Tray Wellington Band and Jared Rabin Band

Banjo player Tray Wellington's approach to the quintessential American instrument is all about looking forward. An International Bluegrass Music Association Award winner, Wellington is critically acclaimed not only for his technical prowess, but also for leveraging his unique point of view to craft a one-of-a-kind voice on the instrument. It's a feat that's all too rare in these roots genres that seem to value emulation and regurgitation over all else. Instead, Wellington has time and time again reasserted that his playing style, and all of the many varied and disparate parts that combine within it, is wholly his own -- and it's unconcerned with tradition. ______ Both of Jared Rabin's past two albums have premiered in the Top 5 on the Folk Alliance Radio charts, with "CHASING THE LIGHT" reaching #3. Bluegrass Today said, "Chasing The Light is, as its title implies, an illuminating effort, and one that ought to elevate Rabin to the higher pantheons inhabited by those that are bringing bluegrass to the mainstream audience it so decidedly deserves. And it's that undeniable appeal that becomes ever more apparent throughout." Jared started learning music at age five from his grandfather Samuel Magad, who was the first chair violinist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Jared became a proficient multi-instrumentalist, went on to study jazz composition and has traveled the world performing an array of music, with different bands and as a solo artist. His songwriting has been awarded by international competitions including the Grand Prize at the 2023 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, and his recordings have been featured by American Songwriter, Bluegrass Today, NPR and others. He is a longtime fixture on the Chicago music scene. He can be found performing there often.