Centennial Sounds

Tray Wellington

Banjo player Tray Wellington’s approach to the quintessential American instrument is all about looking forward. An International Bluegrass Music Association Award winner, Wellington is critically acclaimed not only for his technical prowess, but also for leveraging his unique point of view to craft a one-of-a-kind voice on the instrument. It’s a feat that’s all too rare in these roots genres that seem to value emulation and regurgitation over all else. Instead, Wellington has time and time again reasserted that his playing style, and all of the many varied and disparate parts that combine within it, is wholly his own – and it’s unconcerned with tradition

Amythyst Kiah

Amythyst Kiah is a Tennessee-born singer/songwriter and Grammy-nominated artist known for her powerhouse voice, exquisite banjo work, and deeply original storytelling. Her 2021 debut album Wary + Strange landed on Rolling Stone’s list of the 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of the year and earned widespread critical acclaim from outlets like Pitchfork. Her newest album Still + Bright, produced by Butch Walker and recorded in Nashville, marks a bold new chapter — trading the grief and trauma of her earlier work for a darkly cinematic, exhilarating sound rooted in joy, spiritual exploration, and the confidence of an artist fully stepping into her own. “I’ve made the album I’ve always wanted to make,” says Kiah.

Cornbread & Tortillas

Cornbread & Tortillas is an artist collective founded by eighth-generation Kentuckian Carla Gover, bringing together an extraordinary group of musicians, dancers, and tradition-bearers from Appalachia to the Andes, Mexico, Nicaragua, and beyond.
Together they celebrate the rich cultural traditions of Kentucky and the Latino communities who call it home — weaving together old-time Appalachian music, Andean flutes, Ballet Folklórico, original songwriting, and so much more into a joyful and powerful experience for all ages.
Their talented cast includes fiddler and multi-instrumentalist Zoey Raven Barrett, guitarist and percussionist Arlo Barnette, Andean musician and instrument maker Fernando Moya, musician and craftsman Marlon Obando Solano, Ballet Folklórico dancer Paulina Vazquez, and singer/songwriter multi-instrumentalist Yani Vozos.

Rebecca Porter

Born in Guam and raised in Virginia, Rebecca Porter writes unflinchingly personal songs that challenge the boundaries of genre and amplify voices often left out of the country canon. With commanding live performances and a cinematic debut album, Porter’s work invites listeners into stories of identity, resilience, and acceptance. Her 2023 EP Queen of the Local and 2025 debut album Roll With the Punches have earned national and international recognition, including features on NPR’s Mountain Stage, No Depression, The Bluegrass Situation, KEXP, and Lonesome Highway

Jake Blount

Jake Blount is a powerfully gifted musician and scholar of Black American music whose work illuminates the African roots of the banjo and the profound ways Black Americans have shaped roots music and Americana. His 2020 album Spider Tales was named one of the year’s best by NPR and The New Yorker and earned a perfect 5-star review from The Guardian.
His latest album The New Faith, released on Smithsonian Folkways, is a towering work of dystopian Afrofuturism — spiritual music filled with equal parts hope and righteous anger, imagining a religious ceremony performed by Black refugees after the collapse of civilization due to climate change.
On stage, every song is chosen with intention. Jake Blount’s music is rooted in care and confrontation, reminding us that the more we understand where we’ve been, the better equipped we are to face what’s ahead.