CLOSED FOR LUNCH
2024-03-08 11:30 - 13:30 (America/Chicago)
closed for lunch hours, open for business as usual in the evening.

MY POLITIC
2024-03-08 20:30 - 22:30
MY POLITIC is a Folk/Americana duo consisting of Kaston Guffey and Nick Pankey, who grew up together in Ozark MO and started My Politic around the age of 15. Kaston writes character driven story songs and Nick adds sibling-like harmony to create a unique sound that is totally their own. More bio below ticket link.

Inspired by artists like John Prine, Woody Guthrie, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, Patty Griffin, Nina Simone, Simon & Garfunkel classic country and so much else, My Politic has recorded 10 albums to date, 3 of those when living in Nashville: “Anchor” (2015) “12 Kinds of Lost” (2017), “Short-Sighted People In Power” (released 10/30/2020) which is a collection of songs written and recorded between March and August of 2020 hyper-focused on politics & current affairs. The album has been featured 3 times in American Songwriter. They’ve also had the pleasure of appearing at Americanafest and multiple times at The Bluebird.
Newest release is “MISSOURI FOLKLORE: SONGS & STORIES FROM HOME“, reviewed below.
“As with all their previous albums it proves to be an engaging and interesting experience, heightened by the superb harmonies and wonderful interplay among the musicians….[Guffey’s] writing has always displayed an acute insight on the human condition and his astute observations are as finely honed as ever “— Lonesome Highway Magazine
“combines fine musicianship with perceptive, reflective and provocative lyrics. My Politic have produced a very fine record which provides intelligent, thoughtful insights not only into their home state but also the complexities and paradoxes of what it is to be human.” — Americana UK
“It has the trappings and truth telling of a John Prine or John Hartford style track… It deserves the attention of serious Americana and folk fans.” — Ear to the Ground Music (on “Buzzards on a Powerline”)
“Keen-edged imagery, delicately soft vocals with hard, reflective lyrics, Missouri Folklore is a slow-creeping quintessential addition to your music collection.” – Listening Through The Lens
Read an article about them here.

STEVE DAWSON/ TOMMI ZENDER
2024-03-09 20:30 - 22:30
This show was postponed from last year due to Steve being sick.
Bios appear after ticket link.

Chicago Folk / Americana singer / songwriter, STEVE DAWSON has been called “one of the most underrated songwriters in American music,” who writes, “graceful, poetic songs akin to a volume of great short stories in their precise, exacting wordplay and soulful heartache.” Dawson has released six albums with his long-time band, Dolly Varden, and five solo albums, including 2020’s critically-acclaimed “Last Flight Out” with his folk / jazz ensemble, Funeral Bonsai Wedding, and his latest, “At The Bottom Of A Canyon In The Branches Of A Tree,” on Pravda Records.
Originally from San Diego, California, he spent his teen years in Hailey, Idaho, where he learned guitar and started writing songs. After a few years at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, Dawson moved to Chicago and formed the band, Stump The Host, with his future wife, artist and singer, Diane Christiansen. Dawson also teaches songwriting at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music and co-wrote a book on songwriting and the creative process with Mark Caro called, “Take It To The Bridge: Unlocking The Great Songs Inside You.”
TOMMI ZENDER is a multi-instrumentalist who hails from Evanston IL, working and playing regularly in Chicago IL. Zender wears many musical hats: Singer/Songwriter, Guitarist, Drummer/Percussionist, Producer/Arranger, Ambient Soundscape Improviser, Teacher/Coach, Bassist, Collaborator, Accompanist, Studio Gun-for-hire, Musical Director, Transcriber, and of course music fan. He currently teaches adult classes at Old Town School of Folk Music, and he has coached music privately in Evanston IL since 1996.
Zender has released 4 records of original music, all available on Bandcamp. He has been an accompanist for the likes of Phil Angotti, Steve Dawson (Dolly Varden), Dag Juhlin (Poi Dog Pondering, Expo ’76), legendary 80’s pop-rockers Green, Peter Mulvey, Happy Chichester (Afghan Whigs, Royal Crescent Mob, Brad), Al Day, Push Puppets, Jon Brion (yes that guy, at The Hideout) Jason Falkner (yes that guy too, once upon a time at NU’s student union) and many more… in fact it’s now to the point this is simply shameless name dropping. Tz has taken part in many of Tom Dunning’s legendary Hoot Night’s at Schuba’s Tavern in Chicago. It’s not out of character for Tommi to go up on stage unrehearsed with people he barely knows to accompany them on various instruments. He currently is a member of the bands Steve Dawson & The Lucid Dreams and Push Puppets, both based in Chicago.

JOHN STANO/ PAUL CEBAR
2024-03-15 20:00 - 22:00
SUPER BROTHER-IN-LAW TAG-OFF as PAUL CEBAR and JOHN STANO cast their songs back and forth.
Singer/songwriter JOHN STANO’s sound is a distinctive blend of acoustic and slide guitar, stellar rack harmonica, expressive vocals and insightful songwriting developed over many years of performance and study. He sometimes adds a little mandolin, cigar box guitar or banjo to the mix as well. His style can be described as a combination of Folk, Americana and Country Blues. Initially self-taught, John went on to study American fingerstyle guitar at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and harmonica with national blues legend, Jim Liban.
PAUL CEBAR’s “voice has warmed Milwaukee’s ears while on stage and on the airwaves at WMSE, where he regularly hosts a Wednesday morning show featuring an eclectic, all-vinyl mix. His bands The Milwaukeeans and Tomorrow Sound — as well as his earliest project, The R&B Cadets — have garnered plenty of well-earned attention.
He’s worked with notable musicians like John and Mike Sieger, Willy Porter, Robyn Pluer, Peter Mulvey, Juli Wood, Mike Fredrickson, Reggie Bordeaux and Bob Schneider, serving up soulful sounds infused with worldly appeal. ”
“Paul Cebar is a masterful synthesist of rhythmic culture.”

ACOUSTIC OPEN STAGE
2024-03-22 18:30 - 20:30, 2024-03-29 18:30 - 20:30
This is an acoustic open stage, sound system set up in advance, just stand up and play.
Share your songs (or stories- storytellers welcome) in a two song (think 7-9 minutes) rotation with whoever else is there to play, being respectful of others.
Please support our business by buying drink and/or food.

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2024-03-23 19:30 - 21:30
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to let us know if you will be dining here that night.
Bill’s friend documentary filmmaker Chip Duncan has this to say about the lonesome guy.
“BILL CAMPLIN is among the finest singer-songwriters in Wisconsin history. No longer a youngster, Bill has refined his voice and guitar playing with a richness and quality that has few comparables even among the best-known artists of this generation. Bill is also the longtime co-owner of the Café Carpe, one of America’s great performance spaces for musicians across the US. Bill’s shows are always personal for me – I first saw him play when I was a high school sophomore, and he literally changed my life. Without the depth of Bill’s lyrics and style, I’d never have picked up a guitar, never have written a poem or song, and very likely not have followed the professional road to storytelling.”

RUPERT WATES
2024-03-30 20:00 - 22:00
“Terrific hooks, deep lyrics, awesome voice and nearly astonishing fingerpicking chops – the real deal” (Monterey County Weekly CA)
“Lyrically, these songs combine the economy of a Woody Guthrie ballad with the intricacies of contemporary singer-songwriter Richard Thompson” (Jim Abbott,Orlando Sentinel, May 21, 2013)
“I was overwhelmed by how good he was, both lyrically and vocally. His guitar work was truly unbelievable.” (K. Perrin, Circle Entertainment, Southport NC)
“This is one gifted s.o.b…If you’re not hip to this guy you’re missing a lot” (F.A.M.E)

RUPERT WATES was born in London and studied at Oxford University. He has been a full time songwriter since the late 1990s, when he signed a publishing contract with Eaton Music Limited. In London he worked with some of the best performers in the city. Moving in 2001 to Paris, Wates formed his own quartet and began playing live regularly. In fall 2006 he came to the US. He is now based in New York City and Colorado. Since coming to the US, he has won more than 50 songwriting and performing awards (www.rupertwatesmusic.com/awards).
His music is an eclectic mix of acoustic, melodic art/folk, with flavors of jazz, vaudeville and cabaret. He has released twelve solo CDs. They have received outstanding reviews in the international online press and tracks from them have been played on radio all over the world. In addition, Wates’ songs have been covered by other artists in the UK, Canada and the US. Two full length tribute CDs to his material have been recorded: ‘Crazy Puzzle‘ (2015) by Nashville-based performer Roxie Rogers, and ‘Wide Open Heart‘ (July 2017) by Los Angeles vocalist Susan Kohler. Both these CDs were initiated and funded entirely by the artists themselves, and comprise exclusively songs taken from Rupert Wates’ back catalog. Over 20 recordings featuring Wates’s songs by other artists were made in 2016, and more are scheduled for 2017 (full list at www.rupertwatesmusic.com/covers).
In 2010 Wates released Joe’s Café, an album of 15 original songs based on true stories, each interpreted by a different vocalist, retelling the stories of ordinary American people. Through them we trace the story of America itself: through two world wars, the Dust Bowl depression, Vietnam and the struggle for Civil Rights, all the way to the present day. Recorded live in the studio in a single weekend, the album’s warm sound evokes the welcoming atmosphere of an all-night café, where friends gather to share their stories. Featured virtuoso musicians on the recording include Darol Anger on violin and Michael Manring on bass.

THE WILDWOODS
2024-04-04 19:30 - 21:30
They were enthusiastically received on their first visit last September- glad to have them back. Bio follows ticket link.

THE WILDWOODS are an enchanting Folk/Americana trio based in Lincoln, Nebraska, whose flowing songwriting tandem has been praised by Paste Magazine as “focused and charmingly human”. The Wildwoods’ delicate melodies and descriptive lyrics come from nature, love, experiences from the road, and growing up in Nebraska.

The band released their debut album, Sweet Nostalgia, followed by a duo EP, Birdie & Goose, in 2017, and quickly established themselves as a creative, harmonious, and instrumental force in their local music scene. Since then, The Wildwoods have released two full-length records, Across A Midwest Sky (2019) and Foxfield Saint John (2023), as well as a handful of singles, Little Home (2020) and Like My Old Man (2021), and have supported touring acts such as Elephant Revival, Arts Fishing Club, The Accidentals, The Way Down Wanderers, and Jamie Wyatt.

Along with performing several Sofar concerts in cities such as London, Brooklyn, and St. Louis, as well as a European tour in 2019, the group has performed at several festivals including: Summerfest, The Nebraska Folk and Roots Festival, Wakarusa, and the Flatwater Music Festival.

“The young songwriting tandem of Chloe and Noah Gose harmonize like something out of the Depression Era, fitted with a certain weight yet warmly and triumphantly capable of lifting hearts regardless.”— Andrew Stellman – Hear Nebraska

“The Wildwoods know exactly what kind of music they want to make. It’s not often we hear a sound this focused. Their singular brand of folk-pop riles up images of young love, innocence, unbridled joy, and the occasional heartbreak. But even the heartbreaks are lined in a comfy flannel of bright, braided colors and cast out upon the backdrop some might call “the bright side of things.” Landon Kuhlmann – Paste Magazine & Daytrotter

MUSTARD'S RETREAT
2024-04-05 20:00 - 22:00
Bio follows ticket link:

MUSTARD’S RETREAT has always sung the songs they enjoyed and cared about, regardless of the trends of the music industry and pop culture. They are committed to simply being themselves, not chasing fame or brass rings, while delighting in and connecting with their audiences as if they were family. The honesty of what they present onstage and the extensive body of outstanding original songs and recordings all contribute to a fiercely loyal audience that continues to grow. “Music to cure what ails you” was how one reviewer in the 1970s described them, and that is as true now as it was then.
They’ve traveled more than a million miles and performed more than 6,000 shows, from pig roasts and pool parties to Lincoln Center Out of Doors, The Barns at Wolftrap and the Kennedy’s Center’s Millennium Stage.
Their performances are always joyful and uplifting, as well as intelligent, thought provoking and insightful. They’ve recently begun referring to their career and touring as “Defiantly Hopeful.” In part due to their long career, but more as a statement about what the music has meant to them. “Folk music is, at its heart, defiantly hopeful!” Tamulevich says. “We came of age in the 60s, at the confluence of Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Bob Dylan and the singer/songwriter revolution. We care much more about what we do and stand for and finding that common ground with our audiences, than fame or money: this is our community of choice, and we consider ourselves so fortunate to be here.”
Mustard’s Retreat is now a duo with David Tamulevich and Libby Glover.
“Mustard’s Retreat played to an enthusiastic crowd at the Indy Folk Series. David Tamulevich and Libby Glover charmed everyone with their songs and stories. Fine guitar picking, coupled with beautiful harmonies, carried the evening. Libby shined with her a capella songs and unique poems, she commands the stage. We had great comments about them from the audience, a tribute to their talent.”

TIM GRIMM
2024-04-06 20:00 - 22:00
TIM GRIMM is a bit of a Renaissance man in the performing arts world, forging a rich and varied career that blends his love of songwriting, travel, and acting in theatre, film and television. For most of his 25-year career as a storytelling balladeer in the tradition of John Prine, Woody Guthrie, and Bob Dylan, Tim has written primarily about community, history, family, and social issues – often framed by his strong sense of place and the many years he spent on the family farm he built in rural Indiana. His songs are filled with rural characters and landscapes, written and sung with vivid warmth and intimacy.

CHERYL WHEELER w/ special guest Kenny White
2024-04-12 20:00 - 22:00
Brilliant, hysterical performances and beautifully crafted songs. Longer bios follow ticket link:

CHERYL WHEELER It has always seemed as if there were two Cheryl Wheelers, with fans of the New England songwriter relishing watching the two tussle for control of the mic. There is poet-Cheryl, writer of some of the prettiest, most alluring and intelligent ballads on the modern folk scene. And there is her evil twin, comic-Cheryl, a militant trend defier and savagely funny social critic. The result is a delightful contrast between poet and comic.
As the late Scott Alarik wrote, “Wheeler emerges as a gifted and open-hearted songwriter approaching the sure summit of her craft. Her abiding faith in her audience’s ability to find their own life reflected in the sweet spaces of her songs reveals an artist comfortably wearing the austere genius that defines folk music’s best traditions.”
KENNY WHITE opens the show and then accompanies Cheryl for her set.
Hailed by reviewers from the New York Times to the San Francisco Chronicle for his “thrilling” and “unique” piano playing, Kenny is a talented singer-songwriter and a successful NYC-based record producer. He has written, performed, and produced music for hundreds of TV and radio commercials as well as film soundtracks, and has toured with stars like Judy Collins, Stephen Stills and Tom Jones, among others.
Snapshots of human condition, from heartwarming to humorous; astonishingly gifted pianist who finds a hook at the end of a long phrase. “Kenny has earned a place among my favorite singer/songwriters. A true wordsmith and musician who reveals a fine sense of humor as well.” – David Crosby

BILL CAMPLIN w/ MICHAEL HECHT
2024-04-13 19:30 - 20:30
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and let us know if you will dine here that night.
MICHAEL HECHT will read excerpts from speeches or 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.
This time, Michael will share readings from Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

MOJOHAND
2024-04-19 20:00 - 22:00
“Serving the song is what’s most important to us- that’s what we’re all about.” says Mojohand’s lead-singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter Elijah Klein. NJ/NYC based Americana-rockers Mojohand have been winning over audiences from Pittsburgh, PA to Austin, TX and everywhere in-between for over five years now, and there are no signs of slowing down for this road-hungry quartet.
More bio follows ticket link:

MOJOHAND was born in 2016 from the fiery remains of countless high school bands and side projects. Having played music together since the tender years of teenagehood, childhood friends Elijah Klein and Joe DiNardo tapped keyboard extraordinaire Ian D’Arcy and began gigging around the Garden State with a revolving cast of local musicians. When Elijah met Bay Area drummer Jasper Mahncke at The New School of Jazz, the group found their groove and locked in with a flurry of singles and shows around the Northeast – from the woods of Vermont to packed bars in New York City and everywhere in between.
An aspect too-often under-discussed about songs – their arrangement – is where Mojohand again stands head and shoulders above peers in the genre. “We never want to have the lyrics and the chords, and say ‘That’s it, the song’s done.’
Playing over 70 shows from their formation of their current lineup in the lead-up to the pandemic gave the band an opportunity to find their sound and tighten up their audience-pleasing skills: “In the studio, you can do everything right and cut out mistakes… onstage is where you see if you can actually make people dance and have a good time.” says drummer Jasper.

SONG CIRCLE w/ TRICIA ALEXANDER
2024-04-25 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, though this will be the first one of 2024.
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.

JOSHUA DAVIS/ Sage
2024-04-26 20:00 - 22:00
Bio below ticket link:

Speaking or singing, the voice of JOSHUA DAVIS is a disarming instrument: weathered and warm, as capable of conjuring confessional intimacy on a global stage as it is of making a small room, well off the beaten path, resonate with startling urgency and power. Couple it with an earnest poetic sensibility, a boundless work ethic, and an uncanny gift for connecting with audiences spanning generations, and it’s no wonder that Davis is now poised at the brink of the sort of widespread recognition that typically passes right over such a humble troubadour.

Over the past twenty years, Michigan-based Davis has honed an impressive range of skills – songwriter, bandleader, guitarist, and vocalist among them – in the most honest possible fashion: night after night, song after song, show after show Davis simply delivered every performance as though his life depended on it. Investing himself in the American musical diaspora, he has explored the common thread connecting folk, blues, jazz, ragtime, and country forms – discovering his personal perspective as a composer in the process.

“My sound is rooted in the folk tradition,” Davis explains, “but it’s not folk music. Terms like Americana, roots rock, and heartland rock come up, but there’s so much more to it than that. I’m not a purist: I play with that American folk lineage, I play with those metaphors.” His versatility and ravenous musical curiosity has resulted in a divergent and fervent output. Since his appearance as a finalist on Season 8 of NBC’s “The Voice”, Davis has been churning out an album a year and has plans to continue to do so. His sensibilities shine brightest on his latest trio of solo releases, each a thoughtful dispatch on life, love, change, and growth.

He’s currently touring in support of “Live From The Robin.” His first solo effort captures his essence in a way that pares his songs down to their emotional, musical and lyrical roots. Recorded over the span of two nights, this documents a raw and revealing glimpse of an artist who has his finger on the pulse of a culture, a culture that lives, loves and laughs, cries, mourns and heals. Joshua’s authenticity plucks all of the right heartstrings, soars on the updrafts, and plumbs the depths of the human experience.

This is a deep and warm conversation with a room full of old friends. “I’ve wanted to make this album for years” says Davis. “And I’m so excited to share it. I love playing solo shows. It allows me the freedom to dig deep into my songs and really be in the moment with the audience.”

Opening for Joshua will be “SAGE”, a group of songwriting students from Interlochen Arts Academy, a boarding arts high school located in Northern Michigan (Joshua is on the Interlochen faculty). Students worldwide audition to attend the esteemed boarding arts high school, the first of its kind. Lucy Letscher, Audrey Mason, and Eliza Prymak have put together an intimate and harmony-heavy set that will reassure you that the future of music is in good hands.

TRICIA ALEXANDER/ JIM GARY/ WATTLE & DAUB
2024-04-27 19:30 - 21:30
Ticket link follows bios.
TRICIA ALEXANDER Joy-filled, uplifting and inspiring are some of the words used to describe Tricia’s music and performance – which ranges from soothing and deeply spiritual to social commentary and humor.
Tricia moves between jazz, blues and folk, spoken word & music, original compositions re-interpreted cover tunes – and she does it all with seamless grace.
WATTLE & DAUB’s authentic acoustic voice is rooted in their passion for the power of the folk music tradition. From the heart of the midwest, in northern Illinois, husband and wife singer-songwriters, Tim and Susan Mocarski are dedicated to keeping folk culture alive and kicking through participation, social commentary, and entertainment.
JIM GARY is an acoustic singer/songwriter. He grew up in southeastern Michigan listening to all the great sounds of the ‘60s – Motown, Beatles, and all those great Jimmy Webb songs. He now lives in the Chicago area.
Picking up a guitar at age 14, he started learning chords and moved on to fingerpicking the songs of John Denver, Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, James Taylor, and Gordon Lightfoot. In the years since then, Jim continued to write, perform, and record music, releasing several albums and EPs along the way.
Jim Gary is a Kerrville New Folk Finalist and an award-winning songwriter (Great River Folk Fest) who writes songs of wit and wisdom in whatever genre strikes his fancy. His 6 albums representing over 70 original songs contain a variety of styles but always a firm commitment to lyrics and images that will move you!

JOSH JOPLIN GROUP/ Eric Pedigo
2024-05-02 20:00 - 22:00
To make the night go smoother for all, please buy tickets in advance, come at least an hour early if you plan to eat, and at least 15 minutes before if you are not. TICKET LINK follows bio.
JOSH JOPLIN GROUP (solo) and ERIC PEDIGO will be sharing the evening.
JOSH JOPLIN is an American singer, songwriter, as well as music and film producer. He has founded the bands Josh Joplin Group and Among the Oak & Ash. His song “Camera One” was the first independent release to hit #1 at Triple A radio.
ERIC:
“I aspire to connect. To share. To spark joy. To give a piece of momentary happiness. My song is my island. I want others to feel engaged the way I do l when I listen to songs I love. Alive.
Music is the photographs of our origin. A series of vibrations that can soothe or ignite the soul. Reach someone without physical contact. It’s the reminder that we are or want to be connected.”
“Eric has honed his skills into that of a masterful songwriter who is able to infect, stimulate and appeal to a wide range of music listeners. Contagious melodies, infectious hooks, a charming attitude, an empowering persona, an excellent combination of instrumentation and pristine production all combine for a strong, impactful record consisting of 9 songs that are able to stand on their on just as well as they do in a playlist.”

ANNE HEATON & FRANK MAROTTA, Jr./ Cancelled
2024-05-03 20:30 - 22:30
Hope to reschedule in August or October.
Singer-songwriter and pianist ANNE HEATON graced the stages of New York City long before she and her husband Frank Marotta relocated to Milwaukee. She has captured audience imaginations for over fifteen years with her songs that are, by turns, “tender, barbed and spiritual” (Washington Post). She’s been featured by the New York Times Popcast, played numerous times on NPR and shared the stage with artists such as Jewel, Sarah McLachlan and jazz drummer Max Roach.
She teaches at Berklee College of Music Summer Programs and is the founder of Soul Songs School, an online songwriting program. Anne is currently earning her Master’s in Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she hopes to research the outcomes of songwriting as a social emotional learning tool for teenagers. Anne lives in Milwaukee where she enjoys coffee, Lake Michigan and being a mom to two freethinking daughters.
She will be performing with her multi-instrumentalist husband Frank.
Says Chip Duncan- “I met Anne at a party but didn’t realize at the time I was speaking with a luminary! Anne and her guitar playing husband have developed an outstanding reputation as songwriters, performers, and teachers of the craft. When I saw Anne play with Willy Porter at Shank Hall last fall, I became an immediate fan. She’s fun, funny, charming and wow, what a voice … and what great songs!”

AN EVENING WITH (OUT) JIM POST
2024-05-04 20:00 - 22:00
Longtime friends and frequent collaborators are gathering to celebrate an uncommon life lived gloriously through song, stories and on international stages. JIM POST was born (no doubt singing) in Houston, Texas on October 28,1939 and succumbed to heart failure on September 14, 2022 in Dubuque, Iowa. Performing Jim’s songs and telling tales will be Randy Sabien, Dawn Farris, Richard Pinney and Jeff Laramie.
An early clip of Jim Post here.

CHRIS WAGONER & MARY GAINES/ JOHN PARROTT & GLENN ASCH
2024-05-10 20:00 - 22:30
Buckle up for a great night featuring 2 virtuoso duos who each do a set, and end the evening doing something all together. Buy tickets following the bios.
Glenn Asch & John Parrott / Mid-Century Pop, Western swing, Jazz and Rural Music + Originals (violin, guitar, vocals) will begin the show.
GLENN ASCH & JOHN PARROTT have been steady musical compatriots over the last 10 years. Anyone who has heard the Chris Hanson band knows about Glenn’s taste and virtuosity on the violin (and he literally wrote a book about jazz violin, titled “Deluxe Anthology of Jazz Violin Styles”) while John’s songwriting, vocals and his lively bounce on the acoustic archtop guitar in the rhythm section are hallmarks of that much-praised band. A long trail of credentials follows them both, from Glenn’s chair in the violin section of the Milwaukee Symphony, to John’s rhythm guitar adventures with renowned jazz mandolinists Jethro Burns and Don Stiernberg and local Milwaukee clarinet legend Chuck Hedges.
Gaines & Wagoner / Original and Vintage Jazz, Blues & Americana (violin, cello, mandolin, lapsteel, ukulele, guitar and lots of vocals) will do the second set.
GAINES & WAGONER are the award-winning multi-instrumental husband/wife duo of Mary Gaines and Chris Wagoner based in Madison. Co-founders of several popular Wisconsin-based bands over the past nearly 40 years: Harmonious Wail (vintage string jazz), Common Faces (folk-soul), The Moon Gypsies (Americana/Roots-Rock), The Bob Westfall Band (new acoustic), Graminy (class-grass) and The Stellanovas (vintage jazz and blues). Wagoner was voted Violinist of the Award in the 2023 Wisconsin Area Music Awards and both are recent inductees into the Madison Area Music Awards Hall of Fame. Innumerable local, regional, national and international album credits include Willy Porter, Freedy Johnston, Peter Mulvey, Carrie Newcomer (10 albums on Rounder Records), Tret Fure, and work with producer, Butch VIg on many indie and major-label projects including Smashing Pumpkins genre-defining 1991 Platinum album, “Gish”.

WRITE ON THE RIVER OPEN MIC
2024-05-11 16:30 - 18:00
As part of a day celebrating Fort Atkinson poet LORINE NIEDECKER’s birthday, pen your verse or prose and come share them or bring along a beloved piece to recite.
Other events throughout Saturday
Sidewalk Chalk 9am to 11:30am
Let your creativity flow onto the pavement at the Farmers Market.
Pedals and Poems Bike Tour- morning
Starting at the Farmers Market. Pedal through key locations significant to Lorine’s story. Departure is set for the morning.
Birthday Celebration at the Museum 10am to 2pm
Join us in honoring Lorine with a slice of birthday cake at the museum.

LONG MAMA/ Maximiano
2024-05-11 20:30 - 22:30
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.
Their friend MAXIMIANO will do an opening set. When singer-songwriter Max Janairo (they/them) performs by themself, they go by their full first name: Maximiano. For the last year and a half, Max has been writing and releasing music as part of the local band Crawlspace, during which time many songs that didn’t fit that group’s aesthetic were stored away. Since the band’s break-up, these songs have found new life and new meaning. Riding waves of indie folk orchestration, Maximiano’s plaintive voice conveys the heartbreak, love, and growth that continue to define the artist’s musical experiences. In live solo performances, Maximiano offers an intimate experience, one that lets the communal love of music overtake and renew the emotion of these songs.

CHARLIE PAINTER
2024-05-16 19:30 - 21:00
Ticket link follows bio.

CHARLIE PAINTER is a self-studied, self- producing, Madison-based guitarist, band leader and teacher since 2008. With 15 years of weekly/monthly residencies under his belt, Painter’s multi-conceptual approach is informed by years of performance, transcribing records by ear, and a recent mentorship under NYC Jazz guitarist Jordan Klemons since 2020.
*2022 Jazz At Five Performer
*2023 MAMA winner (Best Jazz Album – guitar on all tracks)
He will be appearing here with JEFF WEISS on upright bass. (Jeff played bass in Madison’s Harmonious Wail for six years and other big groups like The Big Payback.)

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2024-05-17 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to let us know if you will be dining here that evening.

ANCORA STRING QUARTET
2024-05-18 19:30 - 21:30
The quartet consists of Benjamin Whitcomb-cello, Wes Luke- violin, Robin Ryan- violin, and Sahada Buckley- viola.
For this spring program, they will be performing a late string quartet by Mozart, specifically the elegant D major quartet K575. To contrast with this, they have the very expressive second string quartet by Tchaikovsky. Finally, as a departure from both of these, they will perform Janacek’s first string quartet subtitled “The Kreutzer Sonata”, which was inspired by the Tolstoy novella by the same name.
Reminder to diners to please come an hour early.

pat mAcdonald
2024-05-19 18:30 - 20:30
Ticket link follows bio. We will open at 4:30, and will be serving food.
Since his techno-folk pioneering Timbuk3 days, pat mAcdonald has been tinkering in relative obscurity. His one-man electro-blues experiments of the late ’90s/early 2000s led to the Lowebow-driven proto-rock of Purgatory Hill. Life- threatening illness in 2016 brought a long pause.
Now, five years cancer free, he’s writing, rediscovering the six-string, and reanimating his pre-T3 acoustic roots with finger-style remakes from his back catalog. The new songs flirt with a twisted spirituality, hints of hope & optimism embraced and defaced by his trademark darkish humor.

SARAH MORRIS/ JILLIAN RAE
2024-05-24 20:15 - 22:15
Buy ticket link follows bios.
2018 Kerrville New Folk winner SARAH MORRIS’ endearingly honest, expertly penned songs deliberately miss the forest for the trees. Armed with a poignantly relatable rainy day ache in her sunlit voice, she weaves a winding path of masterful storytelling and timeless Americana melody that invites audiences to join her in celebrating the magic of our everyday minutia. Twice named the Midwest Country Music Organization’s Songwriter of the Year, Sarah has shared stages with greats like JD Souther, earned international airplay, and reached notable positions on the Americana Music Association and Euro Americana charts. Sarah’s fifth album of original material, Here’s To You, was released on May 5th, 2023.
Lauded as a “triple threat on vocals, fiddle and composition” (Star Tribune), JILLIAN RAE is a fiercely unique spirit who cares more about making authentic music than about conforming to expectations. The Minneapolis-based, classically trained violinist turned country fiddler has become a commanding international presence— writing powerful genre-bending songs, heading up her own critically acclaimed indie rock band, and backing up Grammy-winning acts like The Okee Dokee Brothers.

SAM KNUTSON/ Jeff Stehr
2024-05-25 20:00 - 22:00
Buy tickets following bios:
SAM KNUTSON is a singer-songwriter from Iowa City. His most recent album is Donkey Island. He is happy as a pig in *#*@ in a listening room. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=d0-gRGmjEDU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=7yy5pdcBYRQ
From the Shepherd Express: “Sam Knutson’s 2022 release Donkey Island is a collection of observational folk songs. “Already Gone” recalls John Hartford’s breezy melancholy, while “Prayer for the Downtown” leans into the lineage of fellow Iowan Greg Brown. The album’s sparse instrumentation allows Knutson’s songwriting to shine. In fact, his Bandcamp discography reveals a songwriter ripe for discovery. Milwaukeean Jeff Stehr’s fondly recalled Jamaica-centric combo The Tritonics and his current project Still No Tomatoes present him in collaborative settings.”
Opener Jeff Stehr is a glass half empty cognoscenti songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His songs are mostly wordplay and present-day doomsday reportage propelled by one drop rhythms and held aloft on ukulele wings and guitar strings. Jamaican ingredients conspire and collaborate with folk, pop, rock and blues influences to get into your head and steal your heart, but all genres are accomplices.   When not performing solo, Jeff (guitar, ukulele, harmonica, vocals) is one third of Still No Tomatoes, a project launched in 2022 with his Tritonics bandmate Mike Lizzo (trombone, baritone horn, melodica, vocals) and recently expanded to trio format with the addition of bassist Mark Walczynski.
A perceptive reviewer’s comments on one of Still No Tomatoes’ duo shows last year noted observed…
“In the diminutive Milwaukee ensemble “Still No Tomatoes”, Jeff Stehr plays guitar and ukulele; Mike Lizzo, trombone and baritone. Although their music is mostly original, the texts of the proudly quirky duo are concerned with the familiar tropes and preoccupations that have long populated the American songbook.Yet the band comes across as triumphantly new. Perhaps it is the orchestration that allows for this impression. When was the last time that you heard a ukulele and trombone duet? When they sing together, their voices are intervallically close; the sound soft and certain. Lizzo plays his trombone or baritone softly as if loudly would be impolite. They take water from a fountain of diverse experience and dip into a deep pool of genres. What to call it? Currently, they describe their music as “Hodgepop”. This is accurate. Stehr takes generously from the songbook of his experience, plays around with the hodgepge he finds, and writes music that ranges from the witty to the poetic. Despite the impatience of its name, “Still No Tomatoes” is ripe for the table.”
Jeff is the co-founder and band leader of the Jamaican roots-inspired ensemble the Tritonics and has also been a member of the Best Westerns, the John Sieger Combo, the Mike Benign Compulsion, Mark Truesdell & The Lost Pioneers, World Roots, Brave New Groove and C-Food Buffet, who once accidentally opened for Jimmy Buffet at Alpine Valley Music Theater in 1990.

SONG CIRCLE w/ TRICIA ALEXANDER
2024-05-29 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 Wednesday (switched from Thursday) of each month.
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.
