“Boasting a bit of a world’s collide aesthetic, the Littlest Birds is a musical duo built around a cello and a banjo. That’s all. But, who needs anything else when you sound as good as these two do. Comprising Sharon Martinson on clawhammer banjo and David Huebner on cello, the Littlest Birds play folk and Americana songs, but both Martinson and Huebner have backgrounds in classical music which adds a polish and compositional depth to their sound. Hailing from the eastern Sierras, the two are veterans of the road, having played in 34 states and appearing at a growing number of festivals and radio shows. On Saturday, they perform at the Abbey.”

“Live & Lucky really is a wonderful record -- full of life, love, and ideas, and a band who love what they do and give that love to audiences, whether live or on record.”

“The duo performed their unique sound for the arriving crowd, receiving a great reception. The Littlest Birds proved to be the perfect opening act for the festival.”

"Listening to a Littlest Birds album is like walking into an antique shop and gradually realizing something is amiss: The elegant pieces of furniture are so unmarred they might be new; they even smell that way. The pages of the period calendar on the wall aren’t yellowed. Despite the decades-old date, it’s apparently new as well. Then when you look out at the street scene through the showroom glass, the 2013 cars you just left have been replaced by a mix of Packards, Buicks, and Aston-Martins from the 1930s."

“Particular standouts for me were ...The Littlest Birds...[They] are on my "catch them the next time they come to town list" and I hope it doesn't take too long."”

“Despite the misleading moniker, The Littlest Birds are, in fact, two rather mighty musicians...with a knack for creating refreshing, old-time folk hits that chronicle a simple and idyllic standard of living.”

"Tom Agostino, director of Folk Sessions, invited The Littlest Birds to sing at a CCJ (Coalition for Compassion and Justice) volunteer holiday party when he learned they were in town last December. "Within about eight bars of their first song, there was a stunned silence in the room, and the audience remained captivated to their last note," Agostino said. "I don't think I've ever witnessed that before. ... I know of few duos that have a more unique, compelling sound." ---as quoted in an article about our Folk Sessions "Music Under the Stars Concert" at the Highlands Center in Prescott, Arizona

“The music Huebner made with banjo-player Sharon Martinson sounded as gentle, humble and organic as you would expect from a band with such a name. They are aptly compared to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Both Huebner and Martinson are superb players with an instinctive command of timing. Their voices are tuneful in that Harry Smith Anthology kind of way; while their songs are close cousins to bluegrass music, the cello gives Aaron Copland-esque weight to the skittering banjo sound and envelopes it in a fluidity rare in traditional folk.”

“With a background in classical music, the Littlest Birds offer a decidedly sophisticated brand of folk music. But the California-based cello and banjo duo is hardly stuffy. Think instrumental virtuosity balanced by a breezy, backwoods soul, music that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally soothing.”

“...a lovely sound that embraces listeners simultaneously with the familiar and the new.”