To keep the music playing during this unpredictable time, we are requiring all patrons and staff to wear a mask while attending events at Chautauqua. To read more, click here.

Colorado’s FY5 proudly swim in the deep currents of American music, playing new songs, well-informed of country and bluegrass traditions, but not bound to them. Featuring thoughtful arrangements, strong singing and musicianship, the band strives to connect to listeners with stories of common struggles and big ideas. While their sound evokes timelessness, it is decidedly contemporary, well-traveled 21st century sensibility that informs their songwriting.

FY5 released their 4th studio album of all original material, The Way These Things Go, in early 2018. The band’s guitar player and primary songwriter, Mike Finders, won the Merlefest-Chris Austin songwriting contest in 2005 and 2006; it’s Mike’s songs and the band’s delivery that make this group special and their performances memorable.

“This type of music would be comfortable at the Grand Ole Opry, Austin City Limits and they wouldn’t get kicked off that old fogey classic Lawrence Welk Show either. It’s that diversified, satisfying and most importantly good.”  John Aspice, No Depression

To keep the music playing during this unpredictable time, we are requiring all patrons and staff to wear a mask while attending events at Chautauqua. To read more, click here.

Seth Walker is often cited as one of the most prolific contemporary Americana artists on the scene today. He’s a multi-dimensional talent who combines a gift for melody and lyric alongside a rich, Gospel-drenched, Southern-inflected voice with a true blue knack for getting around on the guitar. His most recent studio album, Are You Open, produced by Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers, and a string of singles, including “We Got This,” “Spirits Moving” and a cover of Van Morrison’s classic “Warm Love” further build upon this reputation. 

Most recently, Walker added published author to his oeuvre with his first memoir, ‘Your Van Is On Fire.’ A riotous and charming melange of a touring musician’s life, the book is comprised of many short essays, poems and paintings he’d accumulated over a near 30-year career. Written during the 2020 lockdown, Walker offers a first hand account of an artist in perpetual motion who’s dedicated his life to chasing the muse wherever it may lead. 

Seth Walker is currently based in Asheville, NC after previously residing in Austin, New Orleans and Nashville. He’s used those experiences wisely, soaking up the sounds and absorbing the musical lineage of these varied places. With a bluesman’s respect for roots and tradition, coupled with an appreciation for—and successful melding of—contemporary songwriting, Seth sublimely incorporates a range of styles with warmth and grace. Perhaps Country Standard Time said it best: “If you subscribe to the Big Tent theory of Americana, then Seth Walker –with his blend of blues, gospel, pop, R&B, rock, and a dash country—just might be your poster boy.”

To keep the music playing during this unpredictable time, we are requiring all patrons and staff to wear a mask while attending events at Chautauqua. To read more, click here.

Pert Near has had the privilege of co-founding, curating and hosting the Blue Ox Music Festival. Formed by old friends in 2003 within the vibrant Minneapolis music scene, they have been tireless stewards of the midwestern roots music community. Performing with infectious energy and an undeniable joy, Pert Near’s strong songcraft melds with old-time sensibilities in a unique brand of modern string band music they deliver to fans around the world. Their new album, ‘Rising Tide,’ is now available.