Five-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year, Michael Cleveland also has won the IBMA Instrumental Album of the Year in 2002 for his first Rounder project "Flamekeeper," and then again in 2004 (with Tom Adams) and 2006 with "Let 'Er Go Boys!". He is simply one of the best fiddlers ever. The Flamekeepers currently include Jesse Brock (mandolin), Todd Rakestraw (guitar), John Mark Batchelor (banjo), and Marshall Wilborn (bass).

One of the most esteemed and influential groups in contemporary bluegrass, Blue Highway excels at every facet of the music, from instrumental dexterity to impeccable vocal interplay to literate, powerful songwriting. Individually, Jason Burleson (banjo, guitar, mandolin), 7-time Dobro Player of the Year Rob Ickes (Dobro), Shawn Lane (mandolin, fiddle, vocals), Tim Stafford (guitar, vocals), and Wayne Taylor (bass, vocals) are at the forefront of their respective roles, appearing on innumerable projects as sidemen, songwriters, and solo artists. Together they have won 11 IBMA awards, as a group or individually.

Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent are veterans of Bluegrass music having some twenty years experience between the two of them from long tenures with Bluegrass and Country legends Doyle Lawson and Ricky Skaggs respectively. Both are phenomenal singers and musicians. Recently they have started their own band and signed with Rounder Records - their first project is due to be released in January 2008, just in time for the Joe Val festival. The full band lineup is Jamie Dailey (guitar), Darrin Vincent (mandolin, bass), Jeff Parker (mandolin), Joe Dean (banjo), and Adam Haynes (fiddle)

Make way for Alecia Nugent. Rounder Recording artist and powerful singer, this unassuming lady from Hickory Grove, Louisiana is poised to set the woods ablaze while cutting wide swaths of new roads for herself. She's quickly become a popular singer in the bluegrass world. Joining her is Jennifer Strickland (bass), Thomas Wywrot (banjo, guitar), Tony Watt (guitar), and Jason Robertson (mandolin).

Frank Wakefield Band
Legendary mandolin player, Frank Wakefield's shows are famous for the power and raw beauty of his mandolin playing, his soulful singing, and his liveliness and humor on stage. Ever since the release of his first original tune, “New Camptown Races” in 1953 at the age of nineteen revolutionized the sound of bluegrass music, Frank has constantly been exploring new musical frontiers, paving the way for other musicians. Band members include Frank on mandolin and vocals, Deane Lewis on banjo and vocals, Pat Mullaly on guitar and vocals and Fred Woodward on bass and vocals.

Miller's Crossing is a bluegrass band based out of Long Island, New York and formed in 2004. Miller's Crossing prides itself on the original material each member brings to the band's repertoire. They strive to play bluegrass music the way they feel it, and the result is a fresh outlook on the music while not getting too far away from it's roots. The current lineup includes Chris Maloy (guitar), Ronnie Feinberg (fiddle), Marjorie Kelting (guitar) , Patrick Falco (bass), and Terry McGill (banjo).

The SteelDrivers
Nashville, Tennessee, the great melting pot of musical tradition, gives birth to a band both original, yet rooted in the best of everything that came before. Five musicians with over 100 combined years of time on the job, come together to form The SteelDrivers, new music with the old feeling. Their current lineup includes Richard Bailey (banjo), Mike Fleming (bass), Mike Henderson (mandolin), Tammy Rogers (fiddle), and Chris Stapleton (guitar).

David Parmley & Continental Divide
A native of southern California, David Parmley is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed, Bluegrass Cardinals. In 1994 he co-founded the band Continental Divide, which quickly captured IBMA's coveted, "Emerging Artist of the Year" award in 1995 with great harmonies and stellar instrumentation. Besides David on guitar, the current lineup includes Ron Spears (mandolin), Dale Perry (banjo), Jimmy Cameron (bass), and Billy Hurt, Jr. (fiddle).

The Stillhouse Jammers are a fine New England band with their own special blend of rural and retro bluegrass. They were proud to have placed 2nd in the band competition at the 2006 Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Festival. The current lineup includes Rich Hamilton (fiddle), Bob Dean (guitar), Al Stapleford (banjo), and Tom Fitzgerald (bass), and Ben Weiss (mandolin).

Pine Hill Ramblers
The Pine Hill Ramblers bring a mix of imaginative original material with
solid bluegrass standards, featuring great vocal harmonies and skillful
instrumental solos and backup. From the eastern-Mass./southern-N.H.
area, they have gained a following throughout New England and New York
with their many festival appearances and the release of two CD’s. Their
lineup includes Doug Downey on banjo, Richie Chiasson on reso guitar,
Claudia Landell on bass, Larry Simonson on mandolin, and Ben Silver on guitar.

The Reunion Band
The Reunion Band features veterans of the Boston bluegrass scene, and have played the Joe Val festival several times before. Richie Brown (mandolin) and Margaret Gerteis (bass) have both played with Apple Country and Dave Dillon (guitar) was a member of Joe Val and the New England Bluegrass Boys for seven years. Art Schatz (fiddle) and Lauck Benson (banjo) have been featured with many local bands over the years. The band, which has been around since 2002, takes its name from the fact that its members have played together off and on and in various configurations for over 30 years.

Rabbit in a Log

Rabbit in a Log (Skip Gorman and Richard Starkey) performs old time bluegrass in the early duet style popularized by the Monroe Brothers
and Blue Sky Boys . Formed in the early 1980s, this group has
performed at the IBMA show case in 1991 and at the Joe Val Festival in 2005. Virtuoso flatpicking guitarist, Richard Starkey has for years been
head demonstrator for The Martin Guitar Company. Skip Gorman,
premier mandolinist in the style of Bill Monroe, is also known for his fine fiddling and singing of old time cowboy ballads.

Berklee Bluegrass

Berklee College of Music in Boston has long been a leader in music
education. They have also had a very innovative string program that
has recently added a major in mandolin and banjo. Of course, this
leads to many great student bluegrass bands, and this year we will
present the best of this group. Under the leadership of Prof. David
Hollender, Berklee Bluegrass will showcase the next generation of
pickers.

The Abrams Brothers

The Abrams Brothers are John, age 16 and James, age 13. They burst onto the music scene in 1999 at the ages of 9 and 6 and haven’t looked back! The recent addition of Upright bassist Elijah Abrams, also 16, adds to the group's versatility. Special friends Bob Burtch on Mandolin and Brandon Green on banjo and resophonic guitar round out the impressive sound. Bluegrass Gospel Music offers a strong foundation for the group, however, they possess strong musical and vocal strengths in the areas of jazz, blues and new acoustic music.

Travers Chandler and Avery County is a new touring band of seasoned professional musicians playing in the style of pioneers like Charlie Moore, Red Allen, Buzz Busby, Walter Hensley and Dee Gunter and bringing back the entertainment factor in bluegrass music. They have toured with bluegrass greats such as Audie Blaylock, Karl Shiflett and the Big Country Show, and a 9-year stint with the hard edged James King Band. Current members include Travers Chandler (mandolin), Chris Hill (banjo), Paul Priest (bass), and Matt Jones (guitar).

The Pegheads, who have been called a “Rhode Island bluegrass supergroup,” draw on a wide repertoire of bluegrass standards, obscure and familiar mountain tunes, laments, and traditional songs, presenting them all with the stunning instrumental skill and tight vocal harmonies that make bluegrass what it is. This fine ensemble features 17-year Northern Lights veteran Mike Kropp (banjo), multi-instrumentalist blues/folk artist Martin Grosswendt (guitar), former Neon Valley Boys and Northern Lights member Jeff Horton (bass), former “Neon” Karl Dennis (fiddle), and wunderkind Ben Pearce (mandolin).