Barbara Jean grew up immersed in a world of music. Inheriting a musical legacy passed from grandmother to mother to daughter, she honed her early gift for the violin into a sharp eye for songwriting and a skilled hand as a multi-instrumentalist playing banjo, fiddle and viola. Calling Minnesota’s North Shore home for the better part of the last decade Barbara Jean crafted her debut record, The Great Escape, which brings together rich imagery from Lake Superior’s rugged banks, reflections on difficult choices poised in matters of the heart, and masterful musicianship.

Erik Koskinen’s America Theatre is a translucent eulogy to the genuine. Musically sprouted from the blend of American folk, country, rock-n-roll, and blues, Koskinen realizes a sound that is distinctive and fresh while familiar and classic. Knowing but not didactic, Koskinen channels the ways of Whitman and reverently enters the anthology of uniquely crafted wry songs with the likes of Woody Guthrie and Ry Cooder while speaking as plainly as your neighbor.  Koskinen joins the ranks of chief musicians and sharp wordsmiths.