Front Country / Avi Jacob

An acoustic band born in the land of tech innovation, Front Country was unlikely to be accepted as an authentic American roots band out of the gate. Cutting their teeth in progressive bluegrass jams in the Mission District in San Francisco, California, and rehearsing across the bay in Oakland, the band fashioned its own take on roots music and indie folk. In a wood-paneled country dive bar in the shadow of the San Francisco skyline, Front Country forged a sound hell bent on merging the musical past with the future. The result lies somewhere between indie folk and Americana, in a nether region it has come to embrace as its own. 

This West Coast outfit was just a group of friends playing a monthly gig until 2012 and 2013, when Front Country gathered around a single microphone at the RockyGrass and Telluride festivals, winning first prize in those prestigious band contests that launched the careers of the Dixie Chicks, Greensky Bluegrass, and the Steep Canyon Rangers. The contest wins bolstered the band's confidence in its unique mix of original songwriting, vocal harmonies, and instrumental virtuosity, steeling its resolve to become a full-time touring band. 

Avi Jacob is a nationally recognized folk/soul artist who has been featured in American Songwriter and has shared the stage with music legends such as Dr. John. His new EP, Surrender, was produced by Simone Felice (producer of the Lumineers' Cleopatra) and is available now on all major platforms.