Ranging from the whimsical newgrass of John Hartford, subtly profound words of John Prine, to the hard hitting alt-country troubadours of the 2000s, Cole Kidwell synthesizes some of the most intriguing sounds that country and Americana music has had to offer in the past 50 years, rendered distinct by his powerful voice and insightful songwriting.

On his first professionally recorded effort “World of Stone” produced by Justin Francis (Town Mountain, John R. Miller) & Rachel Baiman (Nicholas Jamerson), Kidwell explores family, heritage, and a mourning for the old ways long forgotten. True accounts of home-places destroyed, folk tales of mountain miners and talking possums, and ballads from his own life help paint an imperfect but charming picture of this “World of Stone” and the characters that inhabit it.

Kidwell began his performing career in earnest singing and playing electric guitar too loud in a rowdy Americana cover band “Corner Pocket” playing bar shows in the greater Louisville, KY area. While lately, he finds himself in the bluegrass scene with a mandolin as his weapon of choice. A regular in the bluegrass jams of Louisville, he also plays shows as a member of the “Still Unknown” bluegrass band.

Supporting his own music, Kidwell plays shows with a hard driving bluegrass band that delves into covers of Americana and bluegrass classics with plenty of crowd pleasers to boot.

Kidwell’s debut album “World of Stone” is available on all streaming platforms now.