2025 Performers
The Henhouse Prowlers
Their latest record, 'Unravel,' underscores the band's resistance towards being contained, They play tunes expressing a modern Americana feel with others nodding to classic country and bluegrass standards. Their trademark four-piece harmonies offer tone and sincerity. Audiences can expect an inspiring narrative at each show. To date, the Prowlers have toured 29 countries on 5 continents working with the U.S. State Dept and their own nonprofit, Bluegrass Ambassadors. The group's experiences with people and musicians across the globe have shaped their worldview and bolstered the bridges they establish between cultures. For this troupe, the work doesn't stop at music-making – they are actively striving toward a kinder world.
The SLO County Stumblers
The SLO County Stumblers are an energetic American string band based in California’s Central Coast. The band features fiddler Casy Meikle, guitarist David Baine, banjo player Daniel Bohlman, and Jerry James on bass. The Stumblers play hard-driving old time fiddle tunes and spirited songs, heavily influenced by the golden-era string bands of the 1920s and 30s. Their performance is filled with humorous stories and banter and is guaranteed to generate a great audience response.
Stepwise
Stepwise is a high-energy Celtic Folk group featuring the swift rhythmic guitar playing of DADGAD-specialist Liam Lewis, the articulate hand percussion of All-Ireland champion Bones and Bodhran player James Yoshizawa, and smooth ornamented fiddling of Olivia Breidenthal. The group plays fast paced fiddle tunes and sings multi part harmonies. The three Los Angeles Natives have built a following playing festivals, concerts, and contradances up and down the West Coast. Notable performances have been Davis Hall in Fairbanks, Alaska, the Glenlo Abbey in Ireland, and the Lodge Room in Los Angeles.
Mariachi Sonidos del Monte
Led by Santiago Romero, these talented musicians are the premier mariachis in Santa Fe. The group offers distinctive instrumentation and a varied repertoire, singing the songs of the origins of mariachi – love, betrayal, death, politics, and heroes.
Nuages Du Desert
Nuages du Desert (clouds of the desert) is a five-piece band from Durango CO. They have been together since 2019 playing an eclectic amalgam of classic jazz, hot club jazz, swing, and French
cafe music. Multi-instrumentalist John Reeve from Austin TX plays keyboard. John played with many bands in the Austin area before moving to Durango in 2018. Rick “Quinny” Quinn from Durango is on accordion. Pat Longmire from Santa Fe plays guitar. Pat is currently with the Swing Soleil band in Santa Fe as well as making trips to Durango. Scott Flory is on bass. Scott is a recent arrival from Northern Virginia where he played in a number of Manouche bands. Eric Swanson on guitar is a retired band director and music teacher from Chile AZ. Long time
NM/CO fiddle player, Don “Cookie” Cooke rounds out the group on violin.
Charm City Junction
From dance-inducing Old Time rhythms and foot-stomping Irish melodies to hard-driving Bluegrass, Baltimore-based acoustic roots quartet Charm City Junction creates a fresh soundscape that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats wondering where they'll go next. Featuring fiddle, clawhammer banjo, button accordion and upright bass, this quartet isn’t afraid to take roots music to new places — but always with an eye on tradition.
High Lonesome Highway
High Lonesome Highway is a five-piece bluegrass band from Santa Fe delivering a foot-stomping mix of banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, upright bass, and harmonies. Their music is heavily influenced by Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, and JD Crowe and the New South. Their band has been described as driving, authentic, electrifying, and raw.
Kitty Jo Creek
Kitty Jo Creek from the Santa Fe area is a bluegrass and cowboy jazz flavored group, including the adventurous musicianship of James Horn, Glenn and Monica Hamilton, and Cory Winder. Kitty Jo Creek plays fresh renditions of traditional and original compositions. James Horn has been playing five-string banjo since 1974, starting in Bellingham, Washington. His playing is solid and lively, while incorporating chromatic and syncopated methods. He has shared the stage with Herb Pedersen, Bill Keith and recorded a session for Roy Head in Nashville, TN. Glenn and Monica Hamilton share time in Yuma, AZ and Truth or Consequences, NM. Glenn plays exciting bluegrass mandolin and provides great lead singing. Monica plays rock solid upright bass, and sings some wonderful songs herself. Cory Winder is one of the Southwest’s premier flat-pickers and mandolin player. He has been playing guitar since he was a kid, and provides lead vocals on some of his favorite songs.
Belen Escobedo y Panfilo's Güera
Belen Escobedo y Panfilo’s Güera from San Antonio, Texas play Mexican and Tejano (Mexican-American) fiddle tunes of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, drawing on a musical tradition with deep roots in the Texas borderlands. This style, and many of the tunes she plays, were both once common in string bands across South Texas and have now all but disappeared. The tunes Belen plays come from ones she learned from her grandfather’s whistling, from late night listening on borderland radio stations, and from decades of playing music with many bands and performers across South Texas. In keeping with the old tradition of Mexican-American string band music, Belen plays fiddle accompanied by bajo sexto, a unique 12 string bass with a very strong tradition in San Antonio and across the Texas-Mexican border. The bajo sexto is played by her husband Ramon Gutierrez.
Ryedale Largo & Diné Navajo Dancers
Ryedale Largo writes: "The dance group was founded in 1910 by my grandfather. We are now the fourth generation carrying on this tradition within our Navajo dance group. We share traditional dances and songs of our Navajo people. We are from Pinedale, New Mexico and we have be traveling for over 17 years now. We’ve been to honored to be the first ever Navajo dance group to perform in New York City and Florida and we share the true value and teaching though my family dance group."
ATC String Band
Traditional American folk music that is played by students from the Academy for Technology & Classics in Santa Fe. The group is taught and led by award-winning music teacher and musician Eric Carlson.