Martin Sexton  - A native of Syracuse, NY, Sexton relocated to Boston where he began making his mark in the city’s vibrant coffee house and club scene. A self-produced CD landed him a deal with Atlantic Records where he released a pair of critically acclaimed discs, one of which featured bassist Tony Levin and keyboardist David Sancious. Sexton’s songs, which tap the American musical landscape - soul, gospel, R&B and country - inspired a Billboard Magazine writer to call Sexton "the finest new male singer-songwriter of recent memory." In 1994, Sexton won the National Academy of Songwriters' Artist of the Year Award. By 1996, he was opening shows for Art Garfunkel, Jackson Browne and John Hiatt. In 2005, he released the Christmas disc Camp Holiday while 2007's Seeds debuted at No. 6 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Following up 2010's Sugarcoating, Sexton issued an EP titled Fall Like Rain, None other than John Mayer described Sexton as "the best live performer I've ever seen." 

NewFound Road - One of the most exciting bluegrass bands of the new millennium, in the past year, the band has shared the stage with a diverse array of artists including Oscar winner The Swell Season, Joe Diffie, Hall of Famer Mavis Staples, Grammy nominee Ryan Shaw and folk icon Judy Collins. In addition to powerful singer Tim Shelton, the group includes mandolinist Joe Booher, bassist/brother Jamey, and banjo/guitarist Josh Miller.

Belinda Smith - A Dove Award Winning songwriter and singer, WV native Belinda Smith moved to Nashville in 1997 to pursue a career in songwriting. Since then, she has charted multiple No. 1 songs, BMI play awards and owns an award winning publishing company, 7th Row Music. Her songs have been recorded by by artists ranging from FFH to Ty Herndon. She is also the founder and president of Belinda Smith Creative, an online company providing creativity mentoring for writers.

Whitehorse - Combining the unique talents of Canadian singer-songwriters Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland, Whitehorse is greater than the sum of the parts. Individually, Doucet and McClelland have been recognized with awards and nominations from the Juno Awards, the Canadian Folk Music Awards, the Hamilton Music Awards, the Independent Music Awards and Polaris. Together, they create vital music that plays off of their personalities and chemistry. 

Ryan Montbleau Band - Once an acoustic solo artist, the Peabody, MA, native released One Fine Color, his first full band project in 2006. Following an acoustic tour that Martin Sexton and Montbleau did together as solo performers, Sexton hired the entire group to back him this spring and summer on a tour that included a run of shows opening stadium gigs for the Dave Matthews Band. In addition, Sexton produced the band’s latest CD, Heavy on the Vine.

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For more information including hi-res photos, please contact Adam Harris, 304.556.4900. This episode is scheduled NPR distribution on May 11, 2012.