Sparks will fly when these three masters of the flatpick combine forces!  Scott Nygaard, Jody Stecher and Eric Thompson have collaborated in various combinations (most recently as part of Kleptograss) but this will mark their first performance as a trio.  Guitars will be front and center, but they'll play other instruments too -- mandolin, fiddle, banjo, maybe some cuatro -- and Jody's soaring vocals will be part of the mix as well.  The repertoire could come from almost anywhere including the fertile imaginations of Jody, Eric and Scott - these virtuoso pickers started with bluegrass and old-time music, but they have also delved into jazz and swing, Irish and Scottish, Cajun, blues, Puerto Rican etc. etc.  Scott, Jody and Eric have worked with too many notable musicians to list here, but some of them are: Peter Rowan, David Grisman, Chris Thile, Joan Baez, Mike Seeger, Tim O'Brien, David Nelson, Jerry Garcia, Maria Muldaur, Laurie Lewis...you get the picture.

Eric Thompson took up the guitar as a teenager in the 1960s and played in his first bands with folks like Jerry Garcia and David Grisman. Since then, he’s continued to expand his musical horizons, with particular interest in Appalachian story-songs and bluegrass breakdowns, classic country blues, Louisiana Cajun dance music, and paso dobles from Puerto Rico. As founding members of many influential roots music groups including the Black Mountain Boys, Any Old Time, the Klezmorim, and the California Cajun Orchestra, he’s worked with Maria Muldaur, Peter Rowan, Darol Anger, Laurie Lewis, the Savoy Doucet Cajun Trio, the Texas Sheiks, and his wife Suzy Thompson. Their latest album, Dream Shadows, continues their long-standing love affair with the pre-war music of the rural American South, at the intersection of country blues, string band music, and Cajun dance tunes. Eric’s flatpicking, famed for its purity of tone, speed, and soulfulness, is a treat worth savoring.

Jody Stecher is a mandolin master who has been making beautiful music for many decades now, working with such stellar musicians as Jerry Jeff Walker, Jerry Garcia, David Bromberg, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Martin Simpson, Laurie Lewis, Kathy Kallick, Alasdair Fraser, and his wife Kate Brislin, with whom he’s recorded seven albums, including two that earned Grammy nominations for Best Traditional Folk Album. His new release, Wonders and Signs, a collection of original songs recorded with an all-star team of local favorites, has the sound of an instant classic.

Scott Nygaard is a flatpicking phenom. Downbeat Magazine calls him “a phenomenally talented stylist.” The magazine Flatpicking Guitar calls him “one of the absolute cutting-edge players in today’s acoustic music scene.” He’s immersed himself in the wide sea of American music – bluegrass, folk, jazz, Cajun, Western swing, old time, and rock and roll – and worked with such artists as Tim O’Brien, Joan Baez, Chris Thile, Darol Anger, Jerry Douglas, Laurie Lewis, Matt Flinner, Bill Evans, and Sharon Gilchrist, earning several Grammy nominations along the way. Scott is also the editor of the magazine Acoustic Guitar and has written hundreds of articles on guitars and guitarists, as well as two books of instruction.

Put these three seasoned musicians together, and the result should be magical!

Visit Eric Thompson's website

Visit Jody Stecher's website

Visit Scott Nygaard's website

Listen to a track from Jody Stecher: