Author: mattkolinski

The Ain’t Sisters

Fun, eclectic folk rock. Fronted by the deliciously androgynous duo Arrie Bozeman and Barb Carbon, the Aints deliver high-energy performances of their wildly diverse original music. Joined by the hardest working men in rock n Roll, Richie Jones on the Boom Chick thwackita whackita, and Justin Boudreau, aka BooDreamy, masterfully holding down the rhythm section and making everybody swoon with their gorgeous licks. Think Indigo Girls meets Dream Theater but with a little Birdcloud in the mix. 

If ya ain’t sisters, what are ya?

Chain Station

Chain Station is a 4-piece, high-energy, get ‘em out on the dance floor string band from Denver, Colorado. Their music is well-steeped in Americana roots, with vocal harmonies that are high, lonesome, and tight. Their picking ranges from lightning-fast to mountain mellow. They are a bluegrass band that would satisfy a picky old-timer and delight fans of newgrass, a delicate balance indeed.

They’ve become known for winning over crowds with creative, fun original songs that flow from the mountains, through them and right back to you. Pure Mountain Music! It’s obvious these guys love what they do, engaging their growing fan base with energy and stage antics that guarantee one hell of a night out.

The band’s highly anticipated new album “Backroads” went public May 11, 2019. The album “Where I want To Be” was released October, 2016. In 2015 a live album “Chain Up Volume 1” had a limited release and their debut studio album “Dancin’ With the Law” hit the scene in 2013. Chain Station has directly supported bands such as The Del McCoury Band, The Travelin’ McCourys, The Devil Makes Three, Todd Snider, Sierra Hull, Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, Fruition, Trout Steak Revival, The Railsplitters, Lil’ Smokies, Hot Buttered Rum, Deadphish Orchestra and many more.

This band has been living life through music and adventures together for eight years. Relentless gigging in and around their home state of Colorado, and the midwest and Canada has made this band of brothers one of the tightest, most professional ragtag pack of muppets on the scene today.

Miles Over Mountains

Hailing from McHenry, IL Miles Over Mountains plays a modernized style of progressive bluegrass covering a wide spectrum of genres, dynamics, and feeling. Their live catalogue draws from their studio albums “Five Star Heart Breaker” (2015), “Ballads & Burners” (2017), and “Work Harder Not Smarter” (2020).  A new release “Burn the Ships” is on the horizon as they are wrapping up a new full length album due to be out in late 2022. The band has been performing, touring, and making records since early 2014 playing an average of 150+ shows per year throughout the Midwest region and beyond.

The group features Phil Hoffman (upright bass), Caleb Peters (guitar), Sean Shiel (mandolin) and Pete Smith(banjo). Collectively the members of the group have thousands of shows under their belt, giving their songs, sound, and performances a musical maturity that echoes their collective years of passion and experience.

Opal Agafia

Opal Agafia, based in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, embodies the sounds of the Ozark Mountains: a little soul, a little roots, a little rock-and-roll, a little old-timey swing – and a lot of heart. Drawing from many genres, Opal blends the best elements of soul, blues, jazz, gospel, country, swing, and traditional mountain music into a sound that captures the past and boldly pushes ahead.

Opal’s voice is packed with power and emotion; her lyrics are sophisticated yet accessible. The band provides a consistently tight backdrop that pushes every song forward, compelling listeners to pay close attention, lest they miss a single minute of this show. The result is music that’s irresistible, no matter the listener’s background.

Opal, already a skilled songwriter, holds nothing back. She couldn’t if she tried. Every performance seems like their best of the year as the band’s commitment to their music shines. Watching them perform her dozens of originals – with a few covers and jams thrown in now and then – is riveting, as Opal soars at leading the gifted players, effortlessly displaying a commanding stage presence that is as rich as it is rare.

In Her DNA, Perhaps, But Not In Her Original Plans

Even the most studious listener would never know it, but Opal Agafia is relatively new to singing in public.

While a college student studying for a career in marketing, Opal began a songwriting collaboration with her mother, DeAnna Smith, an accomplished writer in other realms. Their songs reflect their deep roots in the Ozark Highlands, as well as their concerns about the current conditions and future of the region. They know their history, but they do not long for it so much as explore how it may shape the future. Their approach is both fresh and familiar.

Opal first performed on stage in January 2015, singing her originals and strumming guitar at a few local joints and smaller music festivals with musician pals and their bands.

In just a few months – cheered on by fans and fellow musicians who admired her work already – Opal Agafia developed a powerful live show backed by: fiddle, mandolin, dobro, acoustic/electric guitar, electric/upright bass, and drums. Together, they put on a high-energy show while taking care to keep the songwriting and vocals in the spotlight.

During that first year, Opal Agafia quickly became a standout in the Arkansas music scene, performing hugely popular sets at festivals such as Highberry and Hillberry, and packed shows at venues from Little Rock to Fayetteville’s George’s Majestic Lounge.

Spring 2016 brought the release their first studio album, “One Down, Forever To Go.” The group’s second album, “Share What You Own,” was released in June 2018 to enthusiastic audiences in packed venues along the album release tour route, including Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, and more.

With engaging new songs emerging, Opal has debuted many to appreciative live audiences, and it continues to pump out videos as well. The band’s fan base is an eclectic and broad blend of folks from all walks of life, stretching, where they have established successful tour routes filled with eager supporters.

Kyle Tuttle

International Banjo Champion Kyle Tuttle is shredding his way through the jamgrass scene. Since moving to Nashville in 2012 Kyle has shared the stage with many epic performers, most notably as a member of the Jeff Austin Band for 3 years. Kyle has also worked closely with Jamgrass legends Larry Keel, Travelin’ McCourys, Leftover Salmon, Greensky Bluegrass, Billy Strings, and Railroad Earth. In addition to being seen around the jamgrass circuit, Kyle is a studio musician in Nashville, and recently produced the Chain Station album ‘Backroads’.

A few words from Jeff Austin about Kyle,

“He’s one of a kind, I’m telling you. If there’s a better banjo player then show them to me. It’s a rare gift when somebody can connect theoretical musical depth, like knowing what phrasing you’re using, or what key you’re in, or what variation on the chord you’re using with, fucking balls of fucking steel. To just be able to dig in like he does and play his ass off, it’s amazing.”

Kyle’s debut album ‘Bobcat’ was released in 2016. Pete Wernick of Hot Rize says about the record,

“Precious few banjo players have both solid mastery of traditional Scruggs style and also the impulse and ability to make eclectic excursions using high-challenge techniques. On Bobcat, that combination creates a likeable “anything might happen” feeling that pulls the listener in. Kyle’s tone and execution are clean and attractive, and help sell his musical choices to the listener. In all, Bobcat is a welcome debut, introducing us to a banjo player who deserves our attention.”

The Werks

On their LP Magic, jamband favorites The Werks transcend their roots while never losing their identity. Poignant songwriting and engaging melody come together on a record that showcases their maturation as a multidimensional group of uniquely creative musicians.

The virtuosic rhythm junkies of The Werks have released four highly acclaimed studio albums over the past ten years – Synapse (2009), The Werks (2012), Mr. Smalls Sessions EP (2014), and Inside a Dream (2015) – performed well over one thousand shows (including launching their own multi-day music festival The Werk Out), and released countless live recordings including last year’s Live at The Werk Out live album. In that time they’ve earned a devoted fan base across the world and reputation as one of the most energetic, compelling, and downright entertaining live acts in the business. They’ve developed a hard won confidence, and a willingness to fearlessly chart new sonic territory on Magic.

“This is our first truly multi-genre album” says Chris Houser. “Each track has its own unique vibe and sound. We didn’t write these songs to please people, we wrote them because this is what we hear when we turn off the outside and let the creativity flow.”

The songs on Magic started as sketches the band members crafted independently. Coming together in their sonic dojo The Werkspace, those seeds of groove were nurtured by the group, growing into fully wrought songs through holistic arrangement and organic improvisation. “Our writing is collaborative,” explains Dan Shaw, “but starting with demos written individually gives each band member a chance to leave their fingerprint on a tune.”

The songwriting finished, the band decamped to Sonic Lounge in Grove City, Ohio. There lead engineer and producer Joe Viers (Blues Traveler, Twenty One Pilots) settled down to work with the studio’s legendary Amek/Neve 9098i mixing console. One of only thirteen in the world, Sonic Lounge’s was originally installed in Olympic Studios in London, England, where it served to document the unique creative mojo of Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, and more.

Joining Viers were assistant engineers and producers Aaron Oakley and B.J. Davis, and the unstoppable horns of Columbus’ own Hoodoo Soul Band – Chris Young (trumpet), Kevin O’Neil (tenor), and Phil Clark (Baritone) – while Kenny Holmes, tour manager and right hand man, was the gaff tape that held it all together. Finally Columbus native and current Los Angeles, CA resident Brian Lucey (Train, Dr. Dog) mastered the record.

From those sessions emerged a rare jewel of a record; Magic is muse put to tape, a direct download of the creative spark. “This is a recording of the music that’s in our souls” explains Rob Chafin. “In a way, the past decade has been leading to this moment. We play and write together so seamlessly now, we’re able to channel the inspiration in our hearts out into our instruments, and come at this from a pure place.” Together, these visionaries have crafted a record where melodies take flight, dancing and twisting around the sonorous main of the tune itself. By fusing their spirited improvisation to a core of immediately engaging songwriting, The Werks have truly performed a feat of modern musical Magic.