Award-winning singer-songwriters on their own, Cletus Kennelly & Lori Kelley combined their artistries, developing a style and a sense for each other's voices that is magical. "I haven't heard harmonies this tight since Simon & Garfunkel" (Gene Dawson, Dawson Concerts) Their work has earned them 40 WAMMIE nominations and 12 WAMMIE awards (Washington Area Music Awards) between them, including the WAMMIE award for BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK GROUP (three times). Both approach their writing from a lyrical, melodic place with songs that speak to the heart. The wit and depth each adds to the other's songs makes for an engaging show. "Cletus and Lori are two standout solo performers whose voices blend beautifully." (Scott Moore, Moore House Concerts) As solo artists, and again as a duo, both Cletus & Lori were selected to perform at D.C.'s Kennedy Center.
http://www.cletusandlori.com/
Since 2001, Rob Hinkal (guitar, vocals) and Heather Lloyd (guitar, vocals, djembe) have fronted Baltimore-based ilyAIMY (i love you And I Miss You). Capping off their decade-long musical partnership with a year of honors from the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance, the National Association for Campus Activities and the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, they've played everything from bait shops, to biker festivals, to clothing-optional resorts. It's agreed: "all they need is two acoustic guitars and a djembe" to sound as full as rock band, "but they also engage their audiences with humor and write award-winning folk songs". They have supported the likes of Dar Williams, Ellis Paul and The Gym Class Heroes. Heather's incredible voice and Rob's percussive acoustic guitar are what it's all about. References to folk, rock, Americana and alternative, with lush male/female harmony and tribal percussion. Called "a welcome jolt in ... folk" and "an acoustically roiling, combustible attack on the usual singer/songwriter fare" by reviewers, they have been compared to everything from Buckingham/Nicks to Ani DiFranco to an acoustic Tool to Rusted Root.
http://www.ilyaimy.com/
Jen and Scott Smith (Naked Blue), met at Gordon Miller Music in Towson, MD. Within a year, they had begun a writing, recording and personal partnership that has produced 5+ recordings and won critical acclaim. Their dynamic live performances, either as a duo or as the front people for a full band, have taken them all over the country and to Europe, creating life-long loyal fans wherever they go. Always looking for ways to help promote their favorite independent artists, Jen and Scott created their own studio, The Wood and Stone Room, where they've produced some of the best acts in the Mid Atlantic region as well as started a vibrant live video series, Live @ the Wood and Stone Room. this year, expect new music and lots of performance dates from Naked Blue.
http://www.nakedblue.com/
Véronneau is an acoustic, song-based group playing Latin Jazz, Gypsy Swing and much more. Equally at home in an intimate jazz club, world music or folk festival, Véronneau are audience favorites performing in English, French and Spanish. Lynn Véronneau lights up the stage, engaging the audience with her vocal interpretations. The acoustic guitars of Ken Avis and David Rosenblatt and percussion of Pete Walby provide the rhythm, harmony and energy to propel the music from Brazilian samba, to French chanson to standards of The American Songbook. Together they bring fluidity and playfulness to the tunes. The multi-national band performs music inspired by jazz from around the world. Pieces such as "Blue Skies," "La Mer," and "Like the Gentle Rain" reflect their distinctive original sound, authentic but never conventional. Since forming in 2010 Véronneau's multi-national musicians, currently based in Northern Virginia, have delighted audiences at clubs concerts and festivals.
http://www.veronneaumusic.com/
