DENVER — Continuing in their efforts to combine tradition with cutting edge new music, Swallow Hill Music is pleased to announce Judy Collins and Neko Case headlining the fourth annual RootsFest with Paper Bird and Trace Bundy at the renowned Ellie Caulkins Opera House on Saturday, March 6, 2010 in Denver, CO.

Few artists have displayed the staying power folk icon Judy Collins. For nearly 45 years her dulcet tones have graced our ears, and her poetic lyrics have galvanized a generation. She has released more than 40 albums to critical acclaim, accomplished gold and platinum record sales, and has had numerous Top 10 hits including her rendition of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" and her Grammy Award-winning version of the Broadway hit "Send in the Clowns." Now, with her confirmed performance at the 2010 RootsFest in Denver, Collins gets back to some roots of her own as she returns to the town that spawned her illustrious career.

Singer-songwriter Neko Case’s latest album, 2009's Middle Cyclone, debuted number 3 on the Billboard Top 200 and was called "one of the most original, beguiling, honest records of the year" by Interview magazine. Also known for her work with Canadian indie-rockers The New Pornographers she has been called "indie's greatest singer" by Rolling Stone and “a force of nature" by The New York Times magazine.

Local favorites Paper Bird will showcase this year's festival. Voted one of the "Best Underground Bands of 2008" by the Denver Post, the band's unique instrumentation allows them to merge diverse influences into one solid sound. Their backbone is their songwriting, musicianship and a general allergy to all limitations and trends, keeping them firm in an uncategorized genre (a fact that the band prides itself on). Since their inception, Paper Bird continues to turn heads and gain attention in Denver as one of the hottest emerging acts in the city.

Also performing this year is instrumental-virtuoso Trace Bundy, whose unique guitar playing and effects-looping would lead you to believe he has a band hidden backstage. Named Acoustic Guitar magazine's 2008 "Most Promising New Player of the Year," Bundy brings a performance worthy of every crowds "wow," with renditions of classic songs in a finger-picking style that is the stuff internet viral-videos are made of.

Previous RootsFest artists include Taj Mahal, Nancy Griffith, Rickie Lee Jones, Bruce Cockburn, Hot Rize, Tallest Man on Earth, Joe Pug, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, and Boulder Acoustic Society.

General public ticket sales begin Thursday, December 3 at 10 a.m. online at www.swallowhillmusic.org (now with no processing fees), by calling (303) 777-1003 x2, or by visiting our Box Office at 71 E. Yale Ave, Denver, CO, 80210.

About Swallow Hill Music Association:
Helping people make and enjoy music since 1979, Swallow Hill Music Association celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2009 as one of the largest nonprofit institutions of its kind in the United States as a source for folk, roots and acoustic music. In 2008, Swallow Hill Music served more than 80,000 people through their concert, school and outreach programming. With more than 2,300 members, Swallow Hill provides a place to celebrate music that is rarely heard elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region. Three concert venues house more than 200 performances a year, featuring some of the world's great artists as well as up-and-coming new talent. Swallow Hill’s Julie Davis School of Music offers classes for every interest, skill level and member of the family. Each year, a faculty of 60 instructors provides training to more than 4,000 students. A Tier II member of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Swallow Hill has been named one of the Top 25 Movers & Shakers in Arts & Culture by the Rocky Mountain News, has won both the Mayor's and Governor's Awards for Excellence in the Arts and countless "Best of Denver" awards, has been recognized by the North American Folk Alliance, and is one of the most sought-after venues by folk and roots performers in the country.