Molly Adkins & Martin Stevens

Molly Adkins began attending Bluegrass festivals, shows and jam sessions with her family when she was very young. As a singer/songwriter/guitarist, she made a name for herself in 2005, when she released her self titled CD. Her debut recording was well received and featured some of the best Bluegrass musicians in the northwest. She came up with the CD idea as a way to raise funds for her friend, Carol Harley's battle with Leukemia. Molly continued supporting Carol's cause by performing at the Shedd Auditorium Benefit Concert in Eugene, OR. These are impressive and challenging projects for any artist, but are even more amazing, considering that Molly was only 12 at the time.

Molly has always been surrounded by musical mentors. Her father, Dale, is one of the Northwest's top guitarists and has his own recording studio. Her brother, Josh, sings and also plays guitar and bass... and her grandfather played on the radio with a country band in the 1940s. Molly has been influenced by many of the great female performers who have worked on stage and in the studio with her dad. She grew up with role models like Leah Larson, Kate McKenzie, Kristin Granger and various members of the Misty River/Misty Mamas groups hanging around her dad's studio, her house, or the family campsite. She also is inspired by Allison Krauss, Dale Ann Bradley, Laurie Lewis and Rebecca Hogan.

Her original songs show a deep appreciation for family, history and a good story. Molly was only 9 when she wrote and recorded her first song, as a gift to a special teacher. She started playing the fiddle the same year, but decided she liked to sing and found the guitar was a better fit. She won the song writing contest at the Wheeler County Bluegrass festival in 2006 and she has been a guest performer with Misty River and the Green Mountain bluegrass band. Molly will also be featured on an upcoming segment of Oregon Art Beat on OPB.

Martin Stevens, multi-instrumentalist, has grown up in the Northwest Bluegrass and Contest Fiddle community. At the age of 6, and again at 7, he won the Washington State Small Fry Fiddle Championships. He also has won the Jr Jr division multiple times, many regional titles, and has placed 2nd, 4th, and 7th at weiser (in the small fry, jr jr, and jr divisions). He has most recently added Washington’s Young Adult Fiddle Championship to his list of triumphs. The bluegrass crowd will recognize him as the instrumental arranger and performer for “Athena and the River City Boys”, a popular young band since 2001.

Martin has also shared the stage with Mark O’Connor, Stuart Duncan, Chris Thile, Mike Marshall, Tim O' Brian, David Grisman, as well as many other well established and amazingly talented bluegrass musicians.