The SteelDrivers braid their bluegrass roots with threads of their own design as they bring together country, soul, and blues with their latest record, Outrun.

Several years ago, I heard Jessica Willis Fisher do a writer's round with the Song Suffragettes. I was mesmerized by her heartfelt lyrics and angelic voice. She mentioned her recently completed book, UNSPEAKABLE: Surviving My Childhood & Finding My Voice, so I downloaded a copy because music biographies are my thing. I was not prepared for her life story. I find it incomprehensible how anyone could have survived her upbringing while performing to thousands as part of the famous singing group The Willis Clan. Jessica Willis (now Fisher) was the eldest daughter in a controlling and abusive household. Still, she performed with her family band until her departure in 2016 at the age of 23.

Ben Gallaher has released his newest EP, Bullet, a five-song collection that covers love, loss, heartbreak, lessons learned, and hope.

Country music singer and songwriter Rebecca Lynn Howard grew up in Salyersville, Kentucky, a stone's throw from Loretta Lynn's beloved Butcher Holler. Like so many I've interviewed, she got her start singing in church and "for the lack of anything else to do." "There wasn't a lot going on there. All my family was musically inclined. They either sang or played guitar, banjo, mandolin, or piano. Everyone gravitated toward music because what else was there to do?"

One of my favorite parts of my job is meeting rising artists and knowing that great things are in store for them. I was blown away when I first heard 13-year-old Josie Sal and was surprised to learn that she is relatively new to the music scene. Sal never aspired to be a singer. At just 10 years old, Sal took a dare from her father to sing in front of a crowd in Florida, sparking a passion for music that quickly transformed into a promising career. After her impromptu performance of "Dance Monkey" captivated the audience, Sal began taking vocal and guitar lessons and performing at venues across Pittsburgh and Florida. Being the youngest of four children, she was always entertaining her family.