Cafe Carpe

ELLIS PAUL
2014-06-12 20:00 - 22:30 (America/Chicago)
“A singer songwriter is only as good as the times he reflects. In times like these, when so many nuts are running the show, it’s comforting to know that Ellis Paul is actually holding our sanity on his own stage! Wise, tender, brilliant and biting, Ellis is one of our best human compasses, marking in melodies and poems where we’ve been and where we might go if we so choose to. Personally Ellis, I’m goin’ where you’re goin’!” –Nora Guthrie (Woody Guthrie’s daughter)
Ellis Paul is one of the leading voices in American songwriting and one of the top songwriters to emerge out of the fertile Boston folk scene. He helped create a movement that revitalized the national acoustic circuit with an urban, literate, folk rock style that helped renew interest in the genre in the 90’s.
His charismatic, personally authentic performance style has influenced a generation of artists away from the artifice of pop, and closer towards the realness of folk. Though he remains among the most pop-friendly of today’s singer-songwriters – his songs regularly appear in hit movie and TV soundtracks – he has bridged the gulf between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger more successfully than perhaps any of his songwriting peers.

THE *HITUNAUTS this night is sold out
2014-06-07 20:30 - 23:00
Not for the low-fat crowd- this is the cream of the crop of Wisconsin musicians. Strength in Voice, Instrumentation, Lyrics, Entertainment, these guys are VILE.
What’s not to like- except them, a bunch of knobs?
I meant nauts. “They will go as far as outer space to bring you the truth. I shit you not, my friends.”
Call now to reserve your seats. It’s a dog-eat-dog world.
WILLY PORTER PETER MULVEY BILL CAMPLIN RANDY SABIEN

THE *HITUNAUTS- this show is sold out
2014-06-06 20:30 - 23:00

THE *HITUNAUTS- SABIEN CAMPLIN MULVEY PORTER
2014-06-05 20:00 - 22:30

OPEN STAGE
2014-05-31 20:00 - 22:30, 2014-05-30 20:00 - 22:30, 2014-05-24 20:00 - 22:30, 2014-05-17 20:00 - 22:30, 2014-05-02 20:00 - 22:30, 2014-04-18 20:00 - 22:30, 2014-04-05 20:00 - 22:30

GREG TROOPER / JOHN SIEGER/ LARRY PENN
2014-05-29 20:00 - 22:00
Three wonderful songwriters will participate in a fabulous songswap.
New Jersey born Nashvillean GREG TROOPER discovered a sort of holy musical trinity in the work of Otis Redding, Bob Dylan, and Hank Williams, with their guiding lights of passion, literary dexterity and plainspoken honesty, informing his music with Memphis soul, Greenwich Village folk and Nashville twang.
Trooper has made an impact on the music scenes in all the places he’s lived since leaving home after high school: Austin, Texas, Lawrence, Kansas, Nashville and New York. Music critics praise his poetic feel, infectious melodies and insightful lyrics. Americana star Buddy Miller produced 1998’s ‘Popular Demons’ album, while soul legend Dan Penn steered 2005’s extraordinary ‘Make It Through This World’.
His songs have been recorded by numerous artists including: Vince Gill, Steve Earle, Billy Bragg, Robert Earl Keen, Maura O’Connell, Lucy Kaplansky and Tom Russell.
And there is praise:
“Greg Trooper writes great songs, including one of my very favorite songs in the world, Little Sister. On top of all that, there’s his voice – an instrument I have coveted for 15 years.” – Steve Earle
“Greg Trooper has got to be on our list of our finest contemporary songwriters.” – Billy Bragg
“Greg Trooper is a songwriter and performer who deserves about 12 times the attention he’s received. He knows how to play rock against country and folk and position the pressures of adulthood against the longing for adolescent freedom.” – Dave Marsh
Trooper’s lyrical manner is poignant and his singing is patient and evocative. –No Depression
Greg Trooper’s roots-rock can lean toward soul or country or Dylan, and it’s filled with yearning and promises – Jon Pareles (New York Times)
“Great stuff from one of the great American songwriters” – Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2.
On “Upside-Down Town” all of Trooper’s skills are on display: the great storytelling, the lovely melodies, an enviable supply of wit and charm but most of all his compassion for the vulnerable and heartbroken. – Ryan Scott, The Nation
His friend JOHN SIEGER is a Milwaukee gem, known as a prolific and talented songwriter with a semi-country bent whose songs have impressed Dwight Yoakam, Jerry Harrison, The BoDeans, Robbie Fulks and Flaco Jimenez enough to record them. He has been in numerous Milwaukee bands, including the R&B Cadets, Semi-Twang, the SubContinentals. Roots rock, country, R&B- John runs the gamut.
Fellow Milwaukeean LARRY PENN sings and tells stories of hard work, working people, trains, trucks, life on the road, love, nonsense, and flamingos. Noted for their elegance in simplicity, his songs are not only popular with audiences, but are acclaimed by other artists, many of whom have recorded their own renditions of Larry’s songs. His performances are delightful.

BIG BANG STRING THING
2014-05-23 20:00 - 22:30
BIG BANG STRING THING It’s rare when the word acoustic conjures thoughts of music that can electrify the jump in your feet. Then again, BBST is a rare group, and an impressive collective of musical might. Energetic, contagious, and flat out fun, BBST weaves a sizzling thread through multiple genres to deliver a tapestry of award-winning original music that defies one description,yet, connects with everyone. Perhaps that has a something to do with the fact that BBST is made up of veteran musicians who have toured, recorded, or shared the stage with Leo Kottke, The String Cheese Incident, Lyle Lovett, The Smashing Pumpkins, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, John Hartford, U2, Asleep at the Wheel, Garbage, Willy Porter, Riders in the Sky, The Radiators, David Grisman, Alex DeGrassi, Doc Watson, Carrie Newcomer, and Merl Saunders and the Rainforest Band to name a few. Or, it could simply be that Big Bang String Thing knows how to craft a great sound.
THE BAND:
Bob Westfall (mandolin, guitar, vocals, songwriting) has studied and worked with some of the top acoustic players in the country -Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, John Hartford, and Alex DeGrassi. But, while these influences are certainly evident, Westfall’s songwriting are uniquely his own. An award-winning mandolinist, Bob grew up in Texas and Minnesota, and his style incorporates the best elements of storytelling with a hybrid jazz/pop/worldbeat/bluegrass feel.
The husband and wife team ofMary Gaines(bass) and Chris Wagoner (violin) provide the bottom and top of the BBST sound, and have appeared in performance and on recordings with Westfall for over fifteen years. Gaines and Wagoner have similarly diverse backgrounds — formal classical training at the Univ. of WI, jazz studies with the great bassist, Richard Davis, followed by years of performing and recording with jazz, blues, rock, and folk artists and songwriters.
Micah Olsan (guitar) has been an active performer in the Midwest music scenes for the last five years. His diverse songwriting mixes elements of folky acoustic fingerstyle, funk, rock, and world music into a distinct sound that will leave your head bobbing and your toes tapping. His guitar work was recognized in the 2010 Shepherd Express reader poll when he was awarded runner up for best guitarist. He has been playing with BBST for the last 5 years.

ERIK KOSKINEN
2014-05-16 20:30 - 23:00
ERIK KOSKINEN
Erik is coming to us through the recommendation of his friends the Pines. Since moving to Minneapolis eight years ago, Koskinen has amassed a following as a musician, songwriter, producer and engineer. With experience stemming from years of traveling north to south and coast to coast, Koskinen taps those adventures and encounters in his second album, the follow-up to the acclaimed Keep It to Yourself.
Erik Koskinen’s America Theatre is a translucent eulogy to the genuine. Musically sprouted from the blend of American folk, country, rock-n-roll, and blues, Koskinen and his top-shelf band realize a sound that is distinctive and fresh while familiar and classic. From the tender opener, “First Time in Years” to the defiant “Six Pack of Beer” to “Boomtown,” a track that flays the history of the west’s settlement from bedrock to fracking with a locomotive’s force of barbwire guitars, marching bass and cracking drums, Koskinen moves the listener through a landscape of personal and social struggles, as well as small triumphs, of our nation and its people. Ending on the quiet heartbreaker and breath taker, “Slow Burn,” Koskinen’s album is a lyrical and musical metaphor of American’s theaters of war, of history, of relationships, and of the reflections in the mirror. 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. Koskinen joins the ranks of chief musicians and sharp wordsmiths.

BILL CAMPLIN b AND
2014-05-10 20:30 - 23:00

RAY BONNEVILLE
2014-05-09 20:30 - 23:00
RAY BONNEVILLE has just released Easy Gone.
On this, his fourth Red House Records album, Bonneville delivers 10 reasons why patience pays off. In each, his guitarwork shimmers like stars emerging at dusk. His voice carries the rich, natural timbre of time, though underneath that pearl-like smoothness, one hears its gritty core. His harmonica rhythms add even more texture to his sound.
Produced by Bonneville and Justin Douglas, Easy Gone wears the faded denim of a man who knew when he “said I do to a highway,” as he sings in “Who Do Call the Shots,” that it wasn’t going to be an easy marriage. But he also knew divorce was not an option, and affirms his vows in soulful lyrics that balance thoughtful observation, impassioned emotion and the restless soul of a wanderer.
Bonneville headed to Austin in 2006, and released Goin’ By Feel, his second Red House album. Allmusic.com gave it four stars, the same as Gust of Wind, Roll It Down and Bad Man’s Blood — which it calls his “magnum opus,” noting, “With darkness and light fighting for dominance … he’s stripped away every musical excess to let the songs speak for themselves.”
“I have roughly 12 lines to make a story, so every one has to trigger the listener’s imagination,” he explains. “I want my songs to be believed, so I work on them until I believe them myself.”
On Easy Gone, songs like “When I Get to New York,” “Mile Marker 41” and “Love is Wicked” percolate with hints of something sinister and sexy. In the bluesy “Wicked,” you can almost hear the finger-poppers lurking in the club’s corners — the ones who might get a little wicked themselves later on. Even the album’s lone cover, of Hank Williams’ classic, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” carries a groove and momentum that’s Bonneville’s alone. It’s haunting, like many of his songs. He populates a lot of them with society’s fringes: the desperate and dangerous, damaged and vulnerable.
“I like the criminals and the lost people,” he says. “That’s why I love Flannery O’Connor and those kind of writers. ’Cause I’m lost myself.”
Whether that’s true or not, he knows how hard it can be for our internal compasses to lock on the direction in which we might need to go. That’s the subject of “Where Has My Easy Gone,” written with drummer Geoff Arsenault. In it, he sings, In the heart of a seeker a needle swings/homing on some elusive thing/I looked in the endless sky down along the sea/I could not find my easy.
With just a few simple words, Bonneville clearly expresses his thoughts, while allowing space for multiple interpretations. Which, of course, is the essence of great songwriting, the kind that earned him an International Blues Challenge solo/duet win in 2012. He doesn’t pretend to understand how he finds that essence, however.
“The whole songwriting thing, to me, is mysterious, and I want to keep it that way,” Bonneville says.
Ultimately, what matters is knowing how to translate the mystery into music, and that, he understands perfectly.

THE NEW PIONEERS
2014-05-08 19:00 - 21:00

MIKE BLAKELY
2014-05-03 20:30 - 22:30
MIKE BLAKELY has released 11 CDs, performed all over the U.S., and made 16 tours to Europe. His songs have been recorded by Gary P. Nunn, Red Steagall, Flaco Jimenez and Raul Malo, john Arthur martinez, Randy Brown, Geronimo Trevino III and Johnny Rodriguez, Johnny Bush, Pauline Reese, and others.
Also an author, Mike has published 17 books released by major New York City publishers. His last two books were co-writes: one with Willie Nelson (A Tale Out of Luck), the other with Kenny Rogers (What Are The Chances). Mike is a two-time winner of Western Writers of America’s Spur Award – once for best western novel of the year, and once for best western song of the year. He has also been nominated several times for “Entertainer of the Year” by the Texas Music Awards.

THE FOMA/ MODERN DEFIANCE
2014-04-26 20:30 - 22:30
Local carpenters Robert Preston, Skip Armstrong and Mark Furst are sharing their love of playing together with the rest of us. blues, funk, electric folk, electronica, psychedelia, spoken word

THE BRIARPICKERS
2014-04-25 20:00 - 22:30
THEBRIAR PICKERS
The BriarPickers are a violin/mandolin duet based in southern WI, melding traditional Appalachian folk melodies with classical chamber music sensibilities. This conversational paradigm is the thread woven through the coupling of old-time ‘rustic’ properties with the intrinsic chamber music approach; being that of constructed or made in a plain and simple fashion and a small number of performers, with one performer to a part. Resulting is their self-dubbed “rustic chamber music”…a collage of sounds evoking imagery and emotions that take the players and audience on a journey together to different times and places.
The pedigrees run deep with this ensemble featuring mandolinist Brian Ray, fiddler, Paul Kienitz with special guests, fiddler extraordinaire, Shauncey Ali and banjo master, Jon Peik.
Come enjoy an evening of a “rustic chamber music” journey with the BriarPickers!

NOW WHAT? RETURN OF THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE (a play)
2014-04-19 20:00 - 21:00
TAPIT Theater brings in the zombies with its one-act comedy.
You know how it is with zombies – they keep coming back. The next expected zombie outbreak is here at the Café Carpe.
Performing Now What in a café, instead of a theater, is like releasing this action-packed comedy into its natural environment. That’s because Now What sets the Zombie Apocalypse in a coffee shop. A successful businesswoman dealing with identity theft, a barista facing both a break-up and college graduation, a gender-ambiguous prepper and a mysterious but not well-wrapped woman who claims she works for the NSA find themselves thrown together as the world lurches to an end. As members of this motley crew struggle for survival, they gain new insights into themselves, the meaning of community and the surprising survival uses for stir sticks.
Taking full advantage of everything audience members think they know about zombies, this comedy lampoons society’s apocalyptic obsessions, and reminds us that even after you’ve gone over the edge, tomorrow is still the first day of the rest of your life.
Directed by Meghan Randolph and written by Danielle Dresden, Now What is performed by Nedra Bobo, Francisco Torres, Donna Peckett and Dresden, with costumes by Rebecca Sites and appearances by guest zombies.
Since its premiere in November 2013, Now What and its original and undead cast have left a trail of tickled funny bones from Akron, Ohio to Madison, Wisconsin.
Please call the Carpe to reserve. Contact TAPIT/new works Ensemble Theater at info@tapitnewworks.org or 608-244-2938 for more information about the Zombie Apocalypse.

THE 442'S
2014-04-17 20:00 - 22:00
The 442’s an acoustic quartet, combines two outstanding members of the St. Louis Symphony with two of the city’s finest jazz musicians.
What happens when you combine two outstanding members of the world-class St. Louis Symphony with two of the city’s finest jazz musicians from the Erin Bode Group? You get The 442’s, an exciting new acoustic instrumental quartet named for the modern standard tuning of 442 Hz! Brought together by the innovative and inspired compositions of Adam Maness, who also plays guitar, accordion, melodica and glockenspiel in the group, The 442’s features Shawn Weil on violin, Bjorn Ranheim on cello and Sydney Rodway on bass. This unique collaboration, formed in the spring of 2012 by a tight-knit group whose love of good food and fine beer makes rehearsals feel like dinner parties, combines outstanding musicianship, group singing, inventive improvisation, whistle solos and special guest appearances by famed jazz vocalist, Erin Bode. Exploring the boundaries of jazz, classical, folk and rock music, their music can move you to the edge of your seat or comfort you like a lullaby, all within the same set.Originally inspired by the Grammy Award Winning album, The Goat Rodeo Sessions – a collaborative album by Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile – The 442’s were born of a common musical inquisitiveness and a search for new and exciting musical possibilities. Their search already has taken them to venues as varied as Powell Symphony Hall, Cyrano’s Cafe, and the Tavern of Fine Arts (in St. Louis) and, soon, the Cafe Carpe.

SAM LLANAS
2014-04-12 20:30 - 23:00
SAM LLANAS is a singer, acoustic guitarist, and songwriter in several rock and roots rock bands active from the 1980s to the 2000s, including the BoDeans and Absinthe. Sam is known for his distinctive voice, the voice by which many identify the Bodeans. Sam is appearing here once again with his fine band, Ryan Schiedermayer, Sean Williamson and Matt Turner, who play wonderfully to our small room, putting on a great show each time.
Llanas was one of the founding members of the roots rock band the BoDeans, which he formed with high school friend Kurt Neumann in Waukesha, Wisconsin. In 1985, after adding Guy Hoffman (drums) in 1984 and Bob Griffin (bass), the quartet signed a contract with Slash/Warner Records and shortened their name to the BoDeans.
Under the guidance of producer T-Bone Burnett, they entered Hollywood’s Sunset Sound Factory in October to record their first album. The critically-acclaimed debut Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams was released in 1986. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band had several singles in the top 40 “mainstream rock” charts. In the mid-1990s, the band had two top 10 songs in the “Adult contemporary” charts.
The BoDeans took some time off in the late 1990s so Neumann and Llanas could record solo albums. Llanas founded Absinthe, with the help of Milwaukee musicians Jim Eannelli (guitars and bass) and Guy Hoffman (formerly of Oil Tasters and Violent Femmes, currently of Radio Romeo). They have released one album, 1998’s A Good Day To Die. In 2011 Sam Llanas released 4 A.M. (The Way Home) and left the BoDeans to pursue his solo career.
Remember to call to reserve seats.

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2014-04-11 20:00 - 22:30

THE NEW PIONEERS
2014-04-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Cafe Carpe, Fort Atkinson
This five piece bluegrass ball of fire featuring vocals, banjo, fiddle, guitar, bass and mandolin appears here regularly on the 2nd Thursday of the month except when they don’t. Its various members have been involved with traditional music locally, regionally, and nationally for many years.
The Pioneer’s lead singer and guitarist, Jerry Wicentowski, has been described by country music historian Bill Malone as “One of the finest singers in bluegrass music”. Jerry has also performed and recorded with such bluegrass greats as Tim O’Brien, Andy Statman, Byron Berline, Tony Trischka and others. Mike Schmidt of Spring Green, Wisconsin, is the group’s banjo player. This former French horn player has been a Nashville session musician and member of the popular Wisconsin-based bluegrass bands, Alive ‘n’ Pickin’ and the Piper Road Spring Band. He also performs occasionally with his wife Lori. Bruce King of Art Stevenson and High Water – also formerly of Alive ‘n’ Pickin’ – is on mandolin. Bruce and Mike are veterans of the Great Northern Bluegrass Festival in Mole Lake, WI – performing there every year from 1977 to 1982. Fiddle player Paul Kienitz is a member in good standing of regional bluegrass favorites, The Nob Hill Boys. Bass player John Jirak also has played banjo with various folks in the northeastern WI and Madison areas, most notably with the Green Bay based Fox River Flyer. As a bass player, he’s performed shows with the Chicago Bluegrass Band, Miltown Ramblers, Krause Family, Old Cool, Spare Time Bluegrass Band, Bob Steeno and The Old Truck, and Down From the Hills, and currently Madison’s newest, Kettle Moraine.

THE FAUXTONS/ Jill & the JAX
2014-04-04 20:00 - 22:00 | Cafe Carpe, Fort Atkinson, WI, United States
The Fauxtons (pronounced photons) will travel at light speed from Madison to Fort Atkinson to bring you Americana music with an indie influence. The Fauxtons are comprised of four versatile elementary particles. Drummer Brian Bentley (Headpump, BingBong, Jim James and the Damn Shames) is a sled dog musher, even in the polar vortex. Bass player and vocalist Michael Gruber (Jim James and the Damn Shames, Mark Croft) is a multi-instrumentalist and composer. Guitar player Danny Hicks (Arena Venus, BingBong, The Back 40’s) uses his technical expertise to produce the richest sounding guitar tone in the midwest. Guitar player and vocalist Annelies Howell (The German Art Students, The Back 40’s) bounces, rocks, or literally bends over backward to create a great sound.
Jill & the JAX hail from the idyllic environs of Fort Atkinson. The JAX feature John (JAK) Kleinschmidt on rhythm guitar, lead and harmony vocals, and the occasional corny joke. Jill Kessenich hates jokes, but she loves singing with John, and providing some more rhythm on mandolin and tambourizta (from her Bohemian roots). Steve (T-bone) Tesmer takes the lead solos on his kick-A Dobro™. Craig (Fizz-neck) Ficenec is our newest member, and provides a solid bass line for all of us. He also amuses us with his tales of college garage band antics.

RACHAEL DAVIS
2014-03-29 20:00 - 22:00
Rachael Davis
What people say about Rachael:
Mary Lou Lord: “[Rachael sings] with the voice of the most beautiful color you’ve never seen.
Susan Werner: “We don’t have Eva Cassidy anymore but we do have Rachael Davis”
Eddie From Ohio: “With a voice that moving – we could listen to her sing the alphabet all night and that would be enough.”
Ellis Paul: “Rachael Davis . . . has one of those voices that you know will somehow find its way to a national spotlight . . . keep an eye — and an ear — out for her”
Claudia Schmidt: “Rachael is a bold explorer in the undefined and powerful territory of her primary instrument — her own human voice — and the stories that come through it.”
Dean Magraw (folk and jazz guitar wizard): “People . . . please open your hearts and bathe your ears in the ‘Be-here-now, soul-on-your-sleeve’-inspired new voice of Rachael Davis!”
Scott Alarik (Boston Globe): “Davis is off to a faster start than any Boston-based songwriter in memory.”
Ben Edmonds (Detroit Free Press): “Davis commands a voice older than her years, an instrument that is equally sure expressing strength and vulnerability, and her songwriting is fearlessly eclectic.” (full article)
Brian Bishop (The Musical Curmudgeon): “This woman is anything but minor league. She has a major league voice which essentially is her instrument . . . You better see Davis soon, because it won’t be long before it will be too late to say: ‘I saw her when.'”
Mike Hughes (Lansing State Journal): “Her voice and songwriting seem to defy age. One moment, she’s a jazz singer, her voice vaulting across ranges; the next, she’s a folksinger, wizened and weary.”
Ann Arbor Review: “Her music is built around her voice, a shimmering and versatile thing that trips lightly through Ella-esque jazz lines, growls and belts and glides.”
Jack Leaver (The Grand Rapids Press): “Davis’ music defies categorization. The 10 tracks on her debut run the gamut of her influences, with minimal instrumental backing built around her versatile and powerful voice.” (full article)
Holly Figueroa (singer/songwriter): “Another really scary thing as a songwriter is to share a show with someone 10 years or so younger than you who is, by far, a better songwriter, singer, and performer than you ever were, ever will be, or ever thought there could be in someone so young. This happened to me for the first time at Club Passim on December 5, when I had the good fortune (or misfortune, depending on how you look at it) of following Rachael Davis. She blew me clean away in about 20 different ways. I think she’s maybe 19. Maybe. She writes these songs about dreamers and drinkers and Mississippi . . . stuff that no 19 year old from the UP in Michigan thinks about, let alone writes poetic gems about. And her voice . . . like Billie Holiday and Allison Krauss had a love child. Check her out. She’s wicked awesome.”

SONG SWAP w/ JIM BARNARD/ TRACY BECK/DAVE RAMONT
2014-03-28 20:00 - 22:30
Another song swap offering a variety of songwriters to sample.
TRACY BECK performs a range from blues and folk to country and swing, accompanying herself on guitar and harmonica.
JIM BARNARD‘s original songs are rooted in contemporary folk/blues. He provides an entertainment package of warmth, humor, finger-style guitar artistry, alluring melodies and engaging lyrics.
His debut CD, “Artificial Flowers”, released in 2013 was received with high acclaim. Jim’s blusey composition, “Baby Please Baby Me” is featured on the Madison Songwriter’s compilation CD, “Made at Home”.
DAVE RAMONT was born in Illinois one muggy, August Tuesday with a song stuck in his head. The doctors couldn’t get it out. (He was also left-handed but they couldn’t fix that either.) He grew into a little kid and began listening to lots of vinyl- Simon & Garfunkel, Stones, Guess Who, Dylan, Gary Puckett. Soundtracks from “The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly” & “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Other hobbies included ruminating and kicking stuff down the street. Then he growed up more, or at least he got taller…
After releasing his first CD “Toaster Reflection” he moved to Austin, TX for a time and soaked up the thriving indy music scene –playing open mics, songwriter showcases, and driving a bakery truck. His songs began receiving some airplay. The Austin Chronicle said “The world could always use another quality singer-songwriter with meaty lyrics, gritty vocals and a tight back-up band.”
Dave returned North with a tad more twang (and a helluva hangover) and recorded the rootsy, darker “Scofflaws”. The Illinois Entertainer said “…unlike many simplistic roots-revivalists, Ramont isn’t afraid to mix things up…gorgeously unexpected accordions and cellos pop up on this wonderfully produced CD.” He continued playing gigs and teaching. And digging ditches.
In 2000 he released “Scrawny” and began receiving more widespread airplay in the US (mostly on public and college radio) and Europe. Richard Milne of WXRT in Chicago called it “a delicious collection of distinctly American music.” Mark Guarino of Chicago’s Daily Herald said it was “…the finest collection of songwriting I’ve heard in a long time.” Once again the guitar, bass & drums core was surrounded by accordion, cello, piano, Dobro, mandolin, dulcimer, crowbar, lap steel, horns, etc. He toured more extensively- Midwest, East, South, Southeast- and became, well, sleepier…
He borrowed a banjo and co-founded the swamp-billy band Dick Smith with some musical pals. They recorded 4 CDs and developed a hardcore little following, playing around the Chicago regions and the Midwest. Acoustic Guitar Magazine picked their record “Smoke Damage” (2002) as one of the top 3 indy releases of the year. Dave then stepped away from music for a few years. But a feller never stops thinking about new songs, nope –even if he wants to…
At the end of 2009 -flying in the face of recession- Ramont released a sprawling double CD called “Taw”, polished his 1967 Gibson J-50 and started playing out again.
And now in 2012 he’s writing songs for a new record, gigging, and working with Dick Smith again. And when no one’s looking, he still enjoys kicking stuff down the street now and again, yep.

BILL CAMPLIN BAND
2014-03-22 20:00 - 22:30
BILL CAMPLIN BAND will greet spring.

OPEN STAGE
2014-03-21 20:00 - 22:30
The restaurant is not open until 6:45 this night to accommodate a private event. Come anytime after that to eat/drink/play/listen.
