For this year’s “New Voices” Showcase, we will be featuring two regional musicians who are new to our monthly concert series, although Austin MacRae was part of an earlier showcase at our annual festival. Join us for a chance to hear some exciting new voices on this special double bill!
Stella Hill
Stella Hill is the Americana/Alt-Country songwriting collaboration of keyboardist Josh Massicot and violist Liz Ristow. The wife-and-husband duo write songs that pay homage to artists and music they love – Dylan, Christine McVie, Randy Newman, Norah Jones, Jeff Tweedy, Jackson Browne – with earnest lyrics, tight vocal harmonies, and richly textured arrangements that incorporate their classical training (the two met when they were students at the Eastman School of Music). The band has released two EPs, Stella Hill and North Star, and will be recording a third this winter. For this concert, Josh and Liz will be joined by Josh Pincus on guitar and Tim Isham on bass. You can find Stella Hill on Facebook and Instagram @stellahillmusic.
For a sample of their music, listen to their cover of “Rogers Park” by Justin Townes Earle:
Austin MacRae
Austin MacRae is a singer/songwriter from Ithaca, NY, whose music is known for its lyrical and vocal intensity. With a sensitive finger-picking style, MacRae crafts songs rich in wordplay and story. He has showcased his music at venues such as Club Passim, Kerrville Folk Festival (New Folk Finalist), Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (Emerging Artist), Turtle Hill Folk Festival (New Voices Showcase), Ithaca Festival, Oswego Music Hall, Homer Center for the Arts, Bill Knowlton’s Bluegrass Ramble Picnic, and many other venues. His debut album, Bats in the Attic, won a Syracuse Area Music Award (SAMMY) for Best Folk Recording of 2015. His second album, Keeper, won a SAMMY for Best Americana in 2018. His most recent album, New Weather, is a collection of songs about his experience as a stepfather.
For a sample of his music, listen to his “Tiny Houses” at