Steve Earle (born January 17, 1955) is a singer-songwriter best known for his country music and rock 'n roll tinged "alt-country." He is also a published writer, a keen political activist (particularly in protesting against the death penalty in the U.S., as in his song "Ellis Unit One" from the movie Dead Man Walking), and has written and directed a play. Steve also had a small role as a recovering addict on the HBO television show "The Wire".
Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman (born October 31 or November 1, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 election for the office of Governor of Texas. Receiving 12.6% of the vote, Friedman placed fourth in the five-person race.
Writing a concise biography of Chris Altmann is hard. It’s hard to pin him down. Perhaps “Multi-instrumentalist” is the most fitting description, but that doesn’t allow for his other artistic facets; he’s also a songwriter, a performer, a band leader, a collaborator, and a session musician. “Multi-talented” may be a better depiction. Altmann has been fascinated with music since he was old enough to reach the keys on a piano.
The Felice Brothers are a folk rock/country rock band from upstate New York founded in 2006. It is comprised of the five main members Ian Felice (lead vocals, guitar, piano), David Turbeville (drums, vocals), James Felice (accordion, piano, organ), and Christmas (bass), previously a traveling dice player. They have been joined by Farley, a washboard player and fiddler, and others who at times had a horn section to the band. The brothers are from the Catskill Mountains of New York. They hail from Palenville, NY, twenty minutes from Woodstock.
Coming from Birmingham, Alabama. Ex-Verbena frontman toned down his sound in recent years after Verbena disbanded.
The guitars may be mostly acoustic these days, but the southern drawl and honest lyric and songwriting style still shine through. It seems Bondy has found another perfect style for his raspy voice, the acoustic blues akin to Rolling Stones ballads or Bob Dylan.
He recently married into the Felice family--of Felice Brothers fame--and sometimes tours with The Felice Brothers, performing both as an opening act and as an auxiliary guitar player.
Roots/alt. country duo The Yearlings combine warm harmonies with delicate flat-picking and sparse country blues to create songs that are at once haunting and soothing. Hailing from Adelaide, The Yearlings have pushed new limits in Australia's Roots/Alt. country scene. Robyn Chalklen and Chris Parkinson have wasted no time in getting down to the business of making music since meeting at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2000. Their successful self-titled debut album (released on Reckless Records in 2003) was recorded live in 8 hours and long-listed for an ARIA nomination.
John Doe refers to (at least) five different artists: 1. John Doe (born John Nommensen Duchac on February 25, 1954 in Decatur, Illinois) is the founder of the seminal L.A. punk band X, produced and managed by Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek. His musical compositions and performances are varied, including country and folk music. Doe also performs with the country-folk-punk band The Knitters and in 2009 formed John Doe And The Sadies. In the early 1980s Doe performed on two albums by fellow L.A punk band The Flesh Eaters.
Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman (born October 31 or November 1, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain. He was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 election for the office of Governor of Texas. Receiving 12.6% of the vote, Friedman placed fourth in the five-person race.
Jason Isbell is an alt-country singer /songwriter /guitarist from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Best known for his years with the Drive-By Truckers where he played with his then wife, bassist Shonna Tucker. Isbell - who joined the Truckers in 2001 - left the band in early 2007 around the same time as his divorce from Tucker was finalized. In addition to being a gifted songwriter, Isbell is regarded as an exceptional guitar player.
Crooked Still is a self-styled alternative bluegrass band consisting of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, cellist Tristan Clarridge, fiddler Brittany Haas, banjo player Dr. Gregory Liszt, and bassist Corey DiMario. They are known for their high energy, technical skill, unique instrumentation and innovative acoustic style. O'Donovan and DiMario met at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts in spring of 2001. Former cellist Rushad Eggleston, who was studying at Berklee College of Music, and Liszt, a graduate student at MIT, were playing music together around the same time.