2024 lineup
lizzie no
New York singer-songwriter, harpist, and guitarist Lizzie No is one of the most exciting new voices in contemporary Americana music. Her 2017 debut album, ‘Hard Won,’ was hailed as “simultaneously understated and fervent” by Billboard Magazine. No’s 2019 album, "Vanity", was a hit at college radio stations across the country, cracking the NACC Top Adds Chart. Rolling Stone Magazine called the first single, 'Narcissus,' a 'crisp alt-rock gem' and a 'Song You Need To Know.' After dropping a surprise home-studio-made EP in 2020, Lizzie is currently working on her third studio album and sharing music and writing with her loyal subscriber base on ampled.com/artist/lizzieno. This summer she joins the Basic Folk podcast team as guest cohost.
jerron paxton
Jerron Paxton plays Black folk music from nearly all the idioms that entails. From the jazz of stride piano and banjo from New Orleans to New York to the deepest of the blues played on guitar and harmonica of which he has been a noted figure since his teenage years, from the rural music that reaches the beginnings of Black arrival in America played on fiddle, banjo, and bones to ragtime and other turn of the century music that gives the full breadth of Black music before World War II in a package that doesn’t lecture, but invites you to enjoy that music as it was given to him. Mr. Paxton has been known to give his audiences a sense of being transported not to a time, but a state of mind and understanding that allows audiences to enjoy Black folk music and have it become a part of them as has been the American experience from the beginning.
jontavious willis
Jontavious Willis is resolved in his mission: to reinvigorate today’s Blues with the spirit of the past. Inspired by a time when the Blues were plentiful and rhythm reigned supreme, Jontavious leverages his unique sound—a synthesis of his Georgia heritage and reverence for traditional Blues—to get the world dancing again. A Grammy-nominated musician and songwriter, Jontavious performs original, toe-tapping tunes in the style of Delta, Piedmont, Texas, and Gospel Blues. Dynamic vocals, technical prowess, and an abundance of Southern charm keep Jontavious sending jolts of vitality through the Blues community. Jontavious was born and raised in rural Georgia, an environment with deep cultural roots that provides the inspiration he has continuously drawn upon to create his unique sound. He spent much of his childhood singing Gospel music at the Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church with his grandfather, which provided him his first setting to perform for an audience. An early phenom, his passion for the Blues was sparked at age 14 when he came across a YouTube video of Muddy Waters playing “Hoochie Coochie Man.” He achieved widespread acclaim when living legend Taj Mahal invited Jontavious to accompany him onstage in 2015, with Taj describing him as his “Wonderboy.” Jontavious was invited to open for Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ during their joint TajMo tour in 2018, giving him an opportunity to present his work on a national stage.
Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo
The Piedmont Blūz Acoustic Duo, comprised of Valerie and Benedict Turner, are ambassadors of Country Blues music, the Piedmont style of fingerpicking, and roots percussion. Their mission is to help bring awareness to these unique aspects of African-American culture, and to the contributions of early blues artists, through performing and teaching. The husband-and-wife duo are much loved wherever they go. They feel that "there are stories to tell, people to remember, and things that must be said" so, in addition to tickling your ears with delightful music, they weave a bit of history into the presentation of each song. Inducted into the NY Blues Hall of Fame in 2018, these tradition bearers have been featured in numerous festivals including the Newport Folk Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Tel Aviv Blues Festival, Clearwater Revival, and Brooklyn Folk Festival to name a few. In addition to performing at a variety of domestic venues, Piedmont Blūz has traveled as far as Europe and the Middle East to share their music.
crys matthews
Already being hailed as “the next Woody Guthrie,” Nashville resident Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. A powerful lyricist whose songs of compassionate dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lightheartedly calls "the poster child for intersectionality," Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation called Matthews’s gift "a reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides." Matthews began performing in 2010 but cemented her acclaim at Lincoln Center as the 2017 NewSong Music and Performance Competition grand prize winner. That year she also released two new projects — her album of thoughtful songs on love and life called The Imagineers, and her EP called Battle Hymn for an Army of Lovers, which tackles social justice themes. Matthews also won the People’s Music Network’s Social Justice Songs contest at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. Loyal fans quickly followed as Matthews racked up performances at large music festivals and prestigious venues across the country. In her TedTalk about difficult conversations called "Sing, Don't Shout — An Alternative Approach" Matthews spoke about being born and raised in a small town in southeastern North Carolina by an A.M.E. preacher, and how she witnessed the power of music from an early age. A former drum major and classically trained clarinetist turned folk singer, Matthews is using her voice to answer Dr. Martin Luther King's call to be"a drum major for justice."
joy clark
Joy Clark is a New Orleans singer-songwriter, lyrical guitarist and composer who creates soulful original compositions that celebrate peace and the undeniable power of love. Her intricate rhythms and warm melodies reveal a sweet vulnerability that enchants her audiences around the world. Like so many other artists in New Orleans, Joy’s first stage was in church. Growing up the daughter of a minister, she learned to create an atmosphere ripe for an emotional experience. So it’s no wonder she believes music is her ministry and intimacy is her superpower.
ej mathews
Every once in a blue moon someone comes out with a song that makes you take notice. Not only did he come with a song, but he also made a video to go along with it. Texas born E.J. Mathews, originally from Atlanta, Texas now makes his home in Dallas. Mathews lived just outside Atlanta, Texas in the small rural community of Bivins, Texas. Located near Leek Creek and the Louisiana state line he got his musical influence from his grandfather who was from south Georgia. Mathews recalls his “granddaddy Zan used to sit on the front porch at night and play slide guitar with his pocket knife, all the while spitting watermelon seeds off the porch and watching lightnin’ bugs flicker in the night.” His granddaddy loved listening to country and blues and Mathews says his musical style is somewhere in the middle, a little bit of the blues, with a touch of some country mixed in. “I don’t want to sound like everybody else; I just want to be me. Grandaddy never played any cover tunes. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not me.” He said he wants to tell a story through his music his way and that’s the same philosophy he uses when writing a song such as “Down On The Creek (Ford Pickup).” Mathews says he has over a hundred songs he has written and has been told by some people his music sounds like swamp boogie and country blues. Mathews says “It’s just me, my kind of music.” His parents divorced years ago and so he moved to Oklahoma for a spell where he graduated school and then headed back to the great state of Texas. Mathews worked as a truck driver for years and now works in education in Desoto, Texas. But Mathews’ lifelong dream of being a musician still keeps calling.
corey harris
Corey Harris began his career as a New Orleans street singer, travelling throughout the southern U.S. In his early twenties, he lived in Cameroon, West Africa for a year, which had a profound effect on his later work. He has recorded many old songs of the blues tradition while also creating an original vision of the blues by adding influences from reggae, soul, rock and West African music. Some of his imaginative compositions are marked by a deliberate eclecticism; other works stay true to the traditional blues formula of compelling vocals and down-home guitar. With one foot in tradition and the other in contemporary experimentation, he’s a truly unique voice in contemporary music.
He has performed, recorded, and toured with many of the top names in music such as BB King, Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy, R.L.Burnside, Ali Farka Toure, Dave Matthews Band, Tracy Chapman, Olu Dara, Wilco, and others. In 2003 Harris was a featured artist and narrator of the Martin Scorcese film, “Feel Like Going Home,” which traced the evolution of blues from West Africa to the southern U.S. In 2007, he was awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship — commonly referred to as a “genius award” — from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The annual grant, described Harris as an artist who “forges an adventurous path marked by deliberate eclecticism.” That same year, he was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine.
lilli lewis
Athens, Georgia native turned New Orleans Folk Rock Diva Athens, Georgia native turned New Orleans Folk Rock Diva Lilli Lewis is a voice for the voiceless in Americana, her third full album for Louisiana Red Hot Records, lauded by NPR, Rolling Stone, Offbeat Magazine and the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Trained as an opera singer and classical pianist, singer-songwriter Lewis has been a composer, producer and performing artist for over two decades. She has been known as the Folk Rock Diva since performing in the Folk Rock band The Shiz, founded with her wife Liz Hogan. Lewis started 2022 with a live set for The Kennedy Center, followed by performances as New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and Mountain Stage to name a few. Lewis also received a “Spirit of Folk” award from Folk Alliance International for her efforts with a New Orleans based public health campaign, and her work in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Folk, Americana, and Country music. Her full ensemble, known as the Lilli Lewis Project, is a pan-generational cult of radical decency” willing to traverse any musical terrain, bearing the spirit of days when everyone still seemed to believe music could change the world. As the story goes, Lewis’ mother was told her baby probably wouldn’t survive because of lung trouble in utero. Lewis now uses those same lungs to bring what she calls sacred songs into profane spaces, and though she’s abandoned trying to define her sound, she hopes her audiences leave her performances knowing two things: that they are brilliant as they are, and that they have the ability to use their own brilliance to make a better world.
spice cake blues
Spice Cake Blues blends Yaya Patterson’s vocals with Miles Spicer’s acoustic guitar to create a tasty blues treat. They each bring original songs as well as a deep knowledge of roots music history. Miles has been a part of the Washington, DC area acoustic blues scene since the 1990’s. Yaya has studied music therapy and jazz voice at a collegiate level.
stephanie anne johnson
A singer’s talent is complete when they can bring a crowded dive bar to a collective hush and also get one of the biggest audiences on the planet to a collective standing ovation. Stephanie Anne Johnson is that special singer. Stephanie can don a cowboy hat and sing over a slide as old timers weep. And they have wowed judges on the immensely popular NBC TV series, The Voice, showcasing their gifts. Perhaps it’s no surprise that Johnson is so affecting. Their mantra, after all, is “Find your joy and go there.” Their prowess exudes whether they are singing the Black national anthem - “Lift Every Voice And Sing” - to a packed auditorium or whether they're cooing acoustic lullabies to Saturday night tavern regulars. Their music, which is rooted in all that’s American, expresses the pain of the past, the roots of the down home and the hope that hard work will lead to proper reward. Their latest album 'Jewels' was released on April 7th, 2023. Produced and engineered by Jeff Fielder. Stephanie Anne Johnson has opened for acts that include political figure Bernie Sanders, and artists such as Mavis Staples, Chaka Khan, Ani DiFranco, Joseph, Cedric Burnside, and Black Joe Lewis
black banjo & fiddle fellowship
Joining our festival lineup are two fellows from The Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellowship, sponsored by the Oakland Public Conservatory! The Conservatory is also sponsoring FWAAMFest’s main stage sound tech and additional logistics.
The Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellowship (BBFF) is a collaboration between the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music and the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention. The BBFF project aims to repatriate old-time music in African American communities and illuminate the Black experience in creating old-time music. BBFF is a two-year paid fellowship program that trains Black musicians in old-time music and its rich history. To repair the historical and cultural ruptures that erased the Black origins of banjo and fiddle music and to ensure that the tradition is sustained in Black communities, the BBFF is also a teacher-training program. It will train apprentices to teach the music, ensuring that it can be passed down from generation to generation. The fellows:
darcy ford-james
Darcy Ford-James (she/her) is a violinist and educator with more than two decades as a public school strings teacher. Darcy is co-founder of Stockton Soul, a nonprofit Soul Orchestra dedicated to educating, empowering, and inspiring audiences through the performance of Black Music.
patrice strahan
Patrice Strahan (she/her) is a life-long musician who cultivated her love for music singing in church choirs and playing in bands. Her music practice is driven by her passion for communal music, at the intersection of land stewardship/kinship and engaged spiritual social justice. Patrice is dedicated to ensuring that Black Old Time Music is learned and passed on to future generations.
