Rossi’s control corrals the viola into both rhythm and harmony, making a precise foundation for the melodic, powerful songwriting. With an intense musical grace, her folk songs both sway and stomp. Anni Rossi on Soundcloud

If Django Reinhardt was born in the jagged mountains of Missouri he would be the grandfather of Bella Donna. This is upbeat gypsy jazz with an Americana hue. Bella Donna Official Site

Bouncy vintage basslines with the edge and roughness of punk, St. Louis based duo Bruiser Queen returns. Morgan Nusbaum’s vocals & guitar arrive on stage like a riot girl but bop to the beat of Jason Potter’s huge, dark drumming. Bruiser Queen Official Site

Performance art hip hop with a Floridian flare, Champagne Jerry has graced stages at museums and clubs alike, even collaborating with Beastie Boy Ad Rock. He’ll have you sweating like the sun-drenched, suburban coasts and office romances he rhymes about. Champagne Jerry Official Site

CoMO native turned toast of Brooklyn, Cole’s mixes and remixes are dug by discerning DJs the world over. Soundcloud

A duo of sweet & solid folk rock, Cindy & Mark are Midwestern legends, recently combining their solo creativity through song and marriage. With lush vocal harmonies and moving guitars, Creek Rocks embody the windswept beauty of every Missouri sunrise. The Creek Rocks Official Site

Combining Latin rhythms, call-and-response hollering, accordion pumping, and donkey jawbone rattling, the Museum are steadily winning back the land illegally taken in the Mexican-American War. The David Wax Museum Official Site

Alabama natives DeQn Sue and Kelvin Wooten are deft songmakers whose quick lyrical and sonic turns create surprise. With hints of R&B, pop and even vaudeville, they transcend styles, spinning words and sounds purely engaged in the now. DeQn Sue Official Site

Real rock reverberating through the rafters through quick turn of phrase and guitar madness.

Part of Brooklyn based, all-female DJ collective Discwoman, Bearcat’s electronic mixes burn with the deep throb and the turnt-up buzz of the city. Discwoman: Bearcat on Soundcloud

Dirty hip-hop, r&b, electronica- Abby smears all genres together with a grime -edged flair. Though she’s a member of Brooklyn-based, female collective Discwoman, she channels London Discwoman Abby on Soundcloud

DJ Bwaha can be seen & heard busting beats across Columbia, Missouri, USA, vibrating the city into a dirty clash of trap-loving excess. His pumping rap and in-your-face sounds are unavoidable: move to it or move over. Bwaha on Soundcloud

As co-founder of D.C. collectives Maracuyeah and Anthology of Booty Shaking, DJ rAt is woke. She pulses across cultures and genders, unifying the crowd through bass, freedom and movement with her mix of Tropical, Cumbia, Latin American and more. DJ rAt on Soundcloud

Born in Panama, raised in D.C., Underdog is driven by a global heart and mind. Crossing borders freely with roots in R&B, Hip-hop, Afropunk, Cumbia and beyond, his recent Unseen mixtape series transcends genres, speaking to the unified utopia to come. UNDERDOG on Soundcloud

The Flood Brothers make the noise of a whole bar room full of breaking glass, dancing and late-night mistakes. Riding down the Missouri River from Montana, the drummer met the singer from Mark Twain country, joining forces to make dirty blues. The Flood Brothers on Reverbnation

Gora Gora Orkestra is a ten piece brass band that honks the sounds of Eastern Europe folk music with hints of South American beats and deep American funk. A true musical hybrid overflowing with energy, bred to be danceable. Gora Gora Official Site

Combining organ, drums and sax, Brooklyn based Hearing Things are part loungey jazz throwback, part neo-surf rock, and part cool Arabian night, a sound both foreign and familiar that moves seamlessly between the past, present and future. Hearing Things Official Site

A rhythm-and-blues powerhouse, Lee Fields delivers riotous performances and unforgettable songs earning him the nickname Little James Brown. Since the release of his first single in 1969, Lee’s undisputable voice has inspired with the “the gravelly warmth of Bobby Womack, Otis Redding’s emotive ache, and Syl Johnson’s sweet intensity.” Lee Fields & the Expressions Official Site

Frontman Luke Csehak of the Vermont-bred band The Lentils splits ears between a 60s garage in California and a 90s suburban basement in Boston. Lo-fi sounds with a thick, twisted lyricism that takes the torch from saints S. Barrett, R. Hitchcock, J. Mangum, L. Barlow, and the Frogs. The Lentils on Bandcamp

Back by popular demand, French tricksters Les Trois Coups are the epitome of European busking. With a quick witted, quick moving charm and musicality they bound around spaces- into ears and hearts- with the wild abandon of a gypsy night.

A tight trio out of Santa Fe that hints at influences of Mexican mountain ranges, East Coast fiddle hoedowns, and American country led by Columbia native Jordan Wax. Violin, double bass and guitar weave Lone Piñon into an upbeat, old-timey folk music mash up. Lone Piñon Official Site

Bass and voice combine for a deep-rooted sound that reaches out from the depths and glides into the heavens. From the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts, Mal Devisa’s timeless music packs a haunting complexity. Mal Devisa on Bandcamp

With rotating songwriters, Malone’s intense murmurations change ever so slightly, levitating audiences with their lyrical, melodic harmonies. Malone Official Site

Anderson’s instrumental guitar draws on the heady blues and gospel of the riverbank. Infused with the past but communing with the avant garde, her deft, artful playing fills the void with peaceful, eerie love. Marisa Anderson Official Site

Through violin, cello and more Molly Healey arranges her stringed talent into warm orchestral mountains. Each part builds on the one before until the entire room is filled with movement, her voice softly sliding into place between the instrumental peaks and valleys.

Columbia-born Nevada Greene beckon humming, electronic utterances out of amps. Less like songs and more like settings, they tell of a place through texture, atmosphere and swaying instrumentation, creating backdrops of kinetic sound. Nevada Greene on Bandcamp

Local favorite The Onions turn golden oldies into fresh bubblegum pop. Layer by layer this old-fashioned troupe harmonize with precision, transporting audiences into a dreamy neon jukebox of energy and nostalgia. Exacting musical skill with a fun, bopping twist. The Onions on Bandcamp

Poet and scholar, this esteemed folklorist plays his music with moving, emotive hands bringing to life the rich history of the mbira and slit drum.

The golden, lush tone and rhythmic strum of the Iraqi oud unfolds with a mysterious wonder at the hands of this virtuoso. A political refugee, AlHaj has taken sanctuary in New Mexico where he remains a leading composer and performer of this passionate music. Rahim Alhaj Official Site

Local raconteur, Gabe Williams, brings his newest band to the stage. Relevant Hairtstyles harkens back to the classic garage rock era, the uninhibited days of early indie and the genuine rigor of lo-fi basements across the nation.

With gruff charm, St. Louis based River Kittens win hearts all along the banks of the Missouri. On mandolin, guitar and banjo, Allie, Martha & Mattie carefully build their folky sets upon a classic country repertoire and bona fide originals. River Kittens Official Site

Ruth’s honeyed singing drifts above the strumming of her harp. Often accompanied by bass or glockenspiel, her gorgeous songs chime of love, loss and nature. Her indie influenced sound shines with a classical precision, a tenacity that vibrates long after the last note. Ruth Acuff Official Site

Coming from the icy coast of Maine, Samuel James’ thundering voice is an added bonus to his fiery, steel guitar playing. Using the instrument from top to bottom- as both rhythm & melody- he bellows with wisdom and passion. Samuel James Official Site

The Screaming Females signature art rock pulls from New Jersey’s hardcore, emo and punk scenes. Their latest album moves deeper into the melodic with a tight intensity, lilting power chords, vibrating vocals and screeching, reaching guitar solos. Screaming Females Official Site.

Recently signed to Fat Possum Records, frontwoman A.J. Haynes and her band reinvent classic blues rock. Alternating between psychedelic grooves and a grungy growl, the band bursts out with kinetic energy. Seratones at Fat Possum

Made from dried gourds, the wood of rare fallen trees and the silk of spiders, the Ghanaian gyil is an instrument steeped in tradition. A relative of the xylophone, it resonates with an eerie, soulful buzz that hums through generations. SK Kakraba brings the instrument to its highest heights yet. SK Kakraba on Awesome Tapes From Africa

A Midwestern duo, Stepdaughter’s endearing bedroom indie pop is pure in heart and song. Rhythm guitars and chiming vocals blend together into lo-fi moments that reflect on lost love and charming hopefulness, a friendly hand to hold while traversing the forlorn. Stepdaughter on Facebook

Swear Beam’s wall of sound attains trash glory with catchy riffs and massive vocals. Swear Beam on Soundcloud.

Pianist Travis McFarlane takes over the Missouri theater pipe organ. A phantom of jazz-era tango, deco waltz and beyond, his sounds seep into the far reaches of the balcony, breathing life into the storied gilded walls.

With megaphones, loops, kitchen appliances, banjo and other noise-making ephemera, Wishbone Zoë builds towers of sounds that slowly evolve into unshakable melodies. Her layers of aural texture will sweep you into her little world of bright colors and dark corners. Wishbone Zoë’s Official Site

Fresh from the street corners of New Orleans, Yes Ma’am return with a foot stomping, freewheeling beat and large-hearted voices. Banjo and bucket bass, washboard and fiddle, classic busker spirit with a Southern roots twist. Yes Ma’am on Bandcamp

From Lawrence Kansas, Taryn Miller croons alongside her electric guitar like a lush, low-slung green sky before a tornado. Your Friend Offical Site