Halley Neal

Halley Neal is an award winning folk singer and songwriter whose live shows center on themes of positivity and peace. The formerly-Nashville-currently-Boston-based artist is often joined by her backing band of upright bass and fiddle. Halley’s lyrical folk-Americana songs are met with her soaring vocals and an upbeat bluegrass inspired instrumentation. Halley has gained national recognition from touring across the country to listening rooms and folk music venues and from her performances at festivals, notably the Kerrville Folk Fest, Rocky Mountain Folks Fest and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. Halley released her most recent solo record “Beautiful and Blue” to critical acclaim on September 30th, 2022. Her live shows are remembered for her effortless vocals and honest lyrics.

Graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2019, Halley was chosen from the graduates to perform a song at Berklee’s Commencement Concert at Agganis Arena. The concert honored the 2019 Berklee honorary doctorates, Missy Elliot, Justin Timberlake, and Alex Lacamoire, who all attended the show. In her final semester at Berklee, Halley collaborated with artist Plot Twist and her former band Rose & Kennedy to write and release a single called “Lover” which shortly after gained notable traction on Tik Tok. Since it’s release in July 2019, the song has gained over 27 million streams and has seen global acclaim with covers and Tik Toks of the song posted by people from all over the world.

Shortly after graduating from college, Halley moved to Nashville, TN where in her first few months, she was a chosen finalist for “Nashville Rising Song,” a premiere songwriting competition. In Nashville, Halley also hosted house concerts in her backyard bringing together a community of independent musicians. In 2020, Halley became an official Guild Guitars artist, and performed a set of original music at the 2021 NAMM Show with Guild. She is also one of the first artists to participate in Guild’s “Factory Sessions” YouTube series, where she performed an original set of songs live in the Guild Guitars factory in Oxnard California. Currently, Halley tours nationally to house concert and listening room venues.

Halley’s debut self-titled record was released on June 4th, 2021. Halley Neal blends sounds that Neal picked up throughout her time studying at her alma mater, Berklee College of Music, as well as in the city she now calls home, Nashville, TN. The record includes a collaboration with artist Plot Twist and her former band, Rose & Kennedy, in an acoustic version of their song “Lover,” and another which was produced by guitarist for Zac Brown Band and former John Mayer co-writer and producer, Clay Cook.

Halley released her second album, "Beautiful and Blue" on September 30th, 2022. She made the record while grieving the loss of her grandmother to dementia. Dedicated to her Gram, on “Beautiful & Blue” Neal discovers the joyful parts within sorrow. Her recent sound blends effortless layered vocals with Americana production, and is deeply rooted in ideas of positivity and peace with a throwback to classic folk production.

Learn more at https://halleyneal.com/home

The Holland Brothers

The Holland Brothers are from the Piedmont region of NC. They play a style of music rooted in old school country and country blues, with close harmonies and blues harmonica. Drawing inspiration from Charlie Poole to Charlie Patton, from Muddy Waters to the Memphis Jug Band, from the country gospel sounds of Flatt and Scruggs and the Louvin Brothers, from the high lonesome sound of Bill Monroe, or from the pairing of Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston, the Holland Brothers, together (as also in the 90's rock band Jennyanykind) and individually have appeared in publications and events such as No Depression, North Carolina’s Our State magazine, the North Carolina State Fair, Billboard Magazine, as well as the NY Times, continue to garner praise and gain new fans daily.

They have recorded music for and appeared in MAX’s Righteous Gemstones and Apple TV+’s show Dickinson. Their music has also been used in films such as Desert Saints (2002) starring Kiefer Sutherland, The World Made Straight (2015), and The Legacy of the Whitetail Deer Hunter (2018).

Similar to the Piedmont songsters of old, the Holland Brothers play a variety of styles and songs. Their sound is rooted in old-time country and country blues with aspects of vaudeville, ragtime and jazz that includes choice covers and inspired originals.

Learn more at https://thehollandbros.com/

Emorie Hush

Raised a preacher's kid in North Carolina, Sarah made her public performing debut at age 4 in a church talent show, sitting on top of a piano played by her dad, singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Taking piano lessons from a young age, picking up guitar as a teenager, and years in church and community choirs and musicals made music a core part of Sarah's identity.

While ordained ministry is Sarah's day job (they're currently a pastor at a quirky, progressive church in Winston-Salem, NC), music has only grown as a presence and passion. Sarah is proud to be a member of the house band of the Martha Bassett Show at the historic Reeves Theater in Elkin, NC (and on radio stations in NC, VA, TN, & KY), and has played keys and synthesizer with Cashavelly and on tour with The Collection.

In 2024, Sarah took on the moniker Emorie Hush, a nod to a great-grandmother Emorie, as a vehicle for performing and releasing original music. Two debut pop singles born of collaboration with guitarist and producer Russell Kelly are out now ("Hollow Bones" and "Dance It Out"), along with an acoustic love ballad ("Summer Song") and two singles from the first Emorie Hush album, The Night, out November 7. She has participated in songwriting retreats and workshops with the likes of Dar Williams, Jonathan Byrd, Heather Maloney, and Taina Asili, and she is constantly influenced by many musical friends.

Besides music and theology, Sarah loves dogs, books, biking, running, game nights, road trips, getting stamps in their National Parks passport, being mediocre at various crafts, spending time in the mountains of western North Carolina, listening to TV recap podcasts, making sourdough bagels, dad jokes, and going to see the many amazing local musicians in the Triad live whenever possible.

Learn more at https://www.emoriehush.com/