For this year’s edition of ‘Round the Mountain, Baltimore’s beloved folk troubadour, Caleb Stine, captains a musical space cruiser that will circle a big global summit, connecting America country sounds here and abroad.

In the 1980s, Abidjan’s Jess Sah Bi & Peter One became one of the most popular musical acts in not just the Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire), but broader West Africa, eventually performing with a full band to stadium-sized audiences at home and throughout Benin, Burkina Faso and Togo. Their sound connected local musical styles with the music of the American South. Country music was having a real moment in West Africa and Jess Sah Bi & Peter One were listening. Their debut recording, recently re-issued on the Awesome Tapes from Africa imprint Our Garden Needs Its Flowers, is steeped in Americana, but with elements of 80s Afro-pop, and West African palm wine guitar. It is a heady mix of sounds and it is just amazing. Today, the duo no longer resides in their native Ivory Coast. Peter works as a nurse in Nashville, while Jess teaches African music to children in San Francisco. For this Round the Mountain show, they will perform a set of their own songs, and will be joined by the Round the Mountain musicians for some tasty surprises.

Dave Hadley is one of the finest pedal steel and dobro guitarists in the region. Dave is a touring member of Creative Alliance favs, The Bumper Jacksons, and has several side projects showing off his virtuosity. If Dave is on stage, get ready for steel guitar awesomeness.

Audrey Hamilton can bow a mean fiddle. Audrey is a Baltimore gal who can been seen playing bass with Cara Kelly and The Tell Tale. She’s played strings and sang with Caleb on his latest album, MOON, some of which you’ll hear tonight.