Crack the Sky
Crack the Sky is an American progressive rock band formed in Weirton, West Virginia in the early 1970s. In 1975, Rolling Stone declared their first album “debut album of the year”, and in 1978, Rolling Stone Record Guide compared them to Steely Dan; their first three albums charted on the Billboard 200. Wikipedia
Read about Crack the Sky in Rolling Stone – August 2018
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Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile
Brandi M. Carlile is an American singer-songwriter and producer whose music spans multiple genres. As of 2018, Carlile has released six studio albums and earned seven Grammy Award nominations, including one for The Firewatcher’s Daughter and six for By the Way, I Forgive You. Wikipedia
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Annika Chambers & Paul DesLauriers
Chambers DesLauriers embodies love, resilience, and the stirring power of blues, soul, and rock ‘n roll. Fronted by the magnetic duo Annika Chambers and Paul DesLauriers, this band unites two celebrated artists whose music and story inspire audiences worldwide.
Their love story began in 2018 with a moment straight out of a movie. During a busy music conference in Memphis, TN, in a jam-packed lobby at the Orpheum Theatre, “we immediately locked eyes,” Annika muses simply about their first magical meeting. But fate had other plans—they wouldn’t cross paths again for another year, and their connection was undeniable when they did. A whirlwind romance, quick engagement, and marriage followed, and now, six years later, their love continues to shine—on stage and off.
Annika Chambers cut her teeth singing in church as a child and led her first song at age 15. Influenced by Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Yolanda Adams, and Mavis Staples, she hit the stage in her hometown of Houston for the first time as a professional singer in 2008.
Her strength and determination stem from her 7 ½ years in the U.S. Army, where she served two tours of duty. During this time, she first discovered the blues, and from there, her musical path was set. Annika has cemented her place as a force to be reckoned with in the blues world, earning three Blues Music Awards for Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year (2019, 2022, 2024), with another nomination in 2025.
Hailing from Cornwall, Ontario, Paul DesLauriers picked up his first instrument at age five and never looked back. Studying the greats—B.B. King, Robert Johnson, Bukka White, and Peter Green—he immersed himself in their playing while developing his own distinct style. By 15, he was gigging professionally and, soon after, touring the world under his name. A six-time Maple Blues Award winner, DesLauriers has earned his place as one of Canada’s premier blues-rock guitarists.
A survivor of a traumatic brain injury in 2018, Paul’s experience only reinforced one truth: music was his anchor. “No matter what life throws at you, when you pick up a guitar, it reminds you who you are. I’m blessed that it wasn’t taken away from me. I just had to keep moving forward through the fog.”
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Etienne Charles
Etienne Charles
Hailed by The New York Times as “an auteur” (Ben Ratliff), by Jazz Times as “A daring improviser who delivers with heart-wrenching lyricism” (Bill Milkowski). According to Downbeat Magazine “Charles delivers his ebullient improvisations with the elegance of a world-class ballet dancer.” (John Murph). He has received critical acclaim for his exciting performances, thrilling compositions and knack for connecting with audiences worldwide. In June 2012, Etienne was written into the US Congressional Record for his musical contributions to Trinidad & Tobago and the World. Perhaps more than any other musician of his generation or Eastern Caribbean origin, Etienne brings a careful study of myriad rhythms from the French, Spanish, English, and Dutch speaking Caribbean to the table. Crucially, as a soloist, he fully understands the New Orleans trumpet tradition; which is readily discernible in his trademark instrumental swagger, and what famed Crescent City Pianist, Jelly Roll Morton so succinctly captured in the now immortal phrase, ‘The Spanish Tinge’. He has performed and or recorded with Monty Alexander, Roberta Flack, Frank Foster, Ralph MacDonald, Johnny Mandel, Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Maria Schneider, Count Basie Orchestra, Eric Reed, Lord Blakie, David Rudder, and many others. He holds a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School and a Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University. Etienne Charles has taught as an Assistant Professor of Jazz Trumpet at Michigan State University and the University of Miami.
