Smithsonian Folkways is heading to New York City for this year’s Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) conference! On January 6, 2019 at the Rockwood Music Hall, the Smithsonian Folkways showcase will feature Kaia Kater, Lula Wiles, and The Bright Siders (featuring Kristen Andreassen.) The showcase is free and open to the public.

The Association of Performing Arts Professionals is a national organization with over 1,600 members, servicing agencies, presenters, and producers, as well as giving artists a platform for their work to be seen and heard.

Kaia Kater’s newest album, Grenades, her first for Smithsonian Folkways, released in October 2018, has garnered critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, No Depression, NPR, and CBC. The Montreal-born, Grenadian-Canadian has earned the status of a rising star in the roots music community and beyond, and Grenades , a deeply personal musical odyssey into family history and identity, has been called “a certain contender for folk album of the year” (Folk Alley).

Boston-based Lula Wiles delivers defiant new contributions to the folk ballad canon with timely explorations of what it means to live in America today. Isa Burke, Ellie Buckland, and Mali Obomsawin swap instruments and meld diverse influences to create a harmony-driven, emotionally-resonant sound all their own. Their album, What Will We Do, comes out January 25, 2019.

The Bright Siders create music that helps children and families have meaningful conversations about emotions. Founded by award-winning songwriter Kristin Andreassen and Brooklyn-based child psychiatrist Dr. Kari Groff, the Bright Siders feature adept musicianship and skillful audience engagement regardless of age Andreassen has toured world stages as a singer and percussive dancer, and as a member of the renowned string band Uncle Earl. Dr. Kari Groff is well-known in her field for her warm and genuine approach to young patients, drawing on years of experience as both a respected physician and a raging old time fiddler in the joyful music she creates.