JJ is a mandolin maestro who graduated from a childhood in bluegrass gospel bands to become Berklee College’s first full-scholarship mandolin student. After winning the 2012 National Mandolin Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival and two major experimental bluegrass bands, he now leads his own group—though they aren’t joining him for this visit.

Instead—and who said “even better”?—he’s teamed up with Rain of Animals, featuring Australian folk/pop star Pepita Emmerichs and Scotsman Theodore Barnard. The duo has studied music on the road wherever they find it, and they are as charmed with The Bell as we are with them. Joseph has clearly succumbed to their spirit: you’ll hear contemporary Americana that embraces both exploration and tradition—just the way we like it

The interwebs tells us there was a mysterious rain of jellyfish in Bath on August 14th 1894.