Past Musical Performances

Letitia VanSant and Caleb Stine January 23, 2026

After singing around campfires, fingerpicking on front porches, and performing everywhere from concert halls to tiny basements, Letitia VanSant and David McKindley-Ward are releasing the sounds of their acoustic collaboration.

Caleb Stine is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist. Though he makes his living as a folk musician, Stine wouldn’t call what he does a job; he considers it a calling. His work is part-mystic poet, part-traveling preacher. As Americana UK observed, “Stine’s upfront personality [is] seeking to make a personal connection with everyone in the venue.” Stine, who plays 100+ shows a year, has released 14 albums of original music, and shares a series of Instagram videos called “Caleb Stine Says Keep Going,” encouraging followers to dig deep into a creative practice of their own.  He’s a festival favorite, has opened shows for Jason Isbell and Sierra Hull, and keeps a grass-roots presence by frequenting small venues up and down the East Coast.

The Crankies with Katherine Fahey and Dan Van Allen January 22, 2026

Katherine and Dan’s Crankie performances transport audiences to another time and place, with their authentic and personal interpretations of folk tales, oral histories, and songs. Stories and songs shift with the times, uncovering new meanings in old words, new ways of talking about the communal pathways that led us to where we are today. Crankies are a way to interpret our uncertain times, to draw artistic inspiration and power from the sources of meaning in their lives. History, community, folk tales, ballads, live performance, and environmental instability all manifest in the sounds, feelings, and sensations that permeate their Crankies.

Music will be performed by Marian McLaughlin, a multi-instrumental songwriter, poet, visual artist, and educator.

Pressing Strings and Driftwood January 18, 2026

Pressing Strings
Hailing from Annapolis, Maryland, Pressing Strings is a powerhouse trio–led by guitarist and vocalist Jordan Sokel–has earned a loyal following with their genre bending blend of blues, rock, and folk, wrapped in soul-stirring storytelling and toe tapping grooves. Their music resonates with the emotional grit of blues, the laid back swagger of folk, and the urgency of modern rock.

Driftwood
The Upstate New York folk-rock group Driftwood—founded by Joe Kollar and Dan Forsyth, and now including Claire Byrne, Joey Arcuri, and Sam Fishman—continues to evolve its shapeshifting folk approach.

Their transformative sixth album, December Last Call, was recorded in the very basement where the dream began. It lyrically reflects on the group’s journey through life changes and the pandemic, while sonically looking ahead by experimenting with hard-rocking electric guitars and percussion alongside their bluegrass roots.

Swinging Through the Decades: Cinema Songs of the 20th Century with Janet Paulsen
January 17, 2026

“Swinging Through the Decades: Cinema Songs of the 20th Century” features jazz vocalist Janet Paulsen bringing to life classic movie songs from the 1930s through the 1990s. With engaging backstories, fresh arrangements, and a visual journey of film images, the evening promises to be both entertaining and memorable. A familiar favorite at Manor Mill since its early days, Janet is delighted to return, joined by her music director and accompanist Anthony Pocetti and a swinging band.

High and Wides January 16, 2026

“The Apostles of Hillbilly Boogie” – Washington Post

The High & Wides play string band music from an alternate timeline, one where Bill Monroe’s “Rocky Road Blues” made him an international superstar and the rock’n’roll revolution was led by fiddlers and banjo players. With roots in urban Baltimore and the rural Delmarva peninsula, they draw on bluegrass backgrounds and weave in influences from new wave to old time to make music that defies boundaries while evoking the era when country, bluegrass, western swing, and early rock’n’roll mingled freely.

Whiskey Feathers January 10, 2026

Whiskey Feathers is a Baltimore-based band blending rock, Americana, and livetronica into a sound that is immersive, emotional, and ever-evolving. Their reflective lyrics, layered instrumentation, and dreamlike energy move both hearts and hips. With a blend of grit, groove, and emotional punch, they showcase their dynamic stage presence, tight musicianship, and crowd-ready sound that define their live performances. Perfect for festivals and stages that crave authenticity and fire.

Performance highlights include The Ramble Festival, WTMD’s First Thursday, Monkton Music Festival, and Inner Harbor Festival, along with opening slots for Eddie 9V, Eric Hutchinson, Joe P, Pressing Strings, Sam Morrow, The Young Dubliners, and a growing roster of artists making waves.

Ollella January 9, 2026

Ellie Barber a.k.a. Ollella’s career as a musician started early, when she sang before she could talk. Trained as a classical cellist since the age of nine, the Seattle indie-folk musician merges her technical string background with authoritative vocals and live-looping. Described as “really outstanding” by NPR Music and “so tastefully done” by Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast), Ollella’s sound is organic with a side of edge, pulling on influences such as Feist, Madison Cunningham, and Sylvan Esso. She is a two-time finalist in the NPR Tiny Desk Contest (2024, 2022), has had music featured in film and TV, and is a frequent collaborator with others. She finds herself drawn to music because it unlocks a particular flavor of humanity – one that fits the type of world she believes in.