Ben Traverse:
Their voice rises like mist from Michigan’s northern woods, carrying echoes of working-class ballads long etched into the earth. As a folksinger, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter, Traverse embodies tradition, threading the past into the present. Traverse roves across the Great Lakes Basin and beyond purveying the finest sea shanties, bluegrass, Celtic, and old time music and sharing the history from which they came.

A proud member of the Earthwork Music Collective, Ben is part of a vibrant community of culture creators devoted to community healing through collective musicianship. Alongside Earthwork, their music becomes a tool for growth, teaching, and resilience. Whether facilitating intergenerational programs at libraries or performing at festivals with support from the Little River Stringband, Traverse offers their voice and instruments in service to something far greater than the self.

Nick Veine:
Nick Veine is a singer-songwriter and composer born and raised in Manistee, MI. He grew up playing rock and blues before he started singing, pivoting to acoustic music without losing that electric flair.

His passion encouraged him to attend Berklee College of Music, where he earned his Bachelor of Music in Contemporary Writing & Production and eventually to pursuing and completing a Master of Music in Classical Composition at Belmont University. Degrees aside, some of the best education he got was from collaborating with other musicians in jam sessions, private lessons, and a cappella groups.