Sunday February 12, 2023

Wes Collins North Carolina based songwriter Wes Collins’ songs are so dense with ideas that a first listen only scratches the surface. Come for a haunting melody and intricate fingerpicking and stay for the wit and deep literary intelligence. Wes has played shows from coast to coast including: The Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville, TN; The Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, TX; the Cary Theater in Cary, NC and many more. He is a winner of the prestigious Grassy Hills New Folk Competition and has been featured as a finalist in The Telluride Troubadour Contest and The Wildflower Performing Songwriter Contest. Wes has recorded three critically acclaimed albums including his most recent release Jabberwockies which features special contributions by Ordinary Elephant and Jaimee Harris. Mike P. Ryan Born and raised in rural Oklahoma, Mike P. Ryan writes heartfelt songs that have been aptly described as “vivid portraits of everyday people painted on a canvas of beautiful music.” Often compared to Robert Earl Keen and Jeffrey Foucault, Mike’s evocative lyrics take listeners on an unforgettable journey with every song. Mike has won a host of national songwriting awards including being twice named the Grand Prize Winner of the prestigious Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. He is a two-time finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festivals “New Folk” competition and his 2019 album At Home in the Darkness was nominated for Folk Album of the Year by the Washington Area Music Association. Mike’s most recent album Ghosts and Memories is currently at #25 on the Folk Artist International (FAI) charts.