With an eclectic lineup designed to surprise and delight, you never know exactly who you’ll discover at the Sisters Folk Festival. But one thing you can always count on? A handful of truly exceptional singer-songwriters to blow your socks off.
And 2026 is no exception. Today, we’re highlighting just four of the many folk artists bringing their talents to Sisters this fall: Dean Johnson, Maya de Vitry, Jordan Smart, and Spencer LaJoye.
Get to know them and snag your tickets to see them on our stages on September 25-27!
Dean Johnson
Dean Johnson is the kind of songwriter who finds extraordinary meaning in ordinary lives. The Seattle-based singer’s warm, understated voice and wry storytelling blend heartbreak, humor, and quiet wisdom, drawing comparisons to John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, and Roy Orbison. After years as a beloved local musician and bartender, Johnson has released his debut album at age 50, earning acclaim for songs that balance sharp social observation with deep compassion.
Maya de Vitry
Maya de Vitry is an acclaimed singer-songwriter whose music blends alt-country and indie-folk with warmth, grit, and lyrical depth. Energized by the spontaneity of live performance, she brings a grounded confidence and quiet charisma to her work, exploring themes of nature, connection, compassion, and the transformative power of shared stories and song.
Her fifth full-length album, All My Faith, prioritizes presence and grit over studio polish, and she sounds joyously at home.
Jordan Smart
Jordan Smart is a Kentucky-based folk singer-songwriter known best for his raw delivery of heartfelt songs ranging from achingly personal to intensely topical and satirical protest. Drawing comparisons to the likes of John Prine, Malvina Reynolds, Phil Ochs, Barbara Dane, and Woody Guthrie, among others, Smart crafts thoughtful lyrics heavily saturated with a deep sense of empathy and humanity. Glide Magazine puts it best: his music is “a gut punch of simple honesty.”
Spencer LaJoye
Spencer LaJoye is making queer indie folk music for everyone. They are a coast-to-coast singer/songwriter and vocal loop artist with Midwest roots, a classically trained violinist with an inner theater kid’s love of group choreography, and a student of Americana music with a theology degree hanging in their studio.
Charming and banter-heavy, Spencer’s performances keep audiences laughing one moment and weeping the next.
Explore the Rest of the Lineup
Want to Earn a Free Festival Pass?
Want to give back, work with your community, and earn a free festival pass? Volunteer with us! The heart and soul of the Sisters Folk Festival is the dedicated crew of volunteers who make everything we do possible.
