Amber Rubarth  (Producer & Co-Host, Singer-Songwriter)

“Songs so strong they sound like classics from another era.” – ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE

“You will leave with a crush on her.” – BOSTON GLOBE

Every so often an artist arrives with a lyrical ability to convey the simplest of things. With Amber Rubarth it’s all in the detail. Refreshingly unique in her styling, Rubarth has built an eclectic collection of songs from the fun and frivolous to the raw and destructive – her voice knows no bounds where genre is concerned.  But it’s in her lyrics where the most satisfaction is found. Inspired by the works of Paul Simon and Leonard Cohen, her musings on life are delightful in their innocence and have the capacity to appeal to the most diverse audience.

Touring from South Africa to Japan and all throughout Europe and North America, her appearances have included everything from a sold-out Carnegie Hall and Glastonbury (UK) to being handpicked to open for legendary artists including Emmylou Harris, Richie Havens, Dr. Ralph Stanley and Kenny Loggins.  Grand Prize Winner of the prestigious NPR Mountain Stage contest, songwriting is always at the heart of how Rubarth navigates the world.

Rubarth made her acting debut starring alongside Joe Purdy in the feature film AMERICAN FOLK (out now on Amazon) winning numerous festivals and awards and being called “Superb… A heartfelt homage to American folk music,” by HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, and “Two wondrous new voices steeped in the folk tradition,” by ROLLING STONE.  She has scored and composed for many films including Sundance Film Festival winner ‘Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work’ and the award-winning documentary ‘Desert Runners,’ and recently co-produced a double album of 24 artists for the documentary ‘Fantastic Fungi.’  Her latest album COVER CROP is a meditation on sustainability and interconnectivity through the lens of 15 cover songs self-produced and recorded at her cottage in the woods of the Hudson Valley, New York.

Interview with Ambar Rubarth

• – Official website:  https://www.amberrubarth.com/
• – IG: @amberrubarth
  
• – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmberRubarthMusic/
  
• – Youtube video: https://youtu.be/7CIeq-EK3gg?si=7UKmPDqV_08z8K4G

Chris Pierce (Artist, Activist and Storyteller)

“One of America’s most talented, gifted, and affecting artists.” – AMERICAN SONGWRITER

“I haven’t been so deeply, deeply moved by just a person and their guitar like this in a long time.” – NPR MUSIC

In 2023, Chris Pierce was handpicked to be the special guest opener for the NEIL YOUNG Coastal Tour. Recently, he gained additional worldwide prominence with “We Can Always Come Back to This”. His hit co/write aired on 3 episodes of the NBC primetime series ‘THIS IS US,’ then went on to #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart.  Pierce has also done worldwide headlining tours and has supported: Neil Young, B.B. King, Seal, Al Green, Steve Earle, Allison Russell, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Rodrigo y Gabriella, Keb’Mo, Blind Boys of Alabama, Aaron Neville & others.

Other recent highlights include: 2 U.S. tours with ‘Our House’ (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Family & Friends), 2 solo concerts at The Kennedy Center, a ‘Playing for Change’ duet with Sara Bareilles, a sold-out Troubadour concert with Allison Russell, and performance/interviews on NPR’s WORLD CAFÉ, MOUNTAIN STAGE, AMERICAN FOLK SHOW, SoCAL SOUND, and more. Stellar performances at Newport Folk, AmericanaFest, Folk Alliance, Bottlerock, Rancho La Puerta Folk Fest, Four Corners Folk, MerleFest & NC Folk Festival led to further acclaim.

His 2021 album, ‘AMERICAN SILENCE’ garnered critical acclaim from NPR, Rolling Stone, NoDepression, SiriusXM, The Bluegrass Situation, AmericanaUK, Acoustic Guitar and others. PopMatters named ‘AMERICAN SILENCE ’THE #1 Best Folk Album of 2021 and FolkAlley named “Residential School” from AMERICAN SILENCE one of the 100 Essential Folk Songs.

His newest album ‘LET ALL WHO WILL’ was released on September 1, 2023, with critical acclaim from NPR, NoDepression, American Songwriter, Hi Times and more.  In addition to his solo career, Chris Pierce performs/records with both Americana/Folk/Soul sensation WAR & PIERCE with Sunny War, & the Americana/Roots band LEON CREEK.

Website: chrispierce.com

IG: @IAmChrisPierce

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamchrispierce/

Jake Blount (Artist and multi-instrumentalist, Storyteller)

A powerfully gifted musician and a scholar of Black American music, Jake Blount speaks ardently about the African roots of the banjo and the subtle, yet profound ways African Americans have shaped and defined the amorphous categories of roots music and Americana. His 2020 album Spider Tales (named one of the year’s best albums by NPR and The New Yorker, earned a perfect 5-star review from The Guardian) highlighted the Black and Indigenous histories of popular American folk tunes, as well as revived songs unjustly forgotten in the whitewashing of the canon. Jake Blount’s new album, The New Faith, is a towering achievement of dystopian Afrofuturism and his first album for Smithsonian Folkways (released September 23, 2022). The New Faith is spiritual music, filled with hope for salvation and righteous anger in equal measure. The album manifests our worst fears on the shores of an island in Maine, where Blount enacts an imagined religious ceremony performed by Black refugees after the collapse of global civilization due to catastrophic climate change. Jake Blount’s music is rooted in care and confrontation. On stage, each song he and his band play is chosen for a reason – because it highlights important elements about the stories we tell ourselves of our shared history and our endlessly complicated present moment. The more we learn about where we’ve been, the better equipped we are to face the future.

Website: https://jakeblount.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/notjacobnotblunt/

Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/jake.m.blount/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/63yfJDmaBbifNzvWUUdpv1

Video (NPR Tiny Desk Concert):

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/06/1146659751/jake-blount-tiny-desk-concert

Larissa Maestro (Artist, Cellist, Multi-Instrumentalist)

Larissa Maestro is a composer, cellist, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and arranger, based in Nashville. Their work as an artist is broad and varied, a testament to a deep love of creation, expression, and collaboration.

Larissa was named “Instrumentalist of the Year” at the 2022 Americana Music Awards, and is the first cellist and first member of the Asian American Pacific Islander community to receive the award. Since arriving in Nashville in 2007, Larissa has co-founded a community orchestra (The Nashville Concerto Orchestra), joyfully screamed 90s covers to thousands of people with local supergroup My So-Called Band, started a Star Trek podcast (Into the Wormhole with Larissa and Lauren), created countless string arrangements for recordings and live performances, and appeared on stages big and small, in person and on network television.

The list of artists with whom they have recorded, collaborated, and/or performed is as diverse as their interests: Hozier, Allison Russell, Wendy & Lisa, Chaka Khan, Eminem, Margo Price, Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings, Mickey Guyton, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Jake Wesley Rogers, John Legend, H.E.R. & Daniel Caesar, Toni Braxton, Cam, Brandi Carlile, and more. They are currently writing and recording a solo pop/chamber music project called MZTZA.

As a composer, Larissa has used chamber music to express their rich inner world, relationship to their neurodivergence, and identity as a Filipinx-American. Their compositions have been performed by Julian Schwarz (cello), Patrick Dailey (countertenor), ALIAS Chamber Ensemble, Lockeland Strings, La Vie Quartet, The Nashville Concerto Orchestra, and members of the Nashville Symphony. They have been commissioned twice as a composer for the Nashville Ballet, and their second work for dance was featured in the ballet “Anthology” in February 2023. Recently, they provided original score and main title music for the Max docu-series “Justice USA”, which documented the stories of several people’s experience with the Nashville justice system.

– Official website: http://www.larissamaestro.com/

– IG: @LarissaMaestro

– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larissamaestro

Jason Cupp (Guest Sound Engineer, Psychology of Creativity)

Jason Cupp brings over two decades of experience in the music industry. As a record producer, audio engineer, and tour manager, Jason has collaborated with a wide range of artists spanning multiple genres, from multi-platinum Grammy-winning pop acts to independent rock and Americana artists. With a portfolio of over 50 albums, including notable credits such as The Milk Carton Kids, Jon Brion, Tim Kasher, Ratboys, and American Football, Jason’s expertise extends beyond the studio. Recently, he has integrated his educational background in psychology to explore the intersection of creativity and group dynamics. Originally from the Arizona desert, Jason now calls the Midwest city of Saint Louis home.

– IG: @WorldCupp

– Facebook: @jason.k.cupp

Carissa Stolting (Co-Producer and Host, Moderator, Founder of Unmanageable)

Carissa Stolting is an artist & event manager, and the founder of Left Bank Artists. In 2014, Stolting created Left Bank with Grammy award-winning artist and cultural ambassador, Abigail Washburn, with the intent of building an arts management company that champions artistic integrity and creativity. Left Bank has since become the management home to wildly innovative artists like Leyla McCalla, Rachel Grimes, Wu Fei, Allison Russell, and more.

Responding to the expansive creative vision of artists on the Left Bank roster, Carissa partnered with grant-writer and development strategist Celine Thackston to create Unmanageable, a 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to build power and mobilize resources for independent artists engaged in social change work. Unmanageable was founded in 2020 and has since raised over 2.6M for artists and their large-scale creative projects which aim to encourage a more compassionate and loving world.

– Official website: www.unmgmt.org

– IG: @revoltingstolting