MN Bluegrass August Festival

With her latest album, Highlander, bluegrass/Americana icon Missy Raines takes inventory of where she stands at this current juncture in her storied career — this melodic ode to her native West Virginia, which simultaneously serves as an ideal prism of time and space Raines peers through into the unknowns of tomorrow.

Throughout her storied career, Raines has garnered some of the biggest accolades in the music industry, including 14 International Bluegrass Music Association honors, with 10 being awarded for “Bass Player of the Year.” Raines’ 2018 release Royal Traveller was also nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Bluegrass Album” in 2020. 

Allegheny is Ben Garnett on guitar, Eli Gilbert on banjo, Ellie Hakanson on fiddle, and Tristan Scroggins on mandolin. The band is named for the Allegheny highlands of West Virginia where Raines grew up. This band is a significant nod to her deep traditional bluegrass roots. The music is traditional and hard-driving at its core but energized with Raines’ well-known penchant for originality and innovation. 

Special Consensus’ sound is grounded in a deep appreciation and understanding of bluegrass music, incorporating both the drive and harmonies of the traditional sound with the more contemporary sounds and repertoire of today.

With the foundation of Greg Cahill’s unique banjo playing style and the vocal prowess of the 2023 and 2025 IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year Greg Blake (guitar), Dan Eubanks (bass) and Brian McCarty (mandolin), these musicians effortlessly support each other and consistently maintain their bluegrass center whether they’re playing a jazz-tinged instrumental or a song from any of their award-winning recordings.

These four talented vocalists and instrumentalists follow their creative desires without straying too far from their roots.

Rick Faris is a Kansas Music Hall of Fame Member who was recently awarded the “Songwriter of the Year” at the 2024 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards making him an 8-time IBMA Award winner. In addition Rick won the coveted “New Artist of the Year” in 2022. The Rick Faris Band is a high‐energy, internationally touring bluegrass powerhouse bringing superb musicianship and a youthful snap from the standout musicians and pickers in the group.

Oklahoma’s mandolin phenom Henry Burgess and third‐generation bluegrass thoroughbred and banjo picker from West Virginia, Gibson Davis (2024 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year) and newly added Missouri’s own Maddie Dalton on bass (2023 IBMA Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year) bring energy and prowess beyond their years.

With leader Rick Faris planted in the heart of the bluegrass world—Owensboro, Kentucky—and a distinct sound combining tradition with fresh, original material, the Rick Faris Band delivers music that is soulful, precise, and unforgettable. Enjoy blazing instrumentals, tight vocals, relaxed humor on stage, and songs that connect deeply with bluegrass fans old and new.

Kristy Cox is blazing a trail across the bluegrass world, bridging the sounds of Australia and the heart of American roots music with undeniable flair. Crowned the “Australian Queen of Bluegrass,” Kristy has carved out a powerful reputation for her fearless artistry, soulful vocals, and genre-bending creativity. After first captivating audiences in Australia’s country music scene, she has gone on to dominate the U.S. bluegrass charts, earning multiple Billboard #1s and widespread acclaim on both sides of the globe.

Her latest release, Let it Burn, is a bold statement of artistic evolution — fusing high-energy bluegrass with the raw emotion of evangelical gospel. Fueled by Cox’s commanding vocals and impassioned delivery, the album lit up the Billboard Bluegrass chart with another #1, marking yet another milestone in her ever-growing legacy. A longtime creative force alongside acclaimed songwriter Jerry Salley, Kristy continues to craft music that is both rooted in tradition and unafraid to push boundaries. Their collaborations strike a rare balance — honoring the heritage of bluegrass while sounding undeniably fresh and current.

With seven Golden Guitar Awards to her name — including her most recent win for Let it Burn — Kristy remains one of Australia’s most celebrated bluegrass exports. She’s been recognized internationally as well, with six consecutive shortlistings in the IBMA Awards for Emerging Artist and Female Vocalist of the Year, and a finalist nod in the prestigious 2019 IBMA Momentum Awards. Stateside recognition has continued to follow, including 2024 SPBGMA nominations for Female Artist of the Year and a 2025 Album of the Year nomination for Let it Burn.

Characterized by No Depression as “the future of bluegrass”, Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road twine innovation, tradition, and excellence into a unique musical experience.

Though only in his 22nd year, North Carolina’s Liam Purcell has already established a name for himself in the world of American Stringband music. Growing up less than a mile away from the legendary guitarist Doc Watson, Purcell was steeped in Appalachian Old-Time and Bluegrass traditions. Taking inspiration from the local Deep Gap legacy, Liam began writing, performing, and storytelling from an early age.

Entering the professional bluegrass circuit during his teenage years, Purcell formed the stringband-supergroup Cane Mill Road. He would go on to lead the virtuosic ensemble through regional appearances, building a fanbase across the Southeast and bringing his homespun rapport to some of the most revered festivals in the scene. By the time Purcell was 17, the project had seen multiple entries on the Billboard Top 10 Bluegrass charts, performed in 25 states, and was recognized by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2019 as the Momentum Band of the Year. Joining Liam on stage in Cane Mill Road are Zack Vickers (Banjo), Ari Silver (Guitar), Teddy Kent (Bass), and Devin Jones (Guitar/Mandolin).

The Rocky Creek Ramblers conjure up a delicious throwback sound—earthy fiddle, percolating three-finger banjo, spanking mandolin chops, and tasty guitar and bass runs. Add some fine songs, drawn from the old-school bluegrass and Old-time repertoire and you've got the Ramblers.

A hard driving fiddler and singer, Joseph Decosimo has won blue ribbons at the finest fiddle contests in the South. Ken Landreth cut his teeth in the renowned Galax, Va scene and plays a three-finger banjo style that weaves perfectly around Joseph's fiddle. A fixture in the NC Old-time/Bluegrass scene and former Big Medicine member, Jim Collier lends his fine singing and mandolin playing to the band. Jim Nelson brings years of experience playing rhythm guitar and singing in the hottest string bands in the Midwest. Dedo Norris's bass rounds it all out for a thick, driving string band sound.