Paradigm/Windish APAP Showcase: My Brightest Diamond, Gabriel Kahane & Rob Moose, Chris Eldridge, Kate Davis

As a member of Punch Brothers since the band's inception, guitarist Chris Eldridge has been at the vanguard of acoustic music for much of the past decade. Although initially drawn to the electric guitar, by his mid-teens Chris Eldridge had developed a deep love for acoustic music, thanks in part to his father, a banjo player and founding member of the seminal bluegrass group The Seldom Scene. Eldridge later gained in-depth exposure to a variety of different musical styles while studying at Oberlin Conservatory, where he earned a degree in music performance in 2004. During his time at Oberlin, Eldridge studied with legendary guitarist Tony Rice. After graduating he joined the Seldom Scene with whom he received a Grammy nomination in 2007. In 2005 he founded the critically acclaimed bluegrass band The Infamous Stringdusters. At the 2007 International Bluegrass Music Association awards Eldridge and his Stringdusters bandmates won Emerging artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year for their debut album, Fork in the Road. Meanwhile, in 2005 he had caught the attention of mandolinist Chris Thile, who enlisted him, along with banjoist Noam Pikelny, violinist Gabe Witcher, and bassist Greg Garrison to start working on an ambitious side project. Soon after they decided to focus all of their collective energies into band and Punch Brothers was born. The band has since released 3 critically acclaimed albums, received 2 Grammy nominations and toured around the world.

Chris Eldridge has worked with a diverse cast of musical luminaries including Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Paul Simon, John Paul Jones, Marcus Mumford, Justin Timberlake, T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, Jerry Douglas, Sara Watkins, Del McCoury and others.


The music of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Kate Davis has been turning heads in New York's music scene since 2012. Whether she's crooning rootsy ballads or plucking bright riffs from her bass, the gutsy songstress from Portland, Oregon, puts a fresh spin on the standards and brings a canonical sensibility to her own lush tracks.

Lauded by MTV as one of 2014's "15 Fresh Females Who Will Rule Pop," Kate grew up with an instrument in her arms and a head full of inventive lyrics. Her lifelong training makes for smart, warm pop that's as musically nuanced as it is addictive. If you put a mid-career Jenny Lewis album in a room with Regina Spektor's coloring, Joanna Newsom's lyric poetry, and a dose of Tina Fey's sharp wit -- then added a couple decades of rigorous musical education and a shift dress -- Kate Davis might come strolling out.

Vivid, nostalgic melodies materialize out of Kate's musical arrangements, her songbird voice complimented by a rich rock 'n' roll bass-line. Alternating between achingly soulful and flippantly funny, Kate's songwriting combines ranging sonic textures with an anecdotal knack. Her lyrics are novel and rhapsodic, cutting through the clichés and trivia of pop parlance to deliver something honest and truly perceptive. She's performed at such illustrious venues as The Kennedy Center, The Bowery Ballroom, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall -- as well as pretty much every noteworthy club in NYC.

Recently, Kate has shared the stage with such diverse artists as Alison Krauss, Josh Groban, Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles, and Renee Fleming. Her accolades include a Robert Allen Award from the ASCAP Foundation, and her arts advocacy work includes a presentation at TEDx Portland and participation in the 2010 National Arts Policy Roundtable.

Kate became a New York transplant in 2009, when she enrolled at Manhattan School of Music. There, she met guitarist Gabe Schnider and drummer Conor Szymanski, with whom she collaborated to develop her signature genre-defying sound. The trio continues to pair contagious melodies with crafted musical arrangements and to tell the kind of emotionally resonant stories you'll remember long after the song is over.