Blending modern and traditional American roots music, Portland’s Never Come Down features Joe Suskind, Crystal Lariza, Lillian Sawyer, and Kaden Hurst. Since forming in 2018, they’ve built a devoted following through extensive touring, released Better Late Than Never (2021) and Greener Pastures (2024), and earned acclaim at festivals including Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Iceland Airwaves, Americanafest, FreshGrass, and RockyGrass.

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Ismay is your host for Woollystar, and this year they are back performing a full band set of their new album coming out June 2026!

Raised backstage at their grandfather’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, Avery was inspired by artists like Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch. After a decade working the family ranch in Petaluma, they emerged as ISMAY, performing nationwide and internationally at festivals including Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

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Forrest VanTuyl is a songwriter, poet, and musician from Washington State. He has performed with Ramblin Jack Elliot and Sera Cahoone, and toured and co-written with Margo Cilker. His work has been featured by the New York Times, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and KEXP.

Forrest released a new album Old Trails in 2025 on Fossil Records. 

For our fifth year, we are continuing the tradition of bringing local performers from the Great Basin & Sierra Nevada to the Woollystar Stage. Stay tuned for the lineup of this special kick-off set.