Milwaukee singer-songwriter HAYWARD is joined by Australian friends the YEARLINGS and LUCIE THORNE for what promises to be an interesting and lovely night of music.

“Looking at the bespectacled youth peering out from the album bio, you would never expect the smoky authoritative voice that swells from Cotton Bell. But maybe Williams’ appearance belies his age, this being the Milwaukee singer-songwriter’s third full length album. Williams’ is the voice of maturity and restraint, and by voice I mean not only his deep, resonant singing, but his approach, attitude, songwriting – the whole deal. Full of gentle, tender songs beautifully recorded, Cotton Bell presents nothing groundbreaking or startling. But the deeper you listen, the further you appreciate those sounds and songs. Dan McMahon’s guitar and pedal steel and dobro are consistently grace full and as a co-producer, he’s clearly a crucial ingredient to the impact of Cotton Bell. Strings and harmonies flesh out the songs beautifully throughout – Third track in ‘Mockingbird’ is a great example,just gorgeous to listen to, a breathtaking guitar solo, strings and harmonies swelling and subsiding, and Williams’ vocal melody glowing throughout.” 

“Robyn Chalklen and Chris Parkinson are the core duo of THE YEARLINGS and this, their fifth album, finds them at the top of their game. All The Wandering is the kind of album that fires melancholic shots straight to your heart. With weeping pedal steel courtesy of Lost Ragas’ Shane Reilly alongside a raft of other great musicians they create ten absorbing songs to get lost in. From glacial late night shuffles to the tear-stained vocal harmonies riding ‘Plain Old Ring’s‘ soulful groove, this is Americana at its finest; rich and soulful with just the right amount of lonely heartache.

“Thorne’s music is poetic and poignant, and sounds damn good. Her electric guitar style is textural rather than about riffs. So it’s folk only in that she tells bare, intimate stories and is very much a songwriter. The rest is too abstract to be defined as one thing or the other. She is heavily into lyrics and literature and the textures of language. The way all this bumps up against the evocative music she makes is something to behold.” Chris Johnston, The Age

PLEASE CALL 920-563-9391 to reserve.