Rita Hosking & Sean Feder | October 12, 2024

Rita Hosking; songwriter, performer, artist, teacher

In a wavy world where we often struggle to swim, singer-songwriter Rita Hosking paddles up and canoes us through black holes, sinks of dirty dishes, demo-derbies, and wildfires until we’re safe at shore. She's got the spirit, and she knows how to reach ours through her grace, heart, chops, and spunk. With award-winning music spanning 9 albums and 20 years of touring, this country-folk troubadour is a heavy hitter in the Northern California songwriting scene.

Rita's style of country-folk has been lauded for story and sense of place, and her performances praised with capturing the audience. She hails from Hatchet Mountain -- a mountain between Montgomery Creek and Burney, CA. A descendant of Cornish miners who sang in the mines of Cornwall and Grass Valley, CA, Rita grew up with deep regard for folk music and the power of the voice.

Rita's latest studio release, a 2018 album titled For Real, was called "her best yet" by legendary bluegrass DJ, Eric Rice of KVMR.  California's Fiddlefreak Folk Review has this to say about the collection: "With these songs, she has put her finger on the pulse of America by addressing some of the issues that face us today: fake news, racism, homelessness, environmental destruction, and the disconnects created by rampant technology. The triumph of For Real is that these tragedies do not overcome her."  A favorite from the record, Rita's tune "California" is embraced by the California Wilderness Coalition as their theme song.

In April 2021, Rita and her partner Sean Feder released LIVE FROM LOCKDOWN -- straight from the soundboard of a livestream they did on January 29, 2021, at The Center for the Arts in Grass Valley, CA.

This spring (2024), Rita released a set of what she calls “public service songs” on climate change adaptation and mitigation. The release will be called Climate Country Radio, and is especially geared for Northern California airwaves.  The project is funded in part by  the California Arts Council, a state agency, through the Upstate California Creative Corps program.

Sean Feder: multi-instrumentalist

Sean Fender plays dobro, banjo, various guitars, percussion, and sings with Rita as her primary accompanist and partner in song. His three decades of music performance have been eclectic with a strong penchant towards everything rooted in rhythm.

His music career includes collaborative performance and recording projects with several notable rhythmic and melodic masters, such as Arthur Hull (Village Music Circles), Hershel Yatovitz (of Chris Isaak), and Joe Craven.  For ten years Sean taught afro-latin style hand drumming classes at UC Davis and to private groups between Sacramento and Berkeley.  He still occasionally provides lively percussion to the Bay Area modern celtic stalwarts, Driving with Fergus.

His current musical projects include developing and recording his own, original, instrumental compositions, as well as playing in a multi-genre quartet called Muddy Waders.

A sublime accompanist and talented composer, Sean ably serves the groove and melody in order to reveal and kindle the spirit of the music.