Triple co-headline show.
Thomas Sticha
Based in St. Paul, singer-songwriter Thomas Sticha has been carving out his niche of Country & Folk in the Minnesota music scene over the past year. His original music draws inspiration from Classic Country songwriting legends (such as John Prine and Dean Dillon) and combines them with the refreshing sounds of new Country songwriters (such as Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, and Zach Top).
Thomas just released his second single, “Mississippi Down,” to a sold-out crowd at the Aster Cafe (Minneapolis) in January 2025.
“Experiencing Thomas on stage is like being part of an intimate conversation with a friend who just happens to have a guitar and an incredible voice. His vibe is infectious, and his connection with the audience is genuine. If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and dive into his music. You won't be disappointed.” — Brandon Backstrom - Host, BOB FM Total Country Radio.
Clare Doyle
‘It was a hell of a year,’ says Americana artist-to-watch Clare Doyle, reflecting on a breakout year in which she was named one of First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2023, and Emerging Artist of 2024 by Music in Minnesota, and released three debut singles which garnered immediate attention for their infectious blend of soulful country and rootsy rock, and a bold lyricism that’s hailed as “a fresh perspective in emotional storytelling” by Music in Minnesota.
Doyle had settled in New Orleans until the pandemic forced a move back to her hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota, where she began to write and rediscover a musical identity she’d neglected for years. Armed with a decade of heartache, adventure, addiction, and life on the road, she began to alchemize raw emotions into a collection of songs that run the gamut from clever and rollicking, to gritty and gut-wrenching.
Initially inspired to write by heroes like Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard, now Doyle incorporates both classic an contemporary sensibilities into her songs - she draws on a range of influences to write candidly about loving, losing, hurting, and making a hot mess of things.
“A lot of artists cite Jason Isbell or Ruston Kelly as…inspirations, but rarely do you hear the attention to detail and knack for describing emotions that prove they’ve really learned from those two master storytellers,” writes Carol Roth of Adventures in Americana, “With Doyle, you can tell.”
In a short span, Doyle has established a reputation for a mesmerizing live show that brings audiences along for a ride - from the electrifying heights of a cathartic anthem to the pin-drop quiet intensity in a breakup ballad. She has been tapped to support artists such as The Cactus Blossoms, The Last Revel, and Them Coulee Boys.
Molly Brandt
Many of Brandt’s songs are vividly set in the Midwest, reflecting all its seasons, from the summery “Bluff Country Paradise” to the chill of “Old Northern Woman.” But her lyrics resonate broadly. They tell American stories—of blue-collar struggles, hard-won revels at dive bars, wide-open country and long car rides, and heartache, disillusionment, and revenge.
Brandt’s own story began in Colorado where she was born, but she spent much of her life in Iowa until moving to the Twin Cities in 2019. Music has always been a core part of her existence—she studied classical piano from age 5 through high school, sang in show choirs in high school and college, and performed jazz around Des Moines after college, even forming her own band. But the Molly Brandt of today is a fairly recent development. Laid off and recovering from a bad breakup during the pandemic lockdown, she taught herself guitar and started writing songs. With a little help from some producer and musician friends, she began recording, releasing her first singles in 2022 and playing her first Minneapolis show at the legendary West Bank bar Palmer’s. Since then she’s played numerous venues in Minnesota as well as Wisconsin, Iowa, and Chicago, and regional festivals such as Big Turn and Boats & Bluegrass.
Her debut album, Surrender to the Night, was released in July 2023. The collection showcases Brandt’s vocal and lyrical strengths against a tapestry of styles ranging from classic two-step honky-tonk to 70s countrypolitan to 90s alt-rock. Molly went on to win the award for Americana Artist of the Year at the 2023 Midwest Country Music Awards.
Brandt returned to the studio in early 2024 with another batch of songs that evolved and expanded her sound to embrace an even broader range of roots music. American Saga was released in September of 2024, instantly earning media attention and radio play across the United States. The album is a collection of distinctly American stories, containing larger-than-life characters, place-based narratives, hard truths, and poignant messages. Exploring topics of addiction, misogyny, capitalism, death, abuse, and climate change, “American Saga” approaches the stylistic edges of Americana, creating something entirely new and unmistakably unique.
