British singer-songwriter Elles Bailey is known for her gritty, instantly recognizable voice and her empowering blend of blues, roots, and Americana. Fiercely independent, Bailey’s songs explore resilience, survival, and self-discovery—stories delivered with raw honesty and soulful conviction.

Her latest album, Can’t Take My Story Away, is a bold, three-year labor of love that reflects personal growth, artistic confidence, and hard-won empowerment. The record follows a string of acclaimed releases, including Shining in the Half Light (2022), which topped the UK Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart and reached No. 4 on the UK Independent Albums Chart, and Beneath the Neon Glow, which climbed to No. 12 on the UK Official Albums Chart.

A celebrated live performer, Bailey was crowned Live Act of the Year at the 2024 UK Americana Awards and Vocalist of the Year at the 2024 UK Blues Awards. She has shared stages with icons including Van Morrison, Jools Holland, and Rag’n’Bone Man, and continues to earn praise for her powerhouse vocals and emotionally rich songwriting.

At her core, Elles Bailey is an artist defined by authenticity—channeling grit, grace, and fearless storytelling into every performance.

 Do not miss Elles Bailey’s first-ever U.S. performance—live and free—at Playing with Fire 2026.

This is more than a concert; it’s the start of a new chapter for an artist on the rise. Be there to experience the grit, the soul, and the story as it unfolds on the PwF stage.

• UK Song of the Year  - 2020 Americana Awards UK 
• Album of the Year  - 2020/2023/2025 UK Blues Awards 
• Artist of the Year - 20/21/23 UK Blues Awards
• Vocalist of the Year  - 2023/2024/2025 UK Blues Awards
• UK Artist of the Year 2023 -  Americana Awards UK
• Live act of the Year -  2023/2024 - Americana Awards UK
• Artist of the Year -  2020/2021/2023 UK Blues Awards

Jeni Grouws is a magnetic American roots artist known for her soul-deep vocals, powerful songwriting, and driving, syncopated Americana sound. With a chill-inducing voice and rare connection to her audience, she commands a room with grit, groove, and emotional truth.

Rock and Blues Muse raves, “It’s been a while since a vocalist gave me the chills. Grouws digs deep, and you can’t turn away. She’s a belter with deep rooted soul.” Goldmine Magazine adds, “Jeni Grouws is a remarkably demonstrative vocalist, fully capable of delivering sturdy rockers, blustery blues, or… a tender heartfelt ballad.”

Her songwriting has earned international recognition, including top honors in the 2020 Unsigned Only Songwriting Competition and the 2021 International Songwriting Competition. In 2024, Jeni relocated to Omaha after being awarded an artist-in-residence at The Music House, a project supporting artists through the Catalyst Foundation, led by Jeff Davis and Vanessa Marie, cofounder of Playing with Fire. Due to the success of her residency, it has been extended to a third term through December 2026. 

During Jeni's time in Omaha, she has embraced the local music community, collaborated with fellow artists, presented projects at The Jewell, and, through The Music House Concert Series, has supported six concerts to help raise awareness of the residency program. Her growing impact in Omaha was recognized with her first nomination for the Omaha Entertainment & Arts Award in 2026.

Stepping into an exciting new solo chapter, Jeni will release her debut album, The Music House, in summer 2026. Written entirely by Grouws and recorded at Purple House in Nashville with Grammy-winning producer Casey Wasner (Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mo, Robben Ford), the album brings together Grouws, Wasner, Brian Allen, Mike Hicks, Johnny Duke, and a list of exciting special guests, including Drew Smithers, Emmanuel Echem, Anne Harris, and Walter Trout. 

With powerful vocals, evocative songwriting, and a generous, captivating stage presence, Jeni Grouws continues to push her creative boundaries—emerging as a compelling new voice in American roots music.

Cedar County Cobras deliver boot-stompin’ American Roots and Blues with nothing more than an upright bass, foot drum, and a handful of well-worn guitars. Their sound carries the grit of “old time” Delta blues—music that feels like it drifted out of a juke joint down a gravel road in rural Iowa.

In 2023, the duo released their debut album, Homesick Blues, which charted worldwide and landed among the top acoustic blues records of 2023 and 2024. They are winners of the Solo/Duo Category at the Iowa Blues Challenge and were semi-finalists at the 2025 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. With more than 700 shows under their belt—from local wineries and small-town dive bars to major festivals and international stages in Italy—the Cobras bring seasoned authenticity to every performance.

Songwriter and frontman Tom Spielbauer anchors the duo with rich baritone vocals and slide guitar, creating their signature raw, driving blues sound. A former concrete worker with over 20 years of performing across Iowa and the Midwest, Tom’s music is rooted in lived experience. Diagnosed with advanced macular degeneration in 2005 and declared legally blind at a young age, he followed in the tradition of blind blues greats, trading construction tools for a guitar and foot drum to pursue music full-time. As a solo artist, he also won the Iowa Blues Challenge and was a semi-finalist at the 2023 International Blues Challenge in Memphis.

Multi-instrumentalist April Dirks, an Iowa native, joined the project in 2014. With a background in bluegrass and a distinctive “gypsy” flair, she discovered her natural command of the upright bass early in the duo’s evolution. Her doghouse bass lines drive the rhythm and give the Cobras their irresistible boogie pulse.

From the Iowa State Fair and Iowa Arts Festival to Codfish Hollow and the Englert Theatre—where they’ve opened for artists such as Marty Stuart and Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder—the Cedar County Cobras have shared stages with an impressive range of roots and Americana acts.

At a Cedar County Cobras show, audiences don’t just listen—they tap, stomp, and often find themselves dancing. It’s raw, rhythmic, and undeniably alive.