Josh Williams is a unique and extremely versatile and talented young man.  The 2008 IBMA guitar player of the year is considered by many to be the most formidable young male vocalist in the Bluegrass/Acoustic music business.  He is known to some as one of the finest young guitar players to come along in a long time, having served as the guitar player for the top ranked “Rhonda Vincent & The Rage” in their grueling 300 days per year touring schedule from December 2003 through September 2007.  He is also known by some as the excellent mandolin/fiddle player formerly with “The Special Consensus”.  There are many of us who still think of him as the hard driving banjo player for the group he fronted during his High School years, “Josh Williams & High Gear”.  The fact is Josh Williams is all of these.  He is a super talented multi-instrumentalist, a superb lead and harmony singer, and a truly gifted songwriter.  He has been writing and performing Bluegrass music for well over half his life.

Chuck Pyle has won high praise from both fans and peers alike throughout an inspired performance career of over 40 years. When reviewers first gave him the "Zen Cowboy" moniker, he decided to, as he says, "Always ride the horse in the direction it's going," and took the nickname to heart, shaving his head and blending his upbeat perspective with old-fashioned horse sense. He mixes infectiously hummable melodies with straight-from-the-saddle poetry, quoting bumper stickers, proverbs, world leaders and old cowboys. An accomplished songwriter, Chuck's songs have been recorded by John Denver, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Suzy Bogguss. Country fans know him best for writing, "Cadillac Cowboy", recorded by the late Chris LeDoux, and "Jaded Lover", recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker.

Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker. Those names ring a bell? Why do I ask? Both of these legends have recorded songs written by Will Callery. Years of writing, playing and recording later, and after a stint in the Pacific Northwest as a lumberjack, Callery is back. Strong, soulful and willing to pour out his soul for any who will hear. His new recording, Rider Comin' In is a fine balance between the edge of rock and the edge of country. Joe Forlini's masterful guitar work, Danny Brooks, slide and harp and Greg Lowry's killer Dobro work only help to quantify Callery's mastery of prose. Several songs stand out. The title cut, The Great Divide, Danny Brooks' Unseen Hands and of course the classic that appeared on Nelson's Red Headed Stranger in 1975, Hands on the Wheel. Walker adds his voice to this classic tale. This CD is a man's journey, and it's one worth tagging along on.

String-band music has long been a staple of Americana. While the four members of Toronto's Creaking Tree String Quartet pay homage to that tradition, they refuse to be bound by it. Instead, the technically dazzling outfit uses fingerboards to leap stylistic boundaries and fuse intricate styles. The result is a smartly intellectual and yet deeply moving sound that's a true Canadian original: jazz forms sliding over a rootsy bluegrass base, with flashes of chamber music, reverence and avant-garde experimentation. It's the product of four adept and accomplished musicians, dedicated to performing unique and exciting material that raises the bar for instrumental acoustic music. They earned a Juno Award nomination for their 2003 debut CD. Their 2005 follow-up "Side Two" won the Pushing The Boundaries trophy at the 2005 Canadian Folk Music Awards, was named Instrumental Album of the Year at the Indie Acoustic Project Awards, and "Old Crow" won Instrumental Song of the Year at the International Acoustic Music Awards.    

The Foggy Hogtown Boys are a band with a unique sound that is the sum of its members' personalities and musicianship.  Although instrumentally the band has the power to dazzle any audience, the song is always given top priority.  Although, the group draws a great deal of inspiration and material from the "golden age" of bluegrass and country music, solid original songs written by members in the band blend well among the old chestnuts.  In 2005 they released "Northern White Clouds" - a 100%Canadian content bluegrass album that features some excellent writing from all the members of the band. In 2007 - "Pigtown Fling" - a collection of original bluegrass and old-time instrumentals.Their latest album “The Golden West” (2008) is a mix of original and traditional bluegrass music with elements of old-time music and honky-tonk thrown in. The live show is the thing with the Foggy Hogtown Boys. The band always delivers a highly entertaining and diverse show; ballads, breakdowns, gospel quartets and lots of laughs!

The Doerfels, originally a western NY Family band, have evolved into a group of sophisticated young musicians making a significant impact on the national music scene.

Angelica Grim and her band, High Action, are making thier first appearance at the MBF. Considered to be the California Bluegrass Association's Youth Ambassador, Angelica brings more youthful energy to a festival that is brimming with young talent.

Hailing from musical backgrounds encompassing bluegrass, country, old-time and jazz, the sum of these individual parts equals one dynamic powerhouse of talent taking the Canadian bluegrass stage. Hard Ryde is an award-winning combination of musical synergy, adored by their fans and respected by their peers on both sides of the border. With more than one songwriter on board, Hard Ryde's music is fresh, exciting and new, while at the same time respecting and capturing the essence and passion of traditional bluegrass. Hard Ryde's strong vocals, stellar musicianship and winning songwriting abilities have won this band a top spot in the hearts of bluegrass fans in Canada and beyond...

Sweet sixteen has truly been “sweeet” so far for Kate Lee. The path traveled has been layered with success stories. Beginning in her early days, getting her musical feet wet in the local coffee houses to playing openers for major recording artists such as Rhonda Vincent, Nothin’ Fancy and Jay Ungar. Kate Lee has artfully navigated her path with bookings at major venues such as the coveted Gettysburg Bluegrass Festival, and other bluegrass festivals in Wind Gap, PA, Remington Ryde, in Reedsville, PA, and New York festivals in Sodus and Brantling. Kate Lee has also been honored to be one of the youngest to perform at the famous Bluebird Café and Commodore Grill in Nashville, TN.

The Roe Family Band Brian Roe had his start in playing music as an eight year old boy while listening to his dad practicing his new guitar for hours and hours every day, working on the same songs for weeks. He grew up on a sailboat in the Sea of Cortez, Baja, Mexico, so there was not a lot of entertainment around, and the guitar was fun to play.... When they returned to the States that year they attended, by chance, the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival, which is held every year in Winfield, Kansas. This festival is very special because it is a mecca for top- notch acoustic players. The festival is host to 8 National Contests and three weeks of camp ground picking. You will always know where to find Brian the third week of September! It was at Winfield that Brian spent hours walking around playing with anyone who would take the time. By the next year he had most of the standard fiddle tunes learned and was working on more advanced material. When he was 10, Dad bought a mandolin and Brian began playing that as well. At age 14 he began playing in national and regional contests, see a list of his awards below. He made the finals in the National Mandolin Championship his second year competing and at age 17 he placed 2nd, which he followed up with a 3rd place the next year.

Cory and Jarrod Walker are an instrumental duo that have been performing professionally for 4 years. Cory playing banjo, guitar, and resonator guitar, and Jarrod playing mandolin have been fortunate enough to play many great venues. Cory has played on the 2003 IBMA Awards show as part of the "YOUNG AMERICAN BLUEGRASS IDOLS". Cory and Jarrod were invited to play as the core band for IBMA's "Kids on Bluegrass" segment in 05 and 06 and were part of the youth band, "Juvenessence" that performed on the IBMA FanFest main stage. They each were invited and taught on the workshop stage at the 06 IBMA FANFEST.

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Straight Drive's name comes from the type of music they play–straight bluegrass with plenty of drive. In a time where much of bluegrass music has veered towards the more polished and commercial sounds of "Music Row," Straight Drive has kept its identity firmly grounded in the grit and intensity of the classic, first generation performers of bluegrass music. As bluegrass great Ron Thomason has said, "Straight Drive plays bluegrass the way Bill Monroe or Carter Stanley conceived of it." A fan once described Straight Drive's sound as "bluegrass with no apologies." More...

Kati Penn, a native of Lexington, KY, is one of bluegrass’s premier up-and-coming artists, receiving both popular and critical acclaim for her vocals and fiddle work.
Kati has been a professional musician for over half her life,and has a keen ear for the right material to fit The Kati Penn Band. Kati has played and sang on hundreds of cd’s over the last ten years. She has been a member of The Young Acoustic Allstars, The New Coon Creek Girls, Dale Ann Bradley and Coon Creek, Pam Gadd and The Long Road, The Jim Hurst Band, and many more.

Since 1970 Doug Yeomans has been proud to perform or record with many of the best musicians in Buffalo NY.

Throughout his career Doug Yeomans has always given guitar lessons. He has instructed hundreds people of all ages in the art of playing the guitar. He is very proud that many of his students have been playing in some of Buffalo's most popular bands for many years. 

In 1987 Doug became active in playing Bluegrass music. He joined the band Creekbend. He worked with the band till 1992 and got involved in promoting national Bluegrass acts in Buffalo. In 1992 he took over promotions with his partner Ted Lambert. In 15 years of shows Doug promoted over 50 concerts, including the biggest names in Bluegrass like, Bill Monroe, Del McCoury, Doyle Lawson, The Johnson Mt. Boys, The Bluegrass Cardinals, and many more.

Doug is fresh off the nation tour of the Johnny Cash musical production, Ring of Fire.

Dirty Mountain String Band  is: Mark Mincarelli (Guitar, Vocals), Matt Gronquist (Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals), Tom Hodges (Mandolin, Vocals), Don Strom (Bass)