*2023 Lineup TBA*
2022 Lineup
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!
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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Earl White StringbandKnown as “Fiddlin’ Earl White,” the musician is the leader of the Earl White Stringband and co-founder of Big Indian Farm Artisan Bakery in Floyd, and is often seen at the Blacksburg Farmers Market. A prominent figure in the Old Time music and dance community for more than 40 years, White is one of the few African Americans playing and perpetuating the music that was once an essential part of Black culture and Black communities across the U.S. An original and founding member of the famed Greengrass Cloggers, White’s energetic, rhythmic, driving playing style is attributed to many years of dancing with the group. He'll be joined by Victor Furtado (banjo), Mark Schatz (bass) and Danny Knicely (guitar).
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The OnliesThe Onlies are a young group of old friends who perform together in a stringband. They grew up playing fiddles, guitars, and banjos in their hometowns of Seattle, WA and Lexington, VA. With their latest self-titled recording, the band digs deep into performances of traditional american popular (old time) music. The music moves with a pulsating drive, sharp arrangements, and rich vibration -- it resounds with the present. The Onlies is Sami Braman, Riley Calcagno, Vivian Leva, and Leo Shannon. Their new release (THE ONLIES) is their fourth full-length record, though it will be their first one as a quartet since joining with Leva in 2017. The band, all still in their early twenties, won first place at the Clifftop Appalachian Stringband Festival in 2017
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Ken & Brad KolodnerYour 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 in North America, Baltimore’s Ken Kolodner joined forces in 2009 with his son Brad Kolodner. Regarded for his delicate touch, expressive style, and original compositions, Brad has rapidly gained national attention for his unique approach to the banjo. They'll be joined by Rachel Eddy on guitar/fiddle and Alex Lacquement on upright bass. The quartet won 1st place in the Neo-Traditional Band Contest at the Appalachian Stringband Festival in the summer of 2019. They released their fourth studio album Stony Run in 2020.
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Laurel Premo |
Willi Carlisle |
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Laurel Premo is known for her rhythmically deep and rapt delivery of roots music on fiddle, guitar, and vocals. Her solo performances dive deep into traditional and new fiddle music, musically revealing a bloom of underlying harmonic drones, minimalist repetition, and rich polyrhythms. Presenting these sounds on finger style electric guitar and fiddle, Premo fully leans in to the archaic melodies and in-between intonations that connect folk sounds to the mystic and unknown.
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Willi Carlisle is, according to The Washington Post, "powerful...both down-home and brainy." With years of collecting folklore, playing or calling square dances, and working in the avant-garde, Willi Carlisle is a multi-faceted writer, performer, and instrumentalist. With a style forged in the fire of Ozark oldtime music and his ever-growing collection of antique music, Carlisle’s musical stories hoot, stomp, and saunter through joys and troubles uniquely southern and timelessly true. Equally comfortable on banjo, accordion, fiddle, and guitar, Carlisle has earned accolades for his versatility with performances in the UK, Canada, and across the USA.
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Nic GareissOne of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” Nic Gareiss (he/they) is swiftly becoming recognized as a singular voice in traditional dance. Informed by 25 years of ethnographic study and performance of many world dance practices, Gareiss’ work draws from percussive dance traditions to weave together a technique facilitating his love of improvisation; clog, flatfoot, and step dance footwork vocabulary; and musical collaboration. He has concertized in sixteen countries with many of the luminaries of traditional music and dance including Alasdair Fraser, Bruce Molsky, The Chieftains, Colin Dunne, Darol Anger, The Gloaming, Ira Bernstein, Liz Carroll, Phil Wiggins, and Sandy Silva.
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Golden ShoalsInitially brought together by a mutual love of American folk music, their sound has expanded to include country, Americana, Indie and Experimental influences, allowing them to move more freely beyond genre boundaries with their songwriting while still emanating a deep understanding of Old-Time and Bluegrass music. Ever inspired by the enduring spirit of traditional Appalachian mountain music, their songwriting comes across as simple, honest, and fresh to the ears. The listener can expect the polished technique of conservatory training, in tandem with the grit, drive, and soul of musicians like Roscoe Holcomb or Ola Belle Reed.
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