Line Up

GALACTIC featuring Jelly Joseph

This is a band at the top of their powers producing grade-A highly creative inventive Funk. – Blues Blast Magazine

Galactic of New Orleans’ most legendary modern musical exports. This band’s gritty, funky sound embodies the soul of New Orleans, pulling together traditions of New Orleans funk, electronica, hip hop, and deep jam grooves while featuring vocals from some of the city’s most iconic performers, including Irma Thomas, Macy Grey and Mavis Staples. For the last five years, Galactic has featured New Orleans star and former member of Tank and the Bangas Anjelika Jelly Joseph. 

ERIC GALES

“The best guitarist in blues-rock right now!” – Joe Bonamassa

Eric Gales has been blowing the minds of the world’s best musicians for decades. Since his jaw-dropping debut album at the age of 16, he has racked up awards and recognition at a dizzying rate. He was named Guitar World’s Best New Talent before he was old enough to drink. He has made 18 studio albums since then, toured the planet, and his albums have featured artists like Lauren Hill and Gary Clark, Jr. On May 9, 2019, he won the Blues Music Award for Blues Rock Artist of the Year. In May 2020, Gales won his second consecutive Blues Music Award as the Blues Rock Artist of the Year, and 2022 brought us the album Crown, a personal and honest album featuring his finest work yet.  

THE RECORD COMPANY

Gritty and sometimes dissolute vocals are exquisitely accompanied by an unbelievably catchy rhythmic pedal steel guitar, acoustic guitar, a melodic bass that reminds one time of the White Stripes and the stripped-down songwriting that once made legends of Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Since the Record Company roared into the world more than a decade ago, they’ve racked up a Grammy nomination, earned millions of streams on music platforms, and toured with some of the hottest bands on the planet, including Trombone Shorty, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, and Blackberry Smoke. Last year they released a new album called The 4th Album, and their shows have been sold out coast to coast ever since.

COLIN JAMES

James is an impressive Canadian guitarist who learned at the knee of the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan. – Irish Times

For more than 30 years, Canadian Colin James has brought the best of his country’s blues, rock and swing to audiences around the globe. His list of awards and accolades is enormous, and a couple months ago The Toronto Blues Society gave him and the band another one: Electric Act of the Year! We can’t wait to welcome one of the most soulful singers and skillful songwriters we have had the honor to present: Colin James!

NIKKI HILL

“Think Tina Turner fronting AC/DC and you’ll have half of the picture. She’s a machine…you’ve got no excuse if you miss seeing her… Nikki Hill is a revelation, her band masters of rocket-fueled bluesy swing, her voice the beacon which calls you home… a vocal powerhouse who don’t mess around.” –Rolling Stone

The Minneapolis Star Tribune says that “If Tina Turner and Little Richard had a daughter and raised her with the help of uncles James Brown and Chuck Berry, she’d be like Nikki Hill.” One of her generation’s most recognizable and beloved blues rock artists, Nikki Hill, has built a career out of sheer talent, hard work, and hundreds of thousands of miles on the road. Excited to welcome back to Nikki Hill.

DWAYNE DOPSIE & THE ZYDECO HELLRAISERS

“He has no competition in his genres, he’s the Jimmy Hendrix of the accordion.” – Rolling Stone

2023 Grammy award winner and “America’s Hottest Accordion” player Dwayne Dopsie plays a high-energy zydeco that keeps you wanting more. Dwayne hails from one of the most influential zydeco families in the world. Although inspired by tradition, he has developed his own style that defies existing stereotypes and blazes a refreshingly distinct path for 21st century zydeco music.

CHRIS O’LEARY

“The Chris O’Leary Band offers a virtual encyclopedia of entertaining roadhouse blues styles, from boogie-woogie to Southside Chicago to Louisiana stompers.” –Philadelphia Daily News

Chris O’Leary is at the peak of his creative powers, delivering memorable, thought-provoking original songs informed by the complex road he’s traveled. His astonishingly honest material, fierce harmonica work, and scorching vocals stun his listeners to attention and bring his live audiences to their feet, all while making a lasting, personal connection.

NAT MYERS

With thoughtful lyrics and captivating instrumentation, Nat Myers proves he’s both a skilled musician and poet. –Blues Chronicles

While most musicians were cooling their heels through the pandemic, Korean American blues poet Nat Myers was getting famous. Unable to play live, he posted clips of his original music to YouTube, and the music impressed Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys so much that he invited Myers to Nashville to meet. The songs they ended up recording together draw from the tap roots of blues music of almost a century ago but tell the tales of Myer’s experiences in today’s America.

LEON TIMBO

“Timbo brings this message to life with a strong beat, intricate guitar work, and soothing tenor vocals. His music incorporates soul, gospel, folk, R&B, and modern blues for a unique sound, and his vulnerable lyrics hook listeners.” – American Songwriter

For country-soul singer-songwriter Leon Timbo, music is used as a form of growth and healing. Timbo’s country sound incorporates equal measures of vintage soul, gospel, folk, R&B, and even modern blues making for a unique experience that some have described as “transparent soul.”

DIGGIN DIRT

Diggin Dirt is an undeniable force in the West Coast funk scene. With a deeply original sound and a reputation for high energy performance, this premier ensemble is a captivating scene.

Hailing form Humboldt County in California, Diggin’ Dirt is one of the freshest, finest funk acts to light up the West Coast in many years. With a deeply original sound and a reputation for high energy performance, this premier ensemble is a captivating crew. Get ready to shake it to the hottest horn section and grooviest rhythms you may ever hear.

LARHONDA & THE STEELE FAMILY

LaRhonda sings with pride and passion and belief and commitment. Qualities that can’t be faked. – Soul & Jazz & Funk

Gospel singer LaRhonda Steele is recognized as one the region’s best rhythm and blues vocalists. She grew up in the rural town of Spencer, Oklahoma, where her grandfather was an evangelist. Her mother sang in a gospel quartet and the family sang as part of their daily routine—Steele and her older sister harmonized as they did their daily chores. She has sung with such well-known musicians as Janis Scroggins, Linda Hornbuckle, Curtis Salgado, Mel Brown, and Norman Sylvester. Steele has produced 5 CDs, and she won three Muddy awards for Best Female Vocalist leading to her induction into the Cascade Blues Hall of Fame as well as the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.

J & THE CAUSEWAYS

“One of the best bands I’ve seen in a long time now, the ones to watch!” – WWLT New Orleans
“A force to be reckoned with in New Orleans” – WDSU News

J and the Causeways join us today from New Orleans, where music lovers named them one of the city’s best emerging bands. Founded at the legendary Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans, this tremendous soul/R&B band has become a staple of the rich festival scene in Louisiana and at music festivals around the nation.

METHOW JUKE JOINT ALLSTARS

“Standing on the shoulders of giants, Lady A delivers a thunderously powerful new single,” – American Blues Scene

“Polly O’Keary is a powerhouse blues/rock singer whose voice has the resonance and attitude that permeates her impressive bass playing” – Blues in Britain

The Methow Juke Joint Allstars are once again hosting jam sessions for mainstage performers in the beer garden after the main stage closes each night. This long-standing tradition is for many a highlight of the festival, with surprise appearances from main stage musicians and several complete sets from some of the festival’s best bands. The Juke Joint Allstars include Lady A, Peter Dammann, Polly O’Keary, David Miller, and Tommy Cook.

TOO SLIM & THE TAILDRAGGERS

“When a guy who has been grinding up the road for three decades tells you that life is a tough battle but still, and always, worth fighting with everything you’ve got, you best believe him. If the vocals aren’t enough to convince you then the unstoppable rhythm section will give you something to hold on to until you’re rested and ready for your next battle.” –Rock and Blues Muse

 Too Slim and the Taildraggers’ high-voltage blues-rock has been thrilling audiences for years. The band’s ever evolving musical direction cannot easily be classified into any box or category. Tim “Too Slim” Langford has received Lifetime Achievement and Hall of Fame awards by three Northwest blues societies, as well as more than 40 regional and national music awards. After more than 30 years of knocking it out of the park on recordings and stages across the world, Too Slim and the Taildraggers show no sign of slowing down.

DUFFY BISHOP

“Bishop is a revelation, belting dynamic blues … with the blistering guitar of her husband Chris Carlson.” – Robert Hurwitt, San Francisco Chronicle

Duffy Bishop is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most well-known and well-loved acts. Duffy first appeared on the Winthrop stage many years ago with the Seattle Women of Rhythm and Blues, and has graced the stage many times since. Though she and her husband and musical partner Chris relocated several years ago to Florida, and tour heavily in the Southeast, the Northwest exerts a strong pull on them. We feel fortunate to have them back to Winthrop.

THE REVIVAL BROTHERS BAND

The Revival Brothers Band pays tribute to the distinctive sounds of southern rock mixed with blues. A tribute to the iconic Allman Brothers Band!

The Revival Brothers come to us from Oregon, where they have quickly established themselves as a brilliant tribute to the Allman Brothers Band. This band features an incredible lineup of the region’s hottest musicians, and they promise you that, whether you’re an Allman Brothers fan or not, they will “take you on a journey back in time when going to hear music was a celebration