Performers

“Exquisite songwriting, emotive performances and driving instrumentation” is how FV Music Blog describes this award-winning songwriter who crafts tunes in a range of genres from Americana to folk, bluegrass, gospel and rock. David Scott Weaver has earned recognition in multiple songwriting competitions, including the World Songwriting Awards, the Global Music Awards and the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, where he earned top honors for his song “Going Home.” Over the years, Weaver has collaborated with Mary Chapin Carpenter’s longtime producer John Jennings, GRAMMY-award winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, and co-written with the legendary songwriter Louisa Branscomb. The Whistling Traveler Music Blog writes that his songs offer “vivid storytelling frames and immersive evocation,” while The Other Side Reviews notes that Weaver “crafts engaging melodies that speak to the heart while tantalizing the ears.”

DRT‑Y Blues Acoustic brings a soulful blend of acoustic blues, roots traditions, and rhythm‑driven storytelling to every stage. The ensemble weaves original songs with timeless blues influences, creating performances that move from foot‑stomping shuffles to slow‑burning ballads. Their sound is shaped by expressive guitar work, harmonica textures, layered vocals, and the percussive pulse of African drumming that adds depth and drive to their arrangements. With strong ties to community arts spaces and a commitment to authentic, people‑centered performance, DRT‑Y Blues Acoustic offers an inviting experience grounded in connection, humor, and musical chemistry. Their sets celebrate resilience, joy, and the shared human stories at the heart of roots music.

Kelsey Lue is a singer-songwriter from Catskill, New York whose music lives in the quiet spaces between memory, longing, and home. With delicate vocals, fingerpicked guitar, and deeply personal storytelling, her songs weave together themes of resilience, love, loss, and the beauty found in ordinary moments. Drawing inspiration from traditional folk music, Appalachian inspiration, and modern indie songwriting, Kelsey creates performances that feel less like a performance and more like conversations shared around a campfire. Her lyrics are rooted in lived experience, offering an honest glimpse into healing, relationships, identity, and the landscapes that shape us. Whether performing intimate originals or breathing new life into timeless folk songs, Kelsey invites listeners into a space that is both nostalgic and hopeful. Newly based in the Washington, D.C. area, she continues to write and perform music that celebrates vulnerability, connection, and the enduring power of stories carried through song.

The Fretters is a four-piece queer folk/country band from D.C./Maryland playing original songs about life, love and trauma that will make you cry and make you dance. Fans are saying they have "infectious energy" and music that leaves them "genuinely uplifted!"

Takoma Park residents Catherine Pajic & Daniel Ogden perform as the duo Collide, blending guitar, cello, and vocals with soulful lyrics and simple folk melodies. Their debut album, Union Station, hit #16 on the Folk Alliance Chart in 2025, and was described as the “thoughtful, folksy Americana we didn’t know we were missing.” They’ve followed it up this year with a political concept EP entitled American Circus.

When the duo needs a bigger sound, they call in The Damages — Lynn and Unni Cheryan, who play in multiple rock and bluegrass cover bands. Lynn and Unni have been featured on Collide recordings, and the four have performed together across the DMV. Lynn brings powerful harmonies and backing vocals, along with flute, drums, and the occasional banjo. Unni's guitar licks bring character and texture to Collide’s music, and range from rock and jazz to country and swing.

No Part of Nothin’, a Maryland/Washington D.C.-area based band, plays bluegrass and classic country songs featuring tight harmonies, great stories, original songwriting, and virtuoso lead work by some of the region’s best bluegrass pickers. They were named a Wammie 2021 and 2020 finalist for best bluegrass band.
The band features Michelle Murray on vocals and guitar, Jeff Karn on mandolin and vocals, Vince Forcier on bass and vocals, and Keith Arneson, a former member of the U.S. Navy band, Country Current, on banjo and vocals.

The band has received airplay on Bluegrass Country Radio, The Bluegrass Jamboree, and WAMU's Open Mic Program, and performs regularly in the D.C. Metropolitan area.

They have performed at a variety of prestigious venues and festivals including The Birchmere, Pearl Street Warehouse, Union Stage, The Sultanna Downrigging Festival, The State Theatre and the Circa Blue Festival where they opened up for the Seldom Scene.

One of the D.C. area's top honky-tonk groups, Karen Collins & the Backroads Band play real country music. Their original songs have an authentic vintage sound and include shuffles, two-steps, and buckle-polishing slow tunes. The twang continues with a list of covers that range from Hank Williams to Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, with dashes of rockabilly thrown in.

Led by Karen Collins, a coal miner’s daughter from Southwest Virginia (vocals, rhythm guitar), the band features Ira Gitlin (lead guitar & vocals), James Key (bass) and Pat Puglisi (drums & vocals) with Nick Ruggieri filling in for Pat today. The band has recorded three CDs, "Tail Light Blues," “No Yodeling on The Radio” and "Daddy Can I Use The Car." All three recordings feature original songs penned by band members as well as a few well chosen covers. The CDS have received airplay and enthusiastic reviews in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.