Brian Claflin and Ellie Grace
(Genre: Folk/Americana; Locations: North Carolina (Brian) and Kansas City, MO (Ellie)):
Ellie Grace is a folk artist and dancer who embraces the power of music in connecting people. She first took to the stage as a young member of her family band and now tours internationally as a solo artist and a member of Leela and Ellie Grace, Claflin & Grace, and other bands. In addition to her time on the faculty at Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges, Ellie has directed schools of music and dance in Missouri and North Carolina and been a master teacher at camps and festivals across the continent. At the end of 2019, she released a solo album of all original songs: On the Side of Love. Brian Claflin is a folk-rock artist who infuses this style with elements of traditional Appalachian roots music. Claflin was raised in New England and briefly pursued a Mad Men career in NYC before moving to Asheville, North Carolina. With published songwriting credits in collaboration with Nanci Griffith and Adam Duritz, Claflin has performed at venues from The Bitter End and Greenwich Village Folk Festival in NYC, to the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, to the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN, to the Magnetic Theater in Asheville, NC.