Tony Rice and Chris Thile & Michael Daves are among the artists to perform free shows at ELLNORA | The Guitar Festival at Krannert Center in Urbana, IL, September 8-10, 2011.

Tony Rice’s nimble, progressive sound has earned 10 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards as well as a Grammy Award, and collaborations with Ricky Skaggs, ELLNORA alum Jerry Douglas, and Central Illinois native Alison Krauss have solidified his place in the pantheon of bluegrass giants. “If bluegrass has a guitar god, it’s Tony Rice, who has left a generation of aspiring guitarists trying to duplicate his clean, speedy, otherworldly sound” (New Yorker).

Mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile (of Punch Brothers) and bluegrass guitarist Michael Daves will perform at ELLNORA | The Guitar Festival 2011. The duo recently released the impassioned collaboration/conversation, Sleep with One Eye Open, an album feverishly recorded over four days in Jack White’s Third Man studio in Nashville that features 16 traditional tunes by legends like The Monroe Brothers, The Louvin Brothers, Jimmy Martin, and Flatt & Scruggs. Thile explains, “Mandolin and guitar and two male voices—it’s such a good sound. It was important for us was to get that brother duet thing, but with this Lower East Side punk energy. One of the most enjoyable things about this experience was to underline the slightly delinquent side of bluegrass.”

Chris Thile & Michael Daves and The Tony Rice Unit will perform in Krannert Center’s intimate yet grand 1.5-acre lobby, grounded with Indonesian teak floors, flanked by massive Carrera marble walls, and capable of holding an audience of several thousand. Other ELLNORA artists featured in FREE shows are Artist-in-Residence Luther Dickinson and Grammy Award winner Alvin Youngblood Hart, The Sheryl Bailey 3, the Beijing Guitar Duo, Rory Block and Cindy Cashdollar, Adrian Belew, Kevin Breit’s Folkalarm, Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos, and flamenco artist Marija Temo.

More details on Chris Thile & Michael Daves, Tony Rice, and all of the free shows at ELLNORA | The Guitar Festival at Krannert Center (September 8-10, 2011) will be released on June 15, 2011. Please visit EllnoraGuitarFestival.com for information on previous festivals and for announcements about the 2011 lineup.

The Felice Brothers' fourth album Celebration, Florida arrived in stores yesterday via Fat Possum. The inventive and imaginative album expands upon the dark, woozy undercurrents and surreal storytelling of their previous albums, and has been catching the attention of the press. In addition to the A.V. Club, which recently declared "...The Felice Brothers have captured the decay and corruption of contemporary America in dazzling, sickening fashion", Celebration, Florida has also been covered by Billboard, Cowbell, Metromix, SPIN, Time Out New York ("arresting"), and The Wall Street Journal ("...very fine new Tom Waits-meets-the-Band album..."), among others.

Today, The Felice Brothers' new video for first single "Ponzi" premiered on the A.V. Club and the striking Ian Cinco-directed clip can now be seen here. A song stream on "Ponzi" debuted on SPIN.com in late March; code for an embeddable stream is below. A full album stream is also available via the band's website and AOL Music's Spinner.

The Felice Brothers have been on tour in support of Celebration, Florida since mid-March and play The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, MI, tonight. The band recently added a handful of new shows to their US itinerary, including June 15^th at the Ottobar in Baltimore, MD; June 16^th at the Maymount (Groovin In The Garden concert series) in Richmond, VA; June 17^th at the Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe, PA; and September 10^th at the Daleville Town Center in Daleville, VA.

The Felice Brothers made their debut performance at Coachella last month and their Saturday evening set drew great live reviews from SPIN.com (Best & Worst Moments of Coachella Day 2 - 'Worst Band To Pigeonhole': "...let's just call them great") and The Orange County Register ("...something very raw and beautiful"), among others. The band will also perform at a number of other festivals this summer, including The Clearwater Festival, The Calgary Folk Festival, and the Newport Folk Festival.

The Felice Brothers will head to Europe in late November; fall touring plans for the US will be announced soon.

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The Felice Brothers tour dates:

MAY 11 ANN ARBOR, MI THE BLIND PIG*

MAY 12 TORONTO, ONT LEE'S PALACE*

MAY 13 ROCHESTER, NY WATER STREET MUSIC HALL*

MAY 14 LANCASTER, PA CHAMELEON CLUB*

MAY 18 BROOKLYN, NY THE BELL HOUSE%

MAY 19 BROOKLYN, NY THE BELL HOUSE**

MAY 26 NEWMARKET, NH THE STONE CHURCH#

MAY 27 BOSTON, MA BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL#

MAY 28 HARTFORD, CT BOMB FESTIVAL (Comcast Theatre)

JUNE 15 BALTIMORE, MD OTTOBAR

JUNE 16 RICHMOND, VA GROOVIN IN THE GARDEN (Maymount)^

JUNE 17 JIM THORPE, PA MAUCH CHUNK OPERA HOUSE

JUNE 18 CROTON-ON-HUDSON, NY CLEARWATER FESTIVAL

JULY 21-23 CALGARY, ALB CALGARY FOLK FESTIVAL

JULY 30 NEWPORT, RI NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL

SEPT. 10 DALEVILLE, VA DALEVILLE TOWN CENTER

NOV. 29 MUNICH, DE FREIHEIZ

NOV. 30 FRANKFURT, DE BATSCHKAPP

DEC. 1 KOLN, DE GLORIA

DEC. 2 HAMBURG, DE UBEL & GEFAHRLICH

DEC. 3 BERLIN, DE POSTBAHNHOF

DEC. 6 LONDON, UK KOKO

DEC. 7 MANCHESTER, UK MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2

DEC. 9 GLASGOW, UK ABC

DEC. 10 BELFAST, UK SPRING & AIRBRAKE

DEC. 11 DUBLIN, IR ACADEMY

DEC. 12 BIRMINGHAM, UK INSTITUTE

DEC. 14 BRUSSELS, BE AB BOX

DEC. 15 UTRECHT, NL TIVOLI

DEC. 16 GRONIGEN, NL OOSTERPOORT

DEC. 18 NIJMEGEN, NL DOORNROOSJE

* Shovels And Rope supporting

% Shovels And Rope, Rig 1 supporting

** Tom Brosseau supporting

# Willy Mason supporting

^ co-headline with North Mississippi Allstars

Justin Fedor, Josh Daniel, Daniel Flynn, and Patrick Maholland all grew up playing music in some form or fashion and together make up The New Familiars. Together they’ve created a crew of thick-skinned, rowdy, determined musicians and songwriters. Multi-instrumentalist talents of Justin and Josh keeps the ever evolving sound. Willie Nelson, The Band, My Morning Jacket, and Otis Redding are named as a few of their heroes. They’ve shared the stage opening or closing shows with Johnny Neel (Allman Brothers), Levon Helm (The Band), Del McCoury, Emmitt-Nershi Band, and the Infamous Stringdusters. They’re also happy to be in their fifth year in the festival circuit.

“It’s American rock and roll” they’ll tell you. As much as they love bluegrass, rock and roll, and country, they skirt along the edge of all three. Blossoming out of a music scene that’s birthed loads of bands that blur and bend genre lines, The New Familiars happily sit in that place. Regardless, they’ll keep you on your feet, and that’s the important part right?

Their album Between the Moon & The Morning Light is a milestone for their career, which brought band member changes, and united the members that remained. Songs about love, luck, traveling the road, and finding one’s place in the world are what will be heard on Between the Moon & The Morning Light. Recorded by Joe Kuhlmann at 34th & Hudson in Charlotte, North Carolina, and mixed by Dave Glasser at Airshow in Boulder, Colorado.

Guests like Bob Crawford (Avett Brothers),Tania Elizabeth (the Duhks, Mary Gauthier), Sam Quinn, assure a level of energy, quality, and talent that The New Familiars plan to continue to share throughout their recordings and touring.

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Tour Dates:

May 13 – Legal Grounds – Rutherfordton, NC
May 14 – NC Music and Beer Festival – Huntersville, NC
May 14 – Artisphere – Greenville, SC
May 20 – The Quarter – Gulfport, MS
May 28 – Jammin At Hippie Jacks – Crawford, TN
June 17 – Downtown After Five – Asheville, NC
July 4 – National Whitewater Center – Charlotte, NC
September 23 – Jammin At Hippie Jacks – Crawford, TN

Jon Dee Graham, Freedy Johnston and Susan Cowsill have united to form the Hobart Brothers & Lil’ Sis Hobart. The trio, backed by drummer Russ Broussard and bassist Andrew Duplantis, will make their live debut during SXSW week in a series of Austin appearances.

Susan, Jon Dee and Freedy found themselves huddled at last year’s SXSW to write a couple of songs reflecting on their early days washing dishes for a living, which all three had done (joining the ranks of such former dish-washing rock legends as Alex Chilton). The band name refers to the commercial dishwasher known to all aspiring songwriters.

The three members quickly realized that the Hobart Brothers was a good outlet in which to write songs about things they otherwise would not. From the initial summit came a collection of songs of joy and heartbreak that range from the sublime to the silly. Cowsill’s vocals, described by Rolling Stone as “a supple survivor’s alto,” blend beautifully with the roughhewn quality of Jon’s voice and Freedy’s sad tenor.

In May 2010 they recorded a CD, At Least We Have Each Other, at Top Hat Studios in Austin. The recording was cut in the lounge and kitchen area of the studio. The band was already rehearsing there, so engineer John Harvey set up the mikes around them and started recording. The finished album provides a rare glimpse of what three very unique and talented artists might come up with when they think no one else is listening. While the songs were recorded live with one or two takes, there is a resonant honesty and completeness to them. This CD is scheduled for release later in 2011....but only with the help from their friends and fans.

The Hobart Brothers will self-fund the release of At Least We Have Each Other through a creative kickstarter.com campaign. The money raised will pay for production, promotion, publicists, publicity materials, artwork and more. To learn more about the campaign, which has a goal of raising $10,000, and the rewards received for donating to the project, click here.

About the Hobart Brothers & Lil’ Sis Hobart:

Jon Dee Graham was named Austin Musician of the Year during SXSW in 2006. He was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame three times: as a solo artist in 2000, again in 2008 as a member of the Skunks,  and again in 2009 as a member of the True Believers. Graham has released seven albums and was the subject of a DVD called Big Sweet Life: The Songs of Jon Dee Graham. In August 2008, Graham underwent emergency surgery after being injured in a one-car accident. His current album is aptly titled It’s Not As Bad As It Looks.

The New Yorker cited Freedy Johnston’s “finely wrought, melancholy character studies” as one of the calling cards of last year’s critically acclaimed Rain on the City album, his twelfth. According to SPIN, “Johnston’s characters always make a deep impression.” He has been recording since 1990’s debut The Trouble Tree on Bar/None. In 1994 he hit with “Bad Reputation” from his Elektra album This Perfect World, and Rolling Stone named him “Songwriter of the Year.”

Susan Cowsill was born into show business as a member of the Cowsills, who hit with “The Rain, The Park & Other Things” and “Hair” in the late ’60s. In the ’90s, she joined forces with Peter Holsapple and Vicki Peterson to form the Continental Drifters, and migrated from Los Angeles to New Orleans. In 2005 she released her first solo album, Just Believe It, concurrent with losing her brother Barry and her house to Hurricane Katrina. Her current album Lighthouse, called “an earthy, often crunchy folk-pop gem” by Rolling Stone, reflects upon these experiences and features guest spots from Peterson, Jackson Browne, and former Cowsills session player Waddy Wachtel.

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Hobart Brothers & Lil’ Sis Hobart SXSW week schedule:

Wed., March 16, 2 p.m. —Guitartown/Conqueroo Kickoff Party, The Dogwood, 715 West 6th St.
Wed., March 16, 1 a.m. —Official SXSW Showcase, Speakeasy, 412D Congress Ave.  
Thurs., March 17, 3 p.m. —Jovita’s Twangfest, 1619 South First St.  
Fri., March 18, 4 p.m. — Bug Music Day Party, The Continental Club, 1315 S. Congress Ave.  
Sun., March 20, 5:15 p.m. Olivia South Austin Fried Chicken Revival, 2043 S. Lamar Blvd.  
Sun., March 20, 10:30 p.m. —G&S Lounge North Coast Music, 2420 South 1st St.

With the 15th Annual Suwannee Springfest only one month away, today the festival promoters release the daily stage schedule. In addition to hosting a number of special on-site collaborations, including the Colorado Superjam featuring Emmitt-Nershi, Michael Kang, The Motet and others, as well as Travelin’ McCourys with The Lee Boys, the Suwannee Springfest lineup also boasts The Avett Brothers, David Grisman Sextet, Emmitt-Nershi Band and many more. Full lineup information is below.

VIP, General Admission and Discounted Student Tickets are on sale now at suwanneespringfest.com

To give back to the local community, Suwannee Springfest is proud to host a new annual food drive to support the Suwannee Valley Food Bank. Any festival-goer who brings at least 5 cans or non-perishable food items to the festival office will receive a commemorative 2011 festival poster. Please help Suwannee Springfest support the community and feed those less fortunate.

About the 15th Annual Suwannee Springfest:

The critically acclaimed Suwannee Springfest will once again feature the best and brightest Americana and grassroots artists performing new and traditional folk, rock & roll, bluegrass and newgrass, alt-country and more. Confirmed talent for the 2011 fest includes: The Avett Brothers, David Grisman Sextet, Jesse McReynolds, Donna The Buffalo, Emmitt-Nershi Band, Travelin' McCourys with The Lee Boys, Jim Lauderdale, Mosier Brothers, Emmitt-Nershi and the Colorado Super Jam, Cornmeal, Travelin' McCourys with The Lee Boys, Acoustic Syndicate, Danny Barnes, Verlon Thompson, Scythian, Trampled By Turtles, Greensky Bluegrass, Steep Canyon Rangers, Joe Craven, Michael Kang, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, Surprise Me Mr. Davis, The Motet, Dread Clampitt, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Rowan Cunningham Band, Tornado Rider, Ralph Roddenbery, Sol Driven Train, Side Affects, Nathan Moore, Galen Kipar Project, Sloppy Joe, Tammerlin, Quartermoon, Habanero Honeys, Big Cosmo’s Suwannee Sound Syndicate, Larkin Poe, Futurebirds, The Mantras, Rick Loller Band, 2-Foot Level, Andrew and Noah, New 76ers, Saltwater Grass, Mickey Abraham’s Traveling Acoustic Ensemble, Amy Hendrickson & the Prime Directive, Tennessee Firearms, Grandpa's Cough Medicine, The Honeycutters, Me and the Devil, New Familiars, Adelle Cotton, The Whetherman and more.

2011 Suwannee Springfest Ticket Info: From February 1–March 15 tickets will be priced at $150. From March 16-March 23 tickets will be $165. Students can purchase discounted tickets in advance for $110 and for $150 at the gate (current, non-expired ID required).

From March 23 on, including at the festival gates, all regular weekend tickets will be $180. Saturday/Sunday two-day passes (with camping) will be $145 and available only at the gate. Single day tickets will be priced as follows: Thursday: $50, Friday: $65, Saturday: $75, Sunday: $50 (single day tickets do not include camping). All weekend tickets include music, camping Thursday-Sunday nights, and all fees and taxes. For more information on Suwannee Springfest, including up-to-date lineup and ticket details, go to: suwanneespringfest.com