John Cowan Trio featuring Luke Bulla & Ethan Ballinger

John Cowan, also known as the Voice of Newgrass, has been singing his heart out for thirty-five years, and his soaring vocals have only improved with time. A true innovator, John applies his powerful pipes to genres from country, bluegrass, and gospel to soul, jazz, and rock-and-roll – often within the space of a single concert. His ability to move fluidly through multiple styles, and carry mesmerized audiences on the journey with him sets him apart as one of the most loved and admired vocal artists of his generation, 

Cowan’s rise to fame began in 1974 when he auditioned as the bassist for the then up-and-coming New Grass Revival. Needless to say, John was offered the gig, but it wasn’t until he’d accepted the job that the shy 22-year-old casually mentioned that he could sing. With his distinctive, rock-tinged tenor vocal and heart-thumping electric bass, John, along with fellow New Grass Revival band mates Sam Bush, Courtney Johnson, and Curtis Burch, and later Béla Fleck and Pat Flynn, introduced a new generation of music fans to an explosive, experimental and ultimately, eponymous brand of bluegrass. The “newgrass” sound spawned popular jam bands such as Leftover Salmon and Yonder Mountain String Band in addition to shaping the sensibilities of country megastars Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks, the Zac Brown Band, and Darius Rucker. John is also a like-time member of The Doobie Brothers!

LUKE BULLA has been singing and playing music most of his life. Touring with and singing in his family band from age four, Luke took up the fiddle at seven. He went on to winning the National Fiddle Contest six times in his respective age categories. His seventh win came in the Grand Champion division at age sixteen, making him the youngest to have earned the title at the time. Entering Nashville’s Grand Master Fiddle Championship at age ten, Luke distinguished himself by being the youngest person to have made the top ten.

He has performed with Ricky Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder, the John Cowan Band. performed or recorded with Brandi Carlile, Jim Lauderdale, Darrell Scott, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Bryan Sutton, Kevin Costner & Modern West, Russ Barenberg Trio, Shawn Colvin, Tony Rice, Chris Thile, Peter Rowan, Patty Griffin, Glen Phillips, Rodney Crowell, and Earl Scruggs,

In addition to violin, Luke plays guitar and mandolin, and sings and writes songs.

Ethan Ballinger one of roots Nashville’s most respected guitarists.

The supple playing, harmonic sense and aural complexity make sense for the man who splits his time between playing with roots doyenne Lee Ann Womack and garage country’s Aubrie Sellers, while also producing lauded artists like Peter Bradley Adams and Ryan Culwell. But while his unique guitar sensibilities embody some warped combination of Django Reinhardt, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Cropper, Tony Rice, and Link Wray, what’s startling is the lush emotionalism beyond the words in his own music.