Current Season

Alice DiMicele

(Oregon)

Listen:  “Rise“

Alice DiMicele is an Americana/ Folk Singer-Songwriter based in Southern Oregon. Her voice is rangy, sometimes soft and intimate, other times bold and brassy, evoking a distinct mood in every song she sings. Alice built a dedicated fan base as an independent musician with stirring live performances spanning a three-decade career. Her new album, Every Seed We Plant, is her sixteenth release, a snapshot of life in these times – gut-wrenching, hopeful, vulnerable, intense.

The first thing you ‘ll notice about Alice Di Micele is her voice. With a five-octave range that is intense, sensual, rich and soulful, Di Micele has been known to turn a noisy bar silent within a few notes. Her warm presence and humor disarm and create a rare intimacy between audience and performer.

Whether singing a jazzy-folk number, belting a sassy blues, crooning a hushed ballad, or rocking out on one of her trademark rhythmic earthy grooves, Alice is a vocalist that moves people. A kick-ass guitarist as well, whether playing solo or with a band “Force of Nature” her acoustic guitar conjures percussive poly-rhythms, bass lines, and melodies that perfectly frame her vocals.

“Alice’s music has that great combination of earthiness and groove that keeps it funky from the inside out. She’s for real.” – Bonnie Raitt

“…her rich, jazzy vocals, laid upon a bed of easygoing folk pop, are as warm and inviting at a cup of thick cocoa.” – The Oregonian

“This lady’s no shrinking violet…a talent noteworthy in the extreme.” – Rock ‘n Reel, UK

Jeremy Facknitz

(Colorado)

Listen:  “Unsung“

Jeremy Facknitz has been entertaining audiences with his lovingly crafted music and high-energy performances for over a quarter century. Since the 2002 break-up of his Detroit-based band “The Ottomans” (they earned a 2001 Detroit Music Award for Best New Alternative Band, beating out “The White Stripes”), Jeremy has performed primarily as a solo act, marrying folk-rock and jazz stylings to showcase his intimate stories of life, love, and self-discovery.

But from 2003 to 2017, those stories seemed to fall on deaf ears. Facknitz carved out a living performing at bars, coffeeshops, and corporate events while teaching lessons on the side. “I was happy to be making a living performing music, but my original music wasn’t being heard – and as the years passed I found myself more and more frustrated playing to little more than the din of drunken conversation.” Things came to a head on July 17th, 2017 when Jeremy was diagnosed with viral meningitis. “I came face to face with my mortality, and I realized it was time for a change. I quit performing at bars and spent the next year making the leap to house concerts, touring, and performing solely for listening audiences.”

The leap has paid off. Jeremy was named a top 24 finalist from over 800 entries in the 2020 and 2022 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Competitions at Kerrville Folk Festival. His song “Smilin’ At The Future” made him an Empower (Posi) Music Award Winner in 2023.

While occasionally performing with his 6 piece band in Colorado, Jeremy continues to tour solo – performing at house concerts and listening rooms in the United States, Canada and Europe. His 6th solo album “Smilin’ At The Future” was released March 31st, 2023 to worldwide critical acclaim.

“Jeremy Facknitz is a one-man acoustic act with the panache needed to become a star, armed with a melodic voice and a truckload of charisma…”  – Sydney Hamilton, Colorado Springs Independent

“Jeremy Facknitz is like a singer/songwriter who has been bitten by a radioactive rock star.”  – Charlie Milo, The Charlie Milo Trio 

“Jeremy Facknitz is, indeed, a major talent.  Packed with tunes that manage to sound both familiar and refreshingly new, Smilin’ at the Future is an excellent album – and, I can guarantee, like nothing you’ll have ever heard before.” – John Barlass, At The Barrier

Goldpine

(Nashville)

Listen:  “Wander Away”

From Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium to listening rooms throughout the United States, husband-wife duo GOLDPINE has been offering their own brand of bold harmony-driven Americana to audiences large and small. WINNER of the 2022 Rocky Mountain Songwriter Contest, their distinctive harmonies are clearly a channel for their sometimes-raucous, sometimes-reminiscent compositions. With an incredible collection of stories about life, love, and purpose, their live performance is a powerful projection of everything Goldpine is about: striking vocals, bold harmony, and introspection into the human experience.

After nearly a decade of honing in on their sound, Goldpine released their sophomore album Two and continues to waste no time showing what they stand for. Their lead single, “Do You Have Me,” showcases Kassie’s powerhouse of a voice. Starting out slow, the song cycles through a pattern of harmonious verses and a commanding chorus, ultimately building to an instrumental interlude of southern electric guitars and a rhythmic tambourine.  Two is about real people and real situations, told through candid and passionate songwriting. “I want people to come away from this album and take an honest look at themselves,” Ben remarks. “An honest look at motives. An honest look at connections with other people. An honest look at how we use the time we’ve been given.” Exposing the pains of severed relationships and unearthing the pursuits of love and purpose, Goldpine is cathartic, moody, dissonant and relevant, all intertwined into one.

“…sharing a sound that’s cast in honesty, emotion and homespun sentiment…the songs say it all, providing clear indication that Goldpine has established a precious standard.” –Lee Zimmerman (Goldmine Magazine)

“Goldpine is folksy and falls within the Americana genre but their musical arrangements are very innovative and eclectic.” – Melissa Clarke (Americana Highways)

“I love these guys. If their fun upbeat songs don’t seal the deal for you, their never ending onslaught of bold harmony is undeniable.” – Andrija Tokic, Grammy Award-nominated producer (Alabama Shakes)

“…an Americana band that oozes honesty through the music they make. They are a melding of raw acoustic music with meaningful lyrics that paint a picture of their and our journey.” – Eric Dahl

— Host of Fox 17 Rock & Review Radio & TV

Dave Nachmanoff

(California)

Listen:  “Not What I Expected”

Touring, accompanying, and recording with his songwriting hero, Al Stewart, for over 15 years gave Dave the chance to get his own music out in front of tens of thousands of people and gained him international exposure and recognition. Over the years, he has shared the stage with a long list of legends of the folk and rock music worlds, including the likes of Alison Krauss, Steve Forbert, Firefall, John Wesley Harding, and blues legend Libba “Freight Train” Cotten (when he was ten years old). Dave continues to record and tour, playing well over a hundred shows a year in listening rooms, private house concerts, and at other events. He is focusing on using his music to make a difference in the world and benefit concerts are an important part of that.

Dave is currently touring the U.S. in support of “Cerulean Sky” which he recorded with Grammy-nominated producer-engineer Bill Smith, who has worked with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Yes, among others. The Cerulean Sky studio band included Michael Jerome and Taras Prodaniuk (Richard Thompson’s rhythm section), and Carl Byron on keyboards (Jackson Browne, Hot Club of LA). Dave’s writing has strengthened over the decades and many fans are calling the songs on “Cerulean Sky” his best yet.

When not on tour, Dave Nachmanoff is busy producing for other artists, teaching master classes around the US and working in his unique niche of writing and recording custom songs.

“Dave Nachmanoff seems to carry his own electricity with him. Not in a jar but in his guitar, voice and stage personality. The lights burn a bit brighter when he is on stage.” — Bob Stane, Coffee Gallery Backstage

Ellis Delaney

(Minnesota)

Listen:  “Right on Time”

There’s just something about Ellis Delaney. At once funny and wise, thoughtful and uninhibited, with a captivating voice that is matched by tender, sometimes funny, uplifting lyrics. If you looked up the definition of open-hearted in the dictionary, you just might find a photo of Ellis there. Their performances are transformational; leaving audiences feeling better, with softened edges & opened hearts.

Ellis is a performer with a mission. Believing that music is healing, they regularly offer their music for free / pay what you can online. Also, Ellis offers a “Right on Time” hotline message that supports resilience by sharing different grounding / mindful practices, as well as a reminder each week that we are interdependent and worthy of love and belonging. As a fan favorite song asks, “What if we are right on time?” Ellis also has a member community on Patreon and meets with patrons weekly at 11 a.m. central time in a gathering called “Feelin’ It Fridays”.

Ellis released their tenth album, Ordinary Love, in 2020. Says Ellis, “My hope for this new album is that it both inspires a lighter heart while also expressing and connecting to the gravity of this moment in our human history. Can we greet our lives, each other, and even the news every day with ordinary love?”

A transplant from Texas to Minnesota at age 16, Ellis got their musical start at open mics and then grew a following while touring full time. Ellis has been recognized both for songwriting as well as for engaging performances. Having become a mainstay at a number of folk festivals, Ellis has been a repeat performer as well as voted “audience favorite” at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, Moab Folk Festival, Sisters Folk Festival, and Rocky Mountain Folks Festival.

“If ever there was a feel-good folk musician, this is the one – somebody who really does
send you off feeling better about the world.” —John Davy, No Depression

“Sometimes, seeing a performer live makes such a difference… when you actually experience someone like Ellis Delaney in person, you leave much happier than when you came.” —Mike Pengra, Radio Heartland/ The Current

“Ellis has a confident, enthusiastic, even exuberant, optimism that is both disarming and highly contagious. I defy even the most cynical Gen-Xer out there to go see her perform and not get a few joyful goosebumps.” —Rich Larson, SouthernMinn Scene