Rocket City All-Stars

Inge Wood, a native of Escazu, Costa Rica (where she studied classical piano), came to the United States in her late teens and soon became involved in the folk music and fiddle traditions of Tennessee. She has been deeply committed to helping others in her community to learn music and its transformational power through her work with her husband, Jim Wood, at their Jim and Inge Wood School of Music and as the director of the Tennessee Fiddle Orchestra. She holds state championship accompanist titles in Kentucky and Alabama, and as a vocalist and multi-instrumental accompanist she provides the perfect foil for the fiddle-centric TFE. She has been guest soloist with the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra and also performs sean-nos dance.

Shane Adkins was raised in Madison County, Alabama but was inspired to learn the thumbpicking style of guitar during visits to his grandparents in Drakesboro, Kentucky, where he met Mose Rager, a neighbor and thumbpickingpioneer. Rager had a tremendous influence on many guitarists such as legends Merle Travis and Chet Atkins. Over the years, Shane honed his music to create his own thumb and fingerstyle sound, and he writes historical songs that tell intriguing stories, songs full of laughs, and songs that tug at the heart strings. He has performed his original material on the Grand Ole Opry as well as having opened concerts for Loretta Lynn, Lee Greenwood, and Wade Hayes. Shane won both the International "Home of the Legends" Thumbpicking Contest in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky and the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in Winfield, Kansas. In 2022 he was inducted to the National Thumbpickers Hall of Fame andnow conducts guitar workshops and performs concerts throughout the United States and in Europe.

Jim Wood cut his teeth on the old-time music of his hometown of Fairview, Tennessee where his father, championship guitarist Jimmy Wood, was heavily involved in the local grassroots musical scene. He holds fifteen state championship titles on fiddle and mandolin(including five times the Tennessee State Fiddle Champion) and the Berry C. Williams Memorial Award, and he was presented the Outstanding Achievement Award by governor Ned McWherter for his work in preserving the traditions of Tennessee. He was the  founder of the Tennessee Fiddle Orchestra and has taught private students since 1980 (thirty-four of his students have won national and/or state championships). He spent decades in the Nashville studio and live scene working with celebrities too numerous to mention and opened his own professional studio in 1993 where he produces projects for indie artists. He has published nine instructional videos with Homespun Tapes (Hal Leonard) and the Murphy Method (Mel Bay) and writes a regular column for Fiddler Magazine.

Alex Stidham began experimenting with music as a young child, first exploring piano before picking up the guitar at age eight. What started as learning songs by ear quickly grew into a lifelong passion for music. His musical interests span old-time, country, folk, western swing, and rock. Largely self-taught in his early years, he eventually pursued formal lessons to further develop his playing and musical understanding. Today, he continues to perform regularly, bringing his versatility and love of traditional and contemporary music to live performances.

Angela Wood has established herself as a versatile and accomplished performer deeply rooted in the traditions of bluegrass, old-time, and traditional music. She has performed alongside renowned jazz guitarist Andy Reiss and bluegrass virtuoso Andrew Rigney, gaining experience across a wide range of musical styles and settings. She is a Tennessee State and Kentucky State Buckdancing Champion, a two-time National Buckdancing Champion, and a Georgia Bluegrass Band State Champion. In addition to her performing career, she serves as a brand ambassador for Innovative Percussion, representing the company and its products within the traditional and contemporary music communities.