Tickets: $30

John McCutcheon is an American folk music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has produced 45 albums since the 1970s. He is regarded as a master of the hammered dulcimer, and is also proficient on many other instruments including guitar, banjo, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, fiddle, and jaw harp. Just released, John's 45th album, is call ed Field of Stars.

No one remembers when the neighbors started calling the McCutcheons to complain about the loud singing from young John's bedroom. It didn't seem to do much good, though. For, after a shaky, lopsided battle between piano lessons and baseball (he was a mediocre pianist and an all-star catcher), he had "found his voice" thanks to a cheap mail-order guitar and a used book of chords.

From such inauspicious beginnings, John McCutcheon has emerged as one of our most respected and loved folksingers. As an instrumentalist, he is a master of a dozen different traditional instruments, most notably the rare and beautiful hammer dulcimer. His songwriting has been hailed by critics and singers around the globe. His thirty recordings have garnered every imaginable honor including seven Grammy nominations.

He has produced over twenty albums of other artists, from traditional fiddlers to contemporary singer-songwriters to educational and documentary works. His books and instructional materials have introduced budding players to the joys of their own musicality. And his commitment to grassroots political organizations has put him on the front lines of many of the issues important to communities and workers.

Even before graduating summa cum laude from Minnesota's St. John's University, this Wisconsin native literally "headed for the hills," forgoing a college lecture hall for the classroom of the eastern Kentucky coal camps, union halls, country churches, and square dance halls. His apprenticeship to many of the legendary figures of Appalachian music imbedded a love of not only home-made music, but a sense of community and rootedness. The result is music...whether traditional or from his huge catalog of original songs...with the profound mark of place, family, and strength. It also created a storytelling style that has been compared to Will Rogers and Garrison Keillor.

Tickets: $20

Almost four decades as a touring professional have found Michigan native Claudia Schmidt traversing North America as well as Europe in venues ranging from intimate clubs to 4,000 seat theatres and festival stages in front of 25,000 rapt listeners.

Claudia has been astounding audiences with her beautiful voice, superb instrumentation and continually evolving songwriting style. (Claudia is reluctant to be categorized and prefers to call herself a "creative noisemaker.") Audiences can expect anything at a performance: hymn, poem, bawdy verse, torch song, satire, and the gamut of emotions.

She is well known for her many appearances on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion. Claudia has released fourteen of her own CDs of mostly original songs, exploring folk, blues, and jazz idioms featuring her acclaimed 12-string guitar and mountain dulcimer playing which beautifully archive the musical journey she has undertaken. Her performance background is not limited to the folk stage.

She has collaborated in several theater productions, including Bertolt Brecht's Good Person of Szechuan at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. Don't miss this opportunity to experience one of America's most renowned singer/songwriters!

Tickets: $25

The portion of this show from 8pm to 9pm will be broadcast live by our friends at WFMT 98.7, or listen worldwide on http://www.WFMT.com

Richard Shindell lives as both an immigrant and emigrant, crossing thresholds, that informs his illumination of the human experience through narrative song. Shindell has inhabited a Zen Buddhist monastery and busked in the streets of Paris.

Originally from New York, now living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Shindell is a writer whose songs paint pictures, tell stories, juxtapose ideas and images, inhabit characters, vividly evoking entire worlds along the way and expanding our sense of just what it is a song may be.

Meticulously recorded over three years in New York and Buenos Aires, his most recent release, Careless, offered an ambitious, luxurious, full- length statement. Shindell immersed himself in the studio, allowing the time and latitude to explore, experiment, take risks""-to play""-as each of these eleven songs was given form and substance. While his signature acoustic guitar style is used to good effect, Careless also found Shindell plugging in more. "The wider sonic and dynamic range of the electric has been a real inspiration. Rejuvenating."

During the pandemic, Shindell stayed in Argentina, out on the wide open Pampa, reading, writing, taking walks, doing a little experimental recording, and tending the garden. He now returns to the road for a limited number of performances. Innovative, original and occasionally spiritual, Shindell's songs weave tales that interchangeably champion the downtrodden, exalt the disaffected or wax empathetic to those lost to society's fringes. From lighthearted ballads and adulterous love songs, to dirges and diatribes that skillfully skewer politics, prejudice, war and religion, to the comic point-of-view of a cow stuck in a barbed wire fence, he has a unique ability to morph into the soul of the many and varied personalities he casts as narrators in certain songs-veritable novellas framed in haunting acoustic melodies.

Tickets: $20

Jonas Friddle is a singer, songwriter and Old-Time banjo player whose songs have received The John Lennon Songwriting Award, First Place in the Great American Song Contest and a nomination for Album of the Year in the Independent Music Awards. His tunes bear the marks of a musician who has done his time in pub sessions and square dance halls, and his writing is full of imagery, honesty and humor.

Friddle was raised in the mountains of North Carolina and learned to play guitar on a yard sale Harmony six string. He was already writing songs by the time he got to Kentucky at age eighteen. There, the bluegrass pickin' and old-time dances turned him on to the power and joy of traditional folk music. He added a mandolin, fiddle and banjo to his arsenal and got a job slapping bass with the college bluegrass band.

After serving his time in higher education, he spent a year traveling around the world playing music in pubs and living rooms. In 2007 Jonas landed in Chicago, started the Barehand Jugband, the Sleepy Lou Old-Time duo and began teaching at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Since then he has released multiple studio albums under his own name and with the folk supergroup "The Majority." During that time his music has won multiple awards and been featured online at American Songwriter, Huffington Post and Paste.

Recent years have brought Friddle's focus back to songwriting and with the release of his latest album "The Last Place to Go" he puts out his best songs yet. A collection of sung stories backed by the sound of drums, fiddle, dobro, electric guitar, bass, organ and trumpet.

"[Friddle] deftly explores just about every nook and cranny of modern folk, from revivalist antique appropriation to protest songs to modern love songs. The immaculate arrangements would sell it, if his lithe voice hadn't already given it away. Amazing stuff."
- Independent Clauses

Sky Smeed -- For those who enjoyed the music of the late Steve Goodman or John Prine, Sky Smeed is a refreshing addition to that genre. As soon as "Hanging On" began, his warm voice & singular acoustic guitar were reminiscent of Goodman & Prine. Sky isn't an imitator either.

His showcase has the same rich storytelling intonation & character. It's a small listening room, but it's in these forums that the audience is even more engaged & personal with the performer. Sky mixes his set with serious tunes & some novelty music to keep the performance entertaining. The value added is his songwriting.

This is his 10th album, so there is an audience for Mr. Smeed's music. But to gain more media attention does he have to write a song like Randy Newman's "Short People?"

There are 14 performances to Live at the Rock House (Dropped April 3), a venue in Reeds Spring, Missouri, recorded by Barak Hill. The show's upbeat, with a light touch like Goodman ("The City of New Orleans"), Hamilton Camp ("Star Spangled Bus") & John Prine ("In Spite of Ourselves"). Sky isn't as cutting & acerbic as Randy Newman, but he does have a distinctive voice & covers themes the other artists don't. "Good Luck" is a fine example.

His storytelling can be poignant with a Norman Rockwell color. His "Lunker Bass" is played in the tradition of Prine, yet the construction is all Sky Smeed. That's not emulating, that's influence. The tunes have no extraneous polish except for Sky's fine voice captured warmly in the intimate natural setting. "Nine To Five" is more in the Prine style, but it's edgy like Merle Haggard & Waylon Jennings. It may even be something Ramblin' Jack Elliott would record.

Songs about life, some insignificant because for some they're memories they cherish, moments they still talk about at picnics & family gatherings. Sky is solo with no other musicians - it's a singer who is laid bare, just a microphone & an unplugged guitar. One of the most poignant pulpits for a single person on a stage before a few strangers. This singer-songwriter has a heartbeat, & because AI-generated recordings don't come from the soul. Yes, AI can regenerate what's come before, but it will never create something wholly original because AI doesn't experience anything personally. Does AI even understand what "Keep Rolling On" means? While several tunes are emeralds, "I Don't Know What To Do" is the diamond. It's a well-recorded live set with lyrics that sound as if the late comedian George Carlin may have co-wrote. Great set. Talented artist.
- John Apice - Americana Highways

Tickets: $25

The portion of this show from 8pm to 9pm will be broadcast live by our friends at WFMT 98.7, or listen worldwide on http://www.WFMT.com

"If Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens had a love child, with Rodney Dangerfield as the midwife, the results might be something close to the great Vance Gilbert", says Richmond Magazine.

Vance's most recent album, "The Mother Of Trouble", features Grammy winner Lori McKenna on background vocals, Juno award recipient and Bonnie Raitt Grammy hit song co-writer Joey Landreth on guitars, and Americana-Roots master mandolinist Joe K. Walsh. With 4 bullies, 4 deaths (3 of them murders), 3 moms, 2 accidents, 2 Black people, 2 dogs, 1 dog ball, 1 gay kid, and 1 missed flight thanks to gas station sushi, this album benefits from the gifts of time and experience honing songwriting skills that put this most vital of acoustic storytellers at the top of the game.

Oh, and Management wants to make sure to tell you that this is the 14th release for this acoustic stalwart.

30+ years into his career, the songwriter's influence can be felt all over the contemporary Folk and Americana realm as he has helped pave the way for many of the BIPOC artists who have followed.

Vance was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. Starting out hoping to be an R&B and jazz singer once at college, there he discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of the acoustic singer-songwriter thing. Word spread like wildfire about Gilbert's stage-owning singing and playing, and Shawn Colvin invited him to be special guest on her 1992 Fat City tour where he took much of America by storm and by surprise.

"With the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god..." wrote the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Tickets: $20

The portion of this show from 8pm to 9pm will be broadcast live by our friends at WFMT 98.7, or listen worldwide on http://www.WFMT.com

Colorado-based singer-songwriter Edie Carey is known for her unmistakable, soulful voice, her intelligent, heart-grabbing songs, but perhaps most especially for her warm, engaging presence on and off stage. As much a part of her show as the music itself, Carey's wry and often self-mocking humor makes audiences feel as though they have just spent an evening with a very close friend.

"Bare of self-pity and full of down-to-earth revelation... a little country, a little adult-contemporary, and a lot of fine music."- Harp Magazine

Carey has been singing at festivals, colleges, and listening rooms across the US, Canada and Europe since 1999, performing alongside Sara Bareilles, Brandi Carlile, and Shawn Colvin. Her co-writes have been recorded by #1 artists Shawn Mullins and Chely Wright. She's also been a featured artist on PRI's Mountain Stage. She's appeared at the country's most prestigious folk festivals including Telluride Bluegrass, Rocky Mountain Folks, Newport Folk, 30A Songwriters, and Cayamo.

Her duo lullabies project with Sarah Sample garnered several children's music awards, including Best Children's Album in the 2015 Independent Music Awards, and she was a featured vocalist on Joanie Leeds' Grammy-Winning Ensemble Album All the Ladies in 2020. Americana Highways called her 2022 album The Veil "one of the best of 2022," and her second duo project with Sarah Sample, Lantern In The Dark: Songs of Comfort and Lullabies, was released October 18th, 2024.

Jeremy Facknitz has been delighting audiences with his unique brand of high-energy theatrical folk-rock-jazz for nearly 30 years. He's a three-time finalist in the prestigiious Kerrville Folk festival New Folk Songwriting competition (Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle and Nanci Gfiffith are each two-time finalists) and he has successfully made performing his "Day-Job" for over a decade touring Canada, the U.S. and soon the U.K. and beyond.

Heavily influenced by the varied and rich sounds of Ben Folds, Billy Joel, Elvis Costello, James Taylor and the like, Jeremy's music is a "throwback to when singer-songwriters weren't afraid to turn it up, look you in the eye and play more than the same tired four chords... embodying the soul of an old-time troubadour, bitten by a radioactive rockstar.

Tickets: $25

The portion of this show from 8pm to 9pm will be broadcast live by our friends at WFMT 98.7, or listen worldwide on http://www.WFMT.com

House of Hamill owes its existence - almost entirely - to a series of cancelled flights.

Rose Baldino and Brian Buchanan first found themselves onstage together at the 2014 Folk Alliance International conference in Kansas City.

Rose's band Burning Bridget Cleary was scheduled to perform, but inclement weather prevented two of her bandmates from flying. Desperate to salvage the showcase, Rose approached Brian, who she knew fronted Canadian celtic rock band Enter the Haggis. She thrust a guitar into Brian's hands, pulled him onstage, and the two just clicked.

Four years and hundreds of shows later, the duo was booked to play a closing slot at a Colorado festival, so they hired a bass player and drummer to fill out their sound. By the oddest of coincidences, their hired bandmates' flights were canceled the day of the show. A frantic Facebook post introduced Brian and Rose to local musician Caroline Browning, who joined them on bass for the weekend. Once again, the chemistry was undeniable, and House of Hamill became a trio.

Today, Pennsylvania-based House of Hamill is a fixture on festival stages across the US, and have shared their music and stories on the country's premier folk stages. Their original song "Banks of the Brandywine" was a Grand Prize winner in the 2024 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and the video for their all-violin cover of "Sweet Child O' Mine" amassed over 16 million views on Facebook, where it was shared over 400,000 times.

The band's newest release, "Wildfire," marks House of Hamill's most compelling work to date. Featuring their strongest and most exciting songwriting, "Wildfire" is filled with lyrical depth, sophisticated vocal and instrumental arrangements, and hooks that are simply irresistible. This album captures the vibrant energy and creativity that have become the hallmarks of a House of Hamill live show.

Whether they're ripping through a set of original jigs and reels, adding lush three-part harmonies into traditional folk ballads, or cracking up an audience with stories from the road, House of Hamill puts on a show that captivates audiences from the very first note.

Tickets: $25

The portion of this show from 8pm to 9pm will be broadcast live by our friends at WFMT 98.7, or listen worldwide on http://www.WFMT.com

Lucy's ninth solo album, Last Days of Summer, was released in 2022. Ranging from folk to rock to bluegrass, the album features a stellar band: Duke Levine (Bonnie Raitt, Mary Chapin Carpenter), on acoustic and electric guitars, National guitar, mandolin and mandola; Mike Rivard (Shawn Colvin, Aimee Mann) on bass; and Lucy's longtime producer and drummer Ben Wittman (Sting, Paula Cole) on drums and percussion. John Gorka and Richard Shindell add gorgeous harmonies.

The songs on Last Days of Summer, co-written with Lucy's husband Rick Litvin, weave themes of family, community, and loss, as well as reflections on our times as reflected in the evolving story of New York City. Most of the songs were penned during the pandemic when their family left their home in New York City for many months. Scott Simon of National Public Radio described the album as "Utterly beautiful and affecting" and added "Lucy sings songs from her life that resonance in ours."

In January 2025 Lucy released her tenth album, "The Lucy Story," a collection of mostly unreleased tracks that form a retrospective/history of her musical life, from her bedroom at age 16, all the way to major venues, clubs and recording studios across the U.S. and Europe. When she moved to New York at age 18, she became part of an incredible, unique community of singers, songwriters and musicians centered around Folk City in Greenwich Village.

The collection of songs on "The Lucy Story" grew out of Lucy's life in that world and reflects the combustion of music and energy of those times, as well as showcasing the astonishing breadth of Lucy's vocal artistry, in songs that range from jazz to bluegrass, from traditional and contemporary folk to country and pop. The album includes songs by Richard Shindell, Robbie Robertson, Townes Van Zandt, John Lennon, Lyle Lovett and Jack Hardy, and features live recordings with some of Lucy's favorite collaborators, including Dar Williams, Richard Shindell, and Shawn Colvin.

Tickets: $20

The portion of this show from 8pm to 9pm will be broadcast live by our friends at WFMT 98.7, or listen worldwide on http://www.WFMT.com

Cosy Sheridan has been called "a buddhist monk in a twelve-step program trapped in the body of a singer-songwriter" and also one of the era's finest and most thoughtful songwriters. Her music regularly tops the folk radio charts. Her 2025 release, "The Breathing Room", debuted at #3 on folk radio.

She has performed at Carnegie Hall and The Cowgirl Hall of Fame, as well as coffeehouses, festivals and concerts throughout the country: "an unapologetically tuneful writer with sticky lyrics," wrote Sing Out Magazine. She is also a consummate entertainer: "frank, feisty, sublimely and devilishly funny," said The Cornell Folksong Society.

Backed by the rhythms and harmonies of her bass player Charlie Koch, she is a top shelf guitar player. She often plays in open tunings and with more than one capo on her guitar. She has a distinctive percussive right hand technique. She was a guitar student of both the renowned Eric Schoenberg and master fingerstyle player Guy Van Duser.

Cosy first appeared on the national folk scene in 1992 when she won the songwriting contests at The Kerrville Folk Festival and The Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and also released her critically acclaimed CD "Quietly Led".

"You can't make it into double digits, and continue touring for twenty or so years, unless you know what you're doing, and do it well," wrote The Chicago Examiner.

She is the director of The Moab Folk Camp in Moab, Utah. "Her user-friendly musical philosophy sets her happily apart from the myopic, self-involved songwriters...

She is a wonderfully lively, very funny and enormously amiable entertainer with a keen and wicked eye for the excesses of our fast-food, tv-happy and noisome culture."
- The Boston Globe