POI ROGERS: Somewhere in-between the tropical lounges of 1930s Los Angeles and the honky tonk beer joints of rural 1950s California, you'll find Poi Rogers. Hailing from Santa Cruz, CA, the duo performs original and vintage American roots music, with Gerard Egan doubling on acoustic guitar and triple neck steel and Carolyn Sills on standup bass, their timeless harmonies anchoring the show.

Carolyn and Gerard have been nominated for many national awards over the last few years with their other group, The Carolyn Sills Combo, including winning the 2018 and 2024 Ameripolitan Award for Western Swing Group, Carolyn being named the Academy of Western Artists' Western Swing Female Vocalist of 2020 and the couple both being inducted into the Sacramento Western Swing Hall of Fame. Carolyn’s reputation for creative and clever storytelling got her writing published in the 'Lyrics as Poetry' chronicles. 

What began as a fun way for the couple to explore the vintage musical styles they love turned into an in-demand touring act, with Poi Rogers ‘accidentally’ playing almost 200 shows since 2023. They will release their debut album, Twilight Blues, in June of 2025, a collection of eight songs that are both cinematic snapshots from Gerard and Carolyn’s life together and witty odes to their antiquated passions.

KENTUCKY MULE is an alternative country band based in Santa Cruz, California. The vocalist and songwriter, Coleton Joe Tidwell, effortlessly weaves small-town storytelling and metropolitan modernity. This pairs well with an old-school outlaw rhythm section provided by his backing band of Scott Willis (lead guitar), Will Iermini (bass & vocals), Lizzy Smith (fiddle & vocals) & Troy Nadeau (drums). Altogether the band tips it’s cap to the full spectrum of country music while seamlessly blending in their outside influences.