Cafe Carpe

SHITUNAUTS- Friday
2023-06-16 20:30 - 22:30 (America/Chicago)
The second day of a four day run with
WILLY PORTER PETER MULVEY RANDY SABIEN BILL CAMPLIN
occasionally known as The Occasional Quartet.
A conversation with music, from songwriter to songwriter, trading songs and stories, an amazing night of music to be shared with friends…four fine fellows join forces.
Extraordinary guitarist and singer/songwriter WILLY PORTER has been turning first time listeners into die-hard fans for more than two decades now with his signature, finger-picking guitar work and playful performing style. Porter is a major force in the worlds of Americana and contemporary folk and folk-rock music.
A live-wire on any stage, PETER MULVEY is an acoustic singer/songwriter/guitarist who, in fact, defies this categorization. His ferocious guitar playing whisks him through more tunings than he has fingers in the course of an evening, as he winds his way from full-throated rockers to deceptively plain-spoken musings.
BILL CAMPLIN has been an integral part of the Wisconsin acoustic music scene for many years both as a performer and as co-owner of this place. Bill is a strong guitarist with a beautiful tenor voice and he is noted for penetrating, intensely emotional performances of both his original songs and his interpretations of others such as Bob Dylan.
Dubbed “the past, present and future of jazz violin” by NPR’s Jazz Profiles, RANDY SABIEN is a regular at Big Top Chautauqua and has performed on A Prairie Home Companion and Austin City Limits. His instrumental skill on the violin, guitar, mandolin, and piano, in the genres of jazz, country, and rock, is legendary.
Shall be a fine evening- I shit you not.

SHITUNAUTS- Thursday
2023-06-15 20:00 - 22:00
The first day of a four day run with
WILLY PORTER PETER MULVEY RANDY SABIEN BILL CAMPLIN
occasionally known as The Occasional Quartet.
A conversation with music, from songwriter to songwriter, trading songs and stories, an amazing night of music to be shared with friends…four fine fellows join forces.
Extraordinary guitarist and singer/songwriter WILLY PORTER has been turning first time listeners into die-hard fans for more than two decades now with his signature, finger-picking guitar work and playful performing style. Porter is a major force in the worlds of Americana and contemporary folk and folk-rock music.
A live-wire on any stage, PETER MULVEY is an acoustic singer/songwriter/guitarist who, in fact, defies this categorization. His ferocious guitar playing whisks him through more tunings than he has fingers in the course of an evening, as he winds his way from full-throated rockers to deceptively plain-spoken musings.
BILL CAMPLIN has been an integral part of the Wisconsin acoustic music scene for many years both as a performer and as co-owner of this place. Bill is a strong guitarist with a beautiful tenor voice and he is noted for penetrating, intensely emotional performances of both his original songs and his interpretations of others such as Bob Dylan.
Dubbed “the past, present and future of jazz violin” by NPR’s Jazz Profiles, RANDY SABIEN is a regular at Big Top Chautauqua and has performed on A Prairie Home Companion and Austin City Limits. His instrumental skill on the violin, guitar, mandolin, and piano, in the genres of jazz, country, and rock, is legendary.
Shall be a fine evening- I shit you not.

MARK DVORAK/ JIM CRAIG/ BILL CAMPLIN
2023-06-10 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to indicate whether you are likely to eat here that night.
A lovely in-the-round song swap with JIM CRAIG MARK DVORAK and BILL CAMPLIN should make for a fantastic evening of music and camaraderie.

JIM came of age during the folk boom, “listening to Pete Seeger and Dave Van Ronk, but also more obscure musicians like Dock Boggs and Pink Anderson, folks who were off the map but were rediscovered in the early ’60s.” He was a regular at the Green Dragon Inn, where we came to know and love him for his understated warm grace. Jim has guitar chops and a beautiful baritone voice, and an interesting repertoire of songs.
He taught guitar at the Old Town School of Folk Music, jammed with figures in the Chicago folk scene such as Eddie Holstein and Steve Goodman. He is the owner of Hogeye Music in Evanston. He is a gentleman.

MARK DVORAK is a modern day troubadour who has never stopped performing, writing and recording. He has been called “a folk singer’s folk singer” with “an encyclopedic knowledge of traditional songs.” His original songs are described as “wondrous” and “profound.” Though Mark often appears in theaters and on festival stages, he is also at home in a more intimate setting. His concerts are a mix of the familiar and the new, traditional folk and standards from the American songbook. He plays authentic country blues guitar and picks great old-time banjo.
Mark enjoys involving his audiences in sing-along songs, just like The Weavers used to do, and mixes in his own well-crafted and infectious originals. Mark has a refreshing, down-to-earth stage presence, and is a very engaging performer. He sings with a clear, signature voice, and he likes to joke around with the folks who attend his shows. Throughout the program he’ll interject personal anecdotes and add a touch of history or social context to the performance.
“Masterful” Chicago Tribune
“The real deal. His show is funny, passionate, intimate & unforgettable” Old Town School of Folk Music
“One of a vanishing breed. Although all of us benefit from the tradition, Dvorak is one of the few who keep it alive.” Utah Phillips
And then there’s BILL CAMPLIN, who can sing and play guitar too. Amazing
Did I mention this will be a really fun in-the-round?

LOST SOULS
2023-06-09 20:00 - 22:30
Americana, blues, folk, and humor, this could be the band for you. Is it true they’ve won multiple awards and are incredibly good looking? Is it true they are masters of their instruments and on-stage behavior? Well, no – but you might enjoy them anyway.
THE LOST SOULS (previously known as Looper & Greg, What’s His Name & the Other Guy, Syd Hartha & the Monkeyminds, & Devil in the Outhouse) clearly have identity issues – but then again doesn’t the whole damn country these days? I mean – do any of us know who we really are? Which is precisely why an evening of music, frivolity, and drinking may be just what you need.
Greg on too many guitars and vocals. Looper on harmonica, lead guitar and vocals. And maybe some surprise guests.

JOE JENCKS w/ guest Heather Styka $25
2023-06-08 20:00 - 22:00
Ticket link will follow bio.
JOE JENCKS is a 25-year veteran of the international folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter, and celebrated vocalist based in Chicago. Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing, Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove and grit. Having penned several #1 Folksongs including the ever-relevant Lady of The Harbor, Jencks is also co-founder of the harmony trio, Brother Sun. From Festivals like Falcon Ridge, Kerrville, Mariposa, and Old Songs, to venues like Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, Jencks has enthralled diverse audiences with his approachable style. Joe is noted for his unique merging of musical beauty, social consciousness, and spiritual exploration. Blending well-crafted instrumentals and vivid songwriting, Jencks serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel.
“Climb inside the songs of Joe Jencks, and you meet real people. His lilting melodies and warm, caramel tenor draw us closer to the stories he tells. Jencks finds the humanness that binds us to the people in his songs!”- Scott Alarik – Author of Revival and WUMB, Boston, MA
HEATHER STYKA is An award-winning songwriter with a #3 album on the FOLK-DJ charts, Chicago songwriter Heather Styka cuts to the truth with gutsy vulnerability. With a heartfelt croon that brings to mind Billie Holiday or Patsy Cline, Styka combines the lyrical intricacy of folk with a catchy melodic pop sensibility and the grit of classic country in songs that are smart and disarming. Heather Styka has released five studio albums and toured coast-to-coast. Her shows feel as intimate and candid as late night conversation, peppered with a quirky sense of humor and confessional storytelling. Armed with a guileless, unvarnished delivery, she’s equal parts wordsmith and entertainer.
“Heather’s songs capture moments, impressions, feelings, and thoughts in a way that connects with the listener, a lyrical wave that can carry one to shore with a solid conclusion, or go way out into the ocean, searching for an answer, insight, or direction” – Lilli Kuzma, WDCB-FM

TODD ALBRIGHT
2023-06-03 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to let us know if you will be dining with us that night.
TODD ALBRIGHT is a country blues, twelve string guitar player and vocalist based in Detroit, Michigan. Grounded in the pre-war era of the blues tradition (1880-1939), Todd is a mindful purveyor of blues history. His repertoire upholds musical pillars such as Blind Willie McTell, George Carter, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Leadbelly. His life’s work continues the distinguished tradition of the very roots of American music as told by the African American musicians who created it.

Todd’s vigorous, gritty and soulful performances are accompanied by stories of the masters and a deep intuitive sense of respect for craft, providing audiences with a meaningful experience while creating a transcendent moment. One of the top blues guitarists in the world, Todd is the only contemporary twelve string player in his genre.
Todd began playing the blues while still a teenager, some twenty-five years ago. Initially, he was drawn to the sound of the finger-picked style and has since immersed himself in the foundational music and narratives of American culture. Over the years, Todd has shared the stage with artists such as Roy Book Binder, Charlie Parr, Paul Geremia, and Dakota Dave Hull.
Todd’s first full-length LP, Fourth Floor Visitor, was released by Jett Plastic Recordings out of Detroit, Michigan (2017). His latest album, Detroit Twelve String: Blues & Rags, is out now on Third Man Records (2017).

HARMONIOUS WAIL $20
2023-06-02 20:00 - 22:00
Ticket link will follow bio. Please come early to eat so that we can start the show at this 8:00 time.
HARMONIOUS WAIL
Featuring the SuperStar2020 winner, vocalist extraordinaire Maggie Delaney-Potthoff !
Americana flavored Gypsy Jazz on full tilt! Harmonious Wail combines the searing wit, humor and mandolin virtuosity of vintage Jethro Burns performances, the Continental panache of Django and charm of Edith Piaf inspired vocals to create a unique musical journey.
“In the gypsy jazz field, no one does it any better than the Madison, Wisconsin based group Harmonious Wail.”
-Jazz Review
”Intense playing & sense of purpose that never wavers… a mind altering experience.”
-The Washington Examiner

WHITNEY MANN/ Paul Otteson SOLD OUT
2023-05-27 20:00 - 22:00
Ticket link follows bios.
As a girl, WHITNEY MANN dreamed of a life in Country music. “I daydreamed all day, every day, of singing songs that I wrote in front of thousands of people,” she says. At the age of four, she began writing her own songs, and two decades later she realized her version of success by opening shows for legends like Willie Nelson, George Jones, and Loretta Lynn on big country stages and in theaters throughout the Midwest.
Whitney put down her guitar to raise a family. But songwriting is in her bones. It’s an itch that will perpetually need to be scratched. Her old songs are about love and truth and heartbreak. And to listen to her new material, you’ll realize that she’s stayed true to form – except now she’s looking for a fight.
Whitney’s friend PAUL OTTESON is a Madison-based songwriter who delivers literary inspired, artfully crafted songs in an intimate chamber folk style. Front man of the band Faux Fawn, Otteson is a tireless creator; having released several solo and full band albums over the past 10 years to great acclaim. After a multi-year hiatus, he returns with ballads to question the cruelty and loss of this age we live in; with hope-filled melodies to warm the heart and poetic verse to soothe the soul. He will do an opening set.

KAREN JOHNSON
2023-05-26 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to indicate whether or not you will dine here that night.
KAREN JOHNSON grew up in West Allis, WI, surrounded by music. Her favorite spot was riding along in her dad’s old pick-up truck while listening to old country tunes. At a young age, Karen learned to play the Tamburitza and sing harmony as a member of the American Croatian Silver Strings Tamburitzans. Now playing the guitar, she has been performing at various venues since 1998, but loves playing in the Carpe’s listening room.
Karen sings songs of her favorite artists including Joan Baez, Nanci Griffith, Alison Krauss, and Suzy Bogguss, to name a few.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dclx2nwDJNY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6pYX8uK25o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z6AN79G3TE

SONG CIRCLE w/ TRICIA ALEXANDER
2023-05-25 18:30 - 20:30, 2023-04-27 18:30 - 20:30
Round robin song circle led by TRICIA ALEXANDER– (performer, poet, healer, “with a voice, music and lyrics that resonate the heart”) done informally, not from the stage, no microphones. This is a lovely gathering of singers, songwriters, musicians and music appreciators, poets, and storytellers held somewhat regularly on the last Thursday of each month (unless interrupted by a pandemic).
Traditional Round Robin protocol applies – everyone is part of the circle and has an opportunity to: play, pass or request a song from someone in particular or from anyone in the circle.
Everyone is welcome to attend. $5 cover for musicians and audience. Come early and have a bite to eat- therein lies our sustenance.

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2023-05-20 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and let us know if you will be dining here.
He will not appear in his birthday suit despite the day. I just learned this about Bill –
“Bill is a singer/songwriter and acoustic guitarist, playing professionally in the Milwaukee area since the late 1960s. Bill writes and arranges his own material and has produced a considerable body of work. Bill has been an integral part of the Milwaukee acoustic folk scene for many years.” and this
“Bill Camplin works with a group of 40 scientists working on contaminants and nutrients in the marine environment. He has more than twenty years experience …” and this
“Bill is a strong guitarist as well as a skilled singer with a beautiful tenor voice and great range. He is noted for penetrating, intensely emotional performances of both his original songs and his interpretations of others such as Bob Dylan.”
Will the real Bill Camplin please stand up?

TRACY GRAMMER/ Wes Collins
2023-05-19 20:30 - 22:30
Looking forward to the return of two wonderful songwriters: Tracy, who last played here in 2018, and Wes who came last year for a great evening with Ordinary Elephant and Rachael Kilgour. Wes will open the show. Ticket link follows the bios.
Called “a musician and singer of dazzling versatility” (No Depression), TRACY GRAMMER is among contemporary folk music’s most beloved artists. Renowned for her pure voice, deft guitar and violin work, and incantatory storytelling, Grammer has recorded and performed with Joan Baez and Mary Chapin Carpenter, headlined several of the nation’s top folk festivals, including and Falcon Ridge, and enjoyed 12 consecutive years as one of folk radio’s 50 top-played artists, both solo and with the late Dave Carter.

“One of the finest singers and musicians anywhere in folkdom.” – Boston Globe
​”A brilliant artist” – Joan Baez
“One of the most enduring, irreplaceable voices in American folk music.” – Anti-Heroin Chic

Grammer’s eleventh release, LOW TIDE, is the first of her albums to showcase her original songs. LOW TIDE was the ninth most-played album on folk radio in 2018 and was voted a Top 10 Album of the Year by Fish Records UK and Folk Alley. The buzz on LOW TIDE:

“Potent songcraft that reflects the tender and stubborn heart that got her here, and a way with words and
images that … marks the beginning of a new path to glory. A bold and beautiful collection.” -coverlaydown.com
“This is the voice of a songwriter who has made her peace with the past and who is ready — and
​more than willing — to move forward.” – Folk Alley
“A bold new sound, attitude and personal viewpoint…. engaging songs beautifully sung and arranged.” – Music Matters Review

WES COLLINS will start the show. At age 44, Wes and his wife Anita made a pact to become writers: she started writing fiction and Wes penned his first song. A few years later, they were both multi-award-winners in their fields. Collins more than makes up for lost time with songs so dense with ideas that a first listen only scratches the surface. Come for a haunting melody and some intricate fingerpicking and stay for the wit and deep literary intelligence. There is always more to find in a Wes Collins song.

He is a winner of the prestigious Grassy Hills New Folk Competition and a North Carolina Arts Council Songwriting Fellowship, and has been featured as a finalist in The Telluride Troubadour Contest in Telluride, CO; The Songwriter’s Serenade Competition in Moravia, TX; and The Wildflower Performing Songwriter Contest in Dallas, TX.

“His skill with the guitar makes the most of his imaginative arrangements and nuanced control of cadence and phrasing, underscoring the subtlety and bite of his lyrics. He credits many other singer/songwriters in his musical tent as inspiration, including Neil Finn, Gillian Welch, Bruce Cockburn, and Patty Griffin, but Collins is well on his way to establishing his own voice as one we should value.”— North Carolina Arts Council

JEFFREY FOUCAULT
2023-05-14 19:00 - 21:00
JEFFREY FOUCAULT– the prodigal son returns on Mother’s Day.
THE NEW YORKER:
“Jeffrey Foucault sings stark, literate songs that are as wide open as the landscape of his native Midwest”
UNCUT:
“The music of Wisconsin native Foucault is the kind so many aspire to but never attain: beat-up troubadour folk whittled to dolorous perfection”

MICHAEL HECHT & BILL CAMPLIN
2023-05-13 19:30 - 20:30
We may try to start this show earlier than the originally scheduled 8:00 time.
MICHAEL HECHT will read excerpts from literature, and BILL CAMPLIN will sing a song between each excerpt.
They have done this collaboration many times with different readings, and really enjoy the concept.
Readings will be from Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee,
as well as The Great Gatsby, Winnie the Pooh, and poetry by Whitman and 2-3 other poets.
Michael says “The readings at times might seem longer but hopefully every one will appreciate the great prose with an intersperse of poetry.”

POETRY OPEN MIC- Write on the River
2023-05-13 18:00 - 19:00
This is held in conjunction with the WRITE ON THE RIVER event.

There will be a sign-up sheet at the Carpe at 5:00 before the reading.

The Carpe will be open for dinner; if possible, please call for reservations. 920-563-9391.

May 12, 2023 would be poet Lorine Niedecker‘s 120th birthday.

In her honor, the Fort Chamber invites you to celebrate all things writing and poetry related here in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin from May 11-13, 2023!
Learn more about Lorine here.

Write your poem(s) and attend events throughout the day, and come to this reading to share them with others.

ACOUSTIC OPEN STAGE
2023-05-12 18:30 - 21:00, 2023-04-28 18:30 - 21:00, 2023-03-31 18:30 - 21:00
This is an acoustic open stage, sound system set up in advance.
Share your songs (or stories- storytellers welcome) in a two song (think 8-10 minutes) rotation with whoever else is there to play, being respectful of others.
Please support our business by buying drink and/or food.

MATT SAYLES & the DRIFTLESS REVELERS
2023-05-06 20:00 - 22:00
Tickets: $15 Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and let us know if you are likely to eat here this night.
“Scrappy string-based freak-folk, featuring songs like ‘Meat Raffle Mambo,’ ‘Wisconsin Saturday Nights’ and ‘Jesus Shaves’ that both revere and good-naturedly poke fun at state culture — [The Driftless Revelers] may remind listeners of Lou and Peter Berryman or even the old Free Hot Lunch! band.” –Isthmus Magazine, Madison, WI
THE DRIFTLESS REVELERS formed in the second spring of the first global pandemic of the 21st century, with one ear turned toward the shellac platters and Victrola virtuosos of the early to mid 20th century, and the other ear glued to the soundscapes of the 1960’s & 1970’s American freak-folk scene.
​Featuring the original songwriting of Ben Nelson, Matthew R. Sayles, and Jerod Kaszynski, the Driftless Revelers will pleasure a crowd with plectral banjo tones, the mournful wailing of resophonic steel guitars, and the up-right bass bellows of an era that can’t quite be defined, but revels in the timeless ephemera of weird old-time American music.
​With influences as varied and eccentric as a proper musty smelling thrift store record collection, the band grooves merrily through early roots blues and jazz music, to hillbilly and string band howlers, all the way into the not-quite folk but not-quite psychedelic realms of their own creation.
​A Driftless Revelers show will lure you in with their joy–keep you dancing with their search for the cosmic groove in the confines of stringed instruments–and will send you on your way with flashbacks of the Driftless Revelery found only in the essence of the intangible reaches of notes once played– that then fall silent.
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

JP CYR & the RAMBLIN' KIND
2023-05-05 20:00 - 22:00
Country, and Western! Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to let us know if you will dine here that evening.
JP CYR & the RAMBLIN’ KIND is a country and western band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their full sound and eclectic mix of original music and covers from the likes of Bob Wills, Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings will get your toes tapping and put a tear in your beer.

MICHAEL GULEZIAN
2023-04-29 20:00 - 22:00
Ticket link is below the bio.
Although there are many guitarists who are exceptionally gifted at playing guitar, MICHAEL GULEZIAN (gu-LAY-ze-in), by contrast, has distinguished himself with his music – boundary-free, horizon-expanding, genre-bending, transcendent, soulful, kickass, mind-opening, emotionally imbued, exquisitely gorgeous instrumental solo acoustic guitar music. Music that quite literally defies description.
For more than three decades, Michael has unpretentiously walked onstage and delivered one riveting performance after another. Each one of Michael’s albums has raised the aesthetic of contemporary solo acoustic guitar to a new level. He’s been called the musical link between John Fahey and Michael Hedges. Artists as diverse as Michael Hedges, Willy Porter, and Henry Kaiser have claimed him as a primary musical influence. Young lions such as Erik Mongrain, Andy McKee, and Trevor Gordon Hall are quick to acknowledge him as an inspiration. For those who follow solo acoustic instrumental guitar, Michael Gulezian is firmly established in the genre as one of the most significant artists of our time.
“… infused with devotion to music’s power … Gulezian’s solo guitar work is inventive and complex; he melds rhythm, melody and harmony using just one instrument and 10 fingers. The trick is making such music something more than a mere exercise in technique, and in this concert from Minnesota’s St. Olaf College, Gulezian clears that hurdle with room to spare.” The Aspen Times
“Michael Gulezian doesn’t write tunes you can take away and hum. What I experience listening to his music is stories – not stories with words, but an exquisite web of tales that only notes can tell. … the CD also contains video of the concert – it’s just amazing to watch him perform.” Bob Boilen, Director, All Things Considered, NPR

JOHN SIEGER/ DANDY L. FRELING/ BILL CAMPLIN
2023-04-22 20:30 - 22:30
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats, and to indicate whether you are likely to eat here that night.
This will be a great song swap with three Milwaukee ish songwriters, since Bill was once one. In these swaps, each one inspires the next and it makes for a really fun evening.
Songwriter, singer and guitarist John Sieger has a long resume. His band the R&B Cadets ruled the dance floors in Milwaukee in the 1980s, playing a mix of his originals and obscure soul tunes unearthed by bandmates Paul Cebar and Robin Pluer. Their debut, “Top Happy,” for Twin/Tone Records, turned out to be their finale. In the late 80’s his band Semi-Twang recorded for Warner Brothers Records. Both bands have regrouped in recent years and since then, Semi-Twang has released three more collections of his songs, most recently and ode to his hometown, “Kenosha.”
Other Sieger songs have been covered by a long list of great artists including Dwight Yoakam (Don’t Need It Done), Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads (Rev It Up), The Bodeans (The Strangest Kind), Flaco Jimenez (I Found Out), Robbie Fulks (You Break It – You Pay), Phil Lee (I Hope Love Always Knows Your Name, Neon Tombstone) and Greg Trooper (My Bluebell, Real Like That and others). Recorded but still waiting to be released, is a version of “Salty Tears,” sung by Etta James.
“Sieger on Songs,” his column at UrbanMilwaukee.com, is John’s ongoing love letter to the music he digs.
DANDY FRELING
Combining a touch of the high and lonesome hollers of the Appalachian hill people with the low-down, dusty grooves of the cosmic cowboys, Dandy has created a unique sonic banquet sure to satisfy the hunger of any weary passerby.
and then there’s BILL CAMPLIN- I just googled him and found it rather interesting. The bittersweetest surprise was coming across the obituary of a formerly regular customer which contained the following:
“He wished to thank Townes Van Zandt, Emmylou Harris and Bill Camplin for their music he so enjoyed in his later years.”

SISTASTRINGS Thursday SOLD OUT
2023-04-20 20:00 - 22:00
SISTASTRINGS. Need I say more? .
CHAUNTEE ROSS (violin & vocals) & MONIQUE ROSS (cello and vocals) said they wanted to play here again. We thought about it for a while, and said yes, just because they are the bomb diggity.
Notice that due to popular demand, we have added another date, Wednesday April 19.

SISTASTRINGS/ Evan Lane
2023-04-19 20:00 - 22:00
SISTASTRINGS. Need I say more?. They are so sizzlin’ we had to add this extra show. Ticket link after the bio.
CHAUNTEE ROSS (violin & vocals) & MONIQUE ROSS (cello and vocals) said they wanted to play here again. We thought about it for a while, and said yes, just because they are the bomb diggity.
Milwaukee bred sisters, Monique and Chauntee Ross, spent their entire music education not quite fitting any particular mold. Raised by two ministers, enrolled in conservatory at young ages, Monique and Chauntee embraced what made them different. Their art is meant to reflect their varying musical interests in a way that draws the listener in. Music becomes a journey and SistaStrings invites you to find your path.
Collaboration has been at the forefront of SistaStrings’ art. The sisters grew up playing their instruments in the church which is where their love of harmonies and improvisation was cultivated. Their entire childhood was immersed in music and making music with their peers in many different settings. It wasn’t until 2014 when both Monique and Chauntee moved back to their hometown, Milwaukee, WI when they began this project. They began exploring their sound as SistaStrings and collaborating with a variety of Milwaukee artist and found a strong creative community.
During their “discovery phase”, SistaStrings met and began to collaborate with fellow Milwaukeean Peter Mulvey. They’ve recorded two albums together, one of which is being released in 2022. 2021 opened a new chapter for the duo as they relocated to Nashville. They quickly found a sisterhood with Allison Russell and became family and collaborators. They are members of The Rainbow Coalition of the Loving, Russell’s touring band. Monique and Chauntee can also be found touring with Brandi Carlile Spring/Summer 2022. It’s no coincidence that collaboration is a strong point for the sisters. They believe that music and the arts reflect life and use their music to create opportunity for others and promote love and acceptance.
Friend Evan Lane will open for them. Evan was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A true ‘Midwestern-er.’ He began his classical training in 4th grade, 1999. Before that his first gig was singing with his school choir at age 6 at a Starbucks for the Holidays. Evan spent some time living in East Troy, WI., where he wrote every song off his newly released ep, ‘Etude.’ He moved back to Milwaukee in 2016 and has been hard at work taking gigs and spending every minute possible recording his ep. Known for his smooth vocals and beautiful singer-songwriter, pop styled music.

THE BOSTON IMPOSTERS
2023-04-15 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats, and indicate whether you are likely to dine here that evening.
“Hearkening back to the traditional folk duos of the 1950s and 1960s, The Boston Imposters represent the genre at its most pure: two capable voices, supported by sparse-yet-effective instrumentation, working together to earnestly share stories anyone can relate to.” – Elena See, FolkAlley.com
THE BOSTON IMPOSTERS are a husband-wife singer-songwriter duo based in Southeast Wisconsin. Davey Harrison and Maire (pronounced like Mary) Clement began collaborating many years prior, but their duo was officially founded during their time living as Midwestern Impostors in Boston. The duo blend beautiful harmonies, accompanied by acoustic guitar, mandolin, and banjo to craft heartfelt original songs. Inspired by traditional, classic and contemporary folk music, The Boston Imposters write about their lives and experiences, inspired by the people who have been a part of their journey.
This show is on the heels of the December release of their new album, Insiders.

GRACE MORRISON & RADOSLAV LORKOVIC
2023-04-13 19:30 - 21:30
Ticket link is below the bios.
Grace & Rad got together at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, where she was performing and he was in the house band. They decided they should do a midwest tour together, and here they come.
GRACE MORRISON
“Her voice smacks of Jewel, and her style, cadence, song structure is every inch from the school of Joan Osborne, Lisa Loeb, Natalie Merchant. It’s uncanny.” Lauren Daley Boston Globe
“Pure Country Rock ‘n Roll Goodness”- Americana Highways
Morrison has won a number of prestigious awards including the Grand Prize of the New England Songwriting Competition and the WPRI Rhode Show Big Break contest – where her music video was played on the season finale of American Idol. In 2019, Grace was selected to be an Official Showcase performer at the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance (TN) and the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (TX). Also, she was named a finalist in the Wildflower (TX) Festival performing singer-songwriter contest. Later, she was selected to perform in the Emerging Artist Showcase at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (NY). Her sophomore solo album, Reasons, debuted at #2 on the Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Contemporary Country Airplay Chart. With Daughter now added to her calling card, Morrison is sure to rack up more accolades. But she’s happy to have finally reached a point of self-acceptance, regardless of what may come.
Drawing from a multitude of influences ranging from elegant classical and jazz styles to the rawest, most basic blues, country and soul, RADOSLAV LORKOVIC has taken on an unusually broad musical spectrum and refined it into his distinctive piano style. His tenure on the R&B and folk circuits has culminated in five critically acclaimed solo recordings and numerous appearances on the recordings of and performances with artists including Odetta, Jimmy LaFave, Ribbon of Highway Woody Guthrie Tribute, Greg Brown, Richard Shindell, Ellis Paul, Ronny Cox, Dave Moore, Andy White, and Bo Ramsey. His thirty year touring career has led him from the taverns of the upper Mississippi River to the castles of Italy, The Canary Islands, The Yup’ik villages of Alaska, The Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.
Born in Zagreb, Croatia in 1958, Lorković’s initial exposure to music can be attributed to two grandmothers. Antonija, his maternal Grandmother, sang him Croatian, Slovenian and Czech folk songs since birth. At age one he was reported to be singing back on pitch. By age three he was putting on floor shows for his grandfather and friends who would respond by showering him with coins yelling “pivaj Radoslav pivaj!” During this time classical music played in the home constantly due to the influence of his paternal grandmother Melita Lorković, a internationally renown classical pianist. After this blend of central European musical influences Radoslav moved to the United States at age six. He had a foothold on a classical music career when at age fourteen he was sidetracked by a blues scale that a friend had taught him.

LONG MAMA/ JASON DEA WEST
2023-04-06 20:00 - 22:00
Ticket link will follow the bios.
LONG MAMA
Long Mama’s music blisters with the heart and grit of someone who has lost hard, loved harder, and licked her burns until they stung then silvered. In a drafty attic just west of the Milwaukee River she grew up on, you’ll find songwriter KAT WODTKE (Wood-key) raking through notebooks in search of a salve: words, stories, and sounds to temper the dumpster fires we never mean to light.
KAT teams up with guitarist ANDREW KOENIG and drummer NICK LANG, a pair whose chemistry adds dusky afterglow to Wodtke’s musical landscapes, as well as upright bass ace SAM ODIN from Horsehoes and Hand Grenades.
​Poor Pretender, Long Mama’s debut album released October 2022, embraces a rich spectrum of light and shadow, heat and cold. The ten-song collection’s palette of country, folk, indie rock, and punk reflects its makers’ coming-of-age in the rustbelt crossroads of north, south, east, & west. Engineered by Erik Koskinen and recorded live over a long, snowy weekend in Cleveland, Minnesota, the record showcases the band’s particular ability to conjure the beautiful in the broken, the silver in the ore.
JASON DEA WEST American poet, songwriter and troubadour (Folk, country, western, traditional and alternative) will start the show. He is an American troubadour who sings what he lives and lives what he sings. West’s poignant lyrics are brilliantly blended with vintage country, folk and blues, and timely sensibilities. From epic guitar and harmonica instrumentals to humorous song as story, Jason never strays very far from the anarchic punk-folk roots of his beloved former band Barefoot Surrender and his celebrated current band Intuitive Compass.

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2023-04-01 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to let us know if you will dine here that night.
Lonesome Bill Camplin greets spring.
to be held along with a meat raffle

TERRY WHITE
2023-03-25 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to indicate whether you will be dining here that night.
TERRY WHITE has had a long rockin’ career (Modern Day Saints, Yellowhammers) which has culminated in a four year regular residency with friends as Cannonball at Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn, Illinois, as well some solo forays.
Cannonball Fodder is his latest collection of songs of roots Americana songs. The record is produced by Jon Langford (Mekons, Waco Bros, Skull Orchard) and is their second project together. Terry says, “The music I find myself returning to over and over again is Hank Williams, Dylan and the Band, Neil Young’s Harvest era, Stone’s Let It Bleed era. This album shares those roots sounds and structures.”
