Society Hall  "where community celebrates!"

The New York based Progressive Americana group Nefesh Mountain Band has been hailed as one of the formative boundary-pushing ensembles in roots music. The band's creators and dynamic husband and wife team of Eric Lindberg and Doni Zasloff have created a world and sound all their own; blurring the lines between Americana, Bluegrass, Folk, Jazz and Blues with a masterful hand as songwriters, instrumentalists and composers alike. The band, declared “A Powerhouse Unit” by Rolling Stone and "Introspective lyrics and world class musicianship” by American Songwriter, takes the listener on a deeply personal journey that embodies their own wild nature and unbridled free spirits, bridging compositional prowess and prolific songwriting with deft instrumentals and jams.

Since their formation nearly a decade ago, Nefesh Mountain has been proudly open and vocal about their background and heritage as Jewish Americans, and are among the first preeminent Americana / Bluegrass bands to infuse Jewish tradition and soul into the beautifully diverse tapestry of American roots music. For them the music is wholly American, freely expressing their own identities while at the same time addressing the hate, discrimination, anti-semitism and racism that still remains at large in America and the World today.

The band has recorded and shared the stage with Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Bryan Sutton, John Doyle, Noam Pikelny (Punch Brothers), Mark Schatz (Bèla Fleck, Nickel Creek), Mike Gordon (Phish) and Tony Trischka among others. The Troubadours along with their band continue to forge new paths in unknown territory, armed with Zasloff and Lindberg’s strong, smokey, and folksy vocals and Lindberg’s soulful and masterful skills on guitars and banjo alike.

In 2021 they made their debut at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN and in recent years have performed various Festivals, PACs, and countless venues including Mountain Stage, Merlefest, Wintergrass, Ossipee Valley, Kaw River Roots, Thomas Point Bluegrass and more. Through the years Nefesh Mountain has officially showcased and been a proud member of AmericanaFest, Folk Alliance, and the IBMA.A

Doni and Eric are on road year-round with the Nefesh Mountain band; a collective of violinists, mandolinists, pianists, bassists, drummers and multi-instrumentalists including David Berger, Erik Alvar, Ben Plotnick, Danny Fox, Maddie Witler, Avery Merritt, Korey Brodsky, Thomas Cassell, Julian Pinelli, Josh Day, Dan Klingsberg, Noah Fishman and others

Society Hall board member Don Richmond says about Trout, “I've never known any other band who can appeal to and entertain a wider slice of humanity than these two dear friends. They'll make you laugh until you cry and touch and warm your heart, all at the same time. Don't miss them!”

Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet formed Trout Fishing in America in 1979 as a means of survival. They traveled to California as a part of the Texas-based five-piece band St. Elmo’s Fire with hopes of being discovered and signed by a major record label. When no such opportunity arose, and the promising tour dissolved, Keith and Ezra peeled off from their bandmates to fend for themselves. Busking on the streets of Santa Cruz with an acoustic guitar, and an upright bass, the pair quickly learned that engaging listeners instantly was the only path towards dollars and coins in the open guitar case. When entry in a music contest required them to have a name for their act, they chose Trout Fishing in America as an homage to Keith’s love of writer Richard Brautigan and Ezra’s love of fishing.

They returned to Texas and continued performing as a duo, landing gigs in the southeast United States. For a band comprised only of a guitar, a bass, and two vocalists, Keith and Ezra could sonically fill whatever space they played. Trout’s genre-defying musical style and unique stage presence did not lend itself to standard marketing strategies so their following developed through word-of-mouth recommendations from fans and club owners. No one could explain what kind of music Trout played but would also tell you that theirs was not a show to miss.

Rather than waiting for a record label’s attention, they formed their own Trout Records label in the 1980s and released two vinyl albums and two cassettes. Drawing inspiration from childhoods spent listening to top-40 AM radio, the two songwriters seasoned their music with stylings from rock and roll, blues, folk, country, bluegrass, funk, Latin, and reggae…whatever sound would best bring out the flavor of the lyrics they wrote. From the beginning, they were a song writing team with Keith typically being the lyrical generator while Ezra developed the music. Their collaborative natures allowed them to edit each other’s contributions without egos clashing.

Through hard work, strong musicianship, solid friendship, supportive families, and a genuine ability to connect with their audience, Trout’s homegrown success and appeal exploded in the 1990s. This led to regular touring throughout the US and Canada in their infamous red truck, Robert RedFord. They retired The Red Truck in 1997 after accumulating over half a million miles. The 1990s ushered in the era of compact discs and Trout released 9 more albums from 1990 – 1999 on their label. They were nominated for Grammy awards in 2001, 2004, 2006, and 2008.

Keith and Ezra have always been road dogs, driving tens of thousands of miles throughout the United States every year. In March 2020, years of touring came to a halt. After a month apart, they reunited at the Trout House Studio and did what they do best: they wrote songs together. With live gigs disappearing, Keith and Ezra had lots of time to experiment and create. The studio became their safe house. They wrote over a dozen new songs and performed monthly live streams to stay connected with their fans. The result is Trout’s 25th album, “Safe House”.

It is not unusual for three or four generations of a family to show up at a Trout performance and this is a point of pride for both Keith and Ezra. It may still be impossible to tell you what kind of music Trout plays, but after attending a show, you’ll know exactly what you’ve witnessed: two guys who still love what they do and are excited to share it with you.

The New Mexico/Colorado based band is excited to present their 8th album to the Society Hall audience! Heroes and Friends features 15 songs written mostly by friends of the band, along with a couple by well-known songwriting heroes. Band member Don Richmond days, “Although we've often included friends' songs on our other mostly original albums, we decided to really pay tribute to as many of these friends of ours, who are also very much heroes to us. We hope folks will love these songs and our interpretations of them too!”

The Rifters are: Rod Taylor on guitar, mandolin and vocals, Jim Bradley on bass and vocals, and Don Richmond on guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, banjo, accordion, pedal steel and vocals. The album also features several special guests - Michael Hearne on guitar, Paul Pearcy on drums and percussion, Jimmy Stadler on piano, Gordon Burt on fiddle, and Dave Perez of the Tejas Brothers on accordion.

Gary Nicholson is a number one hit songwriter, two time Grammy winning record producer and recording artist. He was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame class of 2022. There are over seven hundred recordings of his songs in various genres including country, blues, rock, folk, Americana, bluegrass, and pop. Area audiences may be familiar with Gary from his several appearances at the well-known Taos Big Barn Dance Festival, where his great bluesy tunes, fine guitar work, easy-going stage presence and wry humor have made him a perennial crowd favorite.

The almost unbelievable list of his songs written by Nicholson and recorded by others include country cuts by Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Garth Brooks, George Strait, George Jones, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Chris Stapleton, Trisha Yearwood, Don Williams, Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Patty Loveless, Randy Travis, Keith Whitley, The Chicks, Reba McEntire, Alabama, The Mavericks, The Judds, Wynonna, Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley, T Graham Brown, Lee Roy Parnell, Billy Currington, Toby Keith, Gary Allan, Montgomery Gentry, Conway Twitty, Travis Tritt, Ronnie Milsap, Tanya Tucker, John Anderson, Guy Clark, Pam Tillis, Billy Joe Shaver, and the list goes on.

Nicholson also has songs recorded in the pop/rock/blues genres by BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Ringo Starr, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Neil Diamond, John Prine, Buddy Guy, Michael McDonald, Delbert McClinton, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal, Gregg Allman, The Neville Brothers, Robert Plant, Etta James, Dion, George Thorogood, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Los Lonely Boys, Joan Osborne, Arthur Alexander, The Blues Brothers, and so many more.

Some of the more recent covers of his songs include the co-written title song of Ringo Starr’s recent record ”Give More Love”, the song “Worry B Gone” on Chris Stapleton’s recent release , a co-written song with Keb Mo and Taj Mahal on their Grammy winning record “Tajmo”, the title songs of Buddy Guy’s Grammy winning records, “The Blues is Alive and Well” and “Skin Deep”, plus new recordings by Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, George Thorogood, and Foghat. His songs have also been included in many major motion pictures and television, including his song “Falling and Flying", which is featured in the Oscar winning film “Crazy Heart” performed by Jeff Bridges.

In addition to his two Grammy winning records with Delbert McClinton, he has produced records for Billy Joe Shaver, Marcia Ball, The Judds, Wynonna, Pam Tillis, T Graham Brown, Chris Knight, Seth Walker and many others.

Besides his amazing success as a songwriter and producer, Gary is also a great guitarist and powerful performer in his own right, with a wry sense of humor and an engaging stage presence. As a guitarist he has played live and recorded with Guy Clark, Delbert McClinton, Billy Joe Shaver, Bobby Bare, Joe Ely, and others. Gary has also conducted songwriting and guitar workshops at various festivals and Berklee School of Music. For more info and complete discography visit garynicholsonmusic.com.