Headlining the festival is Kansas City blues singer Danielle Nicole. The ex-Trampled Under Foot singer-bassist made her Concord Records debut – Wolf Den – last year. Influenced by artists as diverse as Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, Paul McCartney, the Neville Brothers, Sarah Vaughan and Janis Joplin, Danielle’s haunting voice is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine.

From the first notes of singer-bass player Danielle Nicole’s new album, Wolf Den, one truth becomes self-evident: This girl oozes groove. There’s so much funky, bluesy soul coming out of her, you wonder if her heart beats in syncopated time.

The Kansas City-raised daughter of musicians already had a solid blues foundation, but she found that groove – or new variations of it – in New Orleans, where she worked with Grammy-winning producer-guitarist Anders Osborne.
Having toured the world with her brothers, Nick and Kris Schnebelen, in the sibling band Trampled Under Foot, Nicole was well aware of the Crescent City’s formidable musical mojo. She had no idea she could fall so deeply under its spell, however, until she hooked up with the perfect shaman.

Listen for yourself. This is the title track of her debut solo album, Wolf Den, live at Knuckleheads.