The headline performers for the traditional Tumbleweed benefit concert on Saturday evening at this year’s Tumbleweed festival showed a wonderful blending of musical diversity, while maintaining the strong connections with the Tumbleweed family.

The three acts were:  Cosmo’s Dream, The Drunken Maidens, and Tom Rawson and Ellen van der Hoeven.

Americana trio Cosmo’s Dream sings original tales of foggy-mountain megamalls,
trailer-park guns and guitars, rising rivers, grandmas online, dark days ahead and  Superman’s dilemma.  This Tacoma-based trio featuring Gen Obata on flatpick guitar and mandolin, Steve Nebel on guitar, and Kristi Nebel on bass, blends acoustic musicianship with solo vocals and dynamic three-part harmonies.

The Drunken Maidens was initially formed by Liz Savage, with friends Helen Gilbert and Lori Bellamy.  Elaine Bradtke joined the fray, adding exciting new vocal  arrangements. Then the talented Maidens began bringing instruments into their repertoire too, with guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and whistles.  Along the way the promise of whiskey and fun enticed Cat Fox to join and their sound was rounded out with percussion, mountain dulcimer and more.

Tom Rawson, folksinger and storyteller from Eastsound, WA, is the West Coast’s own version of Pete Seeger.  Armed with longneck banjo and other weapons of mass delight, Tom is a master of warmth and wit who loves to share his musical treasures with an ‘I know something you don’t know and you’re gonna love it too’ kind of smile.  Ellen van der Hoeven is a singer/songwriter from  Vancouver.  Her songs are influenced by her rich background in British, Irish, Canadian and American folk. She accompanies her songs on guitar and mandolin, and is noted for her expressive singing style. From gospel to  contemporary, profound to downright silly, Tom and Ellen will have you singing, clapping, and laughing along all night.

Dan Maher, the host of NWPB’s Inland Folk, was the emcee for the show.