Rich Robinson - As the guitarist for popular rockers the Black Crowes, Rich Robinson had achieved the American Dream Before he was 25. Then, a divorce and the band’s unexpected hiatus ushered him into a painful, introspective period. The result was his second solo release, “Through a Crooked Sun,” a lyrically personal album which evidences a musical and spiritual awakening that addresses family, fame and fear. While the Black Crowes - whose 1990 debut, “Shake Your Money Maker,” was certified multi-platinum thanks to a cover of Otis Redding’s "Hard to Handle" and the acoustic ballad "She Talks to Angels” - are still active, the members all pursue individual projects. Robinson is also an accomplished visual artist, with a gallery of paintings posted at RichRobinsonArt.com .

Cowboy Junkies - Over nearly 25 years, Cowboy Junkies have established a unique musical signature based on introspective songs and a quiet, simmering intensity. Formed in Toronto in 1985, the band is still comprised of its four original members, Margo, Michael and Peter Timmins and longtime friend Alan Anton. After exploding on to the “alternative” scene with 1988's stark “Trinity Sessions” the Cowboy Junkies earned a solid niche in both the college and “adult” markets. The combination of Margo’s haunting vocals and brother/guitarist Michael’s ethereal songwriting helped define the soaring “Canadian sound.” The band has appeared on countless major television shows from “Saturday Night Live” to “Late Night with David Letterman” and “The Tonight Show.” In 2006, joined by Ryan Adams, Natalie Merchant and Vic Chesnutt, the group returned to Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity to revisit the songs of “The Trinity Session” in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The resulting film, Trinity Session Revisited, was released as a DVD/CD in 2008. “Sing In My Meadow,” released in 2011, is the third of four planned releases in 18 months collectively titled "The Nomad Series" while “Demons,” also issued in 2011, is a collection of songs written by the late, great Vic Chesnutt.

Anaïs Mitchell - Vermont native Anaïs Mitchell settled in Austin, TX, in the early 2000s, attended Middlebury College and traveled throughout the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe studying global politics. Influenced by alternative folk artists like Ani DiFranco, she issued her first recording, “The Song They Sang When Rome Fell,” in 2002. The following year, Mitchell received the “New Folk Award” at the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival and followed that with 2004’s “Hymns for the Exiled.” After attending a few of Mitchell’s shows, DiFranco offered her a deal on her Righteous Babe label. In 2006, Mitchell debuted her "folk opera" “Hadestown” in collaboration with arranger Michael Chorney and director Ben T. Matchstick based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and set in a futurist poverty-stricken America. A highly acclaimed album titled “Hadestown - with appearances from Greg Brown, DiFranco and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon - was released in 2010. Her current release, “Young Man in America,” finds Mitchell taking on the voices of multiple characters, both men and women and features cameos by guitarist Adam Levy and Punch Brothers’ Chris Thile.

Paul Kelly - Since the late-‘70s, Australian singer/songwriter Paul Kelly, a storyteller on a par with the likes of Ray Davies, has amassed a catalog whose quality and variety are unmatched - all the while remaining a beloved cult figure in the U.S. An incredibly prolific renaissance man, Kelly has produced a release by aboriginal songwriter Archie Roach, collaborated with Australian band Yothu Yindi and recorded with Australian country star Kasey Chambers. He also penned songs for his acting role in the stage play “Funerals and Circuses” and published his first book of poetry, “Lyrics.” Dubbed “Australia’s Rock Icon” by “Rolling Stone” Magazine, Kelly scored three films in 2001 and his releases include the bluegrass-inflected “Foggy Highway” (2005), “Dirt” (2006) and “Stolen Apples” in 2007. In 2004, he staged his “A-Z concerts” which found him performing 100 of his songs over four nights - in alphabetical order. The accompanying stories and monologues led to his first book of prose, “How to Make Gravy.” 

-30- 

For more information, including hi-res photos, please contact Adam Harris, 304.556.4900 .  

This episode is scheduled for distribution