Carrie Hassler & Hard Rain
Carrie Hassler and Hard Rain …I started out singing in church at an early age and from then on music became a major part of my life. I grew up in a very musical family so love for music was something we all shared. Through the years my love for singing and performing became greater and greater. Singing music I enjoyed and serving the Lord was something I loved and still love to do. Although I’ve tried many types of music, I never found my true place until I sang my first bluegrass song. I was thrilled with the sound, warmth, and just the feeling that bluegrass music gave me.
Keeping with my roots and my love for gospel music, this was a great opportunity to keep doing a few wonderful bluegrass gospel songs in almost every show. I owe so much to my wonderful family.
David Parmley & Continental Divide
A native of southern California, David Parmley is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed, Bluegrass Cardinals. In 18 years, the Cardinals recorded fifteen separate projects, made appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, the Ralph Emory Show and performed at the White House for former President, Jimmy Carter. In 1994 David teamed up with banjo great, Scott Vestal to form Continental Divide. The rest is, as they say, "history". Known for his soulful voice and driving rhythm guitar, and exceptional skills as a producer, David has notched many awards, including: International Bluegrass Music Association's "Recorded Event of the Year"1991 and 1995. Continental Divide became an instant success claiming IBMA's coveted, "Emerging Artist of the Year" award in 1995.
Larry Keel & Natural Bridge
Connecting traditional songs of yesterday with their own original and inventive sounds of today, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge create astonishingly powerful acoustic music rich in heritage, heart and hot licks! With a style that evokes both atomic rock energy and dynamic tonal purity, Keel and his ensemble are intent upon taking their instruments and their voices to their fullest potential for emotion and amazement. While paying respect to the legacy left by the forefathers of bluegrass, Keel bridges the gap between traditional and contemporary American Mountain Music. Larry Keel & Natural Bridge includes flatpicking guitar master Larry Keel (guitar, vocals), Jenny Keel (bass fiddle, vocals), Mark Schimick (mandolin, vocals), and, Jason Flournoy (banjo, vocals).
Born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Larry Keel is a young veteran musician who has always been immersed in the traditional ways and etiquette of playing mountain music. Both Larry’s father and brother (themselves skilled and versatile acoustic musicians) influenced the younger Keel to thoroughly master the foundations of acoustic guitar (tune, timing, tone) before venturing into his own original territory. From a very young age, Larry made it his goal to honor and preserve the discipline of the Traditional Bluegrass music he knows and loves, while expressing his own ideas through acoustic music.
New Road
New Road has been together for 11 years continuing their mission to see that bluegrass gospel music moves beyond the current audience by breaking into new venues to proclaim the message of Hope in an age of such uncertainty. Their music speaks for itself - most of the New Road's songs are written by members of the group and consist of sound, scriptural-based lyrics accompanied by strong melodies, all while being supported by some of the finest bluegrass musicians in the country.
The band's newest album, The Message contains material that brings praise, honor and glory to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. New Road's original music, created by six members with great personalities and God-given talents, has helped them become one of the finest bluegrass gospel bands touring nationwide today. Their music is steeped in the gospel traditions of the Southern Appalachians and continues to reach out to people of all walks of life at each performance.
A highlight of the New Road's career was that they were chosen as showcase performer the 2005 International Bluegrass Music Association's World of Bluegrass in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2006, PowerGrass Radio gave the band the Group of the Year honors, Songwriter of the Year (Gary Kidwell) and Dobro Player of the Year (Vic Graves.
Ryan Holladay
Multi-instrumentalist Ryan Holladay first performed on Nashville's historic Grand Ole Opry at the tender age of 5 years old, and is credited with being the youngest performer to grace that revered stage.
Ryan is now fourteen and has already released three albums. He has appeared on TheOprah Winfrey Show's "World's Most Talented Kids" episode, Nickelodeon's "Figure ItOut," and PBS's "Zoom." Largely self-taught, his lightning-fast fingers are equally nimble on the banjo and mandolin, and he plays the guitar and Dobro as well. It all started at his granddad's house, when Ryan - little more than a toddler at the time - started listening to Flatt & Scruggs records. "The first time I heard Earl Scruggs play the banjo, I knew I wanted to play - I thought it sounded really, really cool," he remembers.
His parents Mark and Lisa were very supportive, taking him to festivals and encouraging him to sing. When he first met the Opry's Mike Snider at a festival in Camden, Tenn. (Ryan's hometown), the precocious 5-year old said, "Hi, I'm Ryan Holladay and I sing tenor." Snider later invited the half-pint picker on the Opry, where he presented Ryan with the Brian Friesen award - a new Deering banjo - on Dec. 21, 1997. The beaming little boy sang a couple of songs and has since been invited back to the Opry more than a dozen times.
