Steve Dawson is one of the Chicago music scene’s bona fide stars, and, says the St. Louis Riverfront Times’ Roy Kasten, “one of the most underrated songwriters in American music.” Dawson and his wife Diane Christiansen have led local heroes Dolly Varden for over twenty years, and he leads jazz-folk ensemble Funeral Bonsai Wedding as well. In these bands as well as on his solo albums and with Rachel Drew and the Bitter Roots, Dawson combines musicality, craftsmanship, and raw soul in a way that continues to rivet his audiences. Steve teaches guitar and songwriting at the Old Town School of Folk Music, where his skill and generosity have birthed dozens of gifted writers. His most recent accomplishment is a book on songwriting, Take It to the Bridge: Unlocking the Great Songs Inside You, written with Mark Caro and published by GIA.

John Mead has played in and led bands Coyotes, Mystery Train, and Angelus, performing his original music for fifteen years, as well as playing lead guitar for Rachel Drew and the Bitter Roots, Crumbs Off the Table, Strider, and Little Queens. He has also spearheaded, organized, and led bands playing music by David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, The Band, Elvis Presley, the Eagles, and many more. He will release his first album in summer of 2017. He teaches ensembles from R&B to disco and funk to Otis and Aretha to Bowie and the Clash at the Old Town School. By day Mead helps run the venerable Sue Duncan Children’s Center on Chicago’s South Side. He holds a Ph.D. in American literature and is an expert on abolitionism and slave rebellion, and he sells his paintings as well.