2020 Lineup
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Creative Alliance convenes some of the brightest old time musicians, singers, and dancers in the country to celebrate where this music exists today. Join host artists Ken & Brad Kolodner for the Baltimore Old Time Music Festival! On Friday night, Ken and Brad welcome a dizzying lineup of musicians including The Foghorn Stringband, Bill and The Belles, Amythyst Kiah, T-Mart Rounders, and Red Tail Ring, for two days of brilliant musicianship, shimmering vocal harmonies, and flatfoot dance.
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Foghorn StringbandThe Foghorn Stringband is the present day gold standard for real-deal hard-hitting genuine old-time American string band music, with eight albums, thousands of shows, over 15 years of touring under their belts, and an entirely new generation of roots musicians following their lead. American roots music is a diverse and never-ending well of inspiration, and Foghorn Stringband continually and obsessively draws from old-time, bluegrass, classic country, and Cajun music traditions in an ongoing quest to present a broad span of American historical music with an unparalleled youthful energy, joy, and virtuosity.
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Amythyst KiahBorn in Chattanooga and based in Johnson City, Amythyst Kiah’s commanding stage presence is matched by her raw and powerful vocals—a deeply moving, hypnotic sound that stirs echoes of a distant and restless past. Accompanied interchangeably with banjo, acoustic guitar, or a full band, her eclectic influences span decades, finding inspiration in old time music, alternative rock, folk, country, and blues. NPR described, Black Myself, written by Amythyst, as “the simmering defiance of self-respect in the face of racism.” The song has been nominated for a Grammy for Best American Roots Song.
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Bill and the BellesWith their enchanting debut album, Dreamsongs, Etc., Bill and the Belles have captured the freewheeling, lighthearted approach to music that has endeared them to listeners of every generation. With a spirited sound that falls somewhere between old-time country and vaudeville, the group puts its own spin on a golden era of music, specifically the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. “We like old music and some of us are consumed by it,” says lead singer and guitarist Kris Truelsen with a knowing laugh. “But we don't have a desire to copy it. We want to sound like ourselves and tell our story.”
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Ken & Brad Kolodner TrioYour festival co-founders and hosts, the dynamic father-son duo Ken & Brad Kolodner weave together a captivating soundscape on hammered dulcimer, banjo and fiddles pushing the boundaries of the Old-Time tradition into uncharted territory. Regarded as one of the most influential hammered dulcimer players and Old-Time fiddlers in North America, Baltimore’s Ken Kolodner has joined forces with his son Brad Kolodner, a rising star in the clawhammer banjo world. Together, they infuse their own brand of driving, innovative, tasteful and unique interpretations of traditional and original fiddle tunes and songs.
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Red Tail RingLaurel Premo and Michael Beauchamp of Red Tail Ring create lush, intricate arrangements of original folk music and traditional ballads with banjo, fiddle, guitar, and close harmonies. “The very best of the 21st century’s minimalist and highly original folk music . . . a peerless duo.” – American Roots UK. The Michigan-based band is fresh off their fourth full-length studio release, Fall Away Blues. Featuring new songwriting fused with old-time and country blues themes, the album tackles topical subjects such as gun violence and environmentalism as well as age-old questions of place and love.
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T-Mart RoundersT-MART ROUNDERS is an old-time trio that re-envisions and arranges traditional old-time tunes using percussive dance as if it was a drum set. The trio consists of Kevin Chesser on claw-hammer banjo, Jesse Milnes on fiddle and voice and Becky Hill on feet. All three artists have spent significant time in West Virginia learning from master elder musicians and dancers with the goal of respecting the tradition while pushing the boundaries of what old-time music is.
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