Abigail Washburn

The rustic, poignant, and wide-ranging sounds of singer/songwriter and banjo player Abigail Washburn embody the notion of Americana as a worldwide musical language. Hailing from Nashville, she fashions inventive chamber music that blends the banjo-laden bluegrass of her native Appalachia with Chinese folk music.

Acroentertainment

Acroentertainment combines balance, acrobatics, and juggling with creative body movement. Raleigh residents Katie Magee and Kaci Torres are a performance duo with roots in partner yoga, gymnastics, and circus fundamentals. The two explore oppositional forces in balance and expressive body position while maintaining a lively, creative and entertaining show.

Apple Chill Cloggers

The Apple Chill Cloggers were formed in 1975 to preserve, interpret, and teach the traditional style of Southern Appalachian Mountain clogging. The team performs for festivals, benefits and other events around North Carolina and beyond, inspiring audiences with high energy clogging to live traditional music.

Asylum Street Spankers

The kaleidoscopic musical universe of Austin, TX's Asylum Street Spankers is a whimsical collision between ragtime, two-step parlor dances, early jazz, vaudeville, off color blues, hip-hop swagger, and country and western. Their intricate musical arrangements and tight harmonies redefine acoustic music with an inventive and mischievously unorthodox live act. Don't miss their audacious and inspired lunacy!

Bassekou Kouyate

Malian maestro Bassekou Kouyate is a virtuoso picker and musical visionary whose work blurs the lines between West African and American roots music. He is the leading proponent of the ngoni, a lute-like ancestor to the banjo, and one of the world's most visible African artists. Bassekou has transformed the traditional music of the ngoni into the modern world of today, collaborating with musicians from U2 to Santana along the way. Joining him at Shakori Hills is banjo wizard Bela Fleck, who recruited Kouyate to play on his 2010 Grammy winning cd Throw Down Your Heart.

Bela Fleck

Bela Fleck is often considered the premier banjo player in the world. He virtually reinvented the image and the sound of the banjo through a remarkable performing and recording career that has taken him all over the musical map and on a range of solo projects and collaborations, from traditional bluegrass to progressive jazz, with forays into African, Indian and classical music. He has been nominated in more different categories than anyone in Grammy history, including two more wins in January 2010 for his album Throw Down Your Heart. This African-themed album also features Shakori Hills performer Bassekou Kouyate, who will be joined by Fleck during his show. Also keep an eye out for Fleck sitting in with other Shakori Hills artists throughout the weekend!

Big Al Hall & Marching Rams

Wilmington's Big Al Hall & Marching Rams make traditional songs sound new and originals sound familiar. Freight-train vocals, big bass drum, bull fiddle, rock and roll guitar, claw-hammer banjo, accordion, wry and catchy songwriting, high harmonies, and timeless Appalachian tunes all come together as they fluently blend roots rock, old-time and Appalachian tunes into one captivating sound.

Big Fat Gap

Big Fat Gap is a back porch bluegrass band that has no plans to take Nashville by storm. Some of them even have day jobs. These Chapel Hill natives just like to pick, they like each other, and it shows. Their shows are known to be excellent for those who enjoy sweet three part harmonies, smoking solos, and captivating stage dynamics. Their fun performances bring loyal fans back for more. They got their name from one of the few remaining stands of old growth virgin forest in western North Carolina located in the Big Fat Gap in Graham County near the Tennessee border.

Bowerbirds

Bowerbirds sit on the dividing line between freak folk and sunshine pop, with an unfeigned positivity to their music that's refreshingly direct. Their rustic, cerebral, ramshackle indie-folk bursts out of Raleigh with a backwoods, wild-poet-of-the-mountain sound and a relentlessly organic vibe.

Cane Creek Cloggers

The Cane Creek Cloggers are a performing dance troupe that have specialized in Appalachian clog dancing since 1980. Hailing from Orange County, the non-profit group choreographs all of their own routines, with innovations in the realm of old-time steps and figures. They share the goal of preserving the heritage of old-time clogging, flatfoot and buckdancing, while exuding the joyful energy and infectious rhythms at the root of it all. The Cane Creek Cloggers invite people of all ages and levels of dance experience to share the enjoyment of clogging.

Chiwoniso

Zimbabwe's Chiwoniso performs an entrancing and uplifting R&B-drenched style of African pop with ancient soul and modern spirit. Backed by the mesmerizing interlocking melodies of the mbira and the deep grooves of an all-star lineup featuring some of Zimbabwe and South Africa's top musicians, Chiwoniso's voice resounds with defiant strength and profound tenderness.

Club Boheme

Club Boheme presents string jazz with pizzazz - a toe tapping collection of swinging originals and Tin Pan Alley favorites. The music has roots in the early 20th century with a decidedly modern angle. Although they pay homage to greats like Django Reinhardt and Billie Holiday, their musical chemistry and effortless harmonies are focused more on fun than tradition.

Cole Park

Crooked Still

The Boston Globe calls Crooked Still "the most important folk group to emerge from Boston since the early '60s." No one else captures the eerie, gorgeous imagery of classic folk ballads with such radiating warmth. They combine old-time, alternative bluegrass, dark-folk, alt-country and string band music into chamber twang at its best, all highlighted by the rare, stunning purity of lead singer Aoife O'Donovan.

Dark Water Rising

North Carolina's Dark Water Rising expresses a sound and free spirit that embraces several genres of music including soul, blues, country, hip hop, gospel, and rock. Reminiscent of bands such as Fleetwood Mac and Heart, Dark Water stands behind talented female lead singer Charly Lowry, who you may remember from American Idol in the fall of 2004.

David Gans

A folk musician since 1970, Oakland’s David Gans is the consummate troubadour, traveling the country solo with just an electro-acoustic guitar and a few gadgets. Spiritually positive and socially critical, he’s an earthy storyteller with thoughtful lyrics filled with humor, anger, despair, and delicacy. He’s had a long career as a media multi-hyphenate: singer-songwriter-guitarist-radio producer/host-author-journalist-record producer-photographer. He says, “I came up in the time when we thought music could change the world, and I still think it can - the only way the world can be changed: one person, one soul at a time.”

Daygot Leeyos Edwards

Daygot Leeyos Edwards is a young female lyricist and producer from Oneida Nation of the Wolf Clan. Her music empowers, educates, and uplifts our consciousness, with lyrics reflecting the struggles and triumphs of being a spiritual human being. She mixes together collages of words and melodies to deliver a message of inspiration to all.

Des Ark (solo)

With angular guitar slashes and fractured rhythms, anachronistic Durham-based indie rocker Aimee Argote of Des Ark provides an intense burst of energy expressing her deeply felt politics and controversial life decisions. A little bit Southern twang and a little bit punk, Argote has no qualms about expressing herself and is no stranger to confronting her demons through song.

Donna the Buffalo

From Cajun to country, reggae to improv, zydeco boogie to roots-rock riot, Donna the Buffalo aims for the best of what music has to offer. Their singular sound features upbeat grooves, inspirational lyrics, memorable hooks, superb musicianship and an overwhelming sense of celebration. They're an American institution, socially conscious yet eternally danceable. Donna the Buffalo started the GrassRoots Festival 20 years ago outside of Ithaca, NY to raise money for local charities and showcase the sounds of their friends and inspirations from around the world. The band features multi-instrumentalist Tara Nevins, guitarist Jeb Puryear, keyboardist Dave McCracken, bassist Jay Sanders and drummer Vic Stafford.

Eilen Jewell

Boston-based artist Eilen Jewell puts her own beautiful stamp on old country, folk and blues and comes out sounding like the time-traveling, sweet-voiced lovechild of Bessie Smith, Gillian Welch, and the Be Good Tanyas. Her thick, warm voice and authentic country songwriting have led the Boston Herald to name her "Boston's Americana gem." Her music weaves together threads of loneliness, homesickness, regret, sinning, traveling, dreaming, hope, and redemption.

Elikem African Dance Company

Founded in Durham by Daniel & Kai' Appah, Elikem African Dance Company performs dances from West Africa - specifically Ghana, Senegal, and Guinea. Its members include veterans of the Ghana National Dance Company, African-American Dance Ensemble, and Collage Dance Company. EADC has toured extensively in America and throughout the world presenting performances, master classes and lecture demonstrations.

Emerson Waldorf String Band

The Emerson Waldorf String Band plays old-time string band favorites as well as new arrangements of familiar folk tunes. The band developed out of lunch-hour jam sessions among the students and their mandolin-playing teacher Stephen Beck. It has become an institution at Emerson Waldorf High School, where the walls, woods and fields resound with music throughout the day and all students learn to play several instruments.

Greg Humphreys

Singer/songwriter Greg Humphreys is playing Shakori Hills not just with his band Hobex but also as an acoustic solo artist. His mad mix of stylistically diverse songs move from roots-pop and straight-up blues to country and bluegrass, using pop hooks and his soulful voice to showcase his spirit and sound. Disarming, personal and intimately engaging, it’s a document of one man‘s musical journey, with a well-known friend or two popping in for a visit.

Hammer No More The Fingers

Hammer No More the Fingers is a Chapel Hill/Durham trio that writes catchy, edgy, off-kilter indie rock. Their energetic lo-fi sound is powerful and reckless while remaining tasteful and refined.

Hee Haw Nightmare

Hee Haw Nightmare plays old-time music with a punk rock edge, both musically and lyrically, never shying away from a terrifying old murder ballad with intensely raw energy. This hoedown will get raucous, so get ready!

Hobex

Hobex makes oh-so-sweet soul music with a healthy dose of screaming guitars. Singer/guitarist Greg Humphreys (who also has a solo set at Shakori Hills) assembled Hobex from the ashes of Dillon Fence, one of the biggest southeastern touring acts of the late '80s and early '90s. Inspired by Stax/Motown era funk and soul artists, Hobex hit on a unique sound - song-based grooves seasoned with various folk, rock and roll, and British Invasion influences. A strong jazz and hip-hop sensibility helps take their swaggering sound over the top.

Holy Ghost Tent Revival

Holy Ghost Tent Revival's rhythmic riot features throttling acoustic guitars and horn rave-ups, conjuring 19th century riverboat eclecticism, Stephen Foster-style songcraft, and latter-day ragtime and Dixieland hilarity. This rocking six-piece acoustic band calls Greensboro home.

Inflowential

Boasting resounding lyrics, supreme originality and an unforgettable sound, Raleigh hip hop group Inflowential is composed of 2 MC's, guitar, bass, a DJ, and a Beatbox extraordinaire in lieu of a drummer, who performs all of the percussion parts vocally through a mic. Inflowential slides comfortably across genre labels, including blues, rock and reggae, using their live instruments and jazzy undertones to create tracks with an energy and power that feels fresh.

Jack Maverick & His Wild Rebels

Chatham County's own Telecaster/Lap-steel virtuoso Jack Maverick and his trio of Wild Rebels are an instrumental outfit, celebrating a time in American music that only remains in the grooves of dusty old hi-fi records. The untamed combination of thumpin' upright bass, chunky acoustic guitar and in-the-pocket drums lay the rhythmic foundation. Their repertoire includes energetic renditions of twangy numbers from some of country music's greatest pickers, coupled with the band's softer side: the soothing steel guitar sounds of Hawaii.

Kelley & The Cowboys

The music of Kelley and the Cowboys, based in Mt. Airy, NC, returns to the early country roots of Patsy Cline and Hank Williams. With the powerful voice of Kelley Breiding and the rich melodies of the Cowboys, it's a soulful trip through honky-tonk days gone by.

Louise Kessel Stories

In Louise's delightful stories you might hear seeds sprouting, rivers murmuring, or frogs playing the fiddle. You might meet a mouse poet, a Japanese kite-maker, or an old woman who can hear the corn singing. Children, parents and unaccompanied adults all welcome!

Mandolin Orange

Carrboro folk-Americana duo Mandolin Orange combine guitar, violin and mandolin with alluring lyrics and seamless harmonies, reflecting the influence of traditional music on their contemporary style. The duo's voices and instruments fit alongside each other like Johnny and June Carter Cash, and embody the same backwoods lovebirds aesthetic. Their influences range from Cole Porter to Townes Van Zandt, but their sound is something charming and all its own.

Midtown Dickens

Midtown Dickens is a folk punk-grass trio that's been fitting themselves into nonsensical categories for twenty years. This lovable, laughable, Durham-based band plays a hybrid brand of "Anti-folk/Naturalismo" that's more about having fun and singing from the heart than anything else. Their show features tambourines, horns, banjo, saw, guitars, drums, glockenspiel, an accordion and a fake rooster. Toss in poppy melodies, some singalong choruses, and a bucket-load of fun to top it all off.

Music Maker Revue

Music Maker Relief Foundation is a Hillsborough-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern musical traditions gain recognition and meet their day-to-day needs. Music Maker's aid and service programs improve the quality of recipients' lives, affirming to these artists that we value the gifts of music and inspiration they've delivered to the world. Music Maker’s mission is to give back to the roots of American music. This spring Music Maker will bring Cool John Ferguson, Lightnin' Wells, Ron Hunter, Captain Luke, and Pat "Mother Blues" Cohen to Shakori Hills.

Northwood Jazz Ensemble

Pittsboro, NC's Northwood Jazz Ensemble plays a wide mix of music covering swing tunes, bebop jazz, lush ballads, jazz standards, pop tunes and even some jazz rock fusion. Under the direction of Eugene Cottrell, the volunteer Northwood High School organization has received superior ratings at statewide and regional festivals.

Orquesta GarDel

What do you get when you cross an accomplished ethnomusicology professor with a dynamic lead vocalist and a bevy of North Carolina’s finest salsa and jazz musicians? None other than the twelve-member salsa supergroup known as Orquesta GarDel! The band plays classic and modern salsa music rooted in the sound of the New York-Puerto Rico connection of the 1970s. With its powerful horn section and “hurricane-force” percussion battery, GarDel is sure to have the dance floor pumping!

Possum Jenkins

Boone-based Americana quartet Possum Jenkins plays a sonic Southern recipe of melodies married to boundless, off-the-rails energy. This tight-knit group zeros in on a sound that seamlessly incorporates strains of the timeless mountain music of Appalachia, the compelling alt-country of East Nashville and Austin, a touch of funky Memphis soul, and a helping of unabashed Southern rock.

Preston Frank

Accordionist Preston Frank, father of Keith Frank, has been laying down his blazing bayou boogie and unabashed, traditional Louisiana zydeco for decades. His trademark swamp groove is a combination of Cajun, funk and soul, a smooth and flowing Creole sound that instantly makes you start to move. The jumping rhythms and festive vibes rest in his hands while his fingers work magic on the diatonic accordion. Firmly planted in his musical roots for over thirty years, Preston Frank remains an important force in preserving traditional zydeco and Creole French music.

Ralph Roddenbery Band

Ralph Roddenbery's music could be described as Bob Dylan meets Jerry Garcia and Shawn Phillips at the crossroads - roots rock Americana with an acoustic twist. It's lyrical, upbeat and reaches out with an earnest depth of "life is good." His songs focus on friendship, love, life, trust, honesty, and hopefulness and how we shouldn't take these vital intangibles for granted. He combines sentimentality and the human condition with an extra dose of humor, and often draws upon audience participation to create a new tune off-the-cuff.

Red Herring Puppets

Red Herring Puppets is a professional puppet company founded in 1988 and based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western NC. They delight young audiences with their lively and informative "edu-tainment." Artistic Director Lisa Sturz is a nationally recognized puppeteer and teaching artist whose credits include everything from Muppets and Flintstones to Ninja Turtles and Elmo.

Rosie Ledet

Louisiana accordionist/singer-songwriter Rosie Ledet provides a unique female presence in the zydeco world. Her songs are sly and suggestive, featuring propulsive, infectious instrumental work and a voice laced with soul and sensuality. If the Allman Brothers went zydeco, they would probably sound like Rosie Ledet.

Rusted Root

Rusted Root integrates jam-heavy groove rock with psychedelic pop. The Pittsburgh natives' upbeat style of worldbeat features percussion influences based on the music of Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. First rising to stardom in 1995 with the hit "Send Me On My Way," they're back in the limelight with their recently released 7th studio album.

Saludos Compay

Saludos Compay will swing the Dance tent with high energy Latin rhythms from Cuba and South America alongside their original tunes. Complex rhythms interwoven with tight harmonies unite with soaring solos as this group ignites the dance floor. Come prepared for a powerful sound that will put your feet in motion!

Scatterbones

Randy Whitt and Jamie Sneeringer grew up on the Deep River in High Falls, NC playing guitar and writing songs. Alongside Susie Hicks on fiddle and keyboards, Josh Sokal on bass, and Matt Brown on drums they make up Scatterbones, an eclectic mix of rock and Americana with hints of old school R&B and British psychedelia.

Scythian

The high-energy, adrenaline-pumping music of Washington, DC's Scythian ranges from Celtic rock to gypsy klezmer, featuring two dueling classically trained fiddlers powered by the precision of a jazz drummer. Tight grooves, outstanding musicianship, and spontaneous crowd interactions result in creative, infectious, hilarious fun!

Sim Redmond Band

Playing a unique blend of roots-rock, Afro-Caribbean, reggae and folk music, the Ithaca, NY-based Sim Redmond Band will lift your spirit and move your body. The band's airy, breezy sound draws from the world beat tradition to create a danceable mix of distinctly American pop hooks with African arrangements. Their music oozes over your brain with its sunny sound, earthy rhythms, warm vocal harmonies and lyrics exploring truth, dreams and love.

Sol & Funk Root

Sol creates a unique blend of Southern fried rock, blues, reggae, and way back yonder funk, all delivered with deep soul, translating dusty musical roots into the present day with tasty original tunes and bluesy, greasy jams.

Sol Driven Train

Charleston, SC's world-groove outfit Sol Driven Train seamlessly mixes Southern rock, worldbeat and swampy funk, with a punchy horn section adding an extra dimension of sweaty soul.

Spirit Family Reunion

Brooklyn's Spirit Family Reunion play good-time hootenannies full of foot-stomping, throaty, joyful songs that evoke everything from Avett Brothers-styled crazygrass to old-time gospel.

stephaniesĭd

stephaniesĭd plays indie pop with soaring vocals, catchy hooks, odd and thoughtful lyrics, and clever musical gymnastics. Hailing from Asheville, NC, their songs feature angst and sorrow swirling with dramatic hope and joyfulness - childlike and grown-up sounds mixing with poetry and pop. If a Scandinavian pop princess got lost in the American South and was rescued by a jazz quartet, it might sound something like this emotional yet buoyant band.

The Beast

Based in Durham, The Beast infuses jazz composition and improvisation with hip-hop poetry and soul grooves. Beautifully rebellious and refreshingly conscious, they create passionate music to engage/enrage your mentality.

The Bluegrass Experience

The Bluegrass Experience has been a vital force in the North Carolina/Southeastern bluegrass scene for over 30 years. From traditional favorites to "re-engineered" rock or folk songs, the band features tight instrumental work and great harmony singing. Together they offer a diverse menu of great music, both thoughtfully arranged and artfully performed.

The Grady Girls

A quartet of fiddles, flute, and bodhran played by two sisters and their two cousins, the Grady Girls gracefully combine the pulsing melodies of slides and polkas (the dance music from the southwest of Ireland) with more widely known dance tunes such as jigs and reels. Proudly carrying on the musical traditions of their forefathers and foremothers, the lovely young Gradys will sing, fiddle, and step-dance their way into your hearts.

The Gravy Boys

The Gravy Boys play Americana acoustic songs that draw on the rich heritage of homegrown music. Their sound ranges from depression-era folk music and high-lonesome sounds to honky-tonk, alt-country-rock, and contemporary singer/songwriter. Their music is bursting with soul, passion, and an uplifting energy, as they circle around one microphone to sing sweet harmonies with boot-stomping rhythms.

The Hackensaw Boys

Whether you call them newgrass, jamgrass, bluegrass, folk, country, punk, rough and ready roots music, or raucous neo-old-timey spit and vinegar, the six piece band known as the Hackensaw Boys, from Charlottesville, VA, are continuing to blow audiences away with their amazing high energy shows and crafty musicianship. Playing old-time music with new-school vision, their fast-and-fierce live show is revitalizing and reenergizing a traditional form of music with modern day vitality, catchy melodies and classic harmonizing.

The Honeycutters

Based in Asheville, The Honeycutters' original Americana, ranging from country ballads to honky-a-billy and blues, is a memorable blend of catchy melody, skillful composition, and honest songwriting. Lead singer Amanda Anne Platt's voice has been described as perfectly unadorned and recklessly beautiful.

The Minglewood Ramblers

The Minglewood Ramblers are a powerhouse stringband from Westfield, NC led by fiddler Jake Krack who has won numerous fiddler's conventions including Mount Airy, Galax and Clifftop among many others. Nancy Sluys has accomplished similar feats with her hard driving Round Peak clawhammer banjo style.

The Side Effects

The Smart Brothers

Jay and Lou Smart are two brothers from California whose raw energy translates into a sparse acoustic sound that is at once classic and entirely refreshing. Inspired by the rich history of American roots music, they have cultivated their vocal harmonies in the finest vagabond minstrel tradition.

The Steamrollers

The Steamrollers are a high octane five-piece string band from Durham who play with a punk rock energy while holding true to their traditional Appalachian musical roots. From rowdy and beautiful fiddle tunes to songs about love and life, they deliver a fun live show filled with great vibes, funny stories, and a rowdy good time.

The TalkToMes

Ithaca, NY's The TalkToMes plays roots rock smashed into alt-country with a punk rock attitude. If music were bocce, they would be the pallino, the target that gets rolled out in the beginning of the game that everyone else tries to "kiss" with their own bocce balls. Band members include J.T. Puryear, Sim Redmond, Asa Redmond, and Gregor Sayet-Bone, whose stunning original songs are the driving force behind this group.

Vince Herman & Great American Taxi

Led by singer, guitarist, and mandolin player Vince Herman of Leftover Salmon, Great American Taxi's uninhibited sound is a swinging concoction of swampy blues, progressive bluegrass, funky New Orleans strut, Southern boogie, honky tonk country, gospel, and good ol' fashioned rock 'n' roll. They're one of the best country, rock, and bluegrass-influenced jam bands in the land, masterfully blending acoustic and electric instruments into music they call "Americana Without Borders."