Some musicians choose to define a genre. Others defy them. Consider Treva Blomquist one of the latter. Over the course of her 16 year career, she’s shown an innate ability to allow the music to take her where it will, focusing more on sumptuous and soaring melodies than the strict stylistic confines that a particular musical format might often demand. A 2005 Kerrville New Folk Finalist, her most recent release, Snakes & Saints is streaming everywhere. 

Modern American singer-songwriter Bryan Simpson is an artist whose sound unnervingly explores an evocative amalgamation of southern folk, bluegrass, classic country and indie eclecticism, with the playful swagger, relatable storytelling, and thoughtful introspection of his heroes which include John Hartford, Tom T Hall, Jeff Tweedy, and of course Bob Dylan. Bryan’s songs have netted praise from all corners: The Huffington Post wrote “Bryan's original undertakings are reminiscent of the whimsical and whip-smart work by David Byrne and Jim James”. While SeattlePi claims Simpson’s music echoes “Bowie, and Beck in the melodies, moods, and arrangements. The quest is entertaining and thought-provoking.” His genre-spanning career has included making records and touring as a singer/songwriter with luminaries as diverse as The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, bluegrass giant Ricky Skaggs and Mumford and Sons. Since leaving his hometown of Ft Worth Texas with only a fiddle, guitar, mandolin and a box fan to his name, Simpson has had many of his original songs recorded by country music stand outs like Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Hailey Whitters, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Brandy Clark, Old Dominion, Stephen Wilson Jr., with several of them ending up with a number 1 beside their name on the Billboard and Music Row charts . He has also been awarded NSAI’s prestigious award of “10 Songs I wish I’d Written”. His songs have easily totaled over 500 million streams at this point. This year Simpson will release his first record under his own name. “The Oldest”, due out in early 2024, is a concise 11 songs in length, produced by Eddie Spear (Zach Bryan/Brandi Carlisle) and takes Simpson’s shade tree kaleidoscopic storytelling center stage. 

Amber Sawyer is a singer-songwriter from Phoenix, Arizona and is in her last year attending Lipscomb University as a Commercial Music Songwriting major. She loves helping other people build their artistry as she has participated on a variety of projects for other artists. She is in a Nashville-based touring folk rock band “Hello Darling”, where she plays bass and sings background vocals. She also works on her own music on the side, and you can find her music under Amber Sawyer on all streaming platforms. She dropped her debut single “Goin’ Out Of The World” in the fall of 2022 and has since released three more singles. She has a whimsical and witty style, allowing her to meet people where they are at and sit with self-awareness and ache. Her love for deep feelings and the human experience has influenced her writing greatly and she hopes that she can reach as many people as she can through her music.