Click or Scan to add the Official 2024 Sustain Festival Playlist!
Friday May 17th @ 4:00 PM - Main Stage
Cam Pierce - Nashville TN
Cam Pierce was born and bread in the West... way West. Born in a tiny logging town in Oregon and growing up in the deep woods of the Southern part of the state. He says that all his time in the woods watching, listening, and being still is a key force in his spontaneous approach to songwriting. Cam's stories reach out and activate the imagination. Transporting the listener to another time, place and frame of mind. His is a unique take on the various styles of Roots Music. Cam Pierce's music isn't just a "retro throwback sound", it is something stylistically new, and directly from the old.
Last year saw the release of "The Horseshoe". A 12 song album tracked live with band in the home of Cam's friend and Luthier located in Leiper's Fork Tennessee. The album is void of fancy production and technological "magic". It is an honest to goodness OLD country record, not forced "retro" hoopla. From start to finish it's like stumbling upon some forgotten recordings from the bygone era of grit and individuality that once permeated the vast landscape of "Country Music".
2024 will bring a pile of releases, the first of which is a number entitled "Western Man" which releases 2/2/2024. Also set to release is the long anticipated "Muscle Shoals" album. Originally recorded in 2021 at FAME Studios with Jimbo Hart (Former bassist in The 400 Unit) Co-Producing the sessions. it's taken some time to give it the wheels that it deserves, but it is one heck of a record. No release date has been set.
Also up for 2024 is heavy touring. Excited that his first ever touring vehicle being procured (1999 Chevy Astro Van), Cam is looking forward to getting back on the road. There are shows scheduled already for Illinois and Indiana, as well as Sustain Music Festival in rural Indiana in May.
“I find Cam’s music to be authentic while still causing me to reflect on old time country greats. His lyrics and melodies relax me and get me thinking about the important things in life!”
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals
Cousin Brothers - Indiana
Saturday May 18th @ 12:00 PM - Main Stage
The Cousin Brothers have blazed their own trail, bringing their unique blend of rocked-up bluegrass and grassed-up rock and country to enthusiastic audiences. Voted Indianapolis’ number one country band (and number two folk band) by the readers of Nuvo Magazine, the Cousin Brothers look forward to furthering their goal of world domination through power-grass. Since their inception in the fall of 2004,
The Cousin Brothers have established themselves as a force in the central Indiana music scene. It is their unique blend of bluegrass, rock, country and comedy that has won them the respect of their musical peers and makes their high-energy live show a must-see experience that keeps audiences coming back for more.
In 2005, founding members Ben Long and Kevin Vickery joined forces with percussionist T.R. Yelton, whose train beats augmented their sound and helped them to take power grass music to a new level. Later that year, the band added the latest addition to the line-up, Dave Bagdade, a veteran bluegrass guitarist and vocalist, giving The Cousin Brothers three solid lead voices and two, multi-instrumental soloists.
“As the unofficial hype man of the Cousin Brothers, I couldn’t throw a festival and not include them! They have been entertaining the Sustain Community once a month at the Historic Melody Inn for years.
They don’t take things too seriously except making sure I dance and that they rock the crowd! Blending Ole Time Country with hard driving Progressive Bluegrass and a dash of genre bending surprises, the Cousin Brothers Movement may not sweep the nation but it will sweep Sustain for damn sure!”
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals
Damn Tall Buildings - Brooklyn, NY
Friday May 17th @ 9:30 PM - Main Stage
Witty & engaging, Damn Tall Buildings’ energizing music finds beauty and glory in the mundane workaday struggle of everyday life: time keeps passing and the seasons come and go, you scroll too much, you smoke too much, you lose yourself, only to sit with yourself & find yourself again, you laugh with your friends, and you look out the window & dream about what else might be out there. It all keeps coming around. You carry on, intent on flourishing and thriving. This is what Damn Tall Buildings sings about, what they seek to share with their audience.
In their early days, Damn Tall Buildings didn’t rehearse – they busked. Now, whether live or on record, the trio still radiates the energy of a crew of best friends playing bluegrass on the street. Anchoring that energy is their instrumental chops, their strong songwriting, and their varied influences that stretch beyond bluegrass, even beyond American roots music altogether. Whether sharing lead vocals and instrumental solos or blending their voices into high-spirited harmony, Damn Tall Buildings is a tight unit that contains more than the sum of its parts.
Primary vocalist and lyricist Max Capistran’s singing recalls old blues and The Band-style roots-rock, whereas Sasha Dubyk’s time studying musical theater is evident in her rich vocal tone and soulful flair. Avery Ballotta’s fiddle brings stratospheric dimension to the churning rhythm section of Capistran’s guitar and Dubyk’s bass. The band’s harmony singing is tight without being too slick – they sound like three individual voices joined together in celebration, not a perfectly polished machine. Their choruses are the kind you sing along to with a glass raised into the air.
“I first heard Damn Tall Buildings as I prepared to attend the John Hartford Memorial Festival where they were due to perform. I have since seen them live again but I can’t get enough! The first thing I notice is the energy and tight arrangements. Classy and crisp with a huge dose of fun!”
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals
Debutants - Fort Wayne, IN
Friday May 17th @ 2:00 PM - Main Stage
Debutants is a high-energy string band with eclectic influences, and a penchant to play anything they feel. Dancing between songs and styles of old and new, this fun-loving collective dazzles with impressive musicianship, earnest songwriting, and dynamic live performances.
Debutants have evolved from a duo between longtime friends, Lynn Nicholson and Jon Swain, into a formidable 7- piece string band with eclectic influences. Regardless of number of members, what somehow manages to always come through loud and clear is the amount of fun they're having playing together, and the vibrant life breathed into their music.
On their 2021 debut release, Indiana Newgrass - EP, Debutants went into the studio with banjoist Michael Earl Newsome, fiddle player Sean Hoffman (Goldmine Pickers, The Goat's Beards, Soltré), and bassist/vocalist Colin Taylor (Uncle Muscle, Hillbilly Casino). Also highly instrumental in capturing their original sound, was recording engineer and producer Tyler Thompson (Fruition, TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, Jay Cobb Anderson) at his Studio 110 in Pittsburgh, PA.
For their 2022 sophomore release, Nobody Knows - EP, the band unquestionably returned to Thompson's Studio 110, this time bringing Lauren Blair on fiddle/vocals, and Ellen Coplin on cello/vocals. Growth became evident on titles such as Nicholson's Hard to Say, along with increases in tempos and instrumental prowess demonstrated on pieces like Swain's Never Thought I'd Be the One.
With the same lineup in 2023, the band tackled their first full-length album, River on the Moon. Nicholson and Swain were now joined by Hoffman and Taylor in songwriting. This release conveys their most ambitious and cohesive sound yet, in part due to recording all of it "live" circled together around a few microphones.
“It is important to our community that we balance returning festival performances with new bands coming to Sustain for the first time. Debutants played last year and not only did they light up the stage, the made a huge impression on me back stage. They are delightful people on top of being talented musicians.
I can hear influences from progressive bluegrass bands that have come before them and yet Debutants are not following anyone as much as expressing their own hearts & souls in a fun energetic manner! We are grateful to have and Indiana band on our Indiana stage again in 2024”
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals
East Nash Grass - Nashville TN
Friday May 17th @ 7:00 PM - Main Stage
"Nashville's newest bluegrass ambassadors," East Nash Grass comes as a refreshing break -- a balance of undeniably hard-driving bluegrass alongside surprisingly introspective songwriting and earnest narration. Featuring a who’s-who of Nashville’s hottest young pickers, the joy and passion these musicians feel towards the genre is infused in every note they play and every word they sing. Their second full-length album Last Chance To Win was released in 2023.
East Nash Grass is James Kee (guitar & vocals), Grand Master Fiddle champion, Maddie Denton, Gaven Largent (dobro), “Presidential Scholar for the Arts in Jazz”, Jeff Picker (bass), and TWO (2) IBMA Momentum Award-winners for Best Instrumentalist, Cory Walker (banjo) and Harry Clark (mandolin).
“I was turned on to East Nash Grass by a Sustain Volunteer as we were preparing for our first year festival…saying “We have to get these guys!” We couldn’t get it done that year but are so excited to have them in year 2. Their musical talent is obvious as they respect traditional bluegrass while simultaneously pushing the genre in their own direction!”
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals
Front Porch - North West AR
Saturday May 18th @ 2:00 PM - Main Stage
Foot stomping clawhammer banjo, powerful vocal harmonies, and ripping mandolin and fiddle melodies to energetic rhythms. Front Porch blends contemporary folk songwriting styles with an old time mountain sound rooted in Ozark tradition - creating a unique mix of old and new that will make you hoot and holler.
“We intentionally curate a fairly narrow sound for our Sustain events. Among other things, we look for authenticity…talent…potential. We want to make it easier for our community to experience the next great band. I feel Front Porch is that type of band. Put your seatbelt on…turn up the volume and let their blend of speed grass and energy accelerate you down the road! PS Watch that speedometer!!”
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals
Soggy Prairie - Sun Prairie, WI
Saturday May 18th @ 4:00 PM - Main Stage
Soggy Prairie has the five-piece instrumentation of a traditional bluegrass band, but don’t call them traditional. They call it “Madison Bluegrass.” With a mix of bluegrass standards, modern takes on country and Americana, and original music, Soggy Prairie puts on a show that demonstrates the versatility and broad appeal of string music.
Formed in 2002 in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, the band has developed a confident, high-energy sound and an enthusiastic following. Starting out as high schoolers too young to go to bluegrass jams in bars, they came up with their own interpretations of bluegrass classics. Since then, they’ve become a mainstay of the southern Wisconsin bluegrass scene, playing close to a hundred shows per year at festivals, concerts, fairs and bars.
Kodey Feiner (lead vocals, guitar) commands the stage with a powerful tenor and wry banter. Jim Kvalheim (mandolin, backing vocals) is an animated picker who may or may not have a giant beard at any given time. The Bass Player (bass, backing vocals) provides driving bass and infectious energy. Erin “the Conductor” Barnard (fiddle, vocals) is distinguished as the only member of the band with classical music training, educating other members about advanced concepts like “notes” and “being in tune.” Emily Jones (banjo) plays Scruggs-style banjo and has heard all your jokes. Soggy Prairie is Madison Bluegrass.
“We normally insist on seeing a band live before putting them on our stage but I found Soggy Prairie doing research for the 2024 Festival and wanted them to play right away. They have this melodic sound that is easy to listen too and is “sticky”. Like a bluegrass bird singing a song that your sure you have heard before and fills you soul!”
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals
Stampede String Band - Indiana
Saturday May 18th @ 5:45 PM - Pizza Barn Deck
Inspired by the blind blues singers and red clay farmers who gave the nation its heart and soul, The Stampede String Band presents their 4th album, The Last Shall Be First. It tells stories of outcasts, seekers, and good-hearted people fighting for their lives against the odds, and it searches out beauty and redemption in the low points in life. In the spirit of lowliness, this album strips away all trace of glitz and grand production. Founding members Aaron Nicely and John Bahler recorded these sparse duets with the same condenser mic they use for live performances, capturing the power, intimacy, and rawness of the miracle that can happen in a single-take. The song “Record Store Babies” laments the loss of “the scratches and pops that we’ve all grown to miss when the mp3 compression sucked out every hiss,” but rest assured these songs give you all the life, warmth, earnestness, and imperfections of those old recordings.
Over the last decade, The Stampede String Band has earned a reputation for their hard-hitting acoustic performances, thoughtful lyrics, and powerhouse vocal harmonies. The Last Shall Be First is not just another decent Stampede album: it’s a hair-raising experience. Its ten tracks include eight new originals, a cover of former band member Scot Heminger’s track “Long Time” that originally appeared on an album by his band Dos Ringos, and a cover of Blind Willie Johnson’s soul-splitting spiritual, “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.”
“John and Aaron have very unique and strong vocals individually and yet when they harmonize together around the single microphone it is magical! All of the band members play multiple instruments allowing them to deliver a broad string band sound!”
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals
The Fun Dunns - Vincennes IN
Friday May 17th @ 5:45 PM - Red Barn Deck
Saturday May 18th @ 9:00 AM - Red Barn Deck
The Fun Dunns are a roots music family duo that weave folk and bluegrass influences into their very own blend of tenor guitar led American standards and originals. Nash and Debbie’s original sound was crafted where most great things in the Midwest come from: the kitchen. Their music and song selection invite listeners to join their family in the tradition of folk music as familiar melodies and stories are shared from generation to generation. From the woods of Indiana’s First City, Vincennes, this southwest Indiana couple truly has fun playing their part in keeping the American folk music candle burning.
“We met Debbie and Nash Dunn as guest at their annual festival in Vincennes IN (First City Music Festival). Whether its singing an original tune or telling the backstory before playing a traditional tune, The Fun Dunns show a depth that you don’t get from many performers. I enjoy being entertained and taught about the history of roots music one song at a time! They help us believe in the good things coming!”
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals
The Hammer & The Hatchet - Southern Indiana
Saturday May 18th @ 5:45 PM - Red Barn Deck
The Hammer And The Hatchet are John Bowyer and Jayme Hood. Songwriting partners, whose Americana originals and harmony rich bluegrass sound have earned a name as a folk roots duo on the rise. They return in summer 2022, to premier Shake Off The Cold - their fourth album in eight years.
John Bowyer is a highly respected singer and multi-instrumentalist who has been writing and recording for over 20 years. Jayme Hood - his versatile songwriting soul mate, is also a carpenter, multimedia artist and a weaver. Hoosiers born and raised, based out of their cabin in the fabled hills of South Central Indiana.
“John and Jayme display their chemistry every time they take the stage. They have been staples of the Indiana music scene for decades. They have an authenticity to their story telling that keeps traditions alive.”
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals
The Tillers - Cincinnati OH
Saturday May 18th @ 7:00 PM - Main Stage
The Tillers have been thumping their own distinctive sound of string band style folk music for a decade, riding it all over the country and across the sea. Four studio albums and one live record have won them praise as modern folk storytellers of the national soundscape. They have shared the stage with a broad swath of national acts, from folk legends like Doc Watson, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Guy Clark, Country Joe McDonald, Jerry Douglas, Iris Dement, Pokey LaFarge, and The Carolina Chocolate Drops to rock daredevils like the Legendary Shack Shakers. The band came into being while busking for nickels and dimes in the gaslight district of Cincinnati. Now far removed from those humble beginnings, the band has won over Cincinnati’s bar and festival scene and launched international tours with tireless momentum. They resurrect songs of America’s past, craft originals all their own while touching on themes both historical and timeless. They are Cincinnati’s traveling minstrels. Expect to hear from them soon.
“I have been listening to The Tillers for years as they were a staple at the John Hartford Memorial Festival. We are blessed to have them bring their stories, unique sound and mid-west energy to our stage. We hope it is the first of many years of jamming together to raise awareness for sustainability within the festival community.
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals
Honest, soulful, and bearing a sound all their own, Wood Belly sprouted from the roots of bluegrass to notch a unique home in the broader Americana scene and continues to captivate audiences across the country en route.
With an unrelenting dedication to original songwriting, harmony singing, and artful arrangements, the quintet is forging a sound that is based in newgrass and flavored with alt-country, rock, and just enough jam to glue it all together.
Wood Belly established themselves as a staple of the Colorado and national acoustic music scene by winning the 2018 Telluride Bluegrass festival band competition and being nominated for an IBMA award. Bluegrass Today said “Even now, it’s safe to determine that they’re ones to watch...the freshness and vitality they bear elevates their standing and assures their status as instant contenders”. That freshness continues today as the band takes on a new shape. With a restructuring of the rhythm section, Wood Belly has opened up a world of dynamic range and dimension to be explored.
Wood Belly - Colorado
Saturday May 18th @ 9:30 PM - Main Stage
“I actually felt silly that I had not heard Wood Belly before researching artists for 2024 Sustain…WOW!!!. When I listen, they take me for a ride seamlessly moving from newgrass to americana and occasionally surprising me with some soul/funk. They effortlessly cover a wide vocal and musical range…they are the entire package!”
Kyle Ochs - Sustain Festivals