Located on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota, THE NORTH HOUSE FOLK SCHOOL is a community supported non-profit destination that teaches traditional northern crafts in a student-centered learning environment. Mountain Stage is honored to be a part of North House’s annual Unplugged fundraiser for the second consecutive year.

Trampled by Turtles - A bluegrass band gone bad, this Minnesota-based acoustic quintet “approaches the banjo and mandolin with a level of brash recklessness... that would make Bill Monroe and Joe Strummer proud.” Formed in 2003, the members were raised on punk ‘n’ roll but gravitated to traditional instruments to craft a pedal to the metal style of “bluegrass that meets Basement Tapes-era The Band with a fistful of gunpowder tossed into the wood-burning stove.” Relying solely on word of mouth, Trampled by Turtles has sold out venues across the country. The band’s 2010 release Palomino earned praise from NPR Music while Paste Magazine admired the band’s “punk ethos…virtuosity and energy” and named TbT one of the “Top 25 Live Acts of 2011.”

Low - Formed in Duluth, MN, in 1993 by the husband-and-wife team of guitarist/singer Alan Sparhawk and drummer/singer Mimi Parker, Low’s sparse, understated “rock” was initially something of a reaction to the grunge music that was in vogue at the time. The group’s resume includes recording with Bongwater member/Shimmy Disc producer Kramer and later signing to the Sub Pop label, a slot on the Joy Division tribute A Means to an End and having its version of “Little Drummer Boy” featured in a Gap commercial. Then, none other than Robert Plant covered two Low songs on his 2010 solo album Band of Joy (earning a Grammy nomination for his interpretation of Low's "Silver Rider") and praised the band in periodicals ranging from MOJO to Rolling Stone. The group’s latest release, C’mon, was recorded in a church-turned-recording-studio in Duluth and features a guest spot by Trans-Siberian Orchestra violinist Caitlin Moe.

Minnesota - A collaboration between lauded singer-songwriter Peter Himmelman, and acclaimed screenwriter- filmmaker David Hollander, Minnesota is a departure from Himmelman’s usual sound. The resulting record, produced by Hollander, has been described as ethereal, deep and moving. “Minnesota’ represents the whole experience,” Hollander says. “It’s not a Peter Himmelman solo album, or ‘A Film by David Hollander’; it’s a larger collaboration, well beyond the two of us. We pushed each other out of our comfort zones and into new territory.” Himmelman adds: “I was sometimes frustrated by the new approach, but a great producer – and David qualifies as that – can make you become yourself again.”

Barbara Jean - Calling the rugged grandeur of Lake Superior's North Shore home for the last several years, Barbara Jean has developed her craft through constant live performance and has struck out on her own to take her debut record, "The Great Escape" to fans all across the Midwest. Classically trained on the viola at the University of Minnesota, and self-taught at the banjo, her voice and songs transcend tradition with a mix of Americana, Appalachia, and an insightful vulnerability in lyric and delivery. After winning the songwriting competition in 2011 at Big Top Chautauqua and making honorable mention in the 2012 Telluride Troubadour Contest, Barbara Jean has shared bills with such notable acts as Trampled By Turtles, The Pines, Low, and Jonathan Edwards.