Storefront Congregation is a Louisville-based band known for their tight harmonies, fast picking, smooth sounds, and gritty rhythms. They pull inspiration from all types of music. Both standards and original material blend in a unique sound to satisfy any musical appetite.
 

Peter Madcat Ruth is a Grammy Award-winning virtuoso harmonica player based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. But Madcat doesn't just play blues harp: he also sings and plays ukulele, guitar, high-hat, jaw-harp, penny-whistle, kalimba, banjo and other folk instruments from around the world.

Madcat's repertoire of styles includes Blues, American Roots Music, Folk Music, Jazz, and World Music.

Mitch Barrett is one of Kentucky’s most sought-after and talented singer songwriter sons. His approach to lyrical storytelling is true ‘Americana’, rooted in authentic experience, not just a record label’s genre. Mitch’s music draws from his Appalachian heritage and the values it instilled: agrarian work ethic, simple living, the importance of family and celebrating the joys and the struggles of everyday life through music and song.

Mitch has won many of the most prestigious songwriting competitions in the country.  From the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, CO; the Merlefest Chris Austin Songwriting Competition which he has won twice; the Kerrville NewFolk Competition, in Kerrville, TX and in June of 2009 Mitch was awarded the title of "Telluride Troubadour" as part of the 36th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Telluride Colorado with multi Grammy award winner Jim Lauderdale as one of these years’ judges.
 

Fresh Cut Grass is a Louisville, Kentucky- based bluegrass group made up of guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle and upright bass. With one foot planted firmly in the past and the other looking toward the future, Fresh Cut Grass has been entertaining audiences since 1995. The group specializes in hard- driving traditional music, slow pretty ballads and, most of all, gospel (Fresh Cut Grass offers an all- gospel  program for churches). Known for tight vocal harmonies, from solo vocals to rich four-part gospel quartets, these musicians spend many hours getting their harmonies just right.

The SweetRoots: Michael Grady & Carolyn Rames.

Michael has been a performing singer-songwriter for more than twenty years and has taken the time to discover and develop his own sound. Many years of close listening, attentive playing and sensitive songwriting have brought this performer to the peak of his game.

Carolyn Rames has also been performing for over two decades. Her traditional and contemporary folk style has a bluesy edge that complements Michael’s original songs perfectly. It has been said that Carolyn has a voice that can make one fall in love, and it's true.

Keltricity reunites some of Louisville's best Celtic and Irish musicians who have played together for over 25 years, and joins them with some of Louisville's newest musicians on the scene. Together you're presented with fresh musical perspectives to a respected tradition. We call it Keltricity.

February Sky is a Chicago-based duo who travels the country bringing their unique style of music to coffee houses and Unitarian Churches.  This will not be your typical coffee house music. You will hear incredible music that you will not hear anywhere else, guaranteed.  I have known these folks for many years and have enjoyed every performance.  Susan Urban is a Chicago songwriter, and Phil plays the guitar in an outstanding open tuning style.  Don’t miss this concert.

John Gage is an established folk singer/songwriter who has made a career of entertaining audiences with his resonant tenor voice and flat-picking guitar. His music is solid listening. It draws on the alchemy of ancient balladeers and poets, transporting listeners inwardly for reflection and intimacy with others in the room. John performs on arts and festival stages throughout Kentucky and the region, and in churches, libraries, schools, or anyplace where there might be a potential audience just wanting to sing along. John has extensive experience planning collaboratively with classroom teachers for arts education programs and participating in curriculum planning. In addition, he conducts interactive workshops and motivational speeches throughout the southeast region in an effort to help educators and parents understand how personal involvement with music and other performing arts contribute to improved academic learning and overall personal well being. In addition, John is a veteran stage emcee at major festivals across Kentucky, and is host and emcee of Kentucky Homefront, a radio show that preserves Kentucky’s cultural heritage through storytelling and traditional music. John is available for booking through the Kentucky Theater Project.

Donovan Howard is a singer/songwriter from central Kentucky with nearly 25 years in the music game.  He has performed throughout the country with everything from a top 40 country band to a bluegrass band, to solo work.  With nearly 200 original songs to his credit, he covers many styles from country, bluegrass, gospel, folk, and straight up weird!  He is best known, however, for his haunting voice, almost Johnny Cash-like in tone, and his ability to write songs documenting those living around him.

Dave Hawkins has spent more than 25 years performing his special brand of Americana/Folk music throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. Dave has recorded and performed with some of the finest people in the music world today: Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Sam Bush, Aoife Clancy, Joanie Madden (Cherish the Ladies), Tom Roady, John Whelan and many others.

Musically he has been called a "male Nanci Griffith" and been compared to the likes of Harry Chapin, John Prine and Steve Goodman. These are extremely high compliments that Dave finds "humbling, indeed!" The freelance U.K. journalist John Whishaw described Dave as "...an Americana artist with his Irish roots showing."

Stephen Seifert's teaching and playing has made him a favorite with dulcimer players all over the country since 1991. In that time, he's been a featured performer at hundreds of dulcimer festivals and other music events including Kentucky Music Week in Bardstown, KY, Mountain Dulcimer Week in Cullowhee, NC, the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, WV, the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, AR, Stringalong near Milwaukee, WI, the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS and The tono American Music Festival, in Tono, Japan.

Stephen has been a dulcimer soloist with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, now know as Orchestra Nashville, since 1996 and is featured on their Warner Classical recording of Connie Ellisor and David Schnaufer's Blackberry Winter, a concerto for mountain dulcimer and string orchestra.
 

Anne MacFie is known to acoustic music fans of the Appalachian area as the creator of such quirky songs as "Andy Pruitt's Honda, "Have a Nice Day" and "The Crack Between the Cupboard and the Stove,"  songwriter/balladeer Anne MacFie has enjoyed a folk singer's career that has spanned three decades. She also has an interesting sideline: She edits the BLUEGRASS BULLETIN, a six page monthly newsletter serving the UFO community of Kentucky & southern Indiana/Ohio.

When it comes to old-time music in the Kentuckiana area the band carrying the torch these days is Louisville’s own, Whistlin’ Rufus. Formed in the spring of 2006, this group of young musicians has been tearing on to the music scene with their blend of old-time roots music. The band’s members, Clint Craven and Caleb Olin supply the fiddle and banjo sounds that give this formidable group their driving force. Rounding out the lineup and adding a steady rhythm section for Whistlin’ Rufus are John Dwyer, and Angela Cook. However, not to be pigeon-holed into a single sound, Whistlin’ Rufus also enjoys members that are multi-talented musicians, allowing them to add mandolin, banjo uke, fretless banjo, twin fiddles, and more to their repertoire, and covering everything from duets to trios to full four-piece arrangements. And their youth does nothing to hinder their ability to play a great variety of music. They cover the gamut of American roots music, playing songs from the 1800’s and earlier all the way through music of today and adding some of their own compositions as well. The past year has been a busy one as they burst onto the local music scene including television appearances, radio appearances, and festivals.
 

BIng Futch's window on America is a unique landscape of music, words and imagery. With roots in both African and Seminole Indian tribes, he began playing Appalachian mountain dulcimer at Knott's Berry Farm theme park in 1985, working at a Ghost Town shop for Bud & Donna Ford.

In 1986, Futch founded Christian techno-punk band Crazed Bunnyz, a trio that grew popular in the international underground college radio scene. Beginning his solo career that same year, he has since composed dozens of scores for film, theater, themed attractions and television. Futch left his California hometown of Los Angeles in 1993 to pursue production opportunities in central Florida where he immediately set up a multimedia company called J.O.B. Entertainment Inc.

Rick Thum taught himself to play guitar and drums at age twelve and played the trumpet in his high school band. Throughout high school and college (B. S. Industrial Administration) Rick played in rock bands, eventually playing regularly on the upper deck of the Admiral in St. Louis. While raising his family Rick directed his church choir. Rick's interest in traditional music was sparked when he bought a hammered dulcimer on a whim and found himself in a three-piece folk band. In 1991 Rick became co-owner of a large Midwestern acoustic instrument shop. In 1994 he sold his interest in the shop to devote more time to being a traveling musician. He placed first at the 1994 Southwest Regional Dulcimer Contest and third in the 1995 National Championship at Winfield, Kansas. Rick was voted Best Performer and Favorite Teacher for several years running at the prestigious Evart Dulcimer Funfest.
 

 enjoys many different styles of music and brings in a great deal of creativity to the band from his broad range of diverse tunes. He has a knack for arranging instrumental work into the structured "bluegrass sound". He is probably more comfortable than the others experimenting with "out there" licks on his fiddle and fully expresses this enthusiasm on stage. You cannot help but get happy inside when you watch this guy.

Josh Noe is known for his contemporary playing style, original tunes incorporating strong melody line, and easy-going teaching methods bringing out the best in every player.  Josh was the 2007 Kentucky Mountain Dulcimer Champion and is one of the new breed of innovative dulcimer players taking center stage these days. 

Jeffrey Miller is an accomplished mountain dulcimer player, composer, and will be performing during the contest deliberations on Saturday afternoon.  Jeffrey has performed and taught dulcimer for many years and is well-known for his energy and free-flowing style.  He is also a master musician on Don Newhauser's "baby" dulcimer - an actual dulcimer, about 10" long, that has a big high sound out of a tiny box.  Jeffrey also is known at KMW for his work setting stage between acts during the evening concerts.

Vera Frazier plays lap dulcimer, guitar and sings a mixture of music. She includes traditional, Celtic and modern tunes along with songs she writes. Through the years Vera has performed as a solo artist, with others in the Louisville Dulcimer Society and her family. Recently she has taught vocal classes at Kentucky Music Week and performed at the Highlander in Knoxville Tennessee.