Josh Hill Band is a Blues/Rock Power Trio from Akron, Ohio. They combine blues and rock music with the lyrical content of a savvy singer-songwriter. "JHB's" sound is reminiscent of The Black Crowes, and John Mayer Trio. Their debut, self-titled EP will be released on September 7th, 2013. Josh Hill Band will be touring the U.S. in October in support of their new EP. Josh Hill Band is: Dave Super on bass, Dylan Roth on drums, and Josh Hill on guitar and vocals.

Americana-inspired singer songwriter Bethel Steele has toured from Portland, Maine to Austin, Texas slinging songs and sharing stories with listeners. Steele’s career began in Boston, MA in 2008 and after releasing four projects there, is now based out of Fort Collins, Colorado. Kelly Walker, host of the Sundilla Radio Hour, says this of the latest release: "Bethel draws the listener in with songs that are clearly intensely personal, but reveal themselves to be true for us all. You cannot help but be moved and perhaps changed a little for the better in listening to them."

Mary, House of Jennings, First of her Name, Queen of the Bolos, Breaker of Musical Norms, Mother of Eliza

It takes a lot of life experience to craft engaging, universal song lyrics—and singer, songwriter and musician Mary Jennings has had more than a lion’s share. How’s this for a start: career stops as a teacher, aerobics instructor, clothing retailer, bartender, luggage saleswoman and paranormal researcher. Add to that the early loss of her mom , and there are plenty stories to share. Jennings states that music has kept her sane.  Not surprisingly, her songs often possess a modicum of sadness and darkness, about which she says, “I share these emotions with others because I know so many have felt the same things. If I can create melodies and deliver words that express their feelings, I’ve done my job.”

With an enormous singing voice that transcends her small frame, an extraordinary rock sound full of robust piano hooks, and a one-of-a-kind storytelling ability drawn from a remarkable and emotional history, Mary has carved out her own unique niche in the industry by doing things her way.

Born into a family with strong musical roots, she began playing piano at five and has fond memories of her paternal grandparents teaching her vocal harmonies at a young age – a skill that is very evident in her work today. Mary’s adolescent and teenage years were marked by her development on piano and the cultivation of her vocal ability through many school plays and musicals, but it was the sudden death of her mother in 2001 that prompted a seismic surge in her musical expression.

“When people ask me why I’m a musician, I tell them that it’s largely because music is my therapy,” she says. “That entire notion really began with the death of my mom. My dad offered to help me record an album shortly after her death, and the experience of writing about what I was going through at the time went a long way towards helping me cope.” It was on that album that Mary established her creative foundation, writing music that immediately bonds her to the listener in a genuine way. That openness, and the raw emotion inherent in both her writing and voice, has been a cornerstone of her work ever since. “I share these emotions with others because I know so many have felt the same things. If I can create melodies and deliver words that express their feelings, I’ve done my job.”

Mary’s strong work ethic and commitment to her craft has paid off handsomely in recent years. A Casio-sponsored artist, she was featured in an online advertising campaign for the company’s new line of keyboards in 2011 and her song “The Darkness” was placed in the Lionsgate motion picture The Devil’s Seed (ironically, a horror film).   In 2014, her song “Move” was featured during a final dance on Lifetime’s tv show “Dance Moms.”

Mary has organized a number of extensive tours as well, opening for artists such as Jeffrey Gaines, Mike Doughty, Teddy Geiger, Ryan Cabrera, and Rachel Yamagata, and she has appeared at several major festivals including CMJ and South by Southwest. She often treats fans to a unique stage set-up when performing on her own, prominently featuring a loop pedal that she uses to effortlessly layer rhythmic beats and beautiful background harmonies over her unmistakably unique piano playing and vocals.

Whether you experience Mary Jennings on stage or on one of the handful of albums she has released, you’re witnessing a very special artist who has confidently found her voice over the course of a long, and at time, heartbreaking journey.

"Sneed represents the best side of true Americana: music of passion and skill that can move audiences with a whisper or a roar." - The Dallas Observer

www.dylansneed.com

CLANTON’S SPEAKEASY POP’ICANA SHOW IS A CELEBRATION OF THE UNEXPECTED.
 
Sarah Clanton is bringing people together and building a feel-good machine. The Nashville singer-songwriter, who has brought the classical and pop worlds together with her use of a cello, rather than a guitar, to front one of Music City’s most unique bands, has been on a feel-good mission since long before she plucked her way into town. But it’s never been more apparent than on her new album, Here We Are.

A classically-trained musician who began playing cello age 9, Clanton grew up in a conservative Southern Baptist household, where MTV and certain radio and tv shows were off-limits. Then, her life changed in college, when she discovered holistic alternatives to calm her life-long anxiety, and the new sounds of the Greenville, South Carolina open mic scene. “It opened up this whole world to me,” she said. It was a world which Clanton ultimately traveled to Bonaroo, where in 2008, she saw someone doing something unheard of: “I saw this guy plucking cello and playing Fiona Apple and Gnarles Barkley, and I was like, ‘Oh my God’… I’d never thought about singing and playing cello at the same time.”

Things moved quickly from there. She attended The Swannanoa Gathering, a folk music and songwriting workshop near Asheville, NC, where she was taught how to strum chords on a cello and hone her songwriting. She found herself performing more frequently, and even organizing a couple festivals of her own like Music in the Woods - a weekly solar powered festival at Paris Mountain State Park in Greenville, South Carolina.. And by the time she left Greenville for Music City in 2014, she had already recorded her first album, and was doing 200 dates a year, playing bars, weddings, “Anything I could do,” she says. 

Here We Are may be a solo album, but Clanton says it could not have been made without others — from co-producer Eric Loomis, to a group of top Nashville session musicians and many more. But mostly, she says, the album was made for others. She jokes that the uplifting, “big and awesome” pop album is a “feel-good machine,” built to bring people together in these difficult and divisive times. “We’re not going to make any progress being divided,” she says. “If I can get some of that mindfulness out there to negate some of the hate, that would be so great.” 

With flashes of the classically-trained pop sensibility of Regina Spektor, and the sultry jazzitude of Amy Winehouse, Clanton finds herself in good company on Here We Are— while still “cello-brating,” she says, her one-of-a-kind musical approach. And this uniqueness hasn’t gone unnoticed. In the Spring of 2017, Sarah was selected as an Official Showcase Artist at the South Eastern Regional Folk Alliance in Montreat, North Carolina. Then, in late 2017, No Depression and Elmore Magazine premiered her single “Silver Lining” (co-written with Mary Bragg), the first single from Here We Are. 

Like “Silver Lining,” which Clanton says is about “championing constructive conversation,” all the songs on Here We Are were written with what she says is a certain “mindfulness” that they could make people’s lives better. “Slow it Down,” she says, is about “living in the moment.” “We Belong” delivers the message that, “Wherever you are, you’re ok… we’re all just here, and we’re all in it together.” (It’s a message similar to that of the #metoo movement, which Clanton was interviewed about by National Public Radio in March 2018.)

Clanton has even stepped outside of her own music to help others, teaching young women the craft of songwriting, as a mentor for Nashville’s Girls Write Nashville program. Because it wasn’t that long ago Clanton was a young musician herself, trying to find her way personally, and professionally. But now, she’s got a feel-good machine, and she’s going to use it. “I kinda have this theory that if we don’t feel good individually, we aren’t going to be good for everybody.”

Cellist, singer and composer. I write, record, produce and perform music for myself, other musicians, film, dance, theater, and sound art installations.

Heather Mae, the acclaimed social justice singer-songwriter, fearlessly bares her soul through music, creating an intimate space of shared vulnerability for her listeners. Her unbridled honesty, both on and off stage, has cultivated a devoted fanbase and garnered recognition, including accolades like the winner of the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Songwriter Showcase and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Artist-Activist of the Year award.

In her 2019 release, "Glimmer," Heather Mae crafts a luminescent masterpiece, drawing parallels to vocal powerhouses Adele and Sara Bareilles. With storytelling depth reminiscent of Florence Welch, the record uniquely centers on mental health, with each lyric unveiling a portrait of resilience and self-discovery.

Positioned on the cusp of unveiling her inaugural post-pandemic record, Mae embarked on a mission to address the stark gender disparity within music production—a mere 4% representation by women. In 2023, she spearheaded a transformative movement, rallying a powerhouse collective of women and non-binary talents in Nashville, including luminaries like producer ZDAN and Lollies, along with guest artists like Grammy award-winning musician Allison Russell and the extraordinary duo Sistastrings. Together, they crafted two electrifying albums, marking a significant shift in the landscape.

Leading the charge in queer songwriting, Heather Mae is poised to make a resounding impact with both groundbreaking records slated for release in 2024, ensuring her place on everyone's musical radar.

Sarah Clanton is following