The Stray Birds are a folk-roots trio from Pennsylvania farm country who play as if they’ve been making music together forever. Their harmonies are gorgeous and gritty, and their deft instrumentals always serve the song. “Clearly these are players with chops, songwriters with a fierce command of their craft. But they also seem to have a grip on when to lend a hand, and when to let the songs fly on their own. This record was certainly one of the finest debuts of the year,” says about.com of their self-titled debut album, named to NPR’s Top Ten Folk/Americana releases of 2012.

 
The trio features Maya de Vitry on fiddle, banjo, and guitar, Oliver Craven on archtop guitar and fiddle, and Charles Muench on upright bass. All three sing – beautifully! Fly Magazine calls them a “super-talented acoustic trio whose virtuosity doesn’t get in the way of their soul” and praises their “rich vocal harmonies, tight acoustic arrangements, and heart-wrenching songs.” Last year, they released an EP of artful covers, including the great Louvin Brothers song “When I Stop Dreaming,” and they’ve recently released another full-length album featuring more originals, Best Medicine. For the healing power of beautiful music, catch The Stray Birds at the Freight!

Tenacious, innovative string musicians/dancers with a quirky neo-trad soul, the Evie Ladin Band throws down original folk songs and deep interpretations of old songs, with the kinetic thrill of percussive dance. Pop Matters says "Ladin's voice is sultry, wistful and defiant all at once. She possesses a keen songwriting sense and a stable of strong musicians to back her up." The polyrhythmic heat of Evie's clawhammer banjo has been heard from A Prairie Home Companion to Celtic Connections, Lincoln Center to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. The band's 2012 eponymous release won Americana Album of the Year from the Independent Music Awards. In 2016 the Evie Ladin Band celebrates the release of a new CD, Jump The Fire, as they've evolved into a tight trio. The Evie Ladin band features Keith Terry, a renowned percussionist/rhythm dancer, and the founder of the International Body Music Festival, on bass, body music, and vocals, and Erik Pearson, a musician's musician with the Crooked Jades and storyteller Diane Ferlatte, on guitar, banjo, and vocals. 

visit The Stray Birds website

visit the Evie Ladin Band website