At a young age, Shemekia Copeland is already a force to be reckoned with in the blues. She’s opened for the Rolling Stones, headlined at the Chicago Blues Festival and numerous festivals around the world, scored critics choice awards on both sides of the Atlantic (The New York Times and The Times of London) and shared the stage with such luminaries as Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Taj Mahal and John Mayer. Heir to the rich tradition of soul-drenched divas like Ruth Brown, Etta James and Koko Taylor, Copeland’s shot at the eventual title of Queen of the Blues is pretty clear. By some standards, she may already be there.

Shamekia and her band will bring Maplewoodstock 2012 to a close with a 7:45 pm Sunday night set.

» Read more about Shemikai at http://www.shemekiacopeland.com

“Chris Berry picked up where Paul Simon left off,” says Michael Kang, violinist and mandolin-player for The String Cheese Incident. “Chris’ music glides across all racial and ethnic lines making everyone feel at home within the music. The conscious lyrics are a road map for humanity and Chris is one of the few people able to carry this message to a wide audience.”

Berry’s story “sounds like it was written by a Hollywood script writer” (Steve Leggett, All Music Guide). Maybe that is because it is hard to believe that a California White boy moved to Africa, became a spirit caller, and went on to sell over a million records in Southern Africa, where he still sells out stadiums. Now he is positioned to do the same in America.

Chris Berry and Panjea will bring day one of Maplewoodstock 2012 to a close with a 9:00 pm Saturday night set.

» Read more about Chris and his band at http://www.myspace.com/chrisberryandpanjea/

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We should be announcing our lineup in May, so watch our website.

Apply at http://maplewoodstock.com/music/

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