Warm your soul to the stirring music of Dan Fellman and Grant Ruiz.
Dan and Grant play a variety of Latin music, everything from Flamenco to Tango, including traditional Spanish and Mexican music, as well as Brazilian Jazz and Cuban Salsa.
Dan Fellman is a jazz guitarist who plays a variety of different jazz styles, from 40’s swing and Django Reinhart’s gypsy jazz, to the 60’s Bossa Nova and Latin jazz. Dan has performed in Southern Oregon with many local bands including Back Porch Swing, Gypsy Rogue, the Djangoholics, and Stolen Moments, and in duos with Ashland guitarists Grant Ruiz, Ed Dunsavage, Marc Camilo, and Portland-based guitarist Dan Balmer.
Grant Ruiz started playing classical guitar at the age of ten and is now an active flamenco guitarist and teacher in Southern Oregon. He has studied in Spain and participated in many productions at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He is an adjunct guitar instructor at SOU, a board member of the Jefferson Classical Guitar Society, and a founding member of the ensemble Flamenco Pacifico.
Grant has an exceptional singing voice and sings in a variety of languages, including Spanish and Portuguese, as well as English.
Late for the Train was born from an eclectic group of musicians who all share a love of American roots music. Part songwriter’s storybook and part jamgrass playground, the band’s powerful live show uplifts the spirit and rouses the soul.
Infused with the honest depth of the coastal redwood forests of Northern California, their songs grapple with the wonder, contradictions, and stark truths of living in the modern age. The band released their second studio album, The Flowers of Yesteryear, in April of 2024, with a third album forthcoming in 2026.
Blending sixth sense harmonies with sun-dappled folk-rock, Minor Gold are ARIA nominated songwriters Tracy McNeil (CAN) and Dan Parsons (AUS). This award-winning duo delivers heartfelt songs, free-spirited rhythms and an undeniable stage chemistry. With music that floats you down desert highways and through coastal canyons, Minor Gold have been living life on international highways & backroads since they formed in 2022. With their highly anticipated sophomore album Way to the Sun – due for release July 25, Minor Gold will tour the album across Australia, Europe/UK and North America in 2026. Recorded in California with producer Dan Horne (Mapache, Cass McCombs) the first tastes of the album have been embraced by radio in Australia and landing high rotation on Double J, ABC Country and landing on major playlists globally.
“This record is like a small blooming flower inside of this year’s chaos… The mixture of styles here is very elegant and sensitive. We get celtic music, folk, bluegrass, but most of all, excellent songwriting.”
Uncut Grass
“San Rafael string band Late for the Train’s debut album, Plant It or Build It, is a beautiful collection of peculiarly romantic songs full of thoughtful lyricism, stirring instrumentals and sweet harmonies.”
Blending sixth sense harmonies with sun-dappled folk-rock, Minor Gold are ARIA nominated songwriters Tracy McNeil (CAN) and Dan Parsons (AUS). This award-winning duo delivers heartfelt songs, free-spirited rhythms and an undeniable stage chemistry. With music that floats you down desert highways and through coastal canyons, Minor Gold have been living life on international highways & backroads since they formed in 2022. With their highly anticipated sophomore album Way to the Sun – due for release July 25, Minor Gold will tour the album across Australia, Europe/UK and North America in 2026. Recorded in California with producer Dan Horne (Mapache, Cass McCombs) the first tastes of the album have been embraced by radio in Australia and landing high rotation on Double J, ABC Country and landing on major playlists globally.
Minor Gold have toured North America three times since the release of their debut album in 2023. They have been selected to support the Teskey Brothers and Dan Navarro in the U.S, and have been booked to play iconic listening rooms, house concerts and charmed audiences on the stages of major Australian, Canadian and U.S festivals.
“Brilliant songwriting and impeccable performances….”
Get ready for another great show featuring Curry County’s own Laura Middleton, Alan Plaep of Apple Barner, and multi-instrumentalist Cliff Stansell.
Alan and Laura are the core of the popular local band Apple Barner – he for his dynamic songwriting, she with her powerful vocals. But on the Friendship Hall stage they will step forward in their purest form: just two guitars, vocals, and the stories behind their original music front and center. With Cliff joining in on fiddle and slide guitar (rumor has it Cory Simonson may join in for a few songs too!), this group will bring an intimate, raw energy to the stage.
While they enjoy the passion and fervor performances with the full lineup of Apple Barner bring to the stage, Laura and Alan’s connection – musically and creatively – drives the band’s identity. That makes their acoustic sets feel less like a departure from their norm and more like a return to the source.
Their songs blend honest lyricism with original acoustic arrangements, creating a sound that feels both grounded and expansive. Every note and melody carries a bit more weight than in the full band sound, giving audiences a closer connection to the music and the moment.
This special one-night-only performance offers an exclusive chance to experience the band at its most personal and unfiltered. Whether playing a quiet room or an open-air stage, these three troubadours will deliver a powerful reminder that sometimes less really is more. So, put May 30 th on your calendar for a wonderful evening of music provided by local talent, Apple Barner Acoustic.
Acoustic adventurers Stillhouse Junkies explore the worlds between roots, bluegrass, Texas swing, blues, and rock. Their free-flowing musical interplay and improvisation make every show unique as they weave their way through high-energy, intricately composed original songs, never taking the same path twice.
Based in the Southwestern Colorado town of Durango, the trio consists of founder Fred Kosak on guitar and mandolin, longtime member Alissa Wolf on fiddle, and Jeanette Adams on upright bass.
Formed in 2017, Stillhouse Junkies have released four full-length albums. Their most recent effort, 2025’s The Ballad of Charlie Avalon, is an ambitious concept album featuring narration by newgrass icon Sam Bush. The band has also released a series of singles featuring collaborations with the legendary Tim O’Brien, renowned fiddler Ross Holmes, and popular songwriter Rachel Baiman.
As they tour relentlessly across the United States and abroad, Stillhouse Junkies are gaining a reputation as one of the most exciting bands in the acoustic music scene. They have played such beloved festivals as Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Rockygrass, MerleFest, and ROMP, and their busy schedule has seen them supporting Willi Carlisle, The Lil Smokies, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Asleep at the Wheel. Their prolific songwriting, tight vocal harmonies, and blistering instrumentals earned them the prestigious International Bluegrass Music Association’s “Momentum Band of the Year” award in 2021.
Join us in this Americana experiment and be the one to say you booked Stillhouse Junkies before they were huge. From festivals to performing arts centers – Stillhouse Junkies will deliver a one-of-a-kind experience!
“Stillhouse Junkies make a mighty big joyful noise for a trio! There is some really fine pickin’ and songwritin’ within. That riff from the title cut, ‘Hillbilly Poetry’, especially grabbed my ear. Y’all really need to check them out.“
Becky Buller, The Becky Buller Band
“Taken in tandem, (The Ballad of Charlie Avalon) is not only Stillhouse Junkies’ most distinctive offering, but their most compelling as well. Suffice it to say, this particular ballad begs repeated listenings.“
Born and raised in the deciduous forests of Minnesota, Ian George’s musical expression reflects the ephemeral seasonal landscapes he was bred in. George has founded and led a handful of bands (including members of Billy Strings, Caleb Klauder Band and Patchy Sanders); touring extensively through the US, Canada, and Europe and gracing some of the western world’s most beloved festivals and venues. In the summer of 2019 Ian performed his debut solo set at the Cambridge Folk Festival in Cambridge, England. Ian’s debut solo album Kingdom of My Youth – recorded in Paris, France at famed Labo M Studios with French pop icon Matthieu Chedid – charted on the national NACC Folk charts 7 consecutive weeks. Ian’s release, Post-Corona*, was shortlisted at WXPN’s 2021 Non-Comm Convention as top 10 songs of the year to consider. Ian is also one half of the award winning folk duo Fellow Pynins and is currently based on an off-grid commune deep in the mountains of Southern Oregon.
The live performance is an extremely entertaining one…. Ian George along with his band The Knee Pockets (jubilant, ferocious young men) have one motive : ALLOW A GOOD TIME. The show teems with whimsicality, clever arrangements, triumphant tangents (both in the music and the banter.. a lot of banter), and outlandish solos grounded by George’s gauzy voice and by the simple strength of a good song. Expect an engaging and dynamic string of gentle and not so gentle folk-rock adventures. Expect to dance, sway, sing, laugh and most likely cry.
“Effulgent eclecticism. George’s forward-looking new offering is a subtle explosion of vibrant colors that delight.“
POPMATTERS
“There’s a gauzy float to George’s voice that calls up John Martyn.“
We are pleased to announce that Curry County native son Cliff Stansell will be performing on the Friendship Hall stage with several of his local friends for our February 14th show.
Cliff will be the songwriting instructor at the Southwest Oregon Community College Writers Conference in Brookings earlier in the day, and then play for us that night!
Cliff was born into a house of music that saw him playing guitar by 13, writing songs shortly thereafter, and then picking up the banjo, mandolin, and fiddle in the years that followed. In addition to becoming an instructor of those instruments to would-be south coast musicians, Cliff also became a sought-after player, appearing in venues too numerous to name throughout southwestern Oregon, on his own and with notable local artists.
He has, in fact, appeared in PRCA shows before, having developed a reputation as our go-to local pickup musician for bands that show up without members. As such, Cliff has been on the Friendship Hall stage with Mollie O’Brien, Special Consensus, Chuck Pyle, and Blame Sally, among others.
Appearing with Cliff will be Amy Keusink on violin and piano, Chris Vorster on guitar and mandolin, Beau Jones on bass, and Steve Boyer on accordion. This will be a great night of acoustic music provided by hometown artists, so please come join us and support our local minstrels!
Twenty years on from winning the Danny Kyle Open Stage Award at Celtic Connections, Breabach remain securely ranked amongst Scotland’s most skilled & imaginative contemporary-folk acts and at the forefront of the burgeoning traditional music scene. The band unite deep roots in Highland and Island Gaelic tradition alongside progressive musical influences and have cultivated a unique sound, anchoring double bagpipes, fiddle, whistle, step-dance and song with energetic double bass and guitar accompaniment.
Versatility, love of experimentation and a willingness to push the boundaries of Scottish roots music have endured as the core values of the band over the past two decades. They have embraced and pioneered many cross-genre collaborations, linking up with artists including Quebec’s Le Vent du Nord, BAFTA award-winning animator Cat Bruce, indigenous Australasian artist Moana & the Tribe, video game composer Big Giant Circles, Cape Breton powerhouse Beòlach and most recently the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.
With 8 critically acclaimed studio releases to date, an extensive global touring schedule and having received recognition with 6 BBC ALBA Traditional Music Awards, a 2023 German Record Critic’s Award and as European Folk Group of the year finalists in the prestigious Songlines Awards, Breabach’s journey shows no sign of slowing. They continue their adventures throughout this special anniversary year with performances and festivals across the UK, USA and Europe.
“Exhilarating, energetic and accomplished.”
SongLines
“Breabach have evolved into a distinctive voice at the forefront of the folk scene thanks to their skilful playing and their talent for combining harmonies and key messages for the listener. Fàs is just their next step forward in their journey of discovery.”
This FREE concert is sponsored in part by the Tammis Day foundation and offered in partnership with the Pistol River Concert Association (PRCA). Concert attendees who wish to make an optional advanced donation to PRCA (suggested amount of $20), will get a reserved seat at the front of the room for the performance. All other attendee seating will be first come, first served.
Luke Bulla has been singing and playing music most of his life. Touring with and singing in his family band from age four, Luke took up the fiddle at seven.
Over the course of the next few years, he won the National Fiddle Contest (in Weiser, Idaho) six times in his respective age categories. His seventh win came in the Grand Champion division at age sixteen, making him the youngest to have earned the title at the time. Entering Nashville’s Grand Master Fiddle Championship at age ten, Luke distinguished himself by being the youngest person to have made the top ten.
In the spring of 1999, Luke moved to Nashville to establish himself as a full time musician. He spent his early years in Tennessee playing fiddle in Ricky Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder, which earned him his first Grammy Award.
Following the Skaggs stint, he became a member of the John Cowan Band. More recently Luke has performed and/or recorded with Brandi Carlile, Jim Lauderdale, Darrell Scott, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Bryan Sutton, Kevin Costner & Modern West, Russ Barenberg Trio, Shawn Colvin, Tony Rice, Chris Thile, Peter Rowan, Patty Griffin, Glen Phillips, Rodney Crowell, and Earl Scruggs, to name a few. Luke was also a perennial instructor at Mark O’Connor’s fiddle camps in his early Nashville years.
With his long-time friend Casey Driessen, Luke founded the band Wisechild, which toured briefly with John Mayer and Counting Crows. He also had a band collaboration, W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration), which included members Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek, Fiction Family), Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek, I’m With Her), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, The Attractions, Los Lobos), Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, Wilco, Sheryl Crow, Beck), and Davey Faragher (Elvis Costello and the Imposters, Cracker).
In 2009, Luke released a solo EP featuring Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Bela Fleck, Aoife O’Donovan and more.
That same year, Lyle Lovett asked Luke to join his Large Band, with whom he toured full time until 2023.
In addition to violin, Luke plays guitar and mandolin, and sings and writes songs.
“I was in awe of his professionalism and his palmarès and was struck by his calm demeanor. It had been almost 15 years since we’d last played together and I was delighted when he reached out about joining me for the Happy Hour”
Travis Book, Blue Grass Situation (bgs)
“Luke filled our home with music. Luke’s musicality comes from his DNA and is second to none. He captivated our audience with his masterful performances on the fiddle and guitar, his well-trained voice, and his extensive storytelling, which aligns him with the legends of the genre.”
Based in Portland, OR, Rose Gerber is an American roots explorer, incorporating country, folk, rock, alt-rock, and alt-country into a seamless signature aesthetic, where cowboy boots meets Doc Martins.
Singer-songwriter Rose Gerber is an intrepid American roots explorer, grafting country, folk, rock, alt-rock, and alt-country into an ageless, ache-laden signature sound. As a writer, Rose is both thick-skinned and delicate, shape-shifting from Heartland rock n’roll to heartbreaking balladry with unpretentious ease. Her songs are snapshots of everyday living that capture meaning in the seemingly mundane, courageous letters-to-self that spill wisdom so raw it feels almost accidental. It’s that unflinching tone that lands her comparisons to Natalie Merchant, Gillian Welch, and Patty Griffin: a turn-of-the-millenium voice backed by the high-lonesome pedal steel whine, Doc Martins and cowboy boots, each in their turn.
Rose’s music suggests a continued musical progression with a real sense of purpose and direction within her recent nostalgic songs of escape and compromise that each hold their own identity.
Gerber’s vocals are both powerful and infectious in equal measure as they drive home the sentiment within the narrative of each song.
“Rose’s 2024 EP, Untraveled Highway, out on July 5th, is a nostalgic escape into the freedom of youth that somehow never quite abandons its grown-up wisdom. In five songs about running, compromising, and learning to stay, Rose lovingly buckles impending middle age into the passenger seat and hits the highway – a much-needed road trip companion for anyone wrestling with what it might mean to settle down. “
Glide Magazine
“Untraveled Highway by Rose Gerber. This little gem definitely ought to get onto some year-end best of lists. It’s skilled, high quality songwriting well worth checking into”
