See the Future! Sampler Series at Caffe Lena - 08/05/2011

Featuring AJ Roach, Caleb Hawley, and Ana Egge

This is the last "See the Future!" show of our summer season. Each event in this popular series highlights the talents of artists who are creating a bright future for folk music. Tonight we feature three solo singer-songwriters who offer quirky, inventive and very smart new folksongs. Now splitting his time between New York City and Edinburgh, Scotland, A. J. Roach was born and raised in the geographical center of the Appalachian Mountain Range, the birthplace of American country music. A. J. has traveled well over one million miles and performed in more than a dozen countries since the release of his first album in 2003. At the forefront of the new troubadour movement, A. J.'s songs have been featured in several U.S. televison shows and feature-length films, and have drawn comparisons to Townes Van Zandt, Vic Chesnutt and Will Oldham. Caleb Hawley of NYC writes intricate lyrics with lightning fast licks. Receiving top honors in the prestigious New York Songwriters Circle Contest (2008 and 2009), the John Lennon Songwriting Contest (2009), the Telluride Festival (2010) and the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (2010), Hawley makes an impression with his unique and catchy approach to music. He is respected by fellow musicians and audiences alike for his genuine spirit, natural abilities, and heart of gold, making this small town Midwestern boy a role model for every young musician who started out with just a dollar and a dream. Ana Egge has been forging her own path for over a decade now. In the tradition of her parents, who were "motorcycle-riding hippy farmers in North Dakota, who created the unconventional life they wanted," Ana's path as an artist has been much the same—challenging herself to follow her instincts rather than trying to fit into any particular mold. This honest approach has earned Ana a reputation as a musician's musician, with unforgettable live performances and lyrics that paint vast landscapes and stories. USA Today wrote, "[Ana] can write and sing rings around" her contemporaries. Lucinda Williams said, "Listen to her lyrics. Ana is the folk Nina Simone." Shawn Colvin says, "Ana has the rare gift of being so eloquent and simple that she takes your breath away. I just love her."