Mississippi Delta Blues  | McComb, Mississippi Website Castro Coleman a-k-a Mr. Sipp, was born August 25, 1976 to Johnelle and the late Vera Coleman in the small town of McComb, Mississippi. He began playing the guitar at the tender age of 6. Through hard work and perseverance, Mr. Sipp has become a Delta Blues Force to be reckoned with! Being recognized for his amazing vocals, songwriting ability, musicianship, ability to produce records and entertain Fans with an upbeat, outlandish show all make Mr. Sipp “The Total Package.” Above all of that, Mr. Sipp is a God-fearing family man. With ..read more

Hindustani Violin | Redwood City, California Website Maestro Kala Ramnath with her ‘Singing Violin’ stands among the world’s finest, most inspirational instrumentalists. Her playing has been featured on the Grammy-nominated Miles from India project, compositions of hers have appeared on the Grammy-winning album In 27 Pieces and the Kronos Quartet’s 50 For The Future. The UK-based Songlines magazine hailed Kala Ramnath as one of the 50 world’s best instrumentalists and selected album Kala as one of its 50 best recordings. She was the first Indian violinist ever to be featured in the violin Bibl ..read more

Iranian Kamancheh | Brooklyn, New York Website Mehrnam Rastegari is a well-established Iranian musician and film score composer, singer, violinist, and master Kamancheh player. She has been featured in concerts and music festivals worldwide, including in The US, Germany, Switzerland, France, Finland, Iran, and Kazakhstan. These performances have occurred at some of the most prestigious music festivals in the World, including the GlobalFest in NYC, USA, Secret Planet in NYC, USA, Fajr International Music Festival in Tehran, Iran, and the WOMEX (World Music Expo), in Tampere, Finland. Rastegari ..read more

Mardi Gras Indians | New Orleans, Louisiana Facebook Behind the splendid theater and music of the Mardi Gras Indian parade lies a turbulent history: both the legacy of American slavery and segregation that birthed the unique New Orleans tradition and the internecine conflicts that marked itsmearly days, after it took shape in the 1800s to honor the bond between Native Americans and Black Americans in their distinct but entwined struggles against white oppression. In this context, it was a significant moment when Big Chief Romeo Bougere of the 9th Ward Hunters and Big Chief Jermaine Bossier of th ..read more

Old Time | Mouth of Wilson, Virginia Nobody’s Business hails from the mountain region of Southwest Virginia, where the state borders North Carolina and Tennessee. The band is steeped in the traditions of rural “Old-time” mountain music that has been passed down through generations in this unique area of the Blue Ridge mountains. While often lumped in by casual listeners outside the region with its musical offspring bluegrass, old-time string band music developed in the nineteenth century, when European and African musical styles converged in America’s first frontier, the Blue Ridge. Predominan ..read more

Traditional Zuni Dance and Song | Zuni, New Mexico FACEBOOK The Zuni Olla Maidens are a venerated dance troupe from Zuni Pueblo in western New Mexico, equally well-known for singing, drumming and their trademark dance balancing pottery on their heads, as well as being an all-female troupe. The Zuni Olla Maidens are also unique in that their group has always consisted of related women, making it a family affair for more than 70 years. The significance of the family connection gives the Zuni Olla Maidens reliance and longevity. The individual members are stewards, knowing they owe much to the wo ..read more

Hawaiian Traditional | Las Vegas, Nevada  Facebook Gary Haleamau and Kāwili, (Kāwili means to mix ingredients, blend, entwined, interwoven, interlaced~ with individual gifts of music and dance in native Hawaiian) is a Hawaiian Music family band that resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.  They started singing as a trio in 2008. From performing at local Hawaiian festivals and hula competitions to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, this family trio shares the music and stories of Hawaiʻi. Gary Kawiliau Haleamau of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii began his musical career at an early age; first ..read more

Bluegrass | Nashville, TN Website Dobro master and 16-time GRAMMY winner Jerry Douglas is to the resonator guitar what Jimi Hendrix was to the electric guitar, elevating, transforming, and reinventing the instrument in countless ways. Additionally, Douglas is a freewheeling, forward-thinking recording and touring artist whose output incorporates elements of country, bluegrass, rock, jazz, blues, and Celtic into his distinctive musical vision.  Called “Dobro’s matchless contemporary master” by The New York Times, three-time CMA Musician of the Year award recipient Jerry Douglas is one ..read more

Texas Conjunto | San Antonio, TX Facebook Max Baca and Los Texmaniacs are the Past, Present, And Future of Conjunto Music. Conjunto music may be a familiar sound to residents of Texas, but its worldwide appeal can be surprising. Combine a hefty helping of Tex-Mex conjunto, simmer with several parts Texas rock, and add a daring dash of well-cured blues and R&B riffs, and you’ve cooked up the tasty Grammy-winning LosTexmaniacs groove. Max Baca is a legend on the bajo sexto, a twelve-string guitar-like instrument, and his nephew, Josh Baca, is fast attaining legendary status on the accordio ..read more

Bomba Fusion | New York, NY Website Hector “Coco” Barez joined Bio Ritmo on congas in 2010. Born in Santurce, Puerto Rico in 1976, he is one of the most active musicians of the new wave of young Puerto Rican percussionists today. Coco began his musical career in 1998 performing with many different Puerto Rican folkloric groups including the Official Puerto Rican National Folkloric Ballet’ Areyto. He attended classes at The Music Conservatory of Puerto Rico, the LA Music Academy and The Interamerican University of Puerto Rico but attributes his highest education to the streets of San Juan. Th ..read more