Mule Boys
2023-12-16 14:00 - 16:00, 2023-12-17 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-17 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-18 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Phoenix) | Arizona Folklore Preserve, 56 E. Folklore Trail, Hereford, AZ, 85615, United States
Scott Muhleman, namesake of this duo, blows a mean harp. He’s been bending notes and playing the blues since the sixties. LA, Waikiki in ’68, Alaska, San Francisco, to Bisbee, Arizona. He came to Bisbee the first time while touring with DC Miner and Blues on the Move. Jon Messenger’s story has been a journey through, away from, and back again to the American West. A musical journey through the west. And the Everglades. And Cornwall-on-Hudson. Always some guitar player willing to be patient with him, indulge him with some music and “communicate to me how to play.” Scott and Jon met at a campout at Parker Canyon Lake in 1992. Assembled with like minds in fine surroundings, music was made. Music continued to happen and will happen again this weekend!
Doors open at 1 p.m., performances begin at 2:00 p.m. Reservations are preferred; however, walk-ins will be seated if space permits.

Dave Munsick
2024-01-06 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-07 14:00 - 16:00
Dave writes and sings of a west that many miss; a west of endless emotional landscapes unbroken by borders between people, times and places. These are stories and songs that go down smooth and stay with you awhile.
Besides songs, Dave writes and tells stories that resonate the adventures that his music has taken him on. He has produced 7 CDs of original music, and written and recorded themes for historical documentaries as well as compositions for government, commercial and private sectors. He also develops educational learning modules that immerse students in the pivotal themes of western history.
Dave is a performer, playing solo as well as with his bands. He has opened for or played fiddle, piano, and guitar for artists including Chris LeDoux, Lyle Lovett and Ian Tyson.
“Dave Munsick is a damned fine fiddle player!” – Ian Tyson
He gives educational workshops, arranges songs for his concerts and dances, and has had his music played on television as well as U.S. and European radio stations. His music has been reviewed in Western Horseman, Rope Burns, Eclectic Horseman, and Cowboy magazines.

Sugar Thieves
2024-01-13 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-14 14:00 - 16:00
The Sugar Thieves have been winning fans over world wide with their high energy, soulful live shows since 2006. Over the years they have honed there brand of American roots music, creating a sound that is all their own. Moving between blues, country, folk, gospel, rock and roll, and elements of jazz, freely they honor the tradition that makes American music so great. From smokey dive bars, to big festival stages, this band has what it takes to move the people.
The Sugar Thieves call Phoenix Arizona home, but over the past eight years they have made their presence known all over the US, Mexico, and Europe. The Sugar Thieves have shared a bill with the likes of Taj Mahal, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, The Flaming Lips, The Blues Brothers, Lucinda Williams, Robert Cray, and more. They’ve recorded and produced five albums, each containing a variety of original music, and old songs reinvented. Also, their rendition of “Santa Baby” was featured on Putamayo’s Acoustic Christmas Album in 2013.
The Sugar Thieves
In trying to describe The Sugar Thieves’ sound, it only makes sense to call it good old American roots music. American music has always been a melting pot of styles including blues, jazz, country, folk, gospel, and rock and roll. All of these genres describe sounds that move us, and The Sugar Thieves blend all of these influences to create a sound that moves audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Their goal is to share their passion for great songs with the audience by exhibiting high energy showmanship and raw emotion with every performance. Firmly rooted in the blues, the Sugar Thieves have a love for all things Americana. On any given night the band will mix original songs with American covers spanning the last 120 years.
The Sugar Thieves started as a Duo in 2006, consisting of Meridith Moore’s deep and colorful vocals, and Mikel Lander’s gritty and gutsy guitar picking style, and vocal approach. Today they are backed by the most talented rhythm section west of the Mississippi.
Todd Chuba on drums boasts a thirty year career in music, and has shared a stage with the likes of Glen Campbell, and David Grisman. He is a wall of sound behind the kit, and embraces perfection in his approach to each and every tune. Shea Marshall, on plenty of instruments including keys, sax, harmonica, and even railroad spikes, has been with The Sugar Thieves since their very first concert. He is well known for his uniquely universal and ecumenical approach to instruments and styles. Jeff Naylor on upright and electric balls is a force to reckon with. His expressive showmanship and hard playing captures any audience. He also compliments the band with backup vocals. Together, The Sugar Thieves are an uplifting, and unforgettable musical experience.

Belinda Gail
2024-01-20 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-21 14:00 - 16:00
Belinda Gail, “America’s Western Sweetheart,” was raised on ranches in Nevada’s Carson Valley and in the California Sierra Nevada foothills near Sequoia National Park. Her rich ranching heritage and love of the West runs deep in her music and evoke the character of the people, as well as the beauty, majesty, and deep connection to the land that only those who have lived the ranch life can truly capture. Ranching and the ‘cowboy life’ are very much part of the essence of this dynamic Western Performer.

Belinda is honored and humbled to not only be counted among the top female Western Music performers of this era, but she was recently listed as one of the top 50 Country and Western Entertainers of all time by American Cowboy Magazine in their collector edition entitled “Legends”. She has committed her full-time effort to this music for nearly two decades and crisscrosses this country taking her special brand of Western Music to the masses.

Doors open at 1 p.m., performances begin at 2:00 p.m. Reservations are preferred; however, walk-ins will be seated if space permits.

Old Pueblo Bluegrass Band
2024-01-27 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-01-28 14:00 - 16:00
The Old Pueblo Bluegrass Band has been delighting audiences with high-energy bluegrass music for five years. Bandleader Reid Griffin, on guitar and vocals, is a Tucson native. He has performed throughout the Southwest since the 1980s and toured Europe with his band “Griffin Brothers”. Steve Reed, on electric and upright bass and vocals, majored in music at Pima College, then made a long musical journey from classical to jazz and onward to bluegrass. Bob Frankot, on fiddle, has been steeped in bluegrass all his life and has played with the popular California bluegrass band “Hot Off the Press” through the 1980s before coming to the Old Pueblo.

Randy Huston
2024-02-03 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-04 14:00 - 16:00
Singer, songwriter, cowboy — Randy Huston writes and sings about the modern-day lifestyle of the cowboy. He is a fourth-generation livestock producer and partners with his father on their ranch in New Mexico. He started breaking horses for wages at the age of 14 and spent many years in rodeo arenas through high school and college. He’s written some of the most widely recognized contemporary cowboy music, and his songs have been recorded by some of the “stars” of this genre. Huston was voted one of the top five male entertainers in 2007 by the Academy of Western Artists and was 2010 Academy of Western Artists male vocalist of the year. In 2022 he was honored as Male Performer of the Year by the International Western Music Association. He is also a multiple Wrangler Award Recipient.
Doors open at 1 p.m., performances begin at 2:00 p.m. Reservations are preferred; however, walk-ins will be seated if space permits.

Out of the Blue (CANCELLED)
2024-02-10 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-11 14:00 - 16:00
Out of the Blue started creating their “Bordergrass” style in the early 1990s. You already know three of the members if you’ve heard Way Out West or Dharmapoke at the AFP through the years – Tom Poley on guitar and banjo, Emmy Creigh on guitar and Slim Rost on bass. Donny Russell rounds out the Out of the Blue quartet on mandolin. The band has a reputation for their unique, signature vocal harmonies. Based in Tucson, they have traveled throughout the Southwest playing their distinctive original songs as well as traditional bluegrass and Americana covers. They have toured Europe 3 times and won 2nd place in the Telluride Band competition in 1998. The band members have received honors from the Western Music Association and Tom Poley has won 5 songwriting awards from The John Hartford Festival Songwriting Challenge. You can expect an energetic and fun performance in the acoustically pristine AFP that will feature some of their signature songs as well as some new gems added for these shows.

Almeda Bradshaw
2024-02-24 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-02-25 14:00 - 16:00
“I had to move EAST to find the WEST. Though raised a town girl on the Oregon coast, all I wanted was to be a cowgirl. I spent hours riding the ranges of my imaginations in a swing set saddle, and when I was tall enough, I threw a leg up on my family’s trusty propane tank and rode off into many a sunset.”
BEGINNINGS
When her parents moved the family from town to the country, Almeda began living her dream of horses, cows and rural ranch life. She raised her family in north central Montana, while breeding and showing performance horses, running 150 mother cows and operating a seed plant/feed business. She and her husband, former Marlboro Man, Merritt Bradshaw, now live on the Yellowstone River in Huntley, Montana, where they collect western memorabilia, he trains rope horses and she manages everything else, including a busy music and performance life! A multi-instrumentalist, Almeda studied cello and piano through college, has a BA in ELEMENTARY EDUCATION and is self-taught on the guitar, mandolin, and various other stringed instruments. She taught students of all ages to play strings from her former private studio and retail store, A Room for Music, in Big Sandy, MT.
INFLUENCES
Almeda grew up listening to her dad’s LP collection of big bands, the Boston Pops, classical orchestra music and until an eye-popping epiphany happened while watching the Beatles’ American debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. Though classically trained through college on piano and cello, her musical alter-ego was fed through the guitar which she taught herself to play at age thirteen. It was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Circle” album that turned her on to the flatpicking style of Mother Maybelle Carter. Though covers of Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac and others from the 60s and 70s took over her teenage years, Almeda later returned to the heart of her musical soul in Western Americana/Roots Music, an eclectic mix of cowboy, bluegrass, old-time, folk and spirituals. There she remains.
EXPERIENCE
Almeda has written poetry, journals and songs since her teen years and has been performing at cowboy gatherings throughout the west for over two decades. She has produced the following original works:

VOICES FROM THE RANGE: Almeda Sings the Poetry of Rhoda Sivell (2010)
A WAY OF HEART: The Big Sandy Years (2010)
LOVERS, WIVES & MOTHERS: A Western Woman’s Voice (2015)
TRIBUTE (2017)
BRISKLY VENTURE, BRISLKY ROAM: The Ballad of Yellowstone Kelly (2018)
IF I HAD A HORSE (2021)

As a former member of Humanities Montana, Almeda presented a series of programs on the history of country and western music that included:

THE IMPORTANCE OF HER VOICE: Song in the Lives of Mountain Women
INTO THE SUNSET: The Forgotten Cowgirl Singers
HOMES & HONKYTONKS: Post-WWII Women in Country Music
SONGS OF THE COWBOY: Romance & Reality

RECOGNITION (2009-present)
2022 IWMA ALBUM OF THE YEAR NOMINATION – If I Had a Horse
2018 AWA ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR NOMINATION
2017 WMA SONG OF THE YEAR NOMINATION – Larry Dever Did
2017 #2 TOP TEN SONGS – Cowboy from TRIBUTE
2017 #4 TOP TEN SONGS – Larry Dever Did from TRIBUTE
2017 #18 ALBUM – WMA CHART Lovers, Wives & Mothers (Spring quarter)
2017 AWA ALBUM OF THE YEAR NOMINATION – Lovers, Wives & Mothers
2017 #10 ALBUM – WMA CHART Lovers, Wives & Mothers (Winter quarter)
2017 #10 TOP TEN SONGS – WMA CHART Somewhere in the Rubies (Winter Quarter)
2016 WMA SONG OF THE YEAR NOMINATION – Heavenly Here with You
2016 #2 ALBUM – WMA CHART Lovers, Wives & Mothers (Spring & Summer quarters)
2016 #10 ALBUM – WMA CHART Lovers, Wives & Mothers (Fall quarter)
2016 #2 TOP TEN SONGS – WMA CHART Heavenly Here with You (Spring quarter)
2016 #6 TOP TEN SONGS – WMA CHART Colors in the Rain (Spring quarter)
2016 #3 TOP TEN SONGS – WMA CHART Somewhere in the Rubies (Summer quarter)
2016 #5 TOP TEN SONGS – WMA CHART Heavenly Here with You (Summer quarter)
2016 WW of A SPUR AWARD NOMINATION – WESTERN WRITERS of AMERICA, Song of the Year – Parker Eyes of Blues.
2016 COWBOY IDOL WINNER – COLUMBIA RIVER COWBOY GATHERING, Kennewick, WA
2015 PROFESSIONAL DIVISION CHAMPION – WMA WESTERN WORDSMITH CHAPTER Poetry Jackpot
2012 AWA POETRY ALBUM NOMINATION – A Way of Heart: The Big Sandy Years – Academy of Western Artists Cowboy Poetry Album of the Year
2011 Voices from The Range – #15 on the Western Music Association chart of Top 20 Western Albums
2011 RISING STAR FINALIST – Kamloops Cowboy Festival, Kamloops, BC
2011 2ND PLACE SERIOUS POET- National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo, Kanab, UT
2010 PEOPLE’S CHOICE MUSICIAN – Lee Earl Memorial Cowboy Gathering, Lewiston, ID
2010 Voices from The Range – Spent seven months on Joe Baker’s Back-forty Bunkhouse chart of Top 20 Western Albums
2010 BEST OF 2010 – Song The Range Call made Stan Howe’s Best of 2010 Montana Public Radio’s Bunkhouse & Honkytonk Folk Show
2009 NCPR ROOKIE – Made the finals in 3 of 4 events and placed in the money in Serious Reciting – National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo, Montrose, CO

Liz & Pete
2024-03-02 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-03 14:00 - 16:00
She’s Liz, he’s Pete, they are Liz & Pete. Liz Cerepanya and Peter Dalton Ronstadt join musical forces to explore material old and new. Liz’s heartfelt voice with Pete’s haunting harmonies and rich guitar arrangements captivate the mind and tug at the heart. After a few passing introductions in their shared music scene, Liz Cerepanya joined Peter Dalton Ronstadt on stage at Monterey Court in Tucson in the fall of 2019. They had had a brief opportunity to work up a couple of songs, including Rodney Crowell’s “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight”, and an instant musical match was realized. The decision to make a record together was easy, and quickly Liz and Pete began exploring material including the timeless songs of Alan Garr, songs of their favorite songwriters and singers, new and old compositions by Pete as well as classic songs from his father Michael Joseph Ronstadt’s repertoire. Liz and Pete’s natural element is just the two of them on stage accompanied by an acoustic guitar and the Pennsylvania Stompbox.

Dan McCorison
2024-03-09 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-10 14:00 - 16:00
Dan McCorison, cut his teeth in the thriving folk music scene of his home town, Denver Colorado. During his high school years his family moved first to Detroit and then on to North Carolina which allowed him to experience firsthand, some of the great roots of American music.
Shortly after college Dan returned to his native Colorado where he and a couple of new friends formed his first band, Dusty Drapes and the Dusters. Known for sure fire country music and Western swing, The Dusters were soon touring, headlining packed shows and opening for the likes of Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Flatt and Scruggs and Linda Ronstadt.
Along the way, Dan was discovered by Chris Hillman of The Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers. Shortly after leaving the Dusters, Chris arranged for Dan to be signed to MCA Records and produced the resulting highly acclaimed album featuring Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band. Eventually, Dan’s trail led to Nashville where he lived for twenty years writing and recording with some of the finest writers and musicians in country music.
He has performed in Japan, Australia and Europe as well as the US and Canada. He and his wife, June, now reside in Arizona with their trusty dog Daisy. He is a regular performer at the beautiful Rancho de Los Caballeros in Wickenburg and travels extensively to play shows around the Southwest.

Steve Jones
2024-03-16 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-17 14:00 - 16:00
“Steve is in his 25th year as a performer, 17 of which was with the Yampa Valley Boys. Steve has had 2,600+ performances, with 850+ at the Bar Lazy L family ranch over 22 years. His third CD album, “The Lump of Coal (Hope’s Diamond)” charted in the top twenty of western CDs in all four quarters of 2022 per “The Western Way” reporting. He has two other CD recordings, ”That Irish Kid” (2012) and “Picasso” (2017). He brings enthusiasm and energy to the stage with an audience-friendly show, including sing-alongs. He has performed in many of the western states, primarily in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona, as well as in Ireland. He has performed at many guest ranches, including the prestigious 3 Forks Ranch. He has appeared at the Arizona Folklore Preserve, Colorado, Cochise, Durango, Grand Encampment, and Nebraska (Valentine) Cowboy Music Gatherings; the Steamboat Pro Rodeo series, county fairs, and many other public and private events.
Steve is now spending the winter months in Casa Grande, AZ. Some new songs are coming out of that experience. He still performs cowboy/western, classic country, folk, Irish and original songs. Lots of humor, too.

Gary Allegretto
2024-03-23 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-24 14:00 - 16:00
Gary Allegretto is the 2019 International Western Music Association (IWMA) Performer of the Year. Western Horseman Magazine raves, “Gary’s music transcends genres, generations and cultural barriers, yet is so professional, engaging and core to the cowboy that listeners can’t help but want to ride along a while longer and discover something new in a song.” Not only is Gary the best harmonica player you will likely ever hear, but he is also a remarkable singer, songwriter, guitarist, and a masterful entertainer. His talents have also earned him Grammy nominations, an Academy of Western Artist (AWA) Will Rogers Award, an EQUUIS Award, and a Best of the West Award. His songs have reached the #1 spot on the Western Music radio charts. His music is featured in major motion picture soundtracks, and he has provided interviews and performances for Western music films and television shows. Gary’s engaging and often laugh-out-loud songs tell stories drawn from his rich and diverse life experience in the West (including ranch hand, forest firefighter as a USFS Hotshot, and bouncer in a couple of rough honky-tonks).

Jim Jones and Mariam Funke
2024-03-30 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-03-31 14:00 - 16:00
Jim Jones and Mariam Funke are award-winning musicians from New Mexico, and are two-thirds of the band, The Cowboy Way. As a group they have been named Western Group of the Year four times by the International Western Music Association, and have taken home numerous individual awards from the IWMA, the Writers of America, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Academy of Western Artists. Their music captures the spirit of the West…the past, the present, and the future, as well as the values, challenges, and allure, while their lively shows feature tight harmonies, high energy and smokin’ instruments. They honor traditional cowboy songs and then bowl you over with their dynamic contemporary original Western tunes.

Randy Huston
2024-04-06 14:00 - 16:00, 2024-04-07 14:00 - 16:00
Singer, songwriter, cowboy — Randy Huston writes and sings about the modern-day lifestyle of the cowboy. He is a fourth-generation livestock producer and partners with his father on their ranch in New Mexico. He started breaking horses for wages at the age of 14 and spent many years in rodeo arenas through high school and college. He’s written some of the most widely recognized contemporary cowboy music, and his songs have been recorded by some of the “stars” of this genre. Huston was voted one of the top five male entertainers in 2007 by the Academy of Western Artists and was 2010 Academy of Western Artists male vocalist of the year. In 2022 he was honored as Male Performer of the Year by the International Western Music Association. He is also a multiple Wrangler Award Recipient.
