Jake Armerding with Rachael Davis
When a kid grows up in Massachusetts, you'd think he'd be safe from stuff like bluegrass music. Fortunately for his audiences, this wasn't the case for Compass Records recording artist Jake Armerding. Thanks to a mandolinist father who spent his weekends touring the region with new-grass group Northern Lights, Jake was doomed from the start. He began violin lessons at four, joined Northern Lights at 13, and released his own album of original, folk-and-bluegrass material while still a teenager.

He captured the Best New Artist award at WUMB 91.9fm Boston. The next three years saw dozens of performances around New England, collaborations on stage with such artists as David Wilcox, Peter Rowan and Charlie Peacock.

The album also caught the attention of Alison Brown, a pioneer banjoist and co-founder of Nashville-based indie Compass Records. Upon learning Armerding was completing a sophomore album, she and West approached Jake about releasing the project. Armerding signed with Compass in early 2003, his first national release to hit the shelves this April.

He divides his time between touring, writing songs, jamming with buddies around town, quoting movies and correcting his friends' grammar.  He currently performs on fiddle, mandolin, guitar and vocals, with his dad, Northern Lights frontman Taylor Armerding, on mandolin and high lonesome vocals.

Rachael Davis has been singing on-stage since she was two years old.  At age eight she was singing on second stage at Wheatland Music Festival. The Irish singer Maura O'Connell was just backstage. When Rachael walked off stage Maura went up to her, and grasped Rachael's face with both hands and said, "Never stop doing it for the love of it!"

Rachael has spent most of her life involved with music in one way or another - whether as the lead in three of her high school's musicals, singing with her family-based group Lake Effect, or performing solo with a few friends as special guests.

In the span of her twenty-two years, Rachael has shared the stage with Vance Gilbert, Prairie Home Companion regulars Robin and Linda Williams,
jazz legends Marcus Belgrave and Winston Walls, Dar Williams, Garnet Rogers, Chris Smither, Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer, Peter Mulvey, Eddie
From Ohio, Clive Gregson, and many more.

In September of 2001, Rachael moved from Michigan to Boston and within the span of seven months was awarded a Boston Music Award for Best New Singer-Songwriter. In 2002, Rachael contributed "Lonely When You're Gone" to the Respond II compilation, which also includes such luminaries as Joan Baez, Dolly Parton, Ani DiFranco, Eryka Badu, .

Her influences range from the jazz stylings of Ella Fitzgerald to the soulful pop vocals of Patty Griffin. In April, 2001, she released her debut CD, Minor League Deities.