Internationally and nationally acclaimed Toby Walker has been hailed as a roots music fingerstyle guitar virtuoso and songwriter who has toured the US, England, Wales, France, Germany, Belgium and Holland. Walker has been featured in the New York Times, the London Sunday Times, the London BBC, Sirius-XM radio and was the 1st place recipient of the International Blues Challenge Award - Solo division - given out by the Blues Foundation in Memphis TN.
Walker blends the styles of blues, ragtime, country, bluegrass, rock and old time jazz into his own unique style. Jorma Kaukonen of Hot Tuna and the Jefferson Airplane says "Flat out... you have to hear this great musician... I'm blown away" and has employed Walker to teach at his famous Fur Peace Ranch Guitar Camp for 6 years. In 2010 Walker won the NY Music Award for 'Best Instrumental CD,' sharing the honors with Mariah Carey, Rufus Wainwright and Judy Collins among many others.
Walker has recently released eight instructional guitar DVD's for the world famous company Homespun Tapes which have been getting rave reviews. His latest CD release - Mileage -has been getting all kinds of wonderful reviews in the traditional roots music world.
Carnegie Hall acknowledged his rare talents and hired him to augment and teach in their "American Roots" program aimed at honor level middle school students.
Toby’s passion for blues, rags, folk, and other traditional American music drove him to leave an apartment crammed full of recordings, books and instruments for the Mississippi Delta, Virginia and the Carolinas where he tracked down some of the more obscure - but immensely talented - music makers of an earlier era. He learned directly from Eugene Powell, James "Son" Thomas,Etta Baker, and R.L Burnside, among others.
http://www.littletobywalker.com
Austin MacRae is a singer/songwriter residing in Ithaca, NY. He has showcased his music regionally at venues such as the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (Emerging Artist), Turtle Hill Folk Festival (New Voices Showcase), Ithaca Festival, Oswego Music Hall, Homer Center for the Arts, Bill Knowlton's Bluegrass Ramble Picnic, Funk 'n Waffles and other area venues. His debut album, Bats in the Attic, won a Syracuse Area Music Award (SAMMY) for Best Folk Recording of 2015. He was recently selected to showcase his work in the Suzi Wollenberg DJ Showcase at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) Conference in Stamford, CT. His work has also been featured on a variety of radio stations and shows, including the Sundilla Radio Hour, hosted by Kelly Walker.
https://www.austinmacrae.com