Ollella + Sturtz (partially seated)

Ellie Barber AKA Ollellas 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 Musics Bob Boilen and so tastefully done by Michelle Zauner (AKA Japanese Breakfast), Ollella blends the acoustic with the contemporary, folk with pop, and tenacity with softness, pulling on influences such as Feist, Cat Power, and Sylvan Esso. She was twice a 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 particularly organic flavor of humanity one that fits the type of world she believes in. Sturtzs music stands out for its distinctive, soothing instrumental and vocal harmonies. NPRs All Songs Considered described the band as a reassuring breath of fresh air that pulls me back to simpler times. The acoustic quartet Andrew Sturtz [vocals, guitar], Courtlyn Carpenter [cello, harmonies], Will Kuepper [bass, harmonies], and Jim Herlihy [banjo, harmonies] - is serene and folksy, with melodic vocals soaring over the lower string instrumentals. Sturtz released their debut album Youve Done this Before in August 2021, and now they are hard at work recording a second album that is set to release in September 2024. When theyre not playing music, youll probably find them milling flour, farming, laying in a creek, or eating native foliage.