EAST NASH GRASS (USA)
"Nashville's newest bluegrass ambassadors," East Nash Grass is a superb balance of undeniably hard-driving bluegrass alongside surprisingly introspective songwriting and earnest narration. What started out as an informal Monday evening collective at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge in East Nashville has turned into the hottest show in town and made the band a must-have on the US Bluegrass Festival circuit.
East Nash Grass is James Kee (guitar & vocals), Grand Master Fiddle champion, Maddie Denton, Gaven Largent (dobro), “Presidential Scholar for the Arts in Jazz”, Jeff Picker (bass), and TWO (2) IBMA Momentum Award-winners for Best Instrumentalist, Cory Walker (banjo) and Harry Clark (mandolin).
Their second full-length album "Last Chance To Win" was released in 2023.
RICK FARIS BAND (USA)
Rick grew up playing in his parents’ Faris Family Band before joining the award winning Special Consensus (Bluegrass in La Roche 2023) with Greg Cahill, playing first mandolin and later guitar for 11 years. In 2021, he decided to form his own band and signed to Dark Shadow Recording. Success came quickly as Rick received the New Artist of the Year Award at IBMA 2022, along with nominations for album and song of the year. Further nominations followed in 2023.
Rick is also a first class luthier and has just moved his Rick Faris Guitar Co. to Owensboro, near to the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, as part of that town’s drive to consolidate its place as the Bluegrass Capital of the World.
Rick Faris (guitar), Chris Luquette (mandolin), Eli Gilbert (banjo), Jim Bob Faris (bass)
Rick's latest album "Uncommon Sky" was released in 2023.
BROKEN COMPASS BLUEGRASS (USA)
Broken Compass Bluegrass is one more band to come out of the California Bluegrass Association Kids on Bluegrass programme (Frank Solivan, Annie Stanninec, Molly and Sully Tuttle, AJ Lee, Crying Uncle). 
With an average age of just 20, they are already seasoned performers with an astonishing level of maturity as composers, singers and musicians. They enjoy playing the traditional Bluegrass songs while also wandering easily into the exciting realms of jam grass  with energy and virtuosity (as seen in this video featuring Sierra Hull).
BCB is Kyle Ledson (mandolin, guitar, vocals), Django Ruckrich (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Mei Lin Heirendt (fiddle, guitar, vocals), and Sam Jacobs (bass, vocals)
Their debut album "Fool’s Gold" was released in 2023
CISCO & THE RACECARS (USA)
In 2024, Bluegrass in La Roche is delighted to welcome Jam Pak, an Arizona based association founded 30 years ago by Anni Beach to help kids find strength through the community of music: “The mission, indeed the singular goal, of this organization is to make people and ourselves happy with our music. Everything we do revolves around this goal. And from that, many good things follow.”
Cisco & the Racecars is a band that grew out of this community and is making its own way as one of the premier Bluegrass bands in the Southwest.
As well as playing an energetic style with diverse arrangements and instrumentation of old and new songs, the musicians give back to Jam Pak by mentoring the next generation of players in the Jam Pak program.
Francisco Briseno (banjo), Mark Hickler (guitar), Giselle Lee (fiddle), Chester Carmer (mandolin), Katie Carmer (cello), and Joelle Tambe-Ebot (bass.)
BLUEGRASS CWRKOT (CZE)
Petr Brandejs is a leading light in the Czech and European Bluegrass scene, as a banjo player and teacher, and festival organiser for over 3 decades.
Bluegrass Cwrkot is his traditional Bluegrass band co-founded with his brother and band leader, Pavel, in 1989. As well as many classics, they play some nearly-forgotten songs and their own material, played in the same spirit. They have played all over Europe, have released 7 albums and won the audience popularity vote at EBWO in Voorthuisen, NL. Featuring some the Czech Republic’s finest exponents of the genre, one wonders why this will be their 1st time at Bluegrass in La Roche!
Slávek Podhráský (guitar), Pavel "Brandy" Brandejs (bass), Petr Brandejs (banjo) Marek Macák (mandolin), Jirka Loun (fiddle).
COW COMINO TRAIN (FRA)
This Bluegrass/Folk band from Lyon were a big hit when they played the Street Festival in La Roche last year with their infectious enthusiasm and original, contemporary, roots-based takes on traditional Bluegrass, alt country, folk and blues numbers. That is why we are happy to invite them back in our drive to promote young European Bluegrass talent.
Myriam (mandolin, fiddle), Noémie (bass), Caroline (guitar, banjo) and Coraly (Harmonica) will take you on a trip across the open prairies with their instruments and their energy, joy and beautiful harmonies.
HAPPY HEARTACHES (SWE)
Once called the ABBA of Bluegrass, Happy Heartaches bridge the gap between Old Time and Bluegrass, adding their own nordic twist, a down to earth feeling on stage and a full dose of the fun factor.
Since 2018 the band has performed their personal renditions of traditional and original tunes and songs all across Sweden and Scandinavia. Their four distinct voices, harmonies and daring instrumentals add a personal flair to the joyful, heart-wrenching music we all know and love so well.
In 2019 they won the prestigious Grenna Festival Bluegrass Award in 2019. 
Albin Ekman - Fiddle, vocals, Alicia Jardine - Banjo, mandolin, vocals, Brita Björs - Bass, vocals, Max Tellving - Guitar, vocals
Their EP “Over There” was released in 2020 and a new CD is coming 2024.
LLUÍS GÓMEZ BLUEGRASS  4TET (EUR)
This truly European band is led by Spanish banjo maestro Lluís Gómez, who is joined by Ondra Kozák from the Czech Republic, Raphaël Maillet from France and Maribel Rivero from Spain - four multi-instrumentalists and singers, all already well-known individually in La Roche and on the European Bluegrass scene. 
Within this collaboration, they play straight and progressive Bluegrass with added spices from their respective national musical cultures.
. You will hear songs in Spanish, Catalan, French, Czech and English, through covers and original compositions. 
Lluís Gómez-(banjo), Ondra Kozák (guitar, fiddle), Maribel Rivero (bass), Raphaël Maillet (fiddle)
Their new album will be released in 2024
MAD MEADOWS (DEU)
This international band (US, Germany, France) from Freiburg in the Black Forest, is already well known around La Roche through their longtime attendance and participation in jams and the Streeet Festival, without ever having played on the stage. This year, we right this wrong and the festival audience will have a chance to discover their authentic, Bluegrass sound with revisits of classic songs and personal compositions, making their sound timeless.
Edward Fernbach (mandolin), Beni Feldmann (guitar), Susanne Sievers (fiddle), Frank Benn (dobro), Alain Kempf (bass).
Their album "That Day", released in 2022, captures the true personality of the band.
MORGANE G (FRA)
Taking inspiration from her travels round the world Morgane G sings 1970s style folk and bluegrass.
After playing all over France at inspirational festivals like Le Bus Palladium, the Reservoir, the Bellevilloise, with appearances at the Francofolies Festival in La Rochelle and the Printemps de Bourges and sharing stages with the band Cocoon and the Innocents, Morgane started her new project Morgane G. Her “Horizons” album was the result of meeting musicians who shared her love for this new venture: a vocal trio backed by guitar, fiddle, bass and banjo
Jack de Almeida Fourré (guitar), Johanne Kernin fiddle),  André Derennes (banjo), Felix Masson (bass)
Album EP Horizons (2023)
NEW BLUE QUITACHE (FRA)
One of France’s longest running Bluegrass bands, hailing for the south, NBQ remains close to the traditional Bluegrass sound and harmony singing, while proudly adding influences from rock, blues and Irish music and French pop covers, for a dynamic, much appreciated show.
They played at the legendary Toulouse Bluegrass Festival and also at La Roch in a previous incarnation and have opened for Kassav , Claude Bolling, Sanseverino, Bruce Daigrepont. They also represented French Bluegrass at the CBA Jam-a-thon in January 2022 and have been featured in Banjo Newsletter and Bluegrass Unlimited.
Erick Millet (banjo), Benoît Robbe (guitar), Bernard Minari (mandolin), Jean Mo (bass)
​New album to be released summer 2024
STACJA FOLK (POL)
Back after a great show in our Young Talent slot in 2022, this is the band where the musicians all come from different cities in Poland to meet at the “Folk Station” (Stacja Folk). Band leader and song-writer Karolina has been a fan of Americana music since childhood and the band reflects influences from blues, bluegrass, pop, jazz and sung poetry, which all blend together to make the band’s characteristic sound with expressive fiddle and melodic guitar playing backing Karolina’s clear, vibrant vocals.
The band has received many awards in Poland including 2nd place at the Piotr Skrzynecki Festival in 2021 and at the Olsztyn Music Groups Review in 2022, where Michalina was voted Best Instrumentalist at both events in both years!
Karolina Bułas (vocals, mandolin), Michalina Putek (fiddle), Rafał Wiercioch (guitar), Maciej Kozioł (bass)
Album “W drogę ruszam i...” (2023)