JACK WILLIAMS
2022-09-03 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Chicago)
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and indicate whether you will be dining here. Masks recommended in our small listening space.
JACK WILLIAMS – it will be a pleasure to have him share his talents again.
Brand New CD- A Tickle in My Soul
Music legends Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul, & Mary) and Tom Paxton lauded Williams as ‘the best guitar player I’ve ever heard’ and ‘one of my (Paxton) all-time favorite pickers.’ It is no cliché to say that his music defies genre labeling, as his style has evolved from a lifetime of musical involvement ranging from beatnik trumpeter and folk revivalist banjo player to country, rock and R & B electric and steel-guitar player and chamber music composer.
Williams spends the majority of his time touring the US, playing major music festivals and venues, which have included The Newport Folk Festival and Chicago’s Folkstage, hosted by Rich Warren of NPR’s nationally syndicated show, ‘The Midnight Special.’
Of him, Warren says, “his artistry… is nothing short of amazing. Dazzling picking, expressive voice, unique and interesting songs. He is a showman in the best sense of the word and just wowed our audience. I think they would have followed him anywhere.” From a recent performance at a popular Birmingham concert venue, Moonlight on the Mountain, proprietor Keith Harrelson said, “Jack is a fearless singer, inventive storyteller, forceful-yet-delicate guitarist, and holds near-legendary status as a modern-times troubadour…. precisely what kept him relevant to at least three generations of loyal fans.”
Though sometimes thought of as a ‘singer-songwriter’, audiences should not expect a night of quiet introspective ballads. Williams is known for his entertaining and high energy performances. He often concludes his shows with a unique finale, a medley of songs and stories that span the varied styles and voices of his musical past, keeping audiences enthralled from start to finish.
“An adept acoustic guitarist and extremely capable in the vocal and songwriting departments…. Difficult to categorize, Williamsblends folk, country, jazz, and blues in a somewhat gentler Ry Cooder manner…. It would be hard to value one album over the other; both are of high caliber… Possessing a clear tenor,Williams showcases his fluid fingerpicking style on both discs… both albums are treats for the listener. Jack Williams comprehends the potency of understatement and inhabits a world that may be less realistic but certainly kinder.” Pieter Hofmann, DIRTY LINEN
“…an American Treasure” – Mickey Newbury
“…one of the strongest guitar players in contemporary folk.” – Sing Out!
If there is anyone not familiar with Jack’s incredible songwriting and prodigious performance skills, my sympathies to you. A Jack Williams show is a slam-dunk win-win-win for all. One of the most enlightened and entertaining performers I’ve ever encountered. – Dave Humpreys, Two Way Street Coffeehouse in Downers Grove IL
“…like a South Carolina version of an acoustic Bruce Springsteen with Jerry Garcia on acoustic lead guitar.”
Mike Agranoff – Folk Project and Minstrel Coffeehouse, Morristown NJ
“Jack Williams is one of the most eclectic singer songwriters going. You can hear both the white and black musical traditions in his writing. You can hear country, you can hear blues, you can hear jazz. He’s a poet who knows how to write simply. And he’s a remarkable, magical performer, with graceful good humor, and a hot guitar style.”
– Phil Shapiro, host, WVBR’s “Bound for Glory”
*****Please call to reserve.

NEW PIONEERS- cancelled
2022-09-08 19:00 - 21:00
The New Pioneers have cancelled due to a painful knee of the players. Darn, and we wish for a quick recovery.

PETE JONSSON/ BILL CAMPLIN song swap
2022-09-09 20:00 - 22:00
Pete and Bill have been friends and mutual admirers for years, and thought to finally share a show together.
PETE JONSSON‘s musical career began with formal lessons on piano, and forced lessons on the trumpet during his grade school years. His rebellion ended when Santa brought an ukelele with a plastic Arthur Godfrey chord changer and a book of Steven Foster songs. At the age of twelve he made the leap to six strings– the family Gibson guitar, and began his musical journey during those years when folk music and the Kingston Trio was the pied piper and youth were cliff bound lemmings. Shortly thereafter he descended into the blues and worse–songwriting.
During his adult years he became interested in the live music of his childhood, that is pop tunes from the early 20th century played by his father(guitar), grandfather (mandolin), and uncle (tenor banjo). These were songs like Five Foot Two, Harvest Moon, Whispering, and Bye Bye Blues. For thirty plus years he was a member of the famous trio called Live Bait whose signs can be seen to this day in the resort areas in northern Illinois and Wisconsin. Pete was a member of the Stage Leftovers, the house band that played regularly on the second and fourth on the square of downtown Woodstock, IL. Now he is the guitarist with Cheryl and the Down Home Boys. Pete is a flatpicker, fingerpicker, slide guitarist, a strummer and also has the audacity to attempt solo performances, and has escaped, thus far, the wrath of audiences and serious injury.
BILL CAMPLIN is the co-owner of the Cafe Carpe, with musical chops going back to being one of the stars of his high school choir, with his teacher being Margaret Hawkins, who went on to be the Choral Director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

WILLY PORTER w/ CARMEN NICKERSON- SOLD OUT
2022-09-10 20:30 - 23:00
Excited we are for the return of Willy with Carmen. Buy tickets below bio.
Masks recommended in the small space of our listening room.
Please read the e-mail confirming your ticket purchase carefully. It has important information regarding the show and how this transaction may read on your credit card statement.

WILLY PORTER and Carmen Nickerson are a duo that embody the best of what live music has to offer: heart, grit, and the kind of raw musicianship that transforms listeners into long-time fans. Willy Porter’s seering finger-picking guitar style deftly blends with Carmen Nickerson’s lush vocals to create an unforgettable sound that resonates long after the last chord fades.

CHIP DUNCAN- book release party plus
2022-09-16 19:30 - 21:30
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to let us know if you will dine here that night. Masks recommended in the intimate space of our back room.
Our friend CHIP has a new book, EWASO VILLAGE:
The Maasai people of East Africa comprise one of the most intriguing and resourceful cultures on Earth. For more than a thousand years, the Maasai and their Samburu neighbors have survived and thrived as pastoralists on the savannah near Mt. Kenya and the Maasai Mara borderlands of Kenya and Tanzania. Photojournalist Chip exuberantly combines prose, poetry, and beautiful photographs to celebrate the stories, songs, rituals, and dreams of people who live in Ewaso Village, one of his favorite places to visit. See reviews below.**
Chip will also be showing 2 of his films:
One of the shorts is a 30 minute docu called THE SOUND MAN that won numerous festivals. It’s a heart-breaking portrayal of a Kenyan sound engineer who’s been an eye-witness to numerous crises in East Africa. Abdul Ramadan worked extensively with journalist Mo Amin and continues to work today with Salim. Chris Spheeris did the music for The Sound Man.

The other film is a 12 minute short called PIZZA & PRANA. It’s about a doctor who has ALS and has had great success using yoga therapy. That film features original score/cues from Chris Spheeris and from Willy Porter.
All proceeds from this event will go to the Loisaba Community Conservation Foundation.

ABOUT CHIP DUNCAN

A lifelong Midwesterner and native of western Iowa, Chip Duncan has produced more than fifty non-fiction films for international broadcast and distribution. His work as a photographer and filmmaker has taken him to ice fields, war zones, slums, shipyards, museums, palaces, vineyards, beaches, deserts, rainforests, savannahs, and farmlands. He counts Peru, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and rural Kenya among his favorite places. Duncan’s previous books include the short story collection Half A Reason To Die (Select Books, NYC, 2017), photographic collections Inspiring Change (Thunder House Press, Milwaukee, 2019) and Enough To Go Around (Select Books, NYC, 2009). Duncan also speaks publicly on the impact of climate change as part of The Three Tenors of Climate Change. Ewaso Village is Duncan’s first book of poetry, and the first in a trilogy featuring indigenous cultures from around the world.

**
“Few writers are gifted with Duncan’s ability to weave heartfelt memoir, history, culture, and poetry into such a seamless whole, beautifully balancing his roles of narrator, observer, and participant. Ewaso Village is a must-read for anyone dedicated to eye-opening, transformational stories and insightful verse.” —John Sibley Williams, author of As One Fire Consumes Another

“Ewaso Village shows Duncan’s versatility as one of the great international storytellers of our time. The Maasai people of Laikipia County have trusted Duncan with their stories, songs, and mythology while providing access few have been granted. Ewaso Village is essential reading for any traveler making the journey to East Africa.” —Trupti Shah, Documentary Filmmaker, Journalist – Nairobi, Kenya
“As a child in Ewaso Village, I witnessed and was inspired by the work of Chip Duncan. I love his stamina and his kindness, and I’ve been privileged to have him as my mentor in photography. My small village is now known and admired globally because of Duncan’s great work.” —Letoluai Komiki Ambrose, Conservationist & Photographer – Ewaso Village, Kenya
“Ewaso Village is luxurious storytelling for all of the literary senses: stunning photography, vulnerable prose and vivid poems. The collection is eloquent and frank, braiding culture and commentary, justice and joy, imagery and intimate impact. The collection of these pieces traveled me, not as a vapid tourist, but as a human.” —Dasha Kelly Hamilton, Wisconsin Poet Laureate | Rubinger Fellow
“Enriched with hauntingly beautiful photographs and poetic stories, Ewaso Village provides a richly detailed portrait of a nomadic society known for their centuries-old rituals and dazzling ornamentation – but a culture mostly hidden from outsiders. But in this thoroughly engaging book, Duncan captures the heart and soul of the Maasai – an African tribal people grappling with the challenges of political strife and climate change.” —Kevin McCarey, National Geographic filmmaker and author

KATIE DAHL
2022-09-17 20:30 - 22:30
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to indicate whether you will dine here that night.
KATIE DAHL is a songwriter and playwright whose work is as expansive as Lake Michigan and as deeply rooted as its rocky coastal bluffs. A small-town celebrity on the Wisconsin peninsula where her family has lived for 175 years, she is now a radio-charting folk artist who tours around the world. Clear-eyed and tough-minded, fresh and funny, Katie “delivers razor-sharp lyrics with a hearty, soulful voice” (American Songwriter).
Katie’s four albums of original songs showcase her creamy alto and trademark wit, as well as her unflinching authenticity. Her recent work finds her exploring more vulnerable territory than ever before, from anxiety to body image to the challenges of growing up queer in an evangelical church. Richly steeped in the American songwriting tradition, Katie navigates the muddy waters between the personal, public, and political with tenderness and dexterity.
Katie is currently working with renowned producer Julie Wolf on a new album slated for release in early 2023. Her previous album, Wildwood, was produced by JT Nero (Birds of Chicago) and features Allison Russell; that record’s “Worry My Friend” hit #6 on the folk radio charts in 2019. Her song “Crowns” spent a month at #1 on the charts in 2015.
Katie is also a playwright; her latest musical The Fisherman’s Daughters (2021) tells the story of two sisters in 1908 who fight the state of Wisconsin’s efforts to take their rural homestead via eminent domain to make a state park. Victory Farm (2012; co-written with James Valcq and Emilie Coulson) is a fictionalized account of the real-life German POWs who came to Wisconsin to pick cherries during World War II. Both plays were made into live cast recordings.
Razor-sharp lyrics with a hearty, soulful voice.”
— American Songwriter

“Katie Dahl’s songs aren’t just melodies and words, they’re journeys that are firmly grounded in a sense of place—beautiful, real landscapes that help you feel places that you may have never been before. That’s the very best kind of songwriting.”
— Dar Williams

ORDINARY ELEPHANT
2022-09-22 19:30 - 21:30
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to indicate whether or not you will eat hear that night.
International Folk Music Awards 2017 Artist of the Year ORDINARY ELEPHANT captivates audiences with their emotionally powerful and vulnerable songs, letting the listener know that they are not alone in this world. The collaboration of husband and wife Pete and Crystal Damore, their connection, and their influences (such as Gillian Welch, Guy Clark, Anais Mitchell) all meet on stage. “Two become one, in song…hand-in-glove harmonies surprise the listener with focused intensity and musical mastery,” says Mary Gauthier. The Associated Press is calling their latest album, Honest, “one of the best Americana albums of the year.”

SETH BROWN
2022-09-23 20:00 - 22:00
Mask wearing is encouraged in the our intimate listening room. COVID protocols may change through time so check back closer to showtime. Ticket link is at the bottom of the page.
Genuine, fun, and entertaining are a few of the ways SETH BROWN’s friends, family, followers, and fans describe him and his show. He draws his listeners in to the universal language of music, a deeply written tune, an upbeat ready-to-dance type, or an authentic story from the road less travelled. His raw inviting flair, leaves audiences all over the US wanting to hear more.
Growing up in a musical family surrounded by the Eagle Cap wilderness of rural eastern Oregon, Seth Brown is the youngest son to parents of nineteen children. Spending the majority of his life with six strings in his hands, he’s been honing his musical skills and entertaining crowds from early childhood. Now undeniably professional, Seth’s a vagabond hearted, entertaining, singer-songwriter, and all around excellent storyteller!
His long awaited, dreamed-of-from-childhood, full length, full band album, ‘Campfire Currency’ released spring of 2021! The invigorating songs on his twelve track debut were written during a pivotal journey that kicked off late 2018. Seth and his wife Desiree, travelled the US and Canada all of 2019, setting sail to find themselves and deep dive into all they were created to be.
Reseting from the traditional lifestyle, living present and simple, Seth found himself writing again after a couple year hiatus. Heartfelt authentic songs came to life in places like majestic Big Bend National Park, during sunny mornings on the banks of the Flathead River in Montana, peaceful afternoons on the Rogue River in Southern Oregon, deep within the red rocks of Sedona, and many other traversed paths along the way. Four dozen impeccable original songs (and counting) have emerged, his songs consistently resonate personally and with his fans!
Touring Oregon in 2020, Arizona in 2021, currently on a multi-state 2022 Campfire Currency Tour, Seth Brown is just warming up in the world of sharing great music with great people!
Seth’s musical storytelling is an expedition through many genres. It’s roots music, it takes you somewhere. Seth builds strong melodies with his own twist and unique musical instinct, coupled with superb heartfelt lyrics! At a Seth Brown show there’s laughter, singing, dancing, and an occasional tear shed. His original singer-songwriter vagabond style, sound, and storytelling appeals to folk, rock and roll, country, and Americana fans alike!

KAIA FOWLER- postponed
2022-09-24 20:00 - 22:00
Kaia does not feel well, and has asked to postpone the concert to a future date to be determined.

KAIA FOWLER creates music that speaks to the soul. Kaia’s passion, presence, warmth, and authenticity all invite listeners to open their hearts and transcend the everyday through song. A versatile guitarist with mastery of fingerstyle and strumming techniques, Kaia is best known for her beautiful voice, often described as having a soothing or healing quality.
Her latest album, One Breath, placed on the Folk Alliance International Top 50 Albums of the Month Chart for July 2022, receiving radio play from coast to coast in the U.S. and in Canada. The album, with mixing by Grammy award-winning engineer Charlie Pilzer, features songs of hope and healing. Special guest tracks on One Breath include “Take Shelter in Love” with harmony vocals and bouzouki arranged and performed by Joe Jencks; “Obon, Dance of Light” with Peter Phippen arranging and performing bamboo flutes and fender bass; and “Ridin’ Along” with Tricia Alexander on blues harmonica.
For Kaia, who also practices Reiki energy therapy, and serves as a life and wellbeing coach, music creation fits into a larger healing arts ministry. She extends her musical performances beyond stage and studio into communities where she promotes greater wellbeing and a sense of togetherness and Unity. Listeners describe Kaia’s voice and songs as inspiring comfort, courage, and connection. This calling to serve recently led her to open Kaia Fowler Arts & Wellbeing in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Learn more at kaiafowler.com/wellbeing.
Media quotes:
“Fabulous voice and song…” — Lilli Kuzma, host of Folk Festival on WDCB Public Radio, Chicago, Ill., referring to “Ridin’ Along” from One Breath (2022)
“Kaia Fowler is a tremendous lyricist. Her lyrics paint pictures and her musical notes add the color.” — The Americana Gazette (2010)
“It was a pleasure to host Kaia as a guest on Another Green World at WORT in Madison. It’s apparent — from her impressive guitar-work, beautiful voice, and intentional, evocative lyrics — that she is the real deal when it comes to both singing and songwriting. Our conversation was lively, and she speaks about her music with authenticity and grace. Plus, she’s so da*n sweet! We’d have her back anytime.” — Katie Hutchinson & Farmer Shaun, WORT FM 89.9, Madison, Wis. (2019)

BILL MILLER
2022-09-25 19:00 - 21:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to indicate whether you will dine here that night.
BILL MILLER

For over 30 years, Bill Miller’s music has amplified the whispers of Native peoples’ hearts, while bridging cultures around the world with his signature sound: thunder (the voice), wind (the Native American flute), water (the guitar), and soul (the story).
For this show Bill will concentrate on woodland flute and some of the rituals associated with it.
At the end of the night, he and Bill Camplin will do a couple of songs together.

SONG CIRCLE w/ TRICIA ALEXANDER
2022-09-29 18:30 - 20:30, 2022-11-17 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.

PETER MULVEY
2022-10-01 20:00 - 22:00
PETER MULVEY will do a rare solo show to launch October off properly.

BEATLES SINGALONG- FUNDRAISER-important info to note
2022-10-07 19:00 - 20:30
The Carpe will be open this Friday evening from 6 to 9, but WILL NOT BE SERVING FOOD.
Kitty has tested positive for COVID, and the Welch/Camplins will be isolating upstairs away from the madding crowd.
This will be a fun evening of various local musicians leading a singalong to their favorite Beatles songs.
Donations will be used to support the Democratic Party of Jefferson County .

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2022-10-15 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to indicate whether you are likely to eat here.
Lonesome Bill writhes again….
From the archives

SHERMAN LYONS book signing
2022-10-20 19:00 - 20:00
From Sherman:

About the book… It is a unique collection of poetry, written to uplift, motivate and inspire… Who ever reads this book. This book I dedicated to my Son who lost has battle with addiction, just over one year ago. The last conversation we shared was of him telling me to stop waiting and finish the book. Well… The Student became the Teacher… I finished The Book!.

About the Author: Spent most of my life in Illinois. I have now been a Fort Atkinson Wisconsin resident for 20 plus years. I love the small town living and the brotherly/sisterly love shown to neighbors as well as strangers. I am a single father, I work for and champion individuals with disabilities. I write poetry, songs and now books. I have performed as a rap artist, owned and operated a local talent music production company, I have been involved with programs that centered on mentoring young adults, I have coached pee wee league football and I’ve done some motivational speaking engagements. This Book was written from my spiritual energy and the words put together in the way I received them. I Self Published this Book, to honor the integrity and rawness of each message. “UNTAMED” Make no mistake, these are messages that will relate to some aspect of Your life, from one day to the next. Or should I say, Every Day That Ends In “Y”… “LET’S GET MOTIVATED”!!!

Sherman Lyons

KAREN JOHNSON
2022-10-21 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and indicate whether you will be dining here.
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 nothing compares to the amazing listening room at the Cafe’ Carpe. 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

KAIA FOWLER
2022-10-22 20:00 - 22:00
Glad we were able to reschedule- Kaia could not make her September gig. Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats, and to indicate whether you are likely to eat at the Carpe that night.
NOTA BENE: By artist request, audience members will be required to wear masks while in the listening room. This change is due to the recent increase in local COVID-19 cases. Thanks for doing your part to show this virus the door! Let’s keep each other as healthy as possible!
KAIA FOWLER creates music that speaks to the soul. Kaia’s passion, presence, warmth, and authenticity all invite listeners to open their hearts and transcend the everyday through song. A versatile guitarist with mastery of fingerstyle and strumming techniques, Kaia is best known for her beautiful voice, often described as having a soothing or healing quality.
Her latest album, One Breath, placed on the Folk Alliance International Top 50 Albums of the Month Chart for July 2022, receiving radio play from coast to coast in the U.S. and in Canada. The album, with mixing by Grammy award-winning engineer Charlie Pilzer, features songs of hope and healing. Special guest tracks on One Breathinclude “Take Shelter in Love” with harmony vocals and bouzouki arranged and performed by Joe Jencks; “Obon, Dance of Light” with Peter Phippen arranging and performing bamboo flutes and fender bass; and “Ridin’ Along” with Tricia Alexander on blues harmonica.
For Kaia, who also practices Reiki energy therapy, and serves as a life and wellbeing coach, music creation fits into a larger healing arts ministry. She extends her musical performances beyond stage and studio into communities where she promotes greater wellbeing and a sense of togetherness and Unity. Listeners describe Kaia’s voice and songs as inspiring comfort, courage, and connection. This calling to serve recently led her to open Kaia Fowler Arts & Wellbeing in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Learn more at kaiafowler.com/wellbeing.
Media quotes:
“Fabulous voice and song…” — Lilli Kuzma, host of Folk Festival on WDCB Public Radio, Chicago, Ill., referring to “Ridin’ Along” from One Breath (2022)
“Kaia Fowler is a tremendous lyricist. Her lyrics paint pictures and her musical notes add the color.” — The Americana Gazette (2010)
“It was a pleasure to host Kaia as a guest on Another Green World at WORT in Madison. It’s apparent — from her impressive guitar-work, beautiful voice, and intentional, evocative lyrics — that she is the real deal when it comes to both singing and songwriting. Our conversation was lively, and she speaks about her music with authenticity and grace. Plus, she’s so da*n sweet! We’d have her back anytime.” — Katie Hutchinson & Farmer Shaun, WORT FM 89.9, Madison, Wis. (2019)

PATSY O'BRIEN
2022-10-27 19:30 - 21:30
Hailing from Cork in the south of Ireland, award-winning songwriter and much sought-after guitarist PATSY O’BRIEN is renowned for his ability to meld songwriting and guitar styles seamlessly. It’s a trait that caught the attention of NPR who featured his arrangement of The Star Of The County Down (see below) on their All Songs Considered program.

“Falls in the void between Van Morrison, Robbie Robertson and Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson” -New Haven Advocate
“Smart, stylish…an outstanding singer guitarist.” -New York Irish Voice
“Wow wow WOW…. literally one of the best shows I’ve ever seen…engaging, wonderful songwriting, knock-your-socks-off guitar playing” – Concert review from Coaldale CO

Patsy has traversed the globe, guitar in hand, accompanying, creating and recording with some of the giants of Irish music. His travels hosting guitar and songwriting workshops and performing have led him to formulate his ideas into lessons and one-on-sessions based on his years of experience answering the questions and queries of an ever-growing band of music-lovers.
and the link to end all links (video/audio/website all inclusive)…
https://hyperfollow.com/patsyobrien

ALICE HOWE w/ Freebo
2022-10-28 20:30 - 22:30
To hear ALICE HOWE sing is to be enraptured by the natural, unaffected beauty of her voice. There’s no artifice, no histrionics — just honest, authentic, emotionally resonant singing in the tradition of the roots music that shaped her.
On Circumstance, her second and latest album, the Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter guitarist displays her vocal prowess and introspective writing in abundance, mining both her heart and her musical tastes for a deep, personal journey across an Americana soundscape dotted with blues, folk, country, soul and rock. Recorded in two sessions at the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where Etta James and Wilson Pickett once shook the walls, the record channels their spirits with 11 stirring tracks that pull no punches diving into the vagaries of the heart and her own personal journey. As an old soul inside a 30-something millennial, Alice puts her stamp on Americana’s venerable strands with 10 standout originals evoking both the classic singer-songwriters and the seminal music that once filled airwaves, roadhouses and juke joints.
Alice will be accompanied by FREEBO. Freebo is a genuine folk, rock and blues icon who, after over 40 years of recording and touring with many of the great artists of our time (Bonnie Raitt 10 years, CSN, Maria Muldaur, John Mayall, Ringo Starr, Dr. John, Neil Young, & many more) is regarded as one of the most gifted singer-songwriters of today. A multi-award winner and finalist in numerous songwriting contests, Freebo was also recognized as the ‘Best Folk Artist 2007’ by the Los Angeles Music Awards. In addition, he has appeared on Saturday Night Live, The Muppet Show, The Midnight Special, and in concert with the legendary Spinal Tap.

TONY FURTADO
2022-10-29 20:30 - 22:30
Americana Roots via a multi-instrumentalist with a dizzying musical toolbox
“…true talent doesn’t need categories.” ​-Relix Magazine
“…a major musical force without doubt. He has his black belt in voice, bottleneck guitar and his banjo playing scares the crap out of me.” -David Lindley
Very few musicians of any stripe so personify a musical genre as completely as TONY FURTADO embodies Americana roots music. Tony is an evocative and soulful singer, a wide-ranging songwriter and a virtuoso multi-instrumentalist adept on banjo, cello-banjo, slide guitar and baritone ukulele who mixes and matches sounds and styles with the flair of a master chef. Tony is also an accomplished and awarded sculptor. Visit the gallery and store to view and purchase his ceramic creations.
A native of Pleasanton, California, who now makes his home in Portland, Oregon, Tony Furtado took up the banjo at age 12, inspired by the Beverly Hillbillies television show and a sixth-grade music report. He ﬁrst attracted national attention in 1987, when he won the National Bluegrass Banjo Championship in Winﬁeld, Kansas. Not long after that, Tony opt-ed for the life of a full-time professional musician, joining Laurie Lewis & Grant Street. A second victory at Winﬁeld, in 1991, bookended his years with Grant Street.
In 1990, Tony signed a recording deal with Rounder Records, one of the country’s preeminent independent record companies. Beginning with Swamped in 1990, he recorded six critically acclaimed albums for the label, collaborating with such master musicians as Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Stuart Duncan, Kelly Joe Phelps and Mike Marshall. During this period, Tony also performed and recorded with the band SugarBeat and the Rounder Banjo Extravaganza with Tony Trischka and Tom Adams.
Beginning in the late 1990s – inﬂuenced by such musical heroes as Ry Cooder, David Lind-ley and Taj Mahal – Tony added slide guitar, singing and songwriting to his musical toolbox and began leading his own band. He is a tireless road musician who performs in a dizzying variety of formats: solo, in a duo or trio or with his full ﬁve-person band. He especially values the opportunities he has had to tour with such legendary musicians as Gregg Allman and with such esteemed slide guitarists as David Lindley, Derek Trucks and Sonny Landreth.
Tony has performed throughout the world at top venues and appeared at such prestigious music festivals as the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, High Sierra Music Festival, Jazz Aspen, Kerrville Folk Festival, Strawberry Music Festival, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Sisters Folk Festival, San Jose Jazz Festival and countless others.
“I love playing live,” he says. “All my energy is focused on the love of playing music and rolling with the moment. It’s a give and take from the audience to the stage, and back. And the music that is created is some-thing that otherwise might not occur without that ﬂow.” – Jon Hartley Fox

CHICAGO FARMER
2022-11-04 20:30 - 23:00
Buy ticket link lower on the page.
“Chicago Farmer represents the best qualities of Midwestern U.S.A. His lyrics, his stories and his heart are true. He’ll give you that feeling of ‘going home’. He’ll make you want to say all those things you’ve been meaning to say but were too afraid. At the same time his songs can make you ask yourself some deep questions. His songs give you hope. If you didn’t know him I believe just his voice would make you believe every word he says. Definitely one of my favorite singers out there today.”– Pokey LaFarge
“You can smell the dirt in the fields, hear the wind as it blows across the plains, and see the people that Chicago Farmer sings about. Each track captures a moment in time, whether for a person or a particular place. Imagine if a John Steinbeck short story had been written as a song, and this will give you a fairly good idea as to what the Chicago Farmer accomplishes on his albums.” – Honest Tune
“I love Chicago Farmer’s singing and playing and songs, but it’s the intention behind the whole of his work that moves me to consider him the genuine heir to Arlo Guthrie or Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. He knows the shell game that goes on under folk music… which is sacred to me. Chicago Farmer is my brother; if you like me, you’ll love him.”- Todd Snider

The son of a small town farming community, Cody Diekhoff logged plenty of highway and stage time under the name CHICAGO FARMER before settling in the city in 2003. Profoundly inspired by fellow midwesterner John Prine, he’s a working-class folk musician to his core.
“I love the energy, music, and creativity of Chicago, but at the same time, the roots and hard work of my small town,” he shares. Growing up in Delavan, Illinois, with a population less than 2,000, Diekhoff’s grandparents were farmers, and their values have always provided the baseline of his songs.
He writes music for “the kind of people that come to my shows. Whether in Chicago or Delavan, everyone has a story, and everyone puts in a long day and works hard the same way,” he says. “My generation may have been labeled as slackers, but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t work hard – many people I know put in 50-60 hours a week and 12 hour days. That’s what keeps me playing. I don’t like anyone to be left out; my music is for everyone in big and very small towns.”
He listened to punk rock and grunge as a kid before discovering a friend’s dad playing Hank Williams, and it was a revelation. Prine and Guthrie quickly followed. The name Chicago Farmer was originally for a band, but the utilitarian life of driving alone from bar to bar, city to city – to make a direct connection to his audience and listener, took a deeper hold.

“This is not your average ‘man with guitar.’ Chicago Farmer’s approach to solo folk music is traditional, but his soul & energy are uncommonly powerful. Arriving with his classic acoustic guitar style is a voice smooth but broken-in that sounds wise beyond its years. He will stomp out a beat in leather boots to drive home a point and throw down a handsome harmonica solo to put a song over the top. The songs are about the places he’s been and the people he’s met, so local ideas are abound in this music from the heart.”- CBS Chicago

ANNA TIVEL TRIO/ Christopher Porterfield of Field Report
2022-11-05 20:30 - 23:00
“Singer-songwriters are often called poets. In truth, only a few deliver the deep insight and sense of the new that breaking through the predictable achieves. Anna Tivel is one.” NPR, Ann Powers

“Everything here is testament to her storytelling gifts (she’s been likened to Steinbeck and I suspect she may have a novel or short stories collection in her) with her finely drawn characters and observations of an emotional life that ranges from defiance to regret, joy to sadness.” — Folk Radio UK

Bio follows ticket link.

Oregon-based songwriter ANNA TIVEL’s newest album Outsiders starts with a lens so wide that we have left the planet to look back from a great distance at the turmoil and beauty of our shared humanity. From there, the lens pulls close and unfolds in a gripping collection of stories so often ignored. Tivel’s flawed and honest characters move through a landscape of hurt and loss, of small triumph and big love. In 11 songs full of recognition, veracity and hope, Tivel’s watchful and empathetic eye details the undeniable ache of living.
Outsiders, look up / The night is dark but brilliant and it turns out we are not so different
Recorded almost entirely live to tape in Rock Island, IL with producer and multi-instrumentalist Shane Leonard and engineer Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens), the album is a truly collaborative exploration. Tivel gathered the same vibrant group of friends from her acclaimed record, The Question, which NPR heralded as “one of the most ambitious folk records of 2019.”
“We holed up together in a little house a few miles from the studio,” she says, “walked there every day to sink deep into the music. No one had heard the songs beforehand, and I would play each one sitting on the floor trying to convey the gut feeling. Then we’d face each other in a circle and feel our way through, working to find the heart of each song in a few takes. Shane brings this layer of uninhibited magic to every session, setting the stage for everyone to listen deep and react with open doors. He gives himself as fully to sonic atmosphere as I do to words and I have a great amount of trust in his vision and admiration for the care he takes with the world of each song.”
While writing the album in 2019-20, Tivel found herself circling back again and again to this idea of otherness. “The deep division and ugly rhetoric being amplified–especially in the US–seeped into everything I wrote. I kept wanting to explore this feeling of being unseen, profoundly lonely and disconnected, and how it affects our perception of the world and our place in it,” she says. “Outsiders is an album about looking more deeply into ourselves and each other, really trying to see and examine the internal and external forces that keep us from connecting in real ways and the forces that draw us together.”
Throughout her work, Tivel has emphasized storytelling and this album is no exception, building on the strength of her ability to observe and reflect with a clear-eyed empathy. Inspired by authors from Steinbeck to Morrison, Didion to Dubus, she imbues her songs with attentive detail and a dreamlike quality that leaves the ordinary feeling both palpable and poetic. “Tivel’s characters are common but unforgettable,” NPR’s Ann Powers writes, “Her images linger, and become populated with the energy of the real.”
Outsiders will be released by Mama Bird Recording Co. on August 19th.
Hundreds of thousands of miles away, the endless expanse of a dream / Pausing the burning of cities to say we are beautiful when we believe
All this, plus CHRIS PORTERFIELD of Field Report opens!

MARK HEMBREE BAND
2022-11-11 20:30 - 22:30
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to indicate whether you are likely to eat here this evening.
The MARK HEMBREE BAND
Mark Hembree -bass, Trent Cuthbert -guitar/mando, Paul Kienitz -fiddle, Michael Falk -banjo
It’s straight-ahead, traditional bluegrass: hot picking, solid rhythm, tight harmonies, good humor, and a wealth of great stories make for an enjoyable show anytime you see the Mark Hembree Band.About That HembreeMark Hembree started his music career in Wisconsin in the 1970s, and before long he was hosting a live radio show from the Glenmore Opera House near Green Bay. After a couple of years in Denver with the Monroe Doctrine, he returned to Wisconsin briefly before an audition at a local festival netted a job with Country Music Hall of Fame legend Bill Monroe, the Father of Bluegrass Music. He became a Blue Grass Boy in 1979 and worked with Monroe for five years, then was one of the founding members of the Nashville Bluegrass Band. While in Nashville he recorded with several well-known artists, including the all-star band Dreadful Snakes (with Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck, Roland White, Blaine Sprouse, and Pat Enright) and Peter Rowan (on the Grammy-nominated album “New Moon Rising”). He returned to Wisconsin in 1989, played with local bluegrass groups the Rounders and Nob Hill Boys, and Western swing bands the Western Box Turtles (including Asleep at the Wheel steel guitarist Eddie Rivers) and his own group, the Best Westerns.Additionally, Hembree has appeared as a guest lecturer and instructor at various music workshops, seminars, and film presentations, as well as in Bill Monroe tribute shows on “A Prairie Home Companion” and at North Carolina’s MerleFest (performing with Del McCoury, Roland White, Blake Williams, Peter Rowan, and Bobby Hicks). He also appears in the feature-length documentary film “Powerful: Bill Monroe Remembered,” directed by Joe Gray and produced by the International Bluegrass Music Museum.The Band
As experienced journeymen of the WI bluegrass scene scene, Paul Kienitz, Michael Falk and Trent Cuthbert (New Pioneers, Nob Hill Boys, Sweet Grass, Squirrel Gravy, Dance Around Molly, etc.)…you can count on solid back-up, a unique blend of driving classics, original songs and masterly instrumentals that support the bands sound.

LUKE CALLEN BAND/ Old Pup
2022-11-12 20:30 - 22:30
LUKE CALLEN
At the intersection of Harry Smith’s Old Weird America – the songs of heartworn highways – and the tumult of today you can find the music of Luke Callen. The songs – equal parts tragic comedy and hopeless reverie – paint a picture of the places and people that make up his earthly home. A poet – a player – a folk singer – Luke has traversed his country unraveling tall tales – short tunes and all that’s hidden underneath. Full bio below ticket info.

Originally from the river town of La Crosse, Wisconsin – the heart of the Driftless Region on the Mississippi River – and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota by way of Colorado Luke brings his humble sense of humor and humanity wherever he may go. His last two solo albums – I’ll Take it With Me (2017) and below your knows (2019) – reach from the ethereal to the eternally real – whimsical walks in the out of doors to hopelessness and heartache and all the in betweens.
Luke has played hundreds of shows spanning both coasts, the American west, south and heartland. He has had the opportunity to provide support for Dom Flemons, Dead Horses, The Dustbowl Revival, Kacy & Clayton, James McMurtry, Whiskey Shivers, Charlie Parr, The Lowest Pair, The Last Revel, Lilly Hiatt, Chicago Farmer, and Robbie Fulks among others – You can follow his travels on Facebook – Instagram or in real actual life.
“No dog ever eats Luke Callen’s homework. He does it all. He turns it in ahead of time. Not for a grade. Not for extra credit. It’s his work and he’s good at it. Poet. Singer. Player. Just listen. First he captures your attention. You want to make comparisons with the giants whose shoulders he stood on. But don’t. He’s plenty tall enough in his own bare feet and his shoulders are wide enough to hold up the next batch of poets, singers, players. Keep listening. Now he captures your imagination. Luke is the hitch-hiker who picks you up. Get in. Toss your bindle in the back. Have you got a couple bucks for gas? No matter. He’s going take you all around the world. Pay attention. He’s going to show you everything that’s in it. And it’s right Below Your Knows.”
-Eddie Allen
“Take heed, take heed, Luke Callen has a great new song “a walk out of doors” from his upcoming album, Below Your Knows. An album built out of the roots that once was American folk music. It’s simple, earthy, and raw. “A walk out of doors” is the first track off the album and it is nothing short of a masterpiece. It’s beautiful and gritty. I don’t know if it’s the tonal quality of the resonator, or Callen’s vocals, but I could listen to this song ten thousand times and never grow tired. The lyrics paint a beautiful picture, the resonator places you within the picture, and Callen’s voice makes it so you never want to leave. I feel like I’m sitting down around a campfire listening to Callen as if he’s right there in front of me. It’s incredibly intimate and I want nothing more than to witness him performing the song live.”
– lttlbrthr
Milwaukee band OLD PUP opens.

ERIK KOSKINEN/ LONG MAMA- SOLD OUT
2022-11-18 20:30 - 22:30
Looking forward to a great night with 2 great acts. LONG MAMA had to cancel their last gig due to COVID, so this will be their first shot at the Carpe. ERIK, who produced their new record, is a seasoned Carper.
LONG MAMA: Songwriter Kat Wodtke leads Andrew Koenig and Nick Lang (Ryan Necci & the Buffalo Gospel), along with Samuel Odin (Horseshoes & Hand Grenades), on a haunting journey of wide-open spaces and tight spots, each song blistering with heart and grit.
​With a penchant for the theatrical, Wodtke’s songs weave tall and not-so-tall tales of mountain manhunts, doomed honeymoons, stalled engines, and gravel roads into an experience as captivating as the landscapes she’s traveled. Her longtime love affair with classic country, folk, Americana, R&B, and punk music braids each into Long Mama’s singular sound.
Poor Pretender, Long Mama’s debut LP out October 28, was engineered by Erik Koskinen and recorded live over a long, snowy weekend in small-town Minnesota. The album showcases the band’s particular ability to conjure the beautiful in the broken, the silver in the ore. Shimmering below the surface of each song is Wodtke’s lived insight into our human faults and fissures: the moments in life when we can slip and lose our footing…or claw our way out, better people on the other side of the canyon.
A blend of American folk, country, rock-n-roll, and blues, ERIK KOSKINEN realizes a sound that is distinctive and fresh while familiar and classic. Erik has recently released Burning The Deal on Real Phonic Records/Tone Tree Music. The “Big Plane” video clip features Amelia Fleetwood (daughter of Mick) and the track is out now.
Koskinen’s albums are a lyrical and musical metaphor of America’s theaters of war, history, relationships, and reflections in the mirror. Burning The Deal was produced by Koskinen and Bernie Larsen (Melissa Etheridge, Jackson Browne) and recorded by Jason Mariani (Mumford & Sons, Kenny Loggins) at Brotheryn Studios in Ojai, California.
Knowing but not didactic, Koskinen channels the ways of Whitman and reverently enters the anthology of uniquely crafted wry songs with the likes of Woody Guthrie and Ry Cooder while speaking as plainly as your neighbor. The Minneapolis Star Tribune calls Koskinen “the real deal” and “the best country songwriter in Minnesota.”
Koskinen just completed a tour out west with frequent collaborator Jeffrey Foucault.

MIKE DOWLING-
2022-11-19 20:30 - 22:30
So excited to have the fabulous Mike back in our country and our room.
MIKE DOWLING
“Dowling is one of the most relaxed and highly skilled acoustic guitar players of his generation that I have ever heard. Everything he performs appears natural and deceptively effortless and with a tone, particularly when he plays slide guitar that is very much his own and that very few others can emulate. His vocals have an engaging edge and alongside his consummate guitar skills there was nothing to criticize. After a number of encores a member of the audience spontaneously stood up and gave a heartfelt thanks to Mike for such a wonderful evening.” – Blues in Britain, performance review
Mike digs deep into the musical bag of American roots guitar, favoring the melodic Piedmont style of acoustic blues masters like Mississippi John Hurt and slide great Tampa Red. But Mike can’t be pigeonholed as a blues player, or even as a fingerstylist. From bottleneck blues to vintage jazz and much more in between, Mike’s musicality, depth, and mastery of the instrument translates fluently to flattop, archtop, and resonator guitars alike.

LOST SOULS
2022-11-25 20:00 - 23:00
the new tradition of the newly-plated LOST SOULS playing the day after Thanksgiving
Buy tickets following bio
Americana, folk, blues and humor (intentional & otherwise…), 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 What’s His Name & Some Other Guys, 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. Kenny on the upright bass.

HAYWARD WILLIAMS/ Paul Mitch
2022-11-26 20:30 - 22:30
Purchase tickets below bios.
HAYWARD WILLIAMS is a veteran singer/songwriter from Milwaukee, WI. With seven full length records under his belt, Williams is set to release his latest effort: Every Color Blue. A Soul record of the highest order in a time when Soul is needed the most.
Growing up in Wisconsin in the 80’s and 90’s convinced Hayward Williams to search for something more out there in the world. Foregoing higher education, he joined a band and learned much about what to do and what not to do in the Midwest music scene. Playing in pubs for many years , getting thick skin and finding a notably sharp tongue, avenues opened up to Williams. Headlining European tours, major US festivals and a few trips to Australia later, Hayward has carved out an impressive niche in the folk music business.
Williams’ The Reef, was produced by venerated songwriter, friend and collaborator Jeffrey Foucault. Utilizing an impressive rhythm section of Billy Conway (Morphine) on drums and Jeremy Moses Curtis (Booker T, Levon Helm, Session Americana) on bass, The Reef is an unequaled Americana record with soaring vocals and hooks that dig in deep. “The surprisingly soulful voice of Milwaukee-based singer/songwriter Hayward Williams emanates from a slight, almost unassuming figure, yet that voice is imbued with so much power, it’s difficult to imagine it coming from anywhere other than midway between Memphis and Muscle Shoals… The Reef is an album to return to again and again.” – Allan Wilkinson, Northern Sky Magazine (UK)
Every Color Blue was slated to be recorded in Chicago during the spring of 2020. Obviously, that didn’t happen. With musicians spread across the country in lockdown, changes had to be made. Music making became a therapeutic exercise for those stuck in a world where everything else had come to a halt. Eight original tunes and four songs written by dear friends, Jeffrey Foucault, Kris Delmhorst, J. Hardin and John Statz, make up the whole of this soulful revue. Jeremy Moses Curtis (Bass/Producer), Charlie Koltak (Drums) and Brooks Milgate (Keys) are the backbone of this impressive line-up of friends and collaborators who were let off the chain to create something that is truly missing in the new world we live in, Soul.
Praise for Hayward’s previous release: Pretenders “Often dark, always honest and in the groove, Williams continues to break new ground in new traditional folk rock. There’s a ghostly spirit that floats through the songs on “Pretenders.” Williams is a wary caretaker of those spirits. His songs brim with the smoke and mirror lyricism of Leonard Cohen—with the rocker’s heart of Neil Young.” -Andy Moore ISTHMUS (Madison, WI)
PAUL MITCH is a multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer in southern Wisconsin. Paul is a seasoned veteran of both the studio and the stage, cutting his teeth as a freelance engineer and performer in Chicago and throughout the midwest. In addition to his solo work, Paul is half of midwest folk-americana group Lost Lakes with fellow songwriter Corey Mathew Hart. Paul’s latest album “Echoes & Shadows” has been dubbed “ a well-worn, contemplative piece of Americana” with lyrics that “paint a narrative tied to turbulence” by Tone Madison.

JOHNSMITH
2022-12-02 20:00 - 22:00
Ticket link follows bio-
JOHNSMITH is one of those artists so often under-recognized – he possesses a genius that cannot be denied, ignored, or overlooked. For the past forty-plus years, Johnsmith has been sharing his music all across America and abroad. He has become a favorite at festivals, clubs, and house concerts alike. In addition to being a Kerrville New Folk Winner, Johnsmith has released nine solo CDs to rave reviews, leads musical tours to Ireland, leads Idaho rafting trips, teaches songwriting, and has served as a staff songwriter in Nashville.
With his faded jeans, his twinkly blue eyes, and his infectious smile, John immediately connects with audiences. You get the sense of a man who loves his life, his family and friends, and who loves nothing more than sharing that love in song and stories all across this land.
