Ellie and Leela

We met up in Oregon several times this fall to plot our slow rise to international stardom. It is so slow, it cannot actually be perceived by the human eye. So while that top-secret operation continues, we are happy to report that our actual goal of sharing the music we love with all of you wonderful people is rolling right along!  Our 2012 calendar is quickly filling up with festivals, concerts, and camps in Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, New Mexico, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Oregon, Massachusetts, and more to come. It has only just begun, but this already promises to be an extraordinary musical year for us! You can go directly to our "Tour" page if you just can’t wait to see the details, or you can keep on reading and get there eventually.

We don’t want to make the other states jealous, but Ohio is gonna get a lot of love in 2012. Our first tour of the year will take us there, as well as to neighboring Indiana, in a little over a week! We hope you will check out the full details below (or here) if you or anyone you know is within striking distance of Lafayette, IN, Columbus, OH, or Salem, OH. Even if you can’t make it to our show in Columbus, you should take a gander at the incredible lineup Six String Concerts is featuring this year. Then come May, we will start another tour with shows in Ohio. From there you can find us playing in Pittsburgh, PA, Asheville, NC, Takoma Park, MD, Philadelphia, PA, and other locations to be added soon! Dates and details can be found by scrolling down or visiting our website.

Missouri, never fear. . . we are coming home to play at one of our long-time favorite festivals, The Big Muddy Folk Festival in April! There is nothing sweeter than this weekend of music in the beautiful midwestern springtime. We suggest that you get your tickets now! In other festival news, we are beyond thrilled to be performing at the 2012 National Women’s Music Festival! What an honor to be joining many of the greats in women’s music at this incredible event. If you decide to attend this festival (and find any free time between watching our sets and talking to us and carrying our instruments around for us) you just might want to check out Holly Near, Toshi Reagan, Emma’s Revolution, and many other equally amazing musicians.

It is the time of year where many of us think about our goals and hopes for this new trip around the sun. We have a lot of musical dreams in the works in 2012! But this is about you. We just know that if we managed to sneak a glimpse of your list of New Year’s resolutions, we would most likely find at least one of these items: become a clogging prodigy, cry tears of joy while singing harmony, and/or learn to rock the old-time mandolin or banjo! The good news is that we are going to be teaching at four amazing camps this summer where you can have the time of your life, immerse yourself in the joy of music and dance, and conveniently check off all of those pesky resolutions. One or both of us will be on staff at FolkMADness Music and Dance Camp in New Mexico, Wallowa Fiddle Tunes Workshop in Oregon, Pinewoods English and American Week in Massachusetts, and The Swannanoa Gathering Old-Time Week in North Carolina.

2011 marked a milestone for us. . . we officially sold out of the original Leela and Ellie Grace CD! Before you begin to panic, we want to reassure you that you can still buy yourself that special gift to make up for some of those awkward presents you received at your office holiday party...we have re-ordered the CD and it is, along with our second CD, Where the Waters Run, once again available on our website. We are truly honored and grateful for the support we have received over many years of making music. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Peace,

Ellie and Leela