Southwest Virginia traditional balladry, driving old-time strings, and poetry from the hills

Elsa formed the Blackbird Pie Stringband in 2025 and they are currently working on a full-length album funded by the Henry Reed Award, presented to the band by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Click here to learn more about the band.

Elsa Howell took an early interest in old Appalachian ballads, a tradition rich with wild stories and haunting melodies. Her voice and attention to musical detail have won her ribbons at folk song competitions in the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina, and her native Virginia. She spent more than a year learning the style from ballad master Elizabeth LaPrelle through the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program, and Elsa has been featured at the Richmond Folk Festival, Smithsonian Folk Festival, and more. She has also carved her own path as an old-time guitarist and songwriter, writing personal songs that meld with her more traditional material. She recorded and released Eyes Wide, her debut EP of mostly original material, in 2024.