Dar Williams

Every new album from Dar Williams represents her thoughts and feelings about both her own life and larger forces in the world. But her ninth studio record, Emerald, marks a particularly dramatic confluence between her experiences and broader contemporary culture—and what it means to be a songwriter at this moment in history. In the past few years, Williams has been involved in a wide range of different efforts and projects: teaching a course titled “Music Movements in a Capitalist Democracy” at her alma mater, Wesleyan University; working with children at several summer camps; leading songwriting workshops; getting involved with the workings of her village; and writing a book about the ways she’s seen towns becoming more independent and prosperous over her twenty years of touring. It’s a cliché that the personal is the political, but for Dar Williams, there really is no separating her life from her worldview. And in the face of a shifting world, she is more aware than ever of the power this approach can create. “I’m now experiencing the fruits of the alternative culture I was part of in the ‘90s,” she says. “I think I’ve made choices about how I lived my life, outside of the world that was going to fit me among the mainstream norms, and I chose to stay with my friends, to stay with my culture. “That turns out to have been the sturdiest structure I could have built for myself. And that’s in my songs, it’s in my teaching. I’m a believer in what can happen when we make music together.”

Jefferson Choral Society - Be Our Guest: A Collection of Disney Favorites

Keb Mo

Keb’ Mo’s self-titled release under his coined Keb’ Mo’ moniker, reached it’s quarter century milestone in 2019, and over the years, Keb’ has proven that he is a musical force that defies typical genre labels. Album after album, 14 in total, he has garnered 5 GRAMMY awards, including his most recent 2019 release, Oklahoma, which won in the Best Americana Album category. Keb’s list of GRAMMY recognitions continues with 12 GRAMMY nominations, in total, including his 2014 self-produced release, BLUESAmericana, earning three nominations on its own as well as a producer/engineer/artist GRAMMY Certificate for his track on the 2001 Country Album of the Year, Hank Williams Tribute – Timeless. The talented artist has also been awarded 14 Blues Foundation Awards and 6 BMI Awards for his work in TV & Film.           Over the past two decades, Keb’ has cultivated a reputation as a modern master of American roots music through the understated excellence of his live and studio performances. Artists who have recorded his songs include B.B. King, Buddy Guy, the Dixie Chicks, Joe Cocker, Robert Palmer, Tom Jones, Melissa Manchester, Solomon Burke and the Zac Brown Band to name a few. The list of artist collaborations comprises a who’s who in the music industry and includes Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Jackson Browne, Natalie Cole, Lyle Lovett, India Arie, James Cotton, Bobby Rush, Timothy B. Schmit, Marcus Miller and many more. His guitar playing has garnered him two invites to Eric Clapton’s acclaimed Crossroads Festival and has inspired leading instrument makers, Gibson Brands, to issue the Keb’ Mo’ Signature Bluesmaster and Bluesmaster Royale acoustic guitars and Martin Guitars to issue the HD-28KM Keb’ Mo’ Limited Edition Signature model.           He has been featured in TV and film, playing Robert Johnson in the 1998 documentary “Can’t You Hear The Wind Howl,” appeared three times on the television series, “Touched By An Angel,” and was the ghostly bluesman Possum in John Sayles’ 2007 movie, “Honeydripper.” Keb’ created “Martha’s Theme” for the TV show Martha Stewart Living. Keb’ also wrote and performed the theme song for the hit sitcom, Mike & Molly, created by Chuck Lorre and was music composer for TNT’s Memphis Beat starring Jason Lee. In early 2017, nine songs from Keb’s extensive catalog were featured in the film Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Higher Ground on the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries channel. This film was also Keb’s first feature film lead acting role. He also appears in an episode on the CMT series “Sun Records” as Howlin’ Wolf and can be heard playing his original song “Operator.” Keb’ has played his iconic version of “America The Beautiful” in the series finale of Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing,” as well as at the actual White House for President Obama.           Keb’ Mo’ has been a long-time supporter of the Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF), a nonprofit organization that creates positive change through music education. PFCF provides free music education to children in nine countries, including Brazil, Bangladesh, Ghana, Mali, Nepal, Rwanda, South Africa and the United States, and has established 12 music schools around the world. They also work with partners to address basic needs in the communities where they teach, including providing education, clean water, food, medicines, clothing, books, and school supplies.           Additionally, Keb’ is a celebrity mentor with the Kennedy Center’s Turnaround Arts program, which focuses on elementary and middle schools throughout the US. This highly successful program began under the guidance of Michelle Obama and the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities. Each artist adopts a school and becomes a mentor, working with teachers, students, parents, and the community to help build a successful arts education program. Keb’ enjoys his mentorship at The Johnson School of Excellence in Chicago, Illinois.           In 2017, Keb’ Mo’ released TajMo, a collaborative album with the legendary Taj Mahal. The project, which won the 2018 GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Blues Album, features guest appearances by Sheila E., Joe Walsh, Lizz Wright and Bonnie Raitt. At the 39th Annual Blues Music Awards, Keb’ Mo’, alongside Blues Hall of Famer Taj Mahal, was awarded Album of the Year and Contemporary Blues Album of the Year for their first-ever collaboration project, TajMo. Keb’ also took home the title of Contemporary Blues Male Artist of The Year. The multi-generational duo went on to tour the US and Europe in support of their album.           Twenty-five years after the release of his debut album under the moniker Keb’ Mo’, the widely admired artist released his most recent album, Oklahoma (Concord Records), winning him a 2020 GRAMMY Award for Best Americana Album. Featuring cameos from Taj Mahal, Rosanne Cash, Robert Randolph, Jaci Velasquez and Keb’ Mo’s wife, Robbie Brooks Moore, Keb’ delivers an album that pushes his boundaries even further with brand new songs addressing topics such as immigration, depression, pollution, love, female empowerment and more. Following the deeply thought-provoking release, Keb’ lightened the mood with the release of his first-ever holiday album, Moonlight, Mistletoe & You. A decade in the making, Moonlight, Mistletoe & You includes six original songs and four cover tunes including “Please Come Home for Christmas.”           For more information on Keb’ Mo’, visit his official website at kebmo.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jonathan Richman

Jonathan Richman has been writing music, recording and touring for most of his life, gathering the loyalty of fans and fellow artists with his warmth, humor and insightful lyrics. In the early 1970s he formed the Modern Lovers, a major progenitor of punk music. Tommy Larkins was in the groups Naked Prey, Giant Sand and other popular bands in Tucson, Arizona. Jonathan and Tommy continue to record, write music together and tour across the US. Tommy’s drumming along with Jonathan’s guitar and singing create a live experience that is hard to forget. “I’ve seen Jonathan and Tommy play live many times over the years and their shows genuinely make the world seem like a better place; a feeling that lingers long after the duration of the show. It’s always a thrill to watch them perform.” -long time fan “Playing shows and making records keeps getting easier and more fun,” Jonathan states, adding, “…me and Tommy play totally different than we played two years ago. We already play a different style than we played on that live DVD, and the way we played then was totally different from the way we played three years before that. I still feel like we’re just starting out, and I still learn new stuff every night.” -Jonathan

Jeans n Classics and Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra - Abbey Road: The Beatles Experience

The High Kings

After 15 years at the top of their game, The High Kings are still selling out venues around the world to an ever- growing army of loyal fans. Having already surpassed a million listeners on Spotify as well as 2 platinum albums in their time, The High Kings are celebrating 15 years together by releasing 15 brand new tracks to their fans as well as a 27 date tour of the USA with “The High Kings XV TOUR” as well as a Double header with ‘Gaelic Storm’ Widely regarded as the standard-bearer for their genre The High Kings continue to surprise and delight and “The High Kings XV TOUR” together with 15 newly reimagined tracks is just the beginning of their electrifying plans for 2023. In their time together, ‘The High Kings’  have charted across the world and performed for hundreds of thousands of fans, as well as in many prestigious situations including for the Prime Minister of England ( 2011), Barak Obama( 2012)  & George W Bush ( 2009 at the White house and at The Pentagon ( 2015) Notable performances include Glastonbury, the Isle of Wight ( 3 times – headlining in 2015), They appeared in Time Square & also headlined the St Patrick’s Day concert in Trafalgar Square London (2015). The High Kings continue to set the bar extremely high for Irish folk bands across the world and 2023 will be no different. Speaking about “The High Kings XV TOUR of the USA 2023”  the High Kings said: It’s been an amazing journey so far, and to be celebrating such a milestone with a huge Irish tour is amazing. We can’t wait to bring our brand new stage show, and our new music to our Irish fans – and we have a few surprises too!

Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra

America 250

Gaelic Storm

Chart topping Celtic band: 7 times billboard #1 world music, on tour 200+ days a year for 20+ years! More fun than a barrel of drunken monkeys.   It’s hard to imagine a band just coming into their own after 20 years of success, but that’s exactly what makes a true anomaly. This multi-national, Celtic juggernaut grows stronger with each live performance, and as you can imagine, after two decades and over 2000 shows, it is a true force to be reckoned with. With their latest release, Go Climb a Tree, their music has never sounded more representative of themselves as musicians and as live performers.'   The band attributes their continued success to their fanatic audience, and it’s a well-diversified crowd for sure. The country-music folks adore the storytelling, the bluegrass-heads love the instrumentals, Celtic fans love their devotion to tradition, and the rockers simply relish the passion they play their instruments with. Each band member, in their own way, expresses a deep gratitude for their fans, but it’s best summed up in the words of Patrick Murphy: “The fans are the ones that have given us this life. We’re here for them.”   On Go Climb a Tree, co-founders of Gaelic Storm, Steve Twigger and Patrick Murphy, along with longtime friend and co-writer Steve Wehmever, are again at the helm of song-writing duties. The album has everything —party drinking songs (“The Beer Song”), patriotic anthems (“Green, White and Orange”), beautiful folk songs (“Monday Morning Girl”), spritely instrumentals “”The Night of Tomfoolery”), perfectly poppy songs (“Shine On”), and even a raucous pirate song (“Shanghai Kelly”). When speaking of the overall concept of the album, Patrick Murphy gives some insight: “With all the craziness and division in the world, we wanted to make an album about ‘contemplative escapism.’ Go Climb a Tree certainly isn’t about dropping out of the conversation, it’s just about taking a short hiatus to recharge the batteries before you take on the world again.”   Gaelic Storm takes a true blue-collar, hard-nose approach to touring, consistently traveling the US and internationally over 200 days a year, forging a unique path in the Celtic music world. “You have to see us live. We are the true working-mans’ band,” says Ryan Lacey, who joined the lineup in 2003. “We still, and most likely always will, tour most of the year, and that’s how we constantly hone our craft.”   The dedication to live shows date all the way back to the mid-1990s, when Gaelic Storm kicked off its career as a pub band in Santa Monica, California. Due to their discovery at the pub, by the end of the decade, the musicians had appeared in the blockbuster film Titanic (where they performed “Irish Party in Third Class”). This laid the groundwork for a career that would eventually find them topping the Billboard World Chart six times, making appearances at mainstream music festivals, and regularly headlining the largest Irish Festivals across the country, all the while gaining a reputation as a genre-bending Irish rock band, whose songs mix Celtic traditions with something uniquely creative.   Looking to the future, Gaelic Storm is excited about what lies ahead. They’ve added a new fiddle player, Katie Grennen, and she has affectionately become the “purple squirrel” of the band, meaning she is the perfect new addition. Pete Purvis who joined the band in 2005 said, “With the addition of Katie, the band has never sounded better, we’re gelling on a whole new level, and the idea of sharing these new songs with our fans is exciting!”

Bertha - Grateful Drag

The world’s first Grateful Drag band, BERTHA is an all-star collective of queer and allied East Nashville talent coming together in wigs and full face for a good cause. Fronted by a harmony trio of Berthas and backed by a rocking all-Bertha band, BERTHA has captured the heart and imagination of Deadheads everywhere, with coast-to-coast demand for their electrifying live show. Whether collaborating with local drag queens in Mexico, or playing the most prestigious festival lineups in the States, BERTHA: Grateful Drag has only begun to make her impact on the world.    ORIGIN STORY:     In the mid 1990’s, just after Jerry Garcia’s tragic and untimely demise, a deadhead janitor working at Area 51 gained access to top secret time travel technology and took it upon himself to retrieve Jerry’s severed middle finger at the moment he lost it in 1946. He thought, if he could just get the DNA to the right scientists, cloning technology might one day be able to bring Jerry back. Breakthroughs in the early 2000’s found that a compound in LSD could activate dormant genes to replicate sufficiently to grow a functioning human body in a lab. The theory was: if they could mix Jerry’s DNA with the original Owsley acid, it could create a Jerry clone that would reunite the Grateful Dead to continue their “long strange trip”. Unfortunately, they mixed up the vials and the first seven clones were the bastard children of Jerry’s finger DNA and the infamous Brown Acid. These pitiful yet beautiful creatures were musical mutants, with the chops of their father but a physical form yet unseen in the jam band world - that of a woman. After being cast out of the lab, and the experiment shut down as a failure, these orphan queens each took the name BERTHA in solidarity with one another and formed a band.