Liz Sloan was born in Abilene, TX and grew up in a small west Texas town called Breckenridge. When she was three years old her mother entered her into violin training. Her first violin was a Cracker Jack Box with a ruler taped to it. She was home schooled for most of her childhood so she could focus on playing violin. She eventually got fed up with the classical world and looked for a change in the world of country and bluegrass. She joined began touring with Bob Wayne and the Outlaw Carnies in 2009 where she met Jared.

Jared was born in Pensacola and grew up in Chattanooga, TN. He grew up playing in local punk bands that never made it out of the basement. He joined the Navy in 2001 and after his time in the Navy he wanted to play music again so he bought an upright bass and taught himself how to play. He played in a lot of New England rockabilly and psychobilly bands as well as partially fronting his own band, Soul Reapin’ 3. In 2009 he decided to ‘make a go at the music thing’ and left everything behind to tour with the Hillbilly Hellcats in Europe for a month. The day he came back he got a phone call from Bob Wayne saying that he needed a bass player. That evening Jared hit the road from Connecticut and met the Carnies in Austin, TX.

Liz and Jared hit it off immediately and since then have toured and recorded with countless bands in the roots community. The Urban Pioneers are Liz and Jared’s new project where they set out to conquer the blacktop sea playing their brand of old time music that is guaranteed to get you stomping your feet!

Curio is a hell-raisin’ and soul-shakin’ rock n’ roll band from Chicago, IL. Their music is steeped in southern gothic lore by way of the Midwest. Heavily influenced by the growl of Chicago blues, the low-down and dirty swamp rock of Louisiana and the twang of Tennessee country, Curio conjures a sound that has as many influences as there are miles on I-55 from The Windy City to The Big Easy. Chris Pluska and his band of wayward gamblers have been playing to crowds at juke joints, dives and clubs since 2009. Curio’s live show has the fervent energy of a backwoods revival and the no-holds-barred attitude of a bar brawl. Their records are love letters to the bastards, brawlers, vagabonds, and believers who’ve shaped American folklore for better or for worse. Curio’s tales have been described as ‘Midwest murder ballads’ that depict the timeless narrative of wrong-doing and temptation.

The Westerlees are like old-fashioned, country-baked pie. They don’t
make them much like that anymore, but every time you taste one you
wonder why not. Steel Guitar, Fiddle, Clarinet, and the occasional Tap
Dancer all come together to deliver wholesome (and perhaps more often,
daringly tart) tunes from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.  Everything from
the Light Crust Doughboys to Bob Wills to Hank Williams is performed
with levity and humor.

They also have many originals in the style which reveal the
satirically comical worldview of singer and songwriter Patrick
Brenner. The band has a rotation of other cast members too, each
bringing their own expertise and personality to the authentically
vintage sound and performance of the Westerlees.

Come see what audiences at county fairs, street festivals and dive
bars have been buzzing about. If you get a taste of their down-home,
old-timey, country flavor, you are guaranteed to be entertained!