KIM TREIBER is one of the VOICES UNITED

Taos, NM: performed at The Adobe Bar

Kim never liked country music. She's sung in gospel choirs and with the rock bands: Bohiems and Burning Joan. Once deciding to record a couple country songs for her mother's birthday, everything changed. Now Kim Treiber and her group Kim and the Caballeros are big Taos country favorites. 

When she isn't performing, she's giving back to the Taos community. Treiber co-founded The Dream Tree Project, five years ago. According to their website www.dreamtreeproject.org they are a non-profit organization, committed to providing young people (currently living under bridges, in vans, abandoned buildings, and sexually exploitative and otherwise inappropriate situations) with safe, positive alternatives, helping them re-envision their lives and their futures. Thus far, they have procured a building, a thirteen passenger van, and $249,000 operating funds from HUD, as well as many appreciated gifts of money, services and equipment from the community. They offer: transitional living Program, wilderness therapy program and youth shelter.

JEFFERSON MONTOYA is one of the VOICES UNITED

Las Vegas, NV: performed at Wolf Theater at Clarion Hotel

Jefferson is a powerful vocalist, passionate song writer, and an amazing live performer who’s high-energy acoustic music crosses genres and emotions. The music world has be come a polished, slick, compressed, faux-finish of what life could have been. Jefferson is a raw and refreshing contrast that has been long awaited.

Jefferson Montoya is a singer/songwriter in Las Vegas, NV. He's been performing his original intense acoustic based music for fans all over the U.S. and has taken stage as far away as England, Australia, and Japan. But before that he studied, formally, Opera performance and jazz percussion through his bachelors degrees. From competitive solo vocal performances to big bands, and from grand operas to small musicals, Jefferson has been before all sorts of audiences for all sorts of reasons.

jeffersonmontoya.com/jm/Home.html

MATT MEIGHAN is one of the VOICES UNITED

Portland, OR performed at house concert

"Though the way ahead never did get clear, I guess we made it after all" sings Portland songwriter Matt Meighan, and the experience of miles traveled is easy to hear in his music. Drawing on his years as an activist, journalist, parent and poet, Matt writes tradition-steeped, thought-provoking songs that are at turns personal, political, poignant and funny, infused with a philosophical bent and an audible love of language.

A song collector as well as writer, Matt mixes his originals with songs by fellow songwriters as well as older songs from the folk and blues traditions. His commitments to good writing and "truth-telling" are clear in the songs he chooses and the songs he writes, many of which are performed by other songwriters. He is currently recording his second CD, Long Way 'Round.

Matt's engaging, relaxed performance style and fingerstyle acoustic guitar make him an ideal performer for house concerts and similar listening venues. He also performs as a duo, with Sherry Pendarvis on upright bass, and adds a fiddle or mandolin player to perform as a trio.

After earning an MFA in poetry at the Jack Keruoac school of Disembodied Poetics (Naropa University) in Boulder, Colorado, Matt turned his hand to songwriting and became a signifcant part of the Boulder acoustic music scene, organizing monthly songwriter gatherings and hosting numerous songwriter showcases. In 2003 moved to Portland, where he performs regularly, teaches a popular "Songwriting as Truth Telling" class, and hosts the weekly Songwriter Roundup show at Artichoke Music.

Matt began playing songs while still in high school in Chicago in the 1960s. His musical education began at the Old Town School of Folk Music and haunting the blues and jazz clubs of 1960s Chicago. He has since traveled the world with his music, performing in venues and on street corners across the U.S., Australia and Italy, and has regularly brought his songs to the pubs of Ireland over the last 20 years. He and his wife Nancy met at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville Texas, which they attend every year. Since moving to Portland Matt has become both a popular performer and an ardent supporter of the Portland-area acoustic music community.

mattmeighan.com/index.php

CRACKER AND THE DOCTOR is part of the VOICES UNITED

Durham, NC: performed at The Casbah

reverbnation.com/crackerandthedoctor

SETH GLIER is one of the VOICES UNITED

Ft. Atkinson, WI: performed at Cafe Carpe

Seth Glier is a rising star in the world of folk music.  He is a Grammy-nominated artist who is a seasoned troubadour performer, and has appeared with his idol James Taylor.  He has performed at some of the main folk festivals including the prestigious Falcon Ridge and Kerrville Festivals.  He already has many accolades for his music, which has been described as the next Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen, including an Independent Music Award for ‘Best Love Song’.  Seth’s next generation take on both pop and folk music has made him the future of the music industry and a force to watch in the coming years.  

sethglier.com

LAURA LOVE is one of the VOICES UNITED

Seattle, WA performed at house concert

The Afro-Celtic Bluegrass inspired sounds of Laura Love are as unique as her story that she sings about. Her story of hardships, abandonment and survival is chronicled in her memoir and through her music that has been very well received by critics and fans alike.  Her versatility as an artist is apparent, when her music is referred to as ‘Folk-Funk’ and ‘Hip-Alachian‘. Her music has become impossible to ignore, and her audience is as wide reaching and diverse as her music genre.  She has had worldwide success and has preformed everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Australian Music Festivals.   

lauralove.net/index.php

THE FINE ART RAMBLERS are part of the VOICES UNITED

Greenville, SC: performed at Coffee Underground

The Fine Art Ramblers are a Post-Modern String Band that plays a little bit of old-time, a little bit of blues, a little swing, & some great old tunes with a few Post-Modern surprises thrown in for good measure. The members of The Fine Art Ramblers are Patti Brady, Jim Campbell, Bob Chance, Phil Garrett, and David McCurry; all well-known visual artists.

facebook.com/fineartramblers

23 STRINGS & THE FOUNDATION is part of the VOICES UNITED

Greenville, SC:  performed at Coffee Underground

23 Strings & the Foundation are a quartet of stylish musical proportions.  They travel acoustically through soft rock, bluegrass, traditional and blues, blending harmonies and soul throughout.  Sharon Free, Griff Griffith, Ron Logan and KC Podd are your hosts on this eclectic musical journey, and through guitars, banjo, standup bass, mandolin, soaring vocals and a few other instruments, promise great tuneage.

facebook.com/23Strings

VIC VARNER is one of the VOICES UNITED

Charleston, SC: performed at Circular Church

The band, based in Beaufort, SC, features bandleader Victor Varner on guitar and voice, and Jevon Daly on violin. Guest musicians include some of the finest jazz and Americana-style players in the Southeast. The show will also feature outstanding Charleston musicians David Heywood on flute and Brian Reed on bass. Vic Varner and Friends explores a diverse repertoire of American music, performing standards in jazz and blues, as well as some Brazilian jazz repertoire.   

http://vicvarner.com/

BABY GRANT JOHNSON is one of the VOICES UNITED

St. Paul, MN: performed at The Celtic Junction

Baby Grant Johnson has made a name for himself in the Minneapolis Folk Music scene, with his diverse and impressive musical abilities.  While he was an avid folk fan at the early age of five, he experimented with other genres and has played everything from country music to rock ‘n’ roll.   He has described himself as a ‘songster’ focusing on the collection and dissemination of songs and music.  

http://www.myspace.com/babygrantmusic

KELLEY HUNT is one of the VOICES UNITED

Prairie Village, KS performed at house concert

Kelley Hunt’s love for her craft was fine tuned listening to early blues, R&B, roots rock, jazz and gospel influences including Ruth Brown, Mahalia Jackson, Billie Holiday, Ann Peebles, Ray Charles, Dinah Washington, Aretha Franklin, Charles Brown, Wanda Jackson and a crossection of the New Orleans/St. Louis/KC piano traditions of Professor Longhair, Toots Washington, Johnnie Johnson and Kansas City masters Jay McShann and Mary Lou Williams among others. While subtle reminders of those very traditional influences can be heard in Kelley’s live performances and recordings, her lyrics, soul and passion are all her own.

The result has been critical praise, “surprises don’t often crop up on the well-trodden blues circuit. So welcome Kelley Hunt. This Kansan is a full-blown phenomenon: Powerhouse singer, hardboogieing pianist, polished songwriter…” - Minneapolis Star Tribune. “…the freshest slant on classic R&B you’re likely to hear these days. She’s a tough woman who makes a hip and burly sound.” - Westword Denver.

Along with critical acclaim Kelley’s blistering live performances over the last several years have won over legions of blues and roots music fans making her a crowd favorite at over 100 blues and music festivals across North America.

On a trip to Nashville in 2001 Hunt took a meeting with one of the most respected producers in town, Garth Fundis, (Trisha Yearwood, Keith Whitley, New Grass Revival). Her intent was simply to pitch him a few songs for Trisha Yearwood.

kelleyhunt.com

SONGRISE is part of the VOICES UNITED

Washington, DC: performed at the Church of the Epiphany

from the show!

SongRise is Washington, DC's all women social justice a cappella group! We use our music to inspire people to fight for social and political change. We offer up our singing talents at community events, rallies, protests, farmer's markets, civil rights celebrations, DC voting rights events, in schools, at churches...you name it, whoever among us can be there will stand up and sing!

JAN MARRA is one of the VOICES UNITED

St. Louis, MO performed at house concert

Jan Marra is an accomplished folk singer hailing from St. Louis, Missouri who has a renowned voice.  Her work has won her many accolades including twice winning the Kerrville Folk Festival “New Folk” award to honor her songwriting.  She has also been featured on “A Prairie Home Companion” and many local television and radio productions.  She specializes in singing and performing for seniors, and works as a Music Therapist for the Elderly.  She also sings and plays bass for the only Urban Tribal Percussion Jam Band in St. Louis.

janmarra.com/index.htm

DAVID ROTH is one of the VOICES UNITED

Rehoboth, DE: performed at CAMP Rehoboth photo by John Economos

David’s songs have found their way to Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, several Chicken Soup for the Soul books, the Kennedy Center, NASA’s Space Shuttle “Atlantis”, Peter, Paul, & Mary concerts, the Kingston Trio’s NEW CD (and 12 of his own), 2 songbooks, many prestigious music camps around the country (he is Coordinator for the Swannanoa Gathering's annual "Contemporary Folk Week" in Asheville, NC) and countless venues in this and other countries (and now other WORLDS) for two and a half decades. Poignant to improbable, holistic to hilarious, David joins his good friend Anne Hills and US from his home on Cape Cod.  Join US for an evening to remember and a cause worth singing about...

davidrothmusic.com

MIA ADAMS is one of the VOICES UNITED

Honolulu, HI performed at house concert

In the musical tradition of Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt or Maura O’Connell, Mia Adams has a knack for choosing “undiscovered covers” written by top-notch songwriters. A passionate fan of passionate music, she sleuths for songs at picking parties, songwriter circles, folk festivals, jazz clubs and rock concerts and makes them her own with her silky, earnest alto. Lately, she's begun to pepper in a few of her own tunes as well. As a lark, she submitted her own compositions to the Jim Beam Country Band Search Contest in 2001. Winning the live competition to a packed house at The Wildhorse Saloon was a happy surprise as her music is more “funky folk pop” than country, but it does go to show that she can put across a tune. Her cover of Dana Cooper’s “Standing in My Own Way” was featured in Lifetime Television’s “Marriage Material”. 

After graduating Bennington College in her native Vermont, this songbird packed her bags and migrated south to Nashville. Learning the ropes as a backup singer, Adams has performed live and/or recorded vocals with Norah Jones, Richard Julian, Amos Lee, Ellis Paul, Tom Kimmel, Sam Bisbee, Adrienne Young, Buddy Mondlock, Dana Cooper, Michael Lille, Louise Taylor, Greta Gaines, David Halley, Scott Christopher Murray, Patrick Fitzsimmons and Toni Catlin. Recently she had the pleasure of performing on The Today Show singing backup for Norah Jones, on Mountain Stage with Richard Julian broadcast nationally on NPR and being featured on her own on The Songwriter Sessions on Nashville Public Radio. At Burlington’s Higher Ground, she's opened for Vusi Mahlasela, Ellis Paul and one of her personal musical heroes,Maia Sharp. She also recently opened for Buddy Mondlock. She recently performed In The Round at The Bluebird Cafe's tent at the first ever Country Throwdown tour and at Falconridge Folk Festival 2010 in the Emerging Songwriters Showcase. A regular for Burlington's First Night Celebration, she hosts her own In The Round Songwriter series at On The Rise in Richmond, VT featuring some of Vermont's finest.

Mia grew up on a mixed musical diet of New England folk (Cheryl Wheeler, Carly Simon), 70’s disco & rock (Stevie Wonder, Elton John) and 80’s pop (Prince,The GoGo’s, Marshall Crenshaw). A true “renaissance gal”, Mia is an accomplished actress as well. "Song of Fishes" a short film is currently being shown nationally and she wraps "Tick Tock Time Machine" this July. She has been featured in videos for Suzi Ragsdale and Buddy Mondlock’s music on European MTV and made a cameo in Norah Jones’ “Sunrise” and has appeared on TNN, CMT, CBS, PBS, and PAX TV. Her dream role would be to portray the life of a singer a la Sissy Spacek or Jessica Lange. She is currently developing a one-woman show to showcase her talents. “ My acting background affects the material I choose,” she says, “Most of it is very emotionally driven either through the story or the melody. I find myself gravitating towards songs that are almost like monologues…an infectious groove will also get me every time.” She counts Sam Phillips, Patty Griffin, Eliza Gilkyson, Aimee Mann, Jonatha Brooke, Shawn Colvin and Natalie Merchant on her short list of contemporary influences.

Also a percussionist on occasion, anything from brushes on an upside down Crystal water container to Fischer Price Toys has been turned into a beat keeper in her hands. “So far no drummer’s taken a shaker out of my hands, and I usually get approving nods….”, she says, “I play self taught auxiliary percussion with professional instruments mixed with odd noisy stuff I find at yard sales.”

Currently, Adams is pulling resources to record her first album’s worth of material.

www.sonicbids.com/2/EPK/?epk_id=119412