Melissa Cox and her band, Mythica, open the summer concert series on the Arts Quad with their special blend of Celtic-flavored prog rock, newgrass, and Americana. A classically trained singer, Melissa possesses a voice that has been described by Sing Out! magazine as “a cross between Loreena McKennitt and Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick.” She’s also got impressive songwriting chops and was named best singer/songwriter by Spark Magazine, best Celtic fusion singer by Celtic MP3 Music Magazine, and best musical folk artist by the Delaware Division of Arts.

Melissa has shared the stage with the Spin Doctors, Sister Hazel, Smash Mouth, Three Dog Night, Cyril Neville, and Catie Curtis and has headlined at hundreds of major festivals and premier venues in the continental U.S., Hawaii, and New Zealand. Her two latest albums, Transient Resonance and Harmonious Maladies, showcase not only her musical and writing talents, but also her abilities as a producer and sound engineer.

http://www.MelissaCoxMusic.net

Guitarist Andrew Hardin and vocalist Jeannie Burns have teamed up as the acoustic duo known as Hardin Burns, featuring heartfelt vocals and fierce country blues guitar. They each bring decades of performing to the partnership: Andrew Hardin toured and recorded with Tom Russell for twenty-five years and performed with many other musicians, including Dave Alvin, Ian Tyson, Katy Moffatt, Nanci Griffith, Eliza Gilkyson, and Ray Wyle Hubbard. Jeannie Burns has performed with The Burns Sisters on eight albums, years of live performances, and two tours as backup vocalists for Arlo Guthrie.

In 2012 Hardin Burns recorded their debut CD, Lounge, which features nine new original songs and a cover of George Harrison’s “Beware of Darkness.” The recording has gotten substantial airplay in the U.S. and abroad. They’ve performed in Texas, New York, Florida, and California, and in 2013 they will be touring internationally.

A regular on the club and festival circuit in the Finger Lakes region, GoGone plays original roots, rock, and blues, “capturing songs of love, far away places, and the always changing human condition.” Their music is both joyous and heartbreaking, moving from soulful ballads of betrayal to raucous stories of adventure. In 2012, GoGone was voted “best happy hour band” in the Ithaca Times’ “Best of Ithaca” contest.

Rising Sign (a.k.a. Signo Ascendenté) plays an irresistible mix of salsa, cha-cha, merengue, and samba. This nine-piece band has a sound that’s bright and hot, with blazing horns, soaring flute, rocking guitar, sparkling keyboards, funky solid bass, and a steamy percussion section of timbales, congas, guiro, and bongo. Get ready for a Caribbean dance party!

The Evil City String Band delivers a high-octane mix of traditional and original tunes and songs. Their unique sound reflects a deep understanding of old-time and country music.

The group features five established artists: Steve Selin (fiddle) plays with the Hogwashers and Evil City Trio. Rosie Newton (fiddle) collaborates with Stephanie Jenkins in the Pearly Snaps and occasionally appears with the Mammals. Richie Stearns (banjo and lead singer) is a legendary founding member of the Horse Flies and tours and records with Natalie Merchant and Carrie Rodriguez. Pat Burke (guitar) performs with Gregor Sayet-Bone in the country blues duo Burke and Bone. Ethan Jodziewicz (bass) is currently studying double bass performance at Ithaca College.

Powerful songwriting, explosive improvisation, and deep dance grooves: that’s what the Andrew and Noah Band brings to festival stages, concert halls, living rooms, and dance floors all over North America. The band features fiddle, accordion, mandolin, saxophone, guitars, bass, drums, and three-part harmony vocals. Their core material, written by brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand, might best be described as Americana groove: a mix of Appalachian, Celtic, classic country and bluegrass, jazz and swing, cajun and zydeco, alternative folk, and roots rock, with various world music influences. Photo: Angela Goldberg