Bill and the Belles

Happy Again isn’t exactly happy. But the delightfully deadpan new album from roots mainstays Bill and the Belles is full of life, humor, and tongue-in-cheek explorations of love and loss. Out May 21, 2021 on Ditty Boom Records (distribution and promotion by Free Dirt Service Co.), Happy Again marks a new chapter for the group by featuring eleven all-original songs penned by founding member Kris Truelsen. There’s no dancing around it: this album is about his divorce. But the group has a knack for saying sad things with a bit of an ironic smirk, pairing painful topics with a sense of release and relief. Anyone who’s been to one of their shows can attest that you leave feeling lighter and refreshed. The band often jokes that their setlists appear mournful and angry, but if you don’t listen to the words, you wouldn’t know it. “One of the darkest times of my life turned out to be one of the most creative,” says Truelsen. “I realized, ‘My life is chaos. I need to write about this shit.’” This personal loss turned out to be a creative boon for the band. Many of the songs were cranked out in just a few months, two were even written the night before they were recorded. This raw songcraft, along with the deft production touch of Teddy Thompson, son of Linda and Richard Thompson, who encouraged using only first or second takes, gives Happy Again an emotional punch that deepens with each listen.

Kyshona has always lent her voice and music to those that feel they have been silenced or forgotten. She began her career as a music therapist, writing her first songs with her patients -- the students and inmates under her care. She soon found the need to write independently and find her own voice, and endeavor which led her to the fertile ground of the Nashville creative community and songwriting culture.

Since then, she has learned how to balance her music career with her passion to heal and foster community through her non-profit organization Your Song.

Her song Listen became an anthem for many in 2020.  Of her album, one fan reviewer wrote: “Amidst these hard, divisive times this set of songs is a salve for the grief many of us are feeling about resulting loss of family, friends, and community.”  Within the grooves of its 10 tracks, Kyshona blends roots, rock, R&B, and folk with lyrical prowess to uplift the marginalized and bring awareness to the masses. It's for every silent scream, every heavy load, fearful thought, and a simmering sense of anger that the repressed, the lost, and the forgotten try to hide from the world. 

Audiences will find a common thread of empowerment, overcoming adversity, and finding hope in her work.  The show doesn’t end when the last song is sung.  After her powerful performances, concertgoers often ask, "What can I do?" 

Her response? “Listen."

The Faux Frenchmen

The Faux Frenchmen are acoustic guitarists Brian Lovely and George Cunningham, acoustic bassist Don Aren, and violinist Paul Patterson. They’ve played Hot Club-driven gypsy jazz in and around Cincinnati and the Eastern and Midwestern U.S. since 2002.

Guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli fronted the Quintette of the Hot Club of France in and around Paris from 1934 to 1939, and constituted the first generation of European jazz musicians. The Hot Club blended backgrounds in traditional gypsy and European popular and classical music with the then-new sounds of American jazz artists like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong , Fats Waller, and Benny Goodman to create a new musical genre, now often called "gypsy jazz." 

The Faux Frenchmen adapt the Hot Club’s instrumentation and style in forging their own re-Americanized take on gypsy jazz. Their four CD releases, Faux Frenchmen (2007), Oblivion (2008), The Swing Shift (2010), and 3am Waltz (2011) bend the relationship between American and European jazz, utilizing elements of both to create a distinctive stylistic voice.

Michelle Younger

Banjo player and multi-instrumentalist Michelle Younger bridges the gap between Appalachian Old-Time and contemporary folk music. Her sound is founded on tradition, a technical approach, and a new sensibility. Whether traveling in the internationally renowned folk trio Harpeth Rising or performing solo, Michelle brings the authenticity of traditional banjo into new and unexpected contexts.

Michelle studied classical guitar at Oberlin Conservatory (B.M.'07) and Eastman School of Music (M.M.'09), and her classical training is evident in her intricate arrangements and technically impressive performances. Michelle's musicality, her unique clawhammer style, and her new takes on old tunes make her a promising force in modern folk music.

Lick Creek Band

Lick Creek Band plays a unique brand of eclectic acoustic music ranging seamlessly through rock, pop, jazz, and original tunes, all flavored with the sweetness of the traditional acoustic sound.  Vocal Harmony is the most distinctive feature of the group. Three lead vocalists alternate to present songs in various styles suited to the qualities of their voices while backing each other with tight harmony.

Since 1993, Lick Creek Band has entertained audiences in hundreds of venues throughout Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, ranging from small coffee houses to large convention halls, theaters and private parties.

Yapa

Yapa is a musical journey inspired by many rich cultures. From indigenous melodies of the Andes Mountains to the traditional and popular dance musics of the world, Yapa always brings a little "extra gift" for your ears... and your heart!

Yapa! features musicians from Ecuador, El Salvador, Canary Islands, Mexico, and the US.