MY POLITIC
2025-03-29 20:30 (America/Chicago)
Always happy when Kaston reaches out to ask if they can play here again- check out this duo.
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 follows ticket link:

Short-Sighted People in Power “They are inspired, brave and brilliant songs, remarkably comprehensive but never preachy or ponderous. It’s perfect for this American moment. Rendered tenderly with close harmonies throughout, it evoked the sound of Don Henley and Glenn Frey singing Randy Newman songs. It’s subversive, but also soulfully charming.” – Paul Zollo – American Songwriter
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 9 albums to date and have released 3 of those since moving to Nashville 7 years ago: “Anchor” (2015) “12 Kinds of Lost” (2017) and “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.
Their latest is Missouri Folklore: Songs and Stories from Home. As Guffey says, “There are songs about judgment, existentialism, forgiveness, love, death, growing, and healing. It’s a lot of material focused on the nuance and mundanity, in some sense, of being a person”.
Guffey and Pankey’s engaging slice-of-life storytelling, expertly-crafted characters & sibling-like harmony, shape a collection of songs that are as intimate and engaging as they are unforgettable.
“…it might come off as a rootsy, country-folk fusion but its importance transcends such a sonic description. It comes from the same disenfranchised place which spawned punk, hip-hop, even rock and roll itself, and any and all movements born of being outside, forgotten, exploited, ignored and used by those in power.” – Dave Franklin – Dancing About Architecture

BEATS WORKIN'
2025-04-03 19:30
“Though not unique it is no less true that ‘BEATS WORKIN’ is the outgrowth of a series of jam sessions attended by 5 guys who love traditional bluegrass music, while believing that the genre is not set in stone, and that through the joy of making music, tasteful and creative contributions are waiting to be discovered (We think Bill would be proud!). As we each looked at the other 4 and concluded those guys are near-irreplaceable, the transition to a band seemed quite natural.”
Band bio follows ticket link:

THE BAND:

VIKTOR BRUSUBARDIS– bass, vocals
Viktor began performing on the bass in the spring of 2021, joining members ofChicken Wire Empire, The Milbillies, and co-founding the Milwaukee bluegrass band “SugarBush”. He has shared the stage with artists Dead Horses, Chicken Wire Empire, Billy Bronsted (Billy Bronsted and the Bluegrass Buddies), Mike Mangione (Mike Mangione and the Kin), and others. Viktor enjoys exploring different genres including Jazz, Classical, Bluegrass, Folk, Americana, and Old Time Music. While Viktor is not playing the bass he performs as a classical cellist in Milwaukee’s Festival City Symphony and teaches cello in the Milwaukee YouthSymphony Orchestra’s Progressions program. During his summers he participates in festivalssuch as the Musiques et Vignes en Confluence festival in the Loire Valley of France, the Gott istgut festival in Struppen Germany, Latvian Song and Dance Festivals in Canada and the United
States, and other local festivals. Currently, Viktor regularly performs with groups Beats Workin’,
Sugar Bush, Milwaukee Hotclub, and Cream City Hotclub.

KEN FINKEL Banjo and vocals
Ken got involved in Bluegrass while at the University of Rochester (NY), Largely self-taught, he made his way to Cincinnati where he met Dede Wyland and Jim Price through mutual friends. During a gig in Chicago, they came down along with Peter Knupfer and Dan Crownover. Turned out they formed Grass, Food, and Lodging. In their five years together, they built a strong regional following and gained national recognition, appearing on the Prairie Home Companion, and many prestigious festivals around the country. Following GF&L, Ken had his own booking agency,
representing Bluegrass, Roots, Blues, and Irish musicians and doing event booking and stage management- Summerfest, Bastillle Days, etc. A long career in the software industry followed. The passion for Bluegrass was reignited when GF&L had reunions in 2013 and 2015.

PETER ROLLER- Dobro
Peter is a longtime performer and composer of fingerstyle and slide guitar music. In the ‘80s he was main accompanist for 1st generation bluesman Yank Rachell, acting as Producer and playing guitar on his Grammy-nominated Blues Mandolin Man album. In the ‘90’s Roller’s original lap slide instrumental Rancho Mirage was included on the popular compilation Masters of Acoustic Guitar, while he also performed and recorded with dance band Paul Cebar & the Milwaukeeans, gospel quartet The Masonic Wonders, and Violent Femmes bassist Brian Richie. After retiring as Professor Emeritus of Music from Alverno College, Roller returned to his early love for Bluegrass and old-time Country Dobro, writing adventuresome pieces and performing with eclectic band The Resonators along with Beats Workin.’

JOHN STINEMAN- Mandolin, vocals
Growing up in Wabash, IN , John was introduced to Bluegrass music by the many people who migrated from Appalachia for employment. Upon witnessing an exceptional flat picker in the local music store he decided he could “do that “, bought a guitar and commenced. After refining his musicianship and moving to Florida he founded The Kitchen
Table Boys, his first success in music .He eventually became a member of Big Timber Bluegrass, a long time Orlando based band that had been founded by Chubby Anthony, who had fiddled with the Stanley Brothers, and later featured frequent guest appearances by Chubby Wise, legendary fiddler with Bill Monroe in the late 1940’s. Upon moving to Asheville , NC in 2001 he co-founded One Leg Up, a five piece swing ensemble that toured the Southeast until 2019.
During the pandemic John relocated to Northern Illinois and has returned to playing Bluegrass music, concentrating on mandolin, as a member of Beats Workin.’

JERRY WICENTOWSKI– Guitar, lead vocals
As a teenager growing up in New York City, Jerry was inspired to sing Bluegrass music by the performances of first-generation artists. His high clear voice carries on the tradition of the pioneers of Bluegrass, but his singing is far from a pale imitation or carbon copy of those early greats. Jerry’s performances have uniqueness, depth of feeling, and most important, respect and reverence for the music. He revisited the material of one of his early inspirations in his most recent CD tribute to Mac Wiseman entitled, ‘Thanks, Mac!’. Mac himself praised Jerry’s work saying, “Jerry, I’m very flattered by your interpretation of my material and I think it’s a wonderful piece of work! I heartily endorse it, and I’m very pleased that you’re carrying on my legacy.” In October 2019, just prior the pandemic, Jerry featured material from his recording on the stage of the historic Station Inn in Nashville.

KATIE DAHL/ GRACE MORRISON
2025-04-04 20:30 - 22:30
Bios follow ticket link:

KATIE DAHL

“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
“Razor-sharp lyrics with a hearty, soulful voice.”— American Songwriter

Clear-eyed and tough-minded, songwriter/playwright Katie Dahl is known for her smart songs, wry wit, and wise spirit. A small-town celebrity on the Wisconsin peninsula where her family has lived for 175 years, Katie is also an internationally touring, radio-charting artist who “delivers razor-sharp lyrics with a hearty, soulful voice” (American Songwriter). In live shows that are both courageously honest and devilishly funny, Katie dives deep into questions of land and love, family and body image, grief and joy. “In unsettled times,” says Peter Mulvey, “Katie Dahl brings us a grounded spirit.”
Katie’s five albums of original songs showcase her creamy alto, abiding love of the land, and trademark humor, as well as her unflinching vulnerability. Her recent work finds her exploring deeper 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.
In 2024, Katie was named a Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Finalist, as well as “Most Wanted to Return” at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes, “Katie Dahl . . . combine[s] old-fashioned populism, an abiding love of the land and wickedly smart love songs, all delivered in a rich and expressive alto.”

GRACE MORRISON“Singer-songwriter Grace Morrison reflects her Cape Cod roots. Equal parts rugged, powerful, and breathtakingly beautiful Grace has carved out a sound all her own: Saltwater Country. Her brand of Americana-infused with 90’s pop hooks will leave you basking in the sun while her lyrics pull you into deeper waters.”
“Her voice smacks of Jewel, and her style, cadence, song structure is every inch from the school of Joan Osborne, Lisa Loeb, Natalie Merchant. It’s uncanny.” — Lauren Daly Boston Globe
Some of you may have seen Grace here last year with Radoslav Lorkovic.

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2025-04-05 20:00
“….consummate guitar, voice, and lyrics, and with a mix of folk and rock-influenced tunes. And an awesome sense of humor.”

CAROLINE COTTER
2025-04-10 19:30
CAROLINE COTTER‘s sunlit songs honor the countless ways of being human. With her honeyed voice and disarmingly honest lyrics, Cotter sings about connection, nostalgia, gratitude, loss and wanderlust. Lyrics like, “Find me somewhere out on the road / Take me into your heart and into your home,” make perfect sense from a touring artist who has played over 1000 shows in 45 states and 16 countries. She has performed at churches, art galleries, barns, yoga studios, punk bars, Parisian living rooms and even a schooner off the coast of Maine. Everywhere she goes, her oracular songs elicit emotion and spark insight—medicine for our collective longing.
Growing up in Rhode Island, Cotter played piano and listened to records by luminaries like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters and Bob Dylan. She spent her early twenties in Spain, Thailand and India; studying yoga and meditation; sleeping on train station floors; washing clothes in the sink; and witnessing the innumerable ways people live. Walking the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrim’s trail across northern Spain, she felt “wildly alive. Waking with the sun in the east and walking west each day, I felt free yet full-of-purpose” —a feeling she would later recognize and reclaim as a touring musician.
As a songwriter, Cotter waits for the wellspring of emotion to arise and then wrings her experience out into rhyming couplets. The process typically starts with nostalgia or longing—wondering about the way things were or the way things could be. She’s endlessly questioning existence, spinning and carding her worries, hopes, and joys into the fabric of her songs. Cotter has released three records, Dreaming as I Do (2015), Home on the River (2018) and Gently as I Go (2023). Under the Radar magazine says her music, “brings forth an abiding sense of warmth and welcome, offering an uplifting reminder to make the most of every moment.”
Cotter’s songs move effortlessly from the grand to the granular. Take “Coming Your Way,” a traveler’s anthem about the people who keep her afloat by opening their hearts and homes. Or “The Year of the Wrecking Ball,” in which the narrator revisits her childhood home and wrestles with the dissolution of her family and sense of continuity. Then there’s “Gone Away,” a hymn for the lost and downtrodden—or anyone needing to be called back to their life’s purpose. With the precision of an analog photographer, Cotter adjusts the aperture of her attention to move between the particular and universal qualities of our lives.
Cotter has performed at the Freshgrass Festival (North Adams, MA), Rocky Mountain Folk Fest (Lyons, CO), Ossipee Music Festival (Ossipee, NH), Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (Hillsdale, NY), Rockwood Music Hall (New York, NY), Isis Music Hall (Asheville, NC), The Alberta Rose Theatre (Portland, OR), Swallow Hill (Denver, CO) and more. She won the Maine Songwriters Association Contest and was a finalist at the Freshgrass and Rocky Mountain Folk Fest Songwriting Competitions. When not living nomadically, Cotter resides on the coast of Maine.

THE ORGANGRINDERS
2025-04-11 20:30
A 4 piece good time blues band that knows how to party with the monkey. playing all acoustic this show.
Whether playing a small club or a festival stage, The ORGANGRINDERS bring the fun and serve it up by the heaping spoonful. Their combined experience playing with blues greats such as John Brim, Johnny Rawls, Johnnie Johnson, Phil Guy, Michael Coleman, and Clyde Stubblefield, among many others, has taught them well. The Organgrinders deliver honest blues with a vintage sound and a modern feel. Drawing from influences such as swing, funk, soul, acoustic, and hill country blues, they create a dynamic and engaging musical experience. They truly love what they do—and you will too.

Don’t miss this special performance as the band strips it down for an intimate acoustic blues set. Featuring Brian “Looper” Lucas on harmonica, Sven Gonstead on acoustic and steel-body guitar, Eric Sheffield on washtub bass, and Tim Russel keeping the rhythm on a cardboard box, this unique show promises raw energy, deep grooves, and the soulful sound of pure, unfiltered blues.

KYRAN DANIEL
2025-04-12 20:30
I knew at that time he would be an incredible force in music…he was always received with thunderous applause and standing ovations…’ – Tommy Emmanuel AM
‘likely the most influential acoustic guitar composer of his generation … publicly unsung, his pieces have shaped the progression of the art form since his emergence onto the world stage, only growing stronger through his dormancy … we’re excited to see what this master of the guitar presents in his renaissance’
Guitarist, Composer, Producer and Musical Director, KYRAN DANIEL began his career performing alongside Grammy Nominee Tommy Emmanuel on stages spanning the globe. His debut album ‘Per Se’ became a highly influential work in the acoustic guitar world, opening the door to his attendance of the prestigious Berklee College of Music studying under the greatest songwriting & production professors in contemporary music.
Following his time at Berklee, Kyran focussed on the roles of songwriter & producer for a cohort of Australian artists including G Flip, Gretta Ray, and Kingswood. His diverse musical palette and superlative musicianship saw him fast become one of Australia’s finest studio talents, and a go-to for artists & labels domestically & abroad, his work garnering millions of worldwide streams, and credits including Gretta Ray’s ARIA Nominated Album ‘Begin To Look Around’ (EMI), and G Flip’s #1 ARIA Charting Album ‘Drummer’ (4x ARIA Nominated). Meanwhile his work on stage as Session Guitarist & Musical Director for the likes of Kingswood was presented on international tours and radio & television broadcasts across the globe.
2022 saw Kyran return to his most authentic musical form as a solo artist, with a triumphant return to European and American stages alongside mentor Tommy Emmanuel, followed by a relentless tour schedule of solo concerts across Australia, Europe, and the USA, re-introducing him as one of the greatest solo guitar players on the planet. Kyran is currently completing his renaissance solo album entitled ‘Like The Night Itself’, drawing upon rich global influences, alchemised into emotive compositions, cinematic soundscapes, and virtuosic performances from the heart.

KRAY VAN KIRK
2025-04-17 20:00 - 22:00
This show was rescheduled from August 31, 2024. BUY tickets following bio.
A finger-style guitarist with a precise baritone, KRAY VAN KIRK has a Ph.D. from the University of Alaska. After five years of touring, he thought the sciences might be a bit more secure than playing music. But he wrote better songs than statistical models, and he set out again. “We are driven by myth and the seasons of the heart,” he says. “Everyone, absolutely everyone, of any gender, identity, orientation, ethnicity or anything else, should know that they are not alone but are on the Hero’s Journey.”
When he reached Scotland and the Fringe Festival, the Daily Fringe Review wrote, “The evening’s act was Kray Van Kirk, whose 12-string guitar and soaring vocals were spellbinding; the Alaskan singer-songwriter, in his Edinburgh debut, was not the reason I arrived early, but was certainly why I stayed late.”
Of this charming, quixotic and eclectic performer, the Borderline Folk Club in New York wrote that Van Kirk was “what every singer-songwriter should aspire to.”
“Every time I play cuts off The Midnight Commander, listeners ask ‘Who’s that?’ It’s Kray Van Kirk and there’s none like him.” – Auntmama ‘Sunday Folks’ DJ, KBCS Seattle, WA

SATCHEL PAIGE w/ Ruthie McQuinn
2025-04-18 20:30

CHERYL WHEELER w/ special guest KENNY WHITE- sold out
2025-04-19 20:00 - 22:00
Ticket link follows bios.
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

VANCE GILBERT- tentative
2025-04-20 00:00
details to come

JOSHUA DAVIS & Interlochen Students
2025-04-25 20:15
Josh came with some of his students last year and it was a delight.

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.

“The music that moves me is imperfect, honest and raw. Those qualities are what turned me on to Delta blues, to punk rock, to old soul, and traditional music from all over the globe. It’s all about feel. It’s ragged but right.”

Opening for Joshua will be 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.

MICHAEL GULEZIAN
2025-04-26 20:00
MICHAEL GULEZIAN is one of the most highly acclaimed solo acoustic instrumental guitarists of our time. He is a phenomenal technical guitarist with the rare ability to transcend his own virtuosity, creating music that touches and moves people at the deepest level. In terms of his significance in the evolution of the genre, Michael is — among other things — the musical link between John Fahey and Michael Hedges.
“uncommonly thoughtful and provocative … sweeping story-like melodies, multi-dimensional epics, and heartland hymns.”
– Jazz Times
“compositional genius. … a magisterial ode to a quiet, breathing awe … a religious experience … the sense of a person playing a guitar disappears into the music … there is something happening in this collection that transcends music and reaches into the ethereal world. … astounding … cosmic.” Minor 7th.com
Although there are many guitarists who are exceptionally gifted at playing guitar, Michael Gulezian (gu-LAY-ze-in), by contrast, has distinguished himself with his music – boundary-free, horizon-expanding, genre-bending, transcendent, soulful, kickass, mind-opening, emotionally imbued, exquisitely gorgeous instrumental solo acoustic guitar music. Music that quite literally defies description.
For more than three decades, Michael has unpretentiously walked onstage and delivered one riveting performance after another. Each one of Michael’s albums has raised the aesthetic of contemporary solo acoustic guitar to a new level. He’s been called the musical link between John Fahey and Michael Hedges. Artists as diverse as Michael Hedges, Willy Porter, and Henry Kaiser have claimed him as a primary musical influence. Young lions such as Erik Mongrain, Andy McKee, and Trevor Gordon Hall are quick to acknowledge him as an inspiration. For those who follow solo acoustic instrumental guitar, Michael Gulezian is firmly established in the genre as one of the most significant artists of our time.
Michael now celebrates his first release in more than a decade: thunder heaven light. He describes it as the best album he has ever recorded: “It’s the most emotionally charged, joyful, and spiritually inspired music to ever fly through my heart and soul – some of the music is heart-wrenching, and some of it is pure joy. But more than anything else, every note of every song, is love, love, love.” Ten original tracks of instrumental acoustic guitar, recorded over a multi-year period, at studios in Colorado and Los Angeles. thunder heaven light was recognized in the “Best of Echoes – Top 25 Albums of 2019,” and prompted Fred Kraus of Minor 7th to write “Michael Gulezian might be the most accomplished pure guitarist on the planet.”

ROUND ROBIN w/ TRICIA ALEXANDER
2025-04-30 18:30 - 20:30, 2025-05-28 18:30 - 20:30
Round robin 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 (formerly 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.

DAN MAGUIRE/ DAN TEDESCO
2025-05-01 19:30
Two Midwest Dans who happened to both reach out independently and have the same night available to share their music.
Ticket link follows bios.
DAN TEDESCO is a singer-songwriter, musician, recording artist and producer, originally from the far west suburbs of Chicago. Raised on the classic songwriters of the 60s/70s – The Beatles, Dylan, Neil Young, Springsteen and Tom Petty – Tedesco layers those early pop/folk influences with both his deep background in jazz and the crunch of early 90s grunge.
His records are collections of stories set to sonic landscapes representing what he believes to be the crux of his generation – the balance between humanity and technology. Tedesco’s live show, as recently described by a fan, borders on performance art – “He’s one of a kind, truly. I genuinely love his performance. It’s raw. It SO real. It’s a one man show, that parallels that of a UFC match. But it’s him against his guitar. They (him and his guitar) just go so hard at each other. And you can see it. Most apparently on his guitar, but it’s abundant on his face as he sings with it in his clutches, like a snake that’s trying to strangle him. And he doesn’t always win. And he knows it. But he NEVER stops fighting. It really is an original kind of performance that I’ve never seen.”
Tedesco has been fortunate to tour nationally, on both festival and club stages, and join artists such as Blues Traveler, David Lindley, Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters), Chuck Prophet, Alejandro Escovedo, Anders Osborne, Gin Blossoms, Langhorne Slim, Lucero, Old 97’s and Josh Rouse.
In 2020, amidst the pandemic, he launched a unique platform, the DTMC, which has challenged the way music is being both released and consumed. Described by MusicInMinnesota as what, “could very well be the new groundwork for how musicians share what they create”, Tedesco’s music channel serves as a mainline to his artistic world. As such, his current album, ‘The Overwhelming”, is being released on the the DTMC one song a month, and you can catch him on tour in support of the new record.
Based in Rockford, IL, but born and raised in Tulsa, OK, DAN MAGUIRE plays original rock and roll that, as he says, “Takes you to a Summer day, just a few clouds, you smell cut grass and there is ice cold beer.” This is music that captivates listeners with its soul-stirring authenticity. Known for his dynamic guitar work and introspective lyrics, Maguire’s music resonates deeply with fans of Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chris Cornell, JJ Cale, and Kimbra, who are some of his biggest influences. Through his music, Maguire aspires to create moments of calm and assurance for listeners who may be wrestling with doubts and anxieties, offering a sense of optimism, even if only for a moment, that “maybe everything’s gonna be okay.”Maguire’s journey in music has spanned various genres and locations, starting with his upbringing within a musical family in Tulsa, OK. Growing up, he was introduced to a variety of popular music by his older siblings. This introduction inspired his love for a multitude of genres and led to his involvement in jazz and classical ensembles in Denver, CO, eventually evolving through original rock and roll projects in both Denver and Rockford. Now, he’s fully immersed in a solo career, crafting songs that reflect his own story and perspectives.
His 2023 album ‘Travelin’ Light’ earned him the Album of the Year award at the Rockford Area Music Industry Awards and cemented his place in the local music scene. Additionally, he was recently accepted as a performing member of The Listening Room Network, an achievement that aligns with his desire to reach and connect with audiences on an intimate level.Currently, Maguire is in the studio working on his next record, ‘Magnolia’. This project will feature a full band, comprised of some of Rockford’s top jazz musicians, whose talent he feels privileged to incorporate into his music. Early rehearsals have shown immense promise, building excitement for what’s to come in 2025 and promising a new chapter in his journey to showcase his evolving artistry and profound love for music.

TIM GRIMM w/ Sergio Webb
2025-05-03 20:00
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.
Tim will be joined by respected sideman SERGIO WEBB .

RICHARD SHINDELL- Wednesday
2025-05-07 20:00
RICHARD SHINDELL lives as both an immigrant and emigrant, crossing thresholds, that informs his illumination of the human experience through narrative song. Shindell has inhabited a Zen Buddhist monastery and busked in the streets of Paris.
Originally from New York, now living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Shindell is a writer whose songs paint pictures, tell stories, juxtapose ideas and images, inhabit characters, vividly evoking entire worlds along the way and expanding our sense of just what it is a song may be. Meticulously recorded over three years in New York and Buenos Aires, his most recent release, Careless, offered an ambitious, luxurious, full- length statement. Shindell immersed himself in the studio, allowing the time and latitude to explore, experiment, take risks—to play—as each of these eleven songs was given form and substance. While his signature acoustic guitar style is used to good effect, Careless also found Shindell plugging in more. “The wider sonic and dynamic range of the electric has been a real inspiration. Rejuvenating.”
During the pandemic, Shindell stayed in Argentina, out on the wide open Pampa, reading, writing, taking walks, doing a little experimental recording, and tending the garden. He now returns to the road for a limited number of performances. Innovative, original and occasionally spiritual, Shindell’s songs weave tales that interchangeably champion the downtrodden, exalt the disaffected or wax empathetic to those lost to society’s fringes. From lighthearted ballads and adulterous love songs, to dirges and diatribes that skillfully skewer politics, prejudice, war and religion, to the comic point-of-view of a cow stuck in a barbed wire fence, he has a unique ability to morph into the soul of the many and varied personalities he casts as narrators in certain songs—veritable novellas framed in haunting acoustic melodies.

RICHARD SHINDELL/ Jess Klein- Thursday
2025-05-08 20:00
JESS KLEIN* opens for Richard on this second night of his 3 night run here.
RICHARD SHINDELL lives as both an immigrant and emigrant, crossing thresholds, that informs his illumination of the human experience through narrative song. Shindell has inhabited a Zen Buddhist monastery and busked in the streets of Paris.
Originally from New York, now living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Shindell is a writer whose songs paint pictures, tell stories, juxtapose ideas and images, inhabit characters, vividly evoking entire worlds along the way and expanding our sense of just what it is a song may be. Meticulously recorded over three years in New York and Buenos Aires, his most recent release, Careless, offered an ambitious, luxurious, full- length statement. Shindell immersed himself in the studio, allowing the time and latitude to explore, experiment, take risks—to play—as each of these eleven songs was given form and substance. While his signature acoustic guitar style is used to good effect, Careless also found Shindell plugging in more. “The wider sonic and dynamic range of the electric has been a real inspiration. Rejuvenating.”
During the pandemic, Shindell stayed in Argentina, out on the wide open Pampa, reading, writing, taking walks, doing a little experimental recording, and tending the garden. He now returns to the road for a limited number of performances. Innovative, original and occasionally spiritual, Shindell’s songs weave tales that interchangeably champion the downtrodden, exalt the disaffected or wax empathetic to those lost to society’s fringes. From lighthearted ballads and adulterous love songs, to dirges and diatribes that skillfully skewer politics, prejudice, war and religion, to the comic point-of-view of a cow stuck in a barbed wire fence, he has a unique ability to morph into the soul of the many and varied personalities he casts as narrators in certain songs—veritable novellas framed in haunting acoustic melodies.
*Of opener JESS KLEIN: The Bluegrass Situation hails her work as “one part grassroots social activism, two parts alt-country guitar rock — a combo we can certainly get behind.” Klein’s new album, When We Rise, harnesses this potent combination with themes of empowerment and the joy of overcoming set to a dynamic and deeply introspective roots-inflected soundtrack.

RICHARD SHINDELL- Friday
2025-05-09 20:30

WHAT'S HIS NAME & THE OTHER GUY
2025-05-10 20:15
If y’all manage to arrive in a timely fashion so that we can get you fed before 8, show will start at 8. Please buy tickets in advance so we can plan for the evening.
WHAT’S HIS NAME & THE OTHER GUY are Brian (Looper) Lucas & Greg (Loopier) Valde . These two have been playing together around these parts for over 25 years – under an array of monikers. You may have known them as “Lost Souls” “Devil in the Outhouse,” or “Syd Hartha & the Monkeyminds.” Folks often ask if they are twins, but they’re not. Fun fact: same sperm, different mothers. As for music, expect some stirring and rousing americana, blues, country, and humor.
“Sure it’s juvenile and irreverent, but if you drink enough it’s not that bad.”

CURTIS & LORETTA
2025-05-16 20:00
CURTIS & LORETTA The husband and wife duo’s extraordinary harmonies and proficiency on a parade of stringed instruments create an alluring frame for their poignant original songs, and traditional pieces from America and the British Isles. The current menagerie includes mandocello, folk harp, guitars, clawhammer banjo, ukulele, and mandolin, plus a bit of kazoo, harmonica, and shakers. Curtis’ down-home sense of humor and Loretta’s theater background engage the audience in an experience that runs the gamut of rolling with laughter to holding back tears, with plenty of side-trips in between. They rack up countless miles each year, crisscrossing the country to deliver their own unique brand of folk singer/songwriter music.
The duo’s perennial humor is ever present, with songs and stories of harp players trying to get into heaven, small spenders on first dates, bugs, and lutefisk! Their years of performing and touring together have honed their comfortable stage presence to a delightful edge.
“Loretta’s almost operatic alto and Curtis’ rich tenor form a lush, polished and varied vocal blend. The pair’s instrumental interplay is equally compelling, with Loretta’s harp textures dancing in and around Curtis’ deft guitar and mandolin lines.” … Dirty Linen

CASH BOX KINGS w/ Queen Lee Kanehira
2025-05-17 20:15
THE CASH BOX KINGS will be joined by QUEEN LEE KANEHIRA, recognized as one of the premier blues and boogie woogie piano players in the world today. She was the winner of the inaugural 2019 Chicago International Blues Piano Competition. She regularly tours throughout Europe, Asia, and North America as a solo artist (and as a member of the Cash Box Kings). She was a featured artist for the Otis Span Tribute concert at the 2024 Chicago Blues Festival.

“Oscar Wilson’s powerful and deep voice harkens back to the golden age of Chicago blues. Nosek blows spirited, muscular harp. The Cash Box Kings serve up undeniable proof that they remain one of the top blues bands of this era.”
–Blues Music Magazine
“The Cash Box Kings play with taste and feel and it was faith restoring to know there’s guys out there that still know and appreciate real blues.”
-Blues Legend Charlie Musslewhite

TODD ALBRIGHT- Postponed
2025-05-22 19:30
This has been postponed. A new date will be established.
Ticket link follows bio-
TODD ALBRIGHT is a country blues, twelve string guitar player and vocalist based in Detroit, Michigan. Grounded in the pre-war era of the blues tradition (1880-1939), Todd is a mindful purveyor of blues history. His repertoire upholds musical pillars such as Blind Willie McTell, George Carter, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Leadbelly. His life’s work continues the distinguished tradition of the very roots of American music as told by the African American musicians who created it.

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

ALEKSI CAMPAGNE
2025-05-23 20:30
Named Penguin Eggs & Roots Music Canada’s New Discovery of the Year! , ALEKSI CAMPAGNE offers a contemporary, indie-folk take on the time-honoured fiddle-singing tradition. Born and raised in Montreal, Aleksi blends folk songwriting with an edgy, multi-layered sound resulting from his unique combination of voice, violin and looping-effect pedals. He was awarded the 2024 Canadian Folk Music Award for francophone artist of the year for his debut album which features the same 10 songs in English and French. Thematically, Aleksi’s debut album is about all the firsts of growing up–from first loves to first moves, the first steps of your career and even first breakups.
Aleksi is uniquely qualified to offer a contemporary, indie-folk take on the time-honoured fiddle-singing tradition. At five years old, he began performing alongside his mother, Canadian folk icon, Connie Kaldor. At 19, Aleksi moved to Paris to study under jazz violin legend Didier Lockwood. At 21, Aleksi became the only student to have ever been accepted into the classical violin, the jazz violin and the jazz voice performance programs at McGill University. Since then, Aleksi had graced the lineups of some of Canada’ most beloved folk festivals—including the Mariposa Folk Festival, the Regina Folk Festival, and the Northern Lights Festival, among others. Aleksi tours festivals and venues across Canada with a four-piece band made up of some of the finest young musicians Montreal has to offer: Stephane Krims (Bass), Aaron Dolman (drums) and Zach Bachand (guitar).
Aleksi’s last year has been a whirlwind! In July 2022, Aleksi was selected as a Mariposa Folk Festival Emerging Artist to perform at the festival. In December, his single Another Day was picked by Paul Corby as a Top Single of 2022. In March, he was celebrated by Tom Coxworth as one of the Top 5 Favourite acts at the Folk Alliance International Conference, alongside acts like The Fretless and Mary Gautier. In May, his single Won’t be Scared was selected as the only Canadian finalist in the Kerrville Folk Festival’s Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. In July 2023, Aleksi launched his debut album to critical acclaim. In a review in Le Devoir by Sylvain Cormier, Aleksi’s debut was compared to that of Patrick Watson and Half Moon Run.

TRICIA ALEXANDER workshop- Energy Medicine & the Breath
2025-05-24 14:00 - 17:00
ENERGY MEDICINE & THE BREATH: Tools You Can Use – see reservation information below
The goal of this class is to bring 3 VERY simple tools into the hands of the participants. These tools are especially useful for:

improving mental clarity, coordinated brain function
general overall harmonic balance
stress reduction

thus improving communication within the entire bodymind complex; all of which leads increased well BE-ing

Facilitator Tricia Alexander is a Performing & Healing Artist
Musician, Minister & Mentor ° Reiki Master teacher (Usui lineage)
Bodytalker & Energy Medicine Intuitive
Tricia’s additional education includes: a two year apprenticeship with Meistra Kay Gardner in The Use of Modal and Sonic Tools for Healing (with deep listening exercises by Pauline Oliveros), Mindscape with Dr. John Veltheim, BodyTalk (with a variety of master teachers), as well as individual classes with Bruce Lipton, Dr. Michael Ryce, Martha Creek, and Eagle Man (Ed McGaa).
3 hour class
$25 – 45 sliding class fee
all ages are welcome
(no one will be turned away for inability to pay)

Contact Tricia to reserve your space in the class:
773-478-8778, triciababa@aol.com

Tricia with Alpha Stewart, Jr. (percussionist of wonder and light) will be doing a concert of music & spoken word- blues, jazz and folk here that evening. Find information and buy tickets here.

TRICIA ALEXANDER w/ ALPHA STEWART, JR
2025-05-24 19:00
Music and Spoken Word – Blues, Jazz & Folk with
TRICIA ALEXANDER and Alpha Stewart, Jr.(percussionist of wonder and light)

The vision for this concert grew out of Tricia’s practice as a performing & healing artist.
The simple act of a room full of people singing together gently opens & nourishes our hearts. Music helps us recharge – it lifts our spirits & at the same time energetically sends a unifying ripple of love out into the into the cosmic energy stream that we are all drinking from. Healing IS possible through the shared experience of sound & resonance. Even through these darkest of days, we can create safe & sacred space for & with – each other.
Hoping you will join us and sing along . . .
Tricia will be doing an afternoon workshop from 2 to 5– information here.

Tricia’s music & ministry:

1) We Are The People (that we’ve been waiting for)
Music Video Spirit Art – using the recording of Tricia’s song as the sound track

2) Her interview with Mark Helpsmeet’s (Song of the Soul, Northern Spirit Radio)

Music CDs and Poetry Books available at Tricia Alexander.com

SCAMMED! a TNW Ensemble Theater PLAY
2025-05-30 20:00
TNW ENSEMBLE THEATER
ticket link follows play description
More than 7,000 people get scammed every day in this country, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
But what if one of them decided to fight back and flip the script on the scammers?

That’s the premise of Scammed!, an original comedy/adventure play from TNW Ensemble Theater. When a freelancing editor falls for a sophisticated version of a classic scam, she assumes the rip-roaring, amoral alter ego of Helen Wheels to get even. She gets help along the way from her coffee shop cohort, an unconventional banker named Johnny Angel, and a helpful good citizen – or is he? Scammed! takes audiences behind the scenes in the world of hackers and con artists, showing the similarities between scams and current events.

Scammed! is written by Danielle Dresden, directed by Francisco Torres, and features performances by Megan Mori, Donavon Armbruster, and Patrick Chounet, with cameo appearances by Donna Peckett, Shane Heim, who also serves as stage manager, Francisco Torres, and Danielle Dresden. Graphics by Michael Duffy.

KAREN JOHNSON
2025-05-31 20:00
KAREN JOHNSON grew up in West Allis, WI, surrounded by music. One of her favorite memories is listening to old country tunes with her dad while riding along in his old pick-up truck. At a young age, Karen learned to play the Tamburitza and sing harmony as a member of the American Croatian Silver Strings Tamburitzans. Now playing the guitar, she has been performing at various venues since 1998 but loves playing in the Carpe’s listening room.
Karen sings songs of her favorite artists including Joan Baez, Nanci Griffith, Alison Krauss, and Suzy Bogguss, to name a few.
Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dclx2nwDJNY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6pYX8uK25o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z6AN79G3TE

JACK WILLIAMS
2025-06-04 19:30
JACK WILLIAMS– A South Carolinian, an uncommonly unique guitarist, a writer of vivid songs with a strong sense of place, and a storyteller in an old Southern tradition.
“…. 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.”— Rich Warren, formerly of WFMT “Midnight Special”, Chicago, IL
