Get acquainted with some of the performers at this year's Folk Alliance at a Public Showcase held in the Center for Southern Folklore's intimate Folklore Store on Friday, February 20 and Saturday February 21 at 8:00 p.m.  These Public Showcases are free although it's suggested that you bring a donation of two non-perishable food items for the Memphis Food Bank.  All ages welcome.  The Center for Southern Folklore Store is located at 123 S. Main Street @ the Peabody Place Trolley Stop in the heart of downtown Memphis.
 
Friday's show features Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart, Act of Congress and Deering & Down.
 
On Saturday, New York City's legendary African American String Band, The Ebony Hillbillies, will perform as well as Valerie June and Andy Cohen.
 
Friday, February 20
 
Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart began performing together again in 2008 after a three year hiatus.  Stacey and Mark are veteran musicians, both as solo artists and band members (including a stint with Steve Earle and the Dukes).  However, it's their work as a duo with a no-nonsense, back to basics approach to acoustic music that has earned them recognition and an enthusiastic audience.  Their latest recording is "Town Square" on Gearle Records.  http://www.staceyandmark.com/Duo%20Home/DuoHome.htm .

Birmingham band Act of Congress is an acoustic blend of bluegrass, rock and jazz -- a style often referred to as Newgrass.  Because of their musical diversity (symphony, jazz and bluegrass musicians) they have been a favorite at Birmingham venues such as Workplay and B&A Warehouse, as well as high profile weddings, festivals, and corporate events over the last two years.  http://www.wbhm.org/Tapestry/bands/ActofCongress.html .

Memphis-based Lahna Deering and Rev Neil Down combine sturdy, sweet female vocals with clang-and-twang guitar textures.  One can imagine the rich vocals, reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks and Margo Timmins of the "Cowboy Junkies," paired with classic strings of Ike Turner, Keith Richards, and Hubert Sumlin.  During their musical and personal journey together, they have lived in far flung locations from Alaska to Baltimore to Ireland.  The last couple of years have found Deering and Down immersed in the blues of Memphis and the muddy browns of the Mighty Mississippi River.  http://deeringanddown.com/biography .
 
Saturday, February 21
 
The Ebony Hillbillies are not only one of the last black string bands in America, they are the only string band based in NYC.  Consisting of fiddle, banjo, washboard and bass fiddle, they have successfully created a following that has crossed over to audiences in pop, country, bluegrass, folk, jazz and beyond while maintaining their grassroots credibility.  Their 19th century string band sound was popular in the 1920's and 1930's; and was a key element in the genesis of jazz and virtually everything after (blues, bluegrass, rockabilly, rock & roll, etc...). The Ebony Hillbillies' own extant CDs, 'Sabrina's Holiday', 'EH Sessions Vol.1 & 2', and 'I Thought You Knew' provide a great introduction to a largely forgotten cultural legacy.  http://www.joespub.com/component/option,com_shows/task,view/Itemid,40/id,3910.
 
Memphis Magazine said it best.  "Valerie June blends folk, soul, and even ancient country elements and has emerged as one of the scene's best kept secrets."  With a wealth of diverse influences ranging from Tracy Chapman to Elizabeth Cotton to Gillian Welch and the Carter Family, Valerie has crafted her own sound which she calls "Original Organic Moonshine Folk Music."  http://www.myspace.com/valeriejune .
 
Andy Cohen grew up in a house with a piano and a lot of Dixieland Jazz records.  Around the age of fifteen, he got bitten by the Folk Music bug, and soon got to hear records by Big Bill Broonzy and the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, both of which reminded him of the music he grew up with.  At sixteen, he saw Rev. Gary Davis, and his course was set. He knew he had it in him to follow, study, perform and promote the music of the Southeast.  http://www.andycohenmusic.net/bio.html .