Artist: Mark Stoffel Hometown: Murphysboro, Illinois Latest Album: True Tones Personal Nicknames (or rejected band names): Dr. Pretzel and recently The Mandolinator What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician? Before I picked up the mandolin, I played the piano, inspired by my mom who was an accomplished classical…

Artist: Lily Kershaw Hometown: Los Angeles, California Latest Album: Pain & More Personal Nicknames (or rejected band names): My family calls me Lou or Lulu What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician? Hearing Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" for the first time. I was 8, in…

Artist: David Berkeley Hometown: Santa Fe, New Mexico Latest Album: A Pail Full of Fire Personal Nicknames (or rejected band names): The only time I really had a nickname was when I was teaching in a public middle school in Bushwick. The kids called me Shaggy. What's the toughest time you ever had writing a…

Artist: Reckless Kelly Hometown: Austin, Texas Latest Album: The Last Frontier (Editor's Note: Answers supplied by Willy Braun.) What's your favorite memory from being on stage? My favorite memory of being on stage is usually the last song at the Braun Brothers Reunion. We always close with a Bob Dylan song, “You Ain’t Going Nowhere.”…

Artist: Wayne Graham Hometown: Whitesburg, Kentucky Latest Album: Bastion What's the toughest time you ever had writing a song? The enemy of creation, for me, is judgment. I often superimpose other peoples’ suspected judgments onto something I’m working on, before I’ve written anything down. The true work is in letting go of that fear. When…