Mark Erelli w Jobi Riccio

Mark Erelli turns adversity into finely embroidered rock songs that burn with urgency on his 2023 album Lay Your Darkness Down. Following full-bodied rock forebears Tom Petty, George Harrison, and Roy Orbison, Erelli's songwriting explores the unknown glories of this planet and love’s transformational power. Over his two decade-long career, the singer-songwriter-sideman-producer-writer has proven himself equally at home in a multitude of roles: producing albums for artists like GRAMMY-winner Lori McKenna; serving as a sideman guitarist for artists like Paula Cole, Marc Cohn, and Josh Ritter; writing and producing his own material, like 2018’s “By Degrees,” for which he was nominated for Song of the Year at the Americana Honors and Awards; and most recently, becoming an advocate for low-vision artists and working with venues to make their spaces more accessible. Written in the wake of his diagnosis with a degenerative retinal disease, Erelli's upcoming 2023 album Lay Your Darkness Down is the next step on Erelli's journey, following up on 2020's Blindsided, which garnered praise from Rolling Stone Country, the Associated Press, NPR, The Boston Globe, and more.

Jobi Riccio is a Nashville-based songwriter and performer originally hailing from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Inspired by artists ranging from George Jones to Joni Mitchell, she writes songs that meld classic country sounds with modern sensibilities, aiming to turn classic tropes of the genre on its head.

She has received acclaim for her writing, including winning the 2019 NewSong Music Competition, performing at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, receiving the 2019 Lee Villiare Scholarship from her alma mater Berklee College of Music, and being named a finalist in the 2018 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter's Showcase. An active member of the burgeoning queer country scene, Riccio opened for beloved pioneer Lavender Country this past spring and showcased at the 2022 Queerfest (formally known as Queerfolk fest) in Nashville in July.

Her previous release, EP "Strawberry Wine" (2019), is an ode to the women of classic country and bluegrass she grew up learning to sing from. Her debut album, "Whiplash" (out 2023 on Yep Roc Records), follows in similar footsteps but introduces more modern influences, drawing from indie rock and Americana while still holding space for Riccio's love for all decades of country music.