Carrie Morrison‘s music will break your heart – in the best way. Melodic and memorable, her songs make connections. The singer/songwriter/pianist, a native of Louisville, Ky., has been playing piano since age seven. She moved to higher ground in 2004, and has been a popular act in the Western N.C. area for more than 15 years. Music has always been part of her life, from a youthful obsession with musicals, to improvisational and classical piano study. Morrison is known for melodically strong songs with personal lyrics, ranging from the deeply emotional to the slightly silly. Her EP “Carolina Blonde” was released in 2013 and produced by the late Terry Wetton. Her album “Miles and Miles” was produced by Chris Rosser, of award-winning ensemble Free Planet Radio, released in 2017. Her EP “The Neverwhere Sisters,” produced by Andrew Thelston and Daniel Nisbet, featuring cellist JamieLeighBennett, was released in 2021. Morrison is currently working on two new recording projects, to be released in 2024. She has had airplay on WTZQ and WNCW, and enjoys collaborations with several local artists onstage and in the studio. She performs solo, in duos with Thelston and Bennett (occasionally with them in a trio), and also is a vocalist and keyboardist in The Andrew Thelston Band. Morrison is a teacher of Exceptional Children and English at a local high school. She is married to Mike, the love of her life, her champion, and best roadie.

Jay Gavin grew up in a tiny close-knit Canadian fishing village on Prince Edward Island where the potato fields are lined by red dirt roads, there isn’t a stop light for 100 miles and the kitchen parties go on for days. He quit school in grade nine more interested in fishing and getting into trouble. His hands worn with the cracks and calluses of hard work tell the story of his years supplementing his musical dreams with sweat labor on fishing boats, tobacco fields, logging camps, construction sites and film sets. Jay was greatly inspired by his uncle, a much heralded and beloved fiddle player in the community. “He’s a great musician and he could play anything,” There was, and still is, a ton of great musicians in Tignish. It certainly had its effect on me!” After years touring North America and recording as a bassist with punk & metal bands like Spawner Record’s Huskavarna, and Texas thrash legends Speedealer, Jay came full circle and returned to his roots in country, folk & bluegrass.

Jay writes and sings songs for fans of real county music and is making a name for his catchy hooks, foot-stomping, autobiographical, everyman songs and good timin’ live shows. The Nashville Songwriters Ass. Intl. named Jay Gavin a writer that’s “One to Watch” in June 2023. At home in Canada, Jay loves hosting regular song circles bringing together the local and touring songwriting community.

Jay’s first full-length Americana album was 2019’s Boat On A Whale co-produced, and engineered by Canadian platinum-certified Jeff Zipp. 2021’s cover of the Conway and Loretta classic “You’re the Reason our Kids are Ugly” a duet with his cousin Shyanne Mae Gaudet was a sleeper hit reaching over 232K spins on YouTube Music. 2022’s Therapy EP, again with the help of Jeff Zipp was a super charged live off-the-floor banger packed with motorcycle themed bluegrassy country-folk. Auto biographical “Got Myself a Harley”, is the standout track and has 38K views for its video. 2023 saw the release of two singles -a cosmic chicken pickin and fuzzed out pedal steel drenched extended version of “Lost in Austin” and “Rhythms & Rhymes” Jay’s ode to John Prine’s “Paradise” packed with heartfelt nostalgia and exuberant adulation.

On the recommendation of Billy Don Burns, Jay drove down to Nashville to meet Grammy-nominated producer Denny Knight (Waylon Jennings, Conway Twitty) of the Nashville Music Group to begin his forthcoming album, Road Ready. With Denny producing, Bobby Bradley (JJ Cale, Ween’s country album) engineering and a band of Nashville A-listers like Jeff Williams (June Carter Cash’s Living Circle Band) on guitar, Steve Hinson (George Jones, Randy Travis) on pedal steel and dobro and Deannie Richardson (Vince Gill, Sister Sadie) on fiddle this is sure to be Jay Gavin’s breakout album. From the easy, affable strains of “Maybe It Was Me” and the quietly contemplative “Seen Better Days,” to the folksy amble and south-of-the border sounds of “Mexican Food, Cold Beer & Tattoos” Road Ready already topping the Alt-Country Specialty Radio charts at #1 on 04/03/24 will find listeners doing their fair share of singing along.

A road warrior who toured 5 provinces and 10 states in 2023, sleeping most nights in his van, Jay can’t wait to get back at it in support of the new record. It’s no secret that he likes to have a good time and puts on a hell of a live show offering true country & folk entertainment to hard-working and sometimes remote communities. Whether backed by a full band or stripped down with just his guitar, his live show feels more like a party. You’ll laugh and sing and dance and go home feeling that you’ve made a new friend.