2022 Susquehanna Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase
About This Event:
Congratulations to Colin Cutler, who took top honors in our 2022 Emerging Artist Showcase. And congratulations and many thanks to our other finalists too: it was a close contest!
Congratulations to Colin Cutler, who took top honors in our 2022 Emerging Artist Showcase. And congratulations and many thanks to our other finalists too: it was a close contest!
Thanks to all our finalists for their terrific music music! We appreciate all our applicants; we had a hard time picking only five.
Special thanks go out to our judges: Zach King, Shannon McNally, JJ Sheffer and Rick Russell to showcase coordinator Sara Willard Lee to a generous donor who provided the $500 prize and to the Showcase Committee, and all the folks who worked so hard behind the scenes to make this first-time event a success.
Congratulations to Colin Cutler!
Colin Cutler is a Greensboro, North Carolina-based folksinger and songwriter. His music spans the breadth of Americana, from Appalachian old-time to blues to old-school country to rock & roll, with lyrics rooted in the earthy storytelling traditions of the South, his Pentecostal upbringing, and literature. A seasoned performer, Colin combines his worldly and traveled view with the sound of southern roots.
And to our other finalists...
High Tea
High Tea, the indie-folk duo hailing from Boston MA, is a concoction of sweepingly soulful harmonies, guitar riffs to knock your socks off, and a refreshing blend of old blues and new pop. Isabella DeHerdt and Isaac Eliot fill spaces with homegrown story telling and Lumineer-esque vocals. Their songs are ripe with Americana heartbreak as they sing of growing up, going wild, and always coming back to love.
Nick Andrew Staver
A working class soul. A ten pound steel guitar. A voice dripping with nostalgia. Nick Andrew Staver continues to emerge as a captivating American Roots & Blues songwriter. The blue collar valleys of southern Pennsylvania have carved out Nick’s musical story focusing on the benefits & struggles that come with small town living. Writing, recording as a solo artist, and touring independently since 2014 has led to the release of a handful of albums plus a new one now underway.
Spectator Bird
Spectator Bird is sisters Rachel and Lindsey FitzGerald, who make their home in the mountains of Virginia. "Together they’ve hewn out a sound that is at once honest and elegant, sincere and captivating. Weaving sibling harmonies with award winning songwriting to produce a tapestry of sound as ancient and ambient as the hollows themselves." (Heather Hannah)
AC Sapphire
"Ethereal Folk Rock" is how AC Sapphire describes her music. Like the Mojove desert she loves, her music is exquisitely wild, with a hint of danger and a transcendent richness hidden under the surface. Originally from eastern Pennsylvania, and currently based in the Pacific Northwest, she's busy with a new band, singing harmony and recording with Kyle Craft, and preparing for a national tour in support of her upcoming EP Omni Present and upcoming album Desert Car.
Our judges were:
Zach King
Zach King is a singer/songwriter, promoter and producer from Perry County, PA. He is the Director of Kingfish & Friends, a community focused on creating a more authentic show experience for artists and audiences through intimate house concerts, writer’s rounds, showcase events and community collaboration.
Shannon McNally
After graduating with a Bachelors of Music in 2015, Shannon McNally joined the business side of the music industry as a talent buyer and promoter. She spent three years as the Venue Manager at Tellus360 before going to Millersville in 2020 to open Phantom Power just three weeks before the pandemic shutdown.
JJ Sheffer
JJ Sheffer is director of enroot, a portfolio of arts and humanities programs that include PechaKucha Night York, York Story Slam, and Kable House Presents. She also serves on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and the steering committee for the Women's Giving Circle of York County Community Foundation.
Rick Russell
Rick Russell is a co-owner of The Englewood in Hershey, PA- a restaurant, brewery and live music venue in a renovated 1861 dairy barn. Rick is a musician who currently plays guitar with the alternative country band, Hockersville Station and lives in Hershey with his wife and two sons.
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