Joyann Parker was raised singing in church, became a rocker along the way, has done her share of country music, but came home to her consuming passion for the blues only 4 or 5 years ago, and the world is so much richer for it. She represented Minnesota at the 2015 International Blues Competition in Memphis and was nominated in the Costello Rising Star category of the 2018 Blues Blast Magazine awards. Also follow her on Facebook.

Jesse Palidofsky turned to writing & performing music later in life in spite of an early passion for the music. Along the way, Jesse ran folk coffeehouses and did radio shows of multiple genres of music, widening his own tastes & proclivities to include jazz, classical, soul, & other types of music.

Tim Purcell had been around the musical block a number of times, all the way from his first band, American Apple, and including (but not limited to) Lou's Blues Revue, Perfect World, The Riley Hawkins Band, and The Mustangs. But his latest & greatest is a combination of young & old folks called Foxes and Fossils.

David Arn is a story-teller, or, better yet, a verbal story-painter who came to songwriting late in life, but in time to produce 3 CDs of his music by the age of 70. He self-describes as making music of the Folk Rock, Americana, and Soft Rock varieties, but a very special attribute of his productions are the videos that he has engaged to go with his songs, allowing free rein to artists & video producers to create the videos in reaction to and synergy with David's songs.

She's never just one (musical) thing. As the co-creator of the immensely popular group-singing songbook, Rise Up Singing, and its sequel, Rise Again, Annie Patterson has one foot securely rooted in the folk music world. Annie must have several feet, because she also has feet well-planted in diverse musical genres, like blues, swing, and jazz.

Christine Stay & Aiden Quinn are the modern-folk duo known as Friction Farm. Starting, both, from science-geek jobs, they followed their hearts from work they were very competent at into work that they love and do exquisitely. Based from their sustainable home near Greenville, South Carolina, they make music with deep lyrics, beautiful vocals, and sumptuous instrumentals.

Kristin Lems is insightful, determined, compassionate, and talented, and sees our world with eyes honed by the experience of living in Iran, Algeria, & Mongolia, the last 2 as a Fulbright scholar. She's founder of the National Women’s Music Festival in Champaign-Urbana (this year in Middleton, WI), and got Dr Demento's attention with her music, including the very clever Mammary Glands. Kristin is a professor of ESL/Bilingual Education at National Louis University with their flagship campus in Chicago.

John Vento self-describes as making Americana Classic Rock with Indie Folk Pop surprises, which you can find when he performs solo, with Nied's Hotel Band, or, in the past, with Xposure and Bmen. He has sometimes been called the chameleon of Pittsburgh's music scene.

Tom Kimmel spent more than 3 decades in Nashville sharing his songs with folks like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Linda Ronstadt, Nanci Griffith, Dolly Parton, Shawn Colvin, Art Garfunkel, and many, many other well-known performers, and performing them himself. Tom's songs expose his heart and move the hearts of others, both though the words & music, combining his gifts as a songwriter, poet, speaker, & teacher.

Clare Norelle is all about healing & wholeness, and that quality pours through her music. Her voice & lyrics are soothing, dancing, flowing, & beautiful. Clare also enchants the world with things like community yoga & story-telling, in Madison, WI. Her latest release is Islands of Possible Things.