James Michael Rodgers and Kim Oehme and BEE~EATER

Rooted in the seaside town of Saltcoats and based in Berlin, James Michael Rodgers returns to Scotland for his first major Celtic Connections headline show. After years touring across Europe and sharing stages with Gerry Cinnamon, Nathaniel Rateliff, Lisa O’Neill, The Mary Wallopers and John Moreland, Rodgers presents music from his forthcoming Creative Scotland-funded album, Dying in My Best Life (recorded at Glasgow's Dystopia Studios). Recorded with members of the Berlin Philharmonic and some of Glasgow's finest players, the record reflects his Scottish folk foundations shaped by years in urban Berlin. On stage, Rodgers and his band bring songs that are raw, direct and steeped in craft and conviction.

Kim Oehme is a songwriter and folk musician from the Northeast of Scotland, now residing in Glasgow. Oehme’s style and music is rooted in personal experience; her songs are reflective and poignant with elements of traditional acoustic folk and Americana. An accomplished guitarist, she moves her audience with honest and contemplative songs delivered with steady and soulful precision. This will be the first performance of music from her debut album, Into the Gloaming, out in January 2026.

BEE~EATER are an alternative folk quartet, fronted by singer/songwriter Fraser McMillan and including guitarist/singer Duncan Jones, bassist Simon Toner, and drummer/keyboardist Niall Ford. Mercurial tastes and a sense of exploration have led the band to a rich, heady musical blend; it’s not hard to hear the permeations of psychedelia, ambient music, jazz, and film scores throughout their work. Having slowly released a number of singles over 2024/25, the band are preparing to release their first full EP Head Like The Boiling Sea in early 2026, recorded and mixed in the kaleidoscopic surroundings of Knockwood Studio.