The Hickories

Rich with harmonies and rooted in rock, The Hickories offer "warm, inviting songs that the best of folk and country" -- according to The Washington Post. The Arlington, Virginia-based band forges its signature sound with jangly guitars and lush harmonies, evoking influences like the Byrds, early R.E.M. and the Cranberries. And people are taking notice: The band has been featured at many festivals and conferences, including the National Cherry Blossom Festival, NXNE, the Millennium Music Conference and the Six Points Music Festival (which featured Army of Me in 2006).

And people are taking notice: The band has been featured at many festivals and conferences, including the National Cherry Blossom Festival, NXNE, the Millennium Music Conference and the Six Points Music Festival (which featured Army of Me in 2006). They play to packed houses at DC-area venues such as IOTA Club and Cafe, and open for acts with national audiences like Lizzie West and Emmett Swimming. And the Billboard Worldwide Song Contest has awarded the band six Honorable Mentions since 2003.

The Hickories released their debut recording, Lost in Pennsylvania, in the fall of 2005 with former drummer Michael Leger and former bassist Brian Vradenburg. One listen, and you're hooked by the "tuneful songs that are hard to forget" (On Tap Magazine). Whether on a recording or in live performance, if the gorgeous voices of Michelle Volpe and Meghan Sharp don't pull you in, then Mike Conner's tasteful guitar lines or Dale Hailey's and Phil Dennison's tight rhythm section will.