A beloved figure in bluegrass and a pioneering force in acoustic music, Missy Raines' adventurous musical spirit has always been her compass. Launching her career with experimental bluegrass outfit Cloud Valley, Raines next toured the country with Eddie and Martha Adcock. Soon she was lending her bass skills to the Masters (Adcock, Kenny Baker, Josh Graves and Jesse McReynolds). Raines joined Claire Lynch's popular Front Porch Band, and developed a successful duo with band mate Jim Hurst. Their CDs and live performances pushed the envelope on how much music two people with acoustic instruments could make. A stint with the Brother Boys opened Raines' eyes to the value of spontaneity and immediacy in her musical approach.

Missy Raines is now stepping out to make a longtime dream come true; creating a fusing of bluegrass virtuosity, jazz-tinged groove and a song-driven sensibility with a hot band.

A protege of Matt Flinner, Ethan Ballinger is making waves in the mandolin world at the ripe old age of 21. The son of Cluster Plucker's Dale and Kris Ballinger, Ethan pursued his own path taking up rock and blues electric guitar. Coming full circle, Ethan has now turned to the mandolin to channel the diverse influences of jazz, bluegrass and rock into acoustic music.

Resonator guitarist Michael Witcher, a key player in the California music scene, has logged formative stints with Laurie Lewis, Sean and Sara Watkins and Tyler Hilton. At 27, his impressive credits include performing with The Witcher Brothers, Peter Rowan and Tony Rice, Dolly Parton, Benmont Tench, The Laurel Canyon Ramblers and Chris Jones among many others. Michael has done many sessions, playing on recordings with such artists as Dwight Yoakam, Fernando Ortega, Joan Osborne, Sara Watkins, Tyler Hilton and many others. Michael brings an LA sensibility and a great sense of humor to the new hip.

Dillon was just 17 when he won the Flatpicking Championship at the 36th Annual Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. He was the second youngest winner ever, next to Mark O'Connor. Dillon hails from Florence, Alabama and started playing guitar at age 11. His first lessons were right-handed but Dillon is a lefty, and the lessons weren't going so well. Within a few weeks he switched to playing left-handed and everything clicked. After just a couple of months he was playing on stage with a local band and started entering competitions shortly after that. To date, he's tallied up 14 wins across 7 states, including the "Future Hall of Famers" title from the International Bluegrass Music Museum. A Gibson endorsee at the age of 13, Dillon has clearly been on the fast track through his young career. Dillon doesn't just pack a lot of firepower, he has an inventive, lyrical sensibility to his playing. He sings and writes and is already contributing new material to the new hip's fast-growing repertoire. He is a student at the University of North Alabama.