Eric Brace + Thomm Jutz
Eric Brace and Thomm Jutz are a Nashville-based singer-songwriter duo whose music centers on fluid acoustic-guitar interplay, warm vocal harmonies, and songs about both personal experience and the wider world. Their repertoire explores creativity, love, friendship, heartbreak, everyday struggle, and connection in a divided era, with subjects ranging from insomniacs and mill workers to astronauts, painters, writers, sailors, and soldiers.
The duo’s second album, *Circle and Square*, was released in January 2026 and reflects on art, beauty, creativity, love, and friendship amid a destructive and hostile age. Their previous album, *Simple Motion*, reached No. 1 on the Folk DJ chart in March 2024. The performance is part of the Jammin Java/Union Stage Presents 25th anniversary concert series.
When: October 18, 2026
Showtimes: Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; the show begins at 7 p.m. The event listing runs until 10 p.m.
Lineup: Eric Brace and Thomm Jutz
Ages: All ages
Tickets: Price not available
Venue: Jammin Java, 227 Maple Avenue East, Vienna, VA 22180
Venue phone: (703) 255-1566
Background: Eric Brace relocated to Nashville in 2004 after leaving a career as a music writer for *The Washington Post*. He previously led Washington, D.C., roots-rock band Last Train Home, which was named the Washington Area Music Association’s Artist of the Year in 2003. In Nashville, he formed a long-running duo with journalist and songwriter Peter Cooper. Together they released six albums and received a Grammy nomination for Best Children’s Record for *I Love: Tom T. Hall’s Songs of Fox Hollow*.
Background: Thomm Jutz moved to Nashville from his native Germany in 2002. He became a sought-after sideman for artists including Nanci Griffith, Mary Gauthier, David Olney, and Kim Richey, while also establishing himself as a producer and songwriter. He was named Songwriter of the Year at the 2021 IBMA bluegrass awards, and his songs have been recorded by Billy Strings, Tim O’Brien, the SteelDrivers, and many others. He teaches songwriting at Belmont University, released the solo album *To Live in Two Worlds*, which received a 2020 bluegrass Grammy nomination, and was featured in an “American Currents” exhibition at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Musical history: After Brace and Cooper recorded two albums at Jutz’s studio, they invited him to join them, forming the Brace/Cooper/Jutz trio. The group released *Profiles in Courage, Frailty & Discomfort* and *Riverland*, combining songs by Brace and Cooper with Jutz’s compositions.
Current duo: Following Peter Cooper’s death in December 2022, Brace and Jutz reconsidered their musical direction but decided to continue making music together. Their performances emphasize acoustic guitar, vocal harmony, and songs focused on emotional and human connection.
Anniversary series: The concert is part of the Jammin Java/Union Stage Presents 25th anniversary series. Commemorative merchandise is available through the Union Stage Presents 25th anniversary Gift Shop.