Ramona and the Holy Smokes

Based in Central Virginia and with family roots in South Texas, Ramona and the Holy Smokes represent a new generation of honky tonk music. With powerful female vocals that cover an emotional range from determined to comic to vulnerable, and a talented backing band steeped in classic country and western styles of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the band exhibits a “clarity and sincerity that bring Patsy Cline to mind” (Nashville Scene, 2025). Fronted by Ramona Martinez, whose songwriting has earned her recognition from Wide Open Country as one of the "15 Latino Artists Shaping Country Music," this Charlottesville, Virginia-based band is rooted in the traditional sounds of country music but unafraid of pushing boundaries and highlighting the connections across border cultures. They have appeared at several Americana festivals including Red Wing Roots (2024), Rooster Walk (2025), and Bristol Rhythm & Roots (2025), and has opened for touring artists like Emily Nenni, Margo Cilker, Colby Acuff, Willi Carlisle, Redd Volkaert, Joshua Hedley, Donna the Buffalo, and Kashus Culpepper. Their self-produced debut album, Ramona and the Holy Smokes, a collection of original songs about heartache and resiliency, was released on September 26.

Hotpants

HOTPANTS is an Americana rock band from Richmond, Virginia. Their songs blend southern sass with northern attitude, folk sweetness with classic rock punch, and leave listeners both energized and somehow understood. Founded by singer-songwriter, Mackenzie Roark, Hotpants has taken a life of its own during its 3 year evolution. From playing shows all over the mid-Atlantic, to winning Floydfest's "On-the-Rise" Competition in 2024, to self-producing their ensemble debut, "Ghost of Rock and Roll" in 2025, Hotpants has been cooking with gas for a while now, and have no plans to stop. Described by RnR Magazine as "one of America's finest and least formulaic Americana combos", HOTPANTS is devoted to continuing the DIY dream in Richmond and beyond by creating real, heartfelt music and performing electrifying shows.