Melissa Carper
Bandcamp Daily describes Melissa Carper as “ an old soul with a voice made for mid-20th-century radio and a penchant for throwback folk, jazz, blues, and Western swing. Some artists sound inspired by the past; Carper sounds like the past has come to life.”
Born into a music-loving family, Carper was immersed in the music of Hank Williams Sr., Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and more .Learning to play upright bass in her Nebraska school, she also played and sang with her family country band. Hearing Jimmie Rodgers recordings made a defining impact on her music. “He combined country and blues and jazz,” she recalls. “All of those elements, and the rawness of those recordings…I can’t quite put a finger on it, but I was obsessed.”
Born In Ya (2024), Melissa’s most recent record release – with title taken from a quote by the late Ralph Stanley about the source of old-timey mountain music – showcases Carper’s long standing influences including the pre-WW II jazz & swing featured on her debut record Daddy’s Country Gold (2021) and the R&B / Soul that was the backbone of Ramblin Soul (2022).
Carper, along with fellow singer-songwriters Kelly Willis and Brennen Leigh, released a six song EP Wonder Women of Country which was one of the Boston Globe critics’ choice for favorite record of 2024.
American Songwriter calls Carper “The contemporary queen of Western Swing.”
More information: Melissa Carper
Martha Spencer & the Wonderland Country Band
Opening the show is Martha Spencer & the Wonderland Country Band. Spencer is a singer-songwriter, mountain musician and dancer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She grew up in the musical Spencer family (Whitetop Mountain Band) and learned to play several instruments (guitar, fiddle, banjo, bass, dulcimer, mandolin) and flatfoot/clog at a young age. She performs and has recorded with various groups and has been involved with several roots music projects. She has played shows, festivals and led workshops across the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, and Europe.
Spencer’s first solo album in 2018 and latest release Wonderland in 2022 have been featured in articles in Rolling Stone Country, No Depression, Holler, Wide Open Country, Bluegrass Situation, Americana Highways, PopMatters, and others. She also has been included in articles in The New York Times, Austin Chronicle, and Billboard, and was a part of the documentary movie Fiddlin’.
More information: Martha Spencer