg are an acoustic trio, recreating the sound and spirit of Jerry Garcia & David Grisman's work together. They play songs from the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia set-lists, using unique instruments like flute and violin in addition to their guitar duo set-up.
“Tina & Her Pony deliver a gentle folk music that inexorably swells into a powerful wave. The songs themselves carry a gentle wisdom that invigorates the listener. Tina & Her Pony truly commit to a kind of chamber folk that feels as timeless as it does timely.”
– Rachel Cholst, NO DEPRESSION
This dynamic duo does it all! Multi-talented, multi-instrumentalists, multi-genre, multi-cultural singers, songwriters, harmonizers, teachers, travelers, and all around good and creative humans. Hazel and Bob have been the Rare Bird Farm barn band since the start only this time, they are teaching a harmonizing workshop before their show and inviting students and family and friends to join them on stage for a harmonizing spectacular you won’t want to miss!
Brittany Ann Tranbaugh (pronounced TRAN-baw) is a Philadelphia-based songwriter whose queer Americana heartbreaker “Kiss You” won Song of the Year in the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Tranbaugh has been writing songs and playing shows as a side gig since she was a teenager, but in February 2023, at 31 years old, she finally quit her office job to pursue a full-time career in music. Listeners can expect a new EP produced by Grammy-winner Tyler Chester (Madison Cunningham) in the fall.
Tyler Ramsey, a gifted songwriter and influential musician, finds his creative haven in deliberate living, away from distractions and needless consumption. Growing up inspired by country-blues guitar players, he's equally adept at guitar, keyboards, bass, and percussion. Comparisons to Neil Young, Gram Parsons, and others highlight his blend of rock, Americana, and folk. After a decade with Band of Horses, he embarked on a solo journey, exploring the dynamic of being away and creating a respite. His acclaimed album, For the Morning, showcased his most realized work. Now, with the EP Found A Picture Of You, Ramsey continues his evolution as a solo artist, offering a glimpse of his masterful artistry and setting his sights on new music ahead.
As a finale to an incredible weekend of old time music and Appalachian cultural history, Rare Bird Farm is excited to host this FREE Sunday afternoon Lunsford Weekend Barn Jam in our Tug Fork Barn. This special show will feature what we expect to be a powerful collaboration between The Harrows: Hazel Ketchum and Bob Culver and Nicholas Edward Williams.
Hannah Kaminer is an artist and singer-songwriter writing songs about love, loss, and home. Raised in small towns in Western North Carolina, she fuses echoes of Appalachian and country traditions with wistful, Americana-style songwriting.
As a teenager, Davis would find himself wandering into the nearby city of Brevard, often seeing the pickin’-n-singin’ styles of Grammy-winning hometown act The Steep Canyon Rangers or witnessing firsthand the intricate melodic prowess of legendary drummer Jeff Sipe at local open mic nights.
Trevor has been playing and composing music since the age of 9, winning state awards as part of his high school vocal quartet and an as a solo vocalist. After high school he ventured to New York City playing open mics and gigging in the East Village and being exposed to Big Band, Jazz and other influences.
Pretty Little Goat formed in 2013 through their common love of the deep well of local tradition found in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Pretty Little Goat sees traditional music as a living art form; vibrant and evolving.
Host of the popular roots music history podcast American Songcatcher, Nicholas Edward Williams is a multi-instrumentalist and storyteller who is dedicated to "playing it forward" by preserving the songs and styles that have shaped our country: ragtime, Piedmont blues, traditional folk, old time and early country. He's opened for Taj Mahal, The Wood Brothers, Dom Flemons, CAAMP, John Paul White, Town Mountain, John Craigie and Rachel Baiman, and has performed at festival stages on three continents.
Life Like Water is the creation of multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter, David Matters. It was initially started as a way for him to process his turbulent past and navigate an uncertain future, but it has since evolved into a communal effort to celebrate the human experience.
Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Madelyn Ilana is a songwriter, ambient dream folk composer, violinist, music teacher, and healing arts practitioner. Her live performances weave together original songs, improvisational violin playing, ambient looped drone music, hip-hop pieces, and spontaneous spoken word.
The Asheville based singer songwriter’s thoughtfully crafted melodies and poetry are imaginative, visually arresting and thought provoking as he explores themes of nature, love, memory and the temporal. Lyle’s creative expression and inspiration are derived from a wide range of sonic spaces. A life of classical training, curious exploration of jazz, passion for traditional Appalachian music and a deep love of songwriters like Adrianne Lenker, Nick Drake, and Sufjan Stevens have each shaped his style into something fresh and innovative.
Maya de Vitry’s devotion to songwriting is her way of staying present, curious, and imaginative. Pennsylvania-raised and Tennessee-based, Maya first traveled and performed as a fiddling street musician, and then in bars, theaters, and on festival stages as a founding member of The Stray Birds. In 2019, she released her critically-acclaimed solo debut Adaptations, produced by Dan Knobler, and has since emerged as a prolific solo artist. NPR calls Maya’s music “the perfect soundtrack for uncorking that emotion and defiantly loving life again”.
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.
