Cafe Carpe

TANNAHILL WEAVERS
2019-09-15 19:30 - 22:00 (America/Chicago)
We will be open at 5:00 and serving food. Kitchen will close at showtime.
We are selling tickets through BROWN PAPER TICKETS. Click on the Buy tickets link to get yourself some.

“The music may be pure old time Celtic, but the drive and enthusiasm are akin to straight ahead rock and roll.” – Winnipeg Free Press
The TANAHILL WEAVERS are one of Scotland’s premier traditional bands. Now in their 51st year, they have a diverse repertoire that spans the centuries, with fire-driven instrumentals, topical songs, original ballads and lullabies, and humorous tales of life in Scotland.
“An especially eloquent mixture of the old and the new.” – New York Times
Born of a session in Paisley, Scotland, and named for the town’s historic weaving industry and local poet laureate Robert Tannahill, the group has made an international name for its special brand of Scottish music, blending the beauty of traditional melodies with the power of modern rhythms. For this tour they are joined by piper Mike Katz of Battlefield Band fame, one of the best pipers and biggest personalities in the Scottish piping scene.
In 2018 they released their 18th recording, Òrach (“Golden” in Gaelic) to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
“Formed from a Paisley pub session in 1968, seminal trailblazers the Tannahill Weavers now also rank as national treasures.” -Glasgow Celtic Connections 2018

ROXANNE NEAT
2019-09-14 20:00 - 22:00
Since 1974, ROXANNE has performed traditional and contemporary folk music and ballads, drawing from Appalachian, Scottish, Irish and English traditions. She also performs original songs and those of her favorite singer-songwriters.
She complements her beautiful clear singing voice with guitar, piano, spoons, and bones.
One of the first performers to be featured on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Simply Folk” program, Roxanne was also a “pioneer” Artist-in-Residence for the Wisconsin Arts Board, teaching folk traditions to hundreds of children in K-12 classrooms.
Roxanne was a regular at the Green Dragon Inn and the early Carpe, but put her music on the back burner for a teaching career. She put that on the back burner to retire. She released a wonderful new CD in 2016.
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve.

TRICIA ALEXANDER/ KAIA FOWLER/ DIANA LAFFEY
2019-09-13 20:30 - 22:30
3 AMAZING WOMEN – ONE NIGHT ONLY!!!
Exquisite voices, accomplished musicians, powerful songwriting
TRICIA ALEXANDER
“Joy-filled, uplifting and inspiring” are just some of the words used to describe Tricia Alexander’s musical and spiritual gatherings. An award-winning performing and healing Artist, a vocalist, guitarist, performance poet and percussionist – Tricia has a repertoire that moves through blues, jazz & contemporary folk.
The Folk Music Source Book places her “intelligent contemporary writing” in the same league as: Holly Near, Cheryl Wheeler, Anne Hills and Christine Lavin. Humanities Iowa calls her, “a modern day Aesop.” Tricia’s work with community arts development received awards in America and Britain. Her recent awards include the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Woodstock Folk Festival – and her song, I Will Walk, was one of the finalists in the 2014 World Citizen Artists Song Competition.
KAIA FOWLER
Listeners say Kaia Fowler’s music “speaks to the soul.” Through song, Kaia evokes transcendence and comfort even when witnessing difficult topics like personal loss, social inequality, and our fragile Earth. Her music explores challenges, embraces resilience, and celebrates the joy of being alive, even in times of sorrow. An accomplished finger-style guitarist with a wonderful vocal range, Kaia’s sound ranges from vibrantly melodic tunes reminiscent of artists like Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez to blues and roots rock songs with rhythmic strumming and powerful vocals. In concert, Kaia’s warm energy and authenticity invite listeners to transcend the day-to-day in a way that only live music can.
DIANA LAFFEY
is a much loved Chicago-based singer songwriter and performer, with an exquisite voice and the incredible ability to create breath-taking harmonies. She is also a powerhouse guitarist and percussionist. Diana’s been performing since high school, first in musical theater, later in Chicago-area nightclubs and coffeehouses. She plays acoustic folk, blues, rock – and has been part of Chicago’s professional music scene for over 30 years. People still talk about her 20 year duet with Kathy O’Hara, also her very early work with Herb Ramlose and ‘The Folk Next Door’. In addition to doing concerts, Diana is currently a Wiggleworms teacher at the Old Town School of Folk Music.
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve.

NEW PIONEERS
2019-09-12 19:00 - 21:30, 2019-08-08 19:00 - 21:30
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.
Like them on Facebook.

TALBOTT BROTHERS
2019-09-11 20:00 - 22:30
Buy tickets through Brown Paper Tickets by clicking on Buy tickets:

Tickets will be $12 the day of the show, should any be left.
Blood is thicker than water and there’s nothing like family creating music together to prove it. With contrasting blood-harmonies and left-handed/right-handed guitar playing, singer-songwriter duo THE TALBOTT BROTHERS combine rock, blues and pop with honest storytelling.
A recent review in rolling stone.com:
“The Talbott Brothers, “Run No More”
A pair of harmony-singing siblings who were raised in rural Nebraska, the Talbott Brothers made cinematic folk-rock for open highways, widescreen skies, and the limitless reach of the American heartland. “I don’t wanna run, run, run no more” goes the chorus of this slow-burning anthem, delivered by Tyler and Nick Talbott with the conviction of two road warriors who’ve logged plenty of highway miles.”
Nick and Tyler were born and raised in Imperial, a small town in Southwestern Nebraska, just a stone’s throw from the Colorado border. They began writing and performing together before relocating to their mother’s birthplace of Portland, Oregon. Tyler, the youngest (lead vocals, baritone guitar, harmonica) and Nick, the oldest (backing vocals, lead guitar) discovered their love of music after digging their dad’s old dreadnaught guitar out of the basement and teaching themselves to play along to Johnny Cash, Bob Seger and the Beatles on vinyl.
Following the release of 2017’s GRAY, they found themselves in front of sold out crowds in the US and sharing the stage with ZZ Ward, Johnnyswim and AJR. Ear to the Ground Music dubbed the record as one of the ‘Top 5 Albums of the Year’ stating it as, “equal parts optimistic and captivating, inspiring and hopeful.” Through rigorous touring and over half a million streams on Spotify, they continue to build a strong and loyal fanbase wherever they go.

DAYNA KURTZ
2019-09-07 20:30 - 23:00
DAYNA KURTZ

Always delighted for the chance to hear Dayna.
This New Jersey born, now New Orleans (and seasonal Vermont) resident vocalist/writer/musician/producer has been bestowed with many awards and praises, including being named the Female Songwriter of the Year by the National Academy of Songwriters. Norah Jones and Bonnie Raitt have raved about her in interviews, and she’s performed on such high-profile radio shows as World Cafe, Mountain Stage and NPR’s Morning Edition and Tell Me More. She’s toured and opened for the likes of Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, Mavis Staples, Rufus Wainwright, B.B. King, Dr. John, Richie Havens, Keren Ann, Chris Whitley, and the Blind Boys of Alabama.
“When Kurtz sings, one of two things typically happens. Either she lets out a deep, husky croon that seems to bubble up from her toes, or she unleashes a full-throttle roar that’s more inviting than imposing…There’s no logical reason why Dayna Kurtz is not a full blown star.” – James Reed, Boston Globe
“Kurtz has total mastery of the dynamics of ballad singing. She brings the kind of substance to her vocals characteristic of a great gospel singer.” – John Swenson Offbeat
“Dayna Kurtz is the kind of artist who inspires wild-eyed zealotry among her fans, and there are three reasons for it: One, she’s an artist’s artist, one whose whiskeyed, determined alto often earns her comparisons with Nina Simone; two, while Europeans adore her, she’s obscenely under-appreciated in her own country; and three, her songs, which straddle a difficult space between jazz, rock, and folk, are pure poetry. Her latest release owes its artist instant stardom. If that’s unattainable, it should at least earn her the one descriptor all serious artists strive for: important.” – Tammy La Gorce ALL MUSIC GUIDE
“Dayna Kurtz’s diverse vocals feel both old and new, recalling Nina Simone of yesteryear…hypnotically haunting” – New York Post
“Kurtz’s voice is a potent thing. She projected that voice like a stage actress; the occasional glint of grit made it all the richer.” – Keith Spera, Times-Picayune (Jazzfest 2012 review)
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve.

OPEN STAGE
2019-09-06 20:00 - 22:00
Starting a little later this time around in order not to conflict with an event on the porch.

PORCH closed for a private event 5-9ish
2019-09-06 17:00 - 21:00
Some people will get married.

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2019-08-31 20:30 - 23:00
just got the memo that Bill all by his lonesome had added himself to the calendar for this date.
Please call 920-563-9391 to make sure you get a seat.

JOHN GORKA SOLD OUT
2019-08-30 20:30 - 23:00
Purchase your tickets in advance through Brown Paper Tickets by clicking on the Buy tickets link:

“With a tangle of songs that emotionally connect us all and leave a tender trace, JOHN GORKA stimulates the cerebrum, keeps our smiles agile and fit and reconnects us with what really matters most in music: honesty. His atmosphere allows for the listener to feel his individualized attention, his lyrical tenderness, his care for the guitar and his true presence.” Brian DAmbrosio, Huffington Post
“There are few contemporary songwriters that come anywhere close to the talent of John Gorka. His songs have a way of working on you long after you thought you had it all figured out. I will listen to a song that I know all the words to and can sing a long with and then one day sitting at a traffic light I realize that there was a whole other layer of meaning that I had missed.”

SONG CIRCLE w/ TRICIA ALEXANDER
2019-08-29 18:30 - 21:00
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 regularly on the last Thursday of each month (except sometimes).

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.

GEORGIA RAE & GEORGIA RAE FAMILY BAND
2019-08-24 20:30 - 23:00
Fiddle champ GEORGIA RAE has discovered the magic of the loop pedal and opened a treasure trove of original material and a one-woman show. Quirky and catchy, these songs will invade your life if you let them. Watch her build and give flight to song right before your eyes. Inspired by contemporary artists from the Avett Brothers to Mungo Jerry, and a jazzy feel to her bow, with her loop or her band, Georgia Rae’s music and love for life will follow you out the door and into the next day.
GEORGIA RAE and sister lead singer/uke KELLY JO anchor this band from Northern Illinois. The band has always pushed the envelope of traditional music. Their progressive sound is inspired by a mix of Americana, contemporary folk and roots, and a little jazzy swing, all flavored with family harmony and youthful energy. Their original songs are clever and catchy. Georgia Rae and Kelly Jo, are joined by a solid driving rhythm “punk rockin’ momma” on guitar, Joe Burie on bass and Laura Lanza on mandolin. The family has played and traveled together since 2011.
Georgia Rae is the 2016 National Twin Fiddle Champion (NOTFA, ID) and a state grand champion 7 times (IL, WI, MN).
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve.

THE LOWEST PAIR
2019-08-22 20:00 - 22:00
THE LOWEST PAIR is a quirky, old-time roots influenced duet, featuring the high lonesome harmonies of banjo-pickin’ songsters Kendl Winter and Palmer T. Lee. They perform both traditional and original music, often nestling-in somewhere between. Arkansas-born and homesteading in Olympia Washington, Kendl is a solo artist on indie record label K Records and was one of the founding members of the popular string band The Blackberry Bushes. Palmer hails from Minneapolis, MN and is the front man of high energy festival favorites bluegrass outfit, The Boys n’ the Barrels. The two met in early 2013 and began discussing the idea of collaborating. Shorty thereafter they hit the road with their banjos and an old guitar. A few months after the duet formed they teamed up with Dave Simonette of Trampled By Turtles to record their debut record “36¢” released on Team Love Records. They are road warriors with a city folk front and back porch sentiment. This dynamic banjo duo is turning heads across the country.
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.
“Now, first thing is to say this:
Much further out than inevitable,
Halloween’s thy game.
Sky King has come and Wilma’s done,
Uncertain as it is uneven.
Give us today hors d’oeuvres in bed,
As we forgive those who have dressed up against us.
And need us not enter inflation,
butter, liver, onions, and potatoes.
For wine is a shingle, and a Moore,
and a story for your Father.
Alright.”
The Lowest Pair
-by John Hartford

BILL STAINES
2019-08-21 20:00 - 22:00
Anyone not familiar with the music of BILL STAINES is in for a special treat.
Singing mostly his own songs, he has become one of the most popular and durable singers on the folk music scene today, performing nearly 200 concerts a year and driving over 65,000 miles annually. He weaves a blend of gentle wit and humor into his performances and one reviewer wrote, “He has a sense of timing to match the best standup comic.”
Bill’s music is a slice of Americana, reflecting with the same ease his feelings about the prairie people of the Midwest or the adventurers of the Yukon, the on-the-road truckers, or the everyday workers that make up this land.
Many of Bill’s songs have appeared in grade school music books, church hymnals, and scouting campfire songbooks; he is one of only a few songwriters to have eight songs published in the classic song collection, Rise up Singing. Composer David Amram recently described Bill as “a modern day Stephen Foster…his songs will be around 100 years from now.”
Over the decades, you have heard Bill singing on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, HBO’s award winning series Deadwood, and Public Radio’s Mountain Stage. Additionally, his music has been used in a number of films including Off and Running, with Cyndi Lauper, and The Return of the Secaucus Seven, John Sayles’ debut as a writer- director.
In 1975, Bill won National Yodeling Championship in Kerrville Texas. Another important recognition was given to him in 2007. Presented by the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association, The Jerry Christen Award recognized Bill’s contribution to New England folk music.
Currently, Bill has recorded 26 albums; The Happy Wanderer and One More River were winners of the prestigious Parents’ Choice Award, taking a gold medal and silver medal respectively. His songs have been recorded by many artists including Peter, Paul, and Mary, Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, The Highwaymen, Mason Williams, Grandpa Jones, Jerry Jeff Walker, Nanci Griffith, Glen Yarborough and others.
“Folk music is rich in the human spirit and experience. I’ve always wanted to bring something of value to people through my songs.” With these thoughts, Bill continues to drive the highways and back roads of the country year after year, bringing his music to listeners, young and old.
“Bill Staines has been my hero since 1977. He carries on where Woody left off-carrying on the tradition of stories and characters you wish you knew.” – Nanci Griffith
“Staines is one of the best songwriters in folk music today, penning lyrics that evoke a sense of place and a generous spirit to go along with his pretty melodies. – Associated Press
“Staines is one of folk music’s best songwriters and entertainers.” – Milwaukee Journal
“There is no better writer of instantly memorable singalong choruses in this genre of music!” – The Boston Globe
“His gentle lilting voice, spacious melodies and common-chord lyrics give his songs a homespun grace that often belies his mastery of the folk form. He is such a pure pleasure too, people forget to notice how damn good at the job of singer-songwritering he really is.” – New England Folk Almanac
“Folk singer Bill Staines’ compositions recall the paintings of Grandma Moses – simple, literal and evocative of a bucolic tranquility that modern times have almost erased.” – Hartford Courant
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve.

JACOB MILLER/ Jason Lynk & Steve Tesmer
2019-08-17 20:30 - 22:30
With an affinity for minimalist pop and firm roots planted in American traditional music, JACOB MILLER crafts a timeless sound unique to his style and abilities.
In 2019, Jacob released his debut album, ‘This New Home,’ which displays his abilities as a performer, writer and composer. Recorded and performed entirely by Miller in a SE Portland living room turned studio – songs and ideas come together to form an album that is hard, honest and heartfelt.
Local duo Jason Lynk & Steve Tesmer will open. Jason is a contemporary folk singer whose clear, driving vocals lend themselves to modern reinterpretations of various music styles, from classic rock to pop, folk, and country-western. Jason will be joined by Steve Tesmer on Dobro. Steve is an accomplished Dobro player and is a member of the popular local groups Three Thin Dimes and Jill and the JAX. Though their musical styles are diverse, Steve and Jason have found a perfect harmony to showcase exciting renditions of many of your favorite songs.
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

T.S. HENRY WEBB with GLENN DAVIS
2019-08-15 19:30 - 21:30
From T.S. HENRY WEBB:
“Been a couple of years since the last time Glenn (www.silvermoonblues.com) and I got to create some music together at the wonderful Cafe Carpe. Looking forward to seeing a lot of old friends. The joyful moments are due…I will abide.”

“Listening to TS Henry Webb’s music is like taking a walk thru your own transgenerational bohemia; the sun is shining in your favorite cafe, as old beatniks, young slackers, and foreign travelers drink coffee, smile and listen with the heart”. Kevin L Burrows – Liner Notes

“T.S. can shift gears suddenly, and from sunny day, take you to urban full moon night; neon souls walking midnight streets, when 3AM is always yesterday’s madness and tomorrow’s new dawn.” -Kevin L Burrows – Liner Notes

“All too often ‘alternative ‘ music seems to mean ‘the musicians can’t play’. It’s nice to find alternative music that is grounded in melody, rhythm, meter, counterpoint. In short, real music.” Kevin L. Burrows – Liner Notes
GLENN DAVIS began playing in blues bands in 1970 after graduating high school in Des Plaines, IL. In the late 70’s Glenn moved to New York, and recorded his first full length LP in 1984. Later that year he moved to Chicago and started touring nationally with his band Straight Shooter. In 1989 Glenn Davis opened the Silver Moon Blues Club in Darien, WI. Since then Glenn has released a number of CD’s on the Moonfish recording label.
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

MCKAIN LAKEY
2019-08-14 19:30 - 21:30
MCKAIN LAKEY
Songwriter, performer, teacher, luthier, and sound engineer – McKain Lakey knows every inch of the musician life. With voice, banjo, fiddle, and her handcrafted guitar, Lakey draws her creative inspiration from the American folk tradition, touring nationally with her patented mix of old-time tunes and new-roots originals. These originals exist wherever the imagination of John Hartford flows into the grit of Hazel Dickens—in the beating heart of contemporary Americana, forever old and new, described by What’s Up Magazine as “a time capsule unearthed, fine-tuned and re-imagined.” Lakey is also an accomplished music educator and audio engineer, exploring the power of sound from every angle and letting that experience shine through her compositions. Following the success of her debut EP “West,” Lakey is currently writing a full-length studio album, expected in 2020.
“Through beautiful and intense original compositions and covers from days gone by, McKain brought goose bumps the whole way through. Holding a degree from Berklee College of Music and trained in the clawhammer style of banjo, she mixed musical virtuosity with one of the most amazing voices you will hear anywhere. A time capsule unearthed, fine-tuned and re-imagined, McKain Lakey shared her exciting perspective on Americana with fullness of heart and soul.” -Frank Giokas, What’s Up Magazine
“McKain is a wonder, bridging voicings of another era, another land, to a very relevant here and now.” –Meghan Yates (The Reverie Machine)
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

KEVIN PRATER BAND
2019-08-13 20:00 - 22:30
Kentucky Based, Patuxent Music recording artist, is bringing the finest in Pure Kentucky Bluegrass, Classic Country, Grassed up Vintage Rock and Gospel music for their second appearance here.
Known and world wide for his Machine Gun Mandolin style and his High Tenor Vocals, Kevin Prater brings his Belcher, KY. based THE KEVIN PRATER BAND to share their Traditional Bluegrass, Classic Country, Grassed Up Vintage Rock and the band favorite, Gospel music.
Kevin Prater is remembered by many as the long time sideman of the James King Band. Kevin toured with James for twelve years, beginning in 1997. Kevin also spent three years with The Bluegrass Brothers, earning a nomination as “Banjo Player of the Year”. Kevin has said many times, losing to J. D. Crowe is one of his greatest accomplishments. However, Kevin was part of two, “Album of the Year”, a “Song of the Year” and “Recorded Event of the Year” ward winning recorded projects during his time with James King.
Additional credits to his musical journey, Kevin spent three years as part of the house band at Dolly Wood for Ms. Dolly Parton, has played with Jerry Williamson & Redwing, Melvin Goins & Windy Mountain, Timmy Cline Band, Mark Phillips & Third Generation and many other bands in his nearly 40 years on the road.
Currently in his 12th year leading The Kevin Prater Band throughout the USA and Canada, the band is currently promoting their fifth CD, “All I Ever Wanted”, recorded on Patuxent Music label of Rockville, MD. The CD finished 2018 at #65 of the Top 200 on the Roots Music Charts. Title track “All I Ever Wanted” was written by Kevin Prater 22 years prior to being recorded. Other writes on the project includes a variety of writers, some well known, Larry Cordle, Mark “Brink” Brinkman and David Morris. Other writers include Keith Hatfield of Pikeville, KY., Kevin’s employer at CARQUEST. Keith’s song “Barefoot Country Girl” is the projects most requested track for the CD. “Lord Daniels”, written by Landon Messer is the bands typical gruesome Bluegrass track.
Completing the bands unique, pure Kentucky Bluegrass style, is a group of young, hard driving. traditional grass loving multi-talented young men. Each plays multiple instruments and contributes to the band vocally.
On Fiddle, Adam Borrows “Aka” the Dancing Fiddler. Adam livens up the stage with his fast and furious fiddle and his feet. Adam also adds a bit of comedy to the band. On Banjo and Dobro, Jake Burrows, Adams younger brother. They are known throughout the East Coast as The Burrows Brothers. They began touring in their early teens with Lonesome Will Mullins and quickly gained attention for their own band.
Filling the Guitar position, Ryan Lester. Ryan can sing any part, play any instrument, as he was born into Bluegrass Royalty in Hurley, VA. By age three his grandad Dean Jackson had him on stage. Dean is also responsible for starting Kevin Praters musical journey about the same age. Ryan began as a regular band member of Bluegrass Autumn at age 5, loving to sing and play. Ryan has toured with Ebby Jewell and Bluegrass Gentlemen, Mike Bentley and Cumberland Gap Connection and Sandy Shortridge Band.
Current Bass man, Cole Spears was a founding member of The Kevin Prater Band, has returned to fill in during a period of transition. Cole has played with many bands, plays man instruments and is an accomplished vocalist on lead and harmony.
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

JEREMY CLYDE of Chad & Jeremy
2019-08-12 19:30 - 21:30
JEREMY CLYDE of Chad & Jeremy
We will open at 5:00 and are serving food.
Get your tickets by clicking on Buy tickets below:

Jeremy Clyde of Chad and Jeremy, and his Bottom Drawer Band present 1960s Chad & Jeremy classics, deep cuts from the psychedelic years, and songs from Jeremy’s ‘Bottom Drawer’ project. Featuring Emeen Zarookian on lead guitar, Emily Elkin on cello, and Kaitlin Wolfberg on violin, the show celebrates the release of his new CD, “The Bottom Drawer Sessions No. 5” with a special concert event highlighting songs from all four volumes of “The Bottom Drawer Sessions”.
The first of Chad Stuart & Jeremy Clyde’s 14 U.S. chart hits was “Yesterday’s Gone”, followed by “A Summer Song”, “Willow Weep for Me”, “If I Loved You”, and “Before and After”. TV appearances included “Shindig”, “Hullabaloo”, “The Patty Duke Show”, “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “Batman”.
Their musical adventure-and evolution-continued with the hits “Distant Shores” and “You Are She” , from late 1966, but they turned a corner with the September 25, 1966 LP release ‘of cabbages and kings”. Looking back at the classic album, AllMusic guide says “Stuart and Clyde were gifted songwriters who could work outside the standard pop framework of the day, and Stuart (who orchestrated the album) was a talented and imaginative arranger who gives the material a sound that’s both rich and intimate. ”
That songwriting gift never left Jeremy Clyde, through decades of off and on touring with Chad & Jeremy and on and on acting on British television, including “Downton Abbey”, and the stages of London’s West End. With the 2014 release of “The Bottom Drawer Sessions No. 1”, 2016’s “The Bottom Drawer Sessions No. 2”, spring 2017’s, “The Bottom Drawer Sessions No. 3”, and spring 2018’s “The Bottom Drawer Sessions No. 4″, and 2019’s”The Bottom Drawer Sessions No. 5”, Clyde has –with more than 50 sweeping, evocative, inspired recordings- officially reclaimed the songwriter’s title.
http://www.bottomdrawersession/
“Business As Usual”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSHk8w4yUdk

BILL CAMPLIN BAND
2019-08-10 20:30 - 23:00

MATTHEW FRANCIS ANDERSEN/ Pete Jonnson & Cheryl Niemo
2019-08-09 20:30 - 22:30
MATTHEW FRANCIS ANDERSEN
Matthew Francis Andersen’s music is reminiscent of Steve Earle, John Prine, and Springsteen. He’s a tremendous writer, bridging Chicago with the Northwoods. I really dig what he’s doing. – Nick Digilio, WGN Radio, 720am, Chicago

Matthew Francis Andersen is a consummate craftsmen. His song “Blue Line” proves he has a poet’s eye for detail, a trait that separates good writers from legions of hacks. Caine O’Rear, Editor-In-Chief, American Songwriter Magazine.
Matthew was born and raised in Chicago. But as a former walleye and musky fishing guide home has also been as far as northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. That’s where Andersen’s writing takes you: from the local taverns and street lights, to the boat landings and rivers deep within the northwoods. Matthew Francis Andersen’s writing shows you where this Midwesterner has been. Logging trucks and taxi cabs, game wardens and bar patrons live inside these songs.
Andersen has won American Songwriter Magazine’s Lyric Contest, was awarded the Individual Artist Grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. and has shared the stage with the likes of Jim Lauderdale, Gurf Morlix, Ruthie Foster, the band LIT, Steve Forbert, Kevin Gordon, Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart.
Watch a video here.
Cheryl Niemo and Pete Jonnson will open with a blend of bluegrass, traditional folk, pop, blues, and old standards (popular music from the early 1900’s).
Cheryl also loves the music of modern singer songwriters like Emmy Lou Harrison and Gillian Welch and includes many of their songs in her performances. Cheryl’s voice is beautiful and she knows how to sing a song and make it special.
Pete plays great rhythm guitar in a variety of styles, and harmonizes.

Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

ROY BOOKBINDER
2019-08-03 20:30 - 23:00
Musically, ROY BOOK BINDER is equally difficult to fence in or categorize. His eclectic repertoire includes blues, country tunes, bluegrass, folk, and popular songs that originated on Tin Pan Alley.
He fantasizes that if he had been born 50 years earlier, he would have become a minstrel man. One of his musical heroes, Dave Van Ronk, once described himself to me as a songster. That title might suit Roy as well, his music, a reflection of his long musical journey through the rich American cultural landscape of the last half of the 20th Century.
“Nobody writes in the idiom better than Roy Book Binder. He is a master player, singer, writer and teller of tales? true tales. He wrote THE PREACHER PICKED THE GUITAR and passed it on to me. It is an honor to include it here.“- Jorma Kaukonen
“Book him. The old Bookeroo sings the blues, and he sings ’em real well. But there’s a twist. While he covers such seminal artists as Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, Rev. Gary Davis and even Billy Joe Shaver, Book Binder has included seven originals, the largest set of his own tunes ever to grace one of his discs. Joined by harmonica, stand-up bass and percussion, Book Binder blazes his way through 16 tracks that take the listener back to the first half of this century. The songs are rich in conveying that old-timey feeling that shaped and defined country blues. And his naturally sparse deliveries correctly capture the irony, the pain and the humor such music was meant to depict….”- E.S. (Dirty Linen)
Call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

STEVE FORBERT SOLD OUT
2019-08-02 20:30 - 22:30
Use the Buy tickets link below to get your seats. The link will take you to Brown Paper Tickets website.

More than four decades have passed since STEVE FORBERT made his way to New York City from his Meridian, Mississippi birthplace in quest of a career in music. It was the most unlikely time and place for a folk singer to leap into the fray in a burgeoning scene where new wave and punk were emerging while he took the stage as a the archetypal folkie, armed with just an acoustic guitar and sheaf of very personal songs. After busking on the street for change from passers by, he rose to sharing bills at CBGB’s with the likes of Talking Heads, The Shirts and John Cale as well as headlining more traditional venues such as The Bitter End and Kenny’s Castaways. Against staggering odds, he found blazing success early on with a string of critically acclaimed and commercially accepted albums including Alive on Arrival (1978), Jackrabbit Slim (1979), and Little Stevie Orbit (1980) and a most unlikely smash hit single, “Romeo’s Tune.”
His career had its share of triumphs as well as stumbles and disappointments as did his private life. Through it all, over the course of a marriage, divorce, raising three children, writing and recording 18 studio albums and fronting an ever changing line-up of supporting musicians, he persevered and stayed true to his roots and the folk ethos.
A Book! Now, those life-changing experiences have been chronicled by Forbert in Big City Cat: My Life In Folk Rock, co-written with Therese Boyd. The memoir, originally conceived as a stage play, offers a uniquely introspective view of a life and career during a period of cultural upheaval and the author’s emerging self-awareness. Sharing reflections and journals he kept at the time, Forbert weaves an absorbing narrative that fully addresses the trials, travails and triumphs that would eventually play out over the course of his prolific 40+ year career. With a colorful cast of characters that includes managers Danny Fields and Linda Stein, along with such music legends as Doc Pomus and John Simon, it offers a revelatory look at his personal life and family, as well. Big City Cat: My Life In Folk Rock features first-person commentary from those who worked with Forbert on the road and in the studio.
“Steve Forbert tells great stories. …[his]memoir may be one of the best of the year… Big City Cat focuses on the power of songwriting, the power of music to shape a life, and Forbert’s continuing passion for writing songs and the way that music inhabits him. …Reading [it] is like sitting down with an old friend, listening to him spin out stories as you’d listen to some old familiar, favorite music. …Big City Cat, offers a glimpse into the ways that Forbert continues to develop this gift of creativity that has sustained him all these years. “– Henry Carrigan (NoDepression.com)
The book will, in a manner of speaking, be accompanied by its own soundtrack. Simultaneous with the release comes an evocative new Steve Forbert album from Blue Rose Music entitled The Magic Tree. Produced by Karl Derfler (Tom Waits, No Doubt, Two Gallants), it offers a series of songs gleaned from previously recorded acoustic demos, augmented with new backing tracks. The collection rings with the verve and vitality that Forbert’s fans have always come to expect. It takes on special meaning in light of the recent health scare that sidelined him for several months while he recovered from kidney surgery and chemotherapy with the help of his girlfriend of 17 years. Consistently upbeat and optimistic, the album’s songs recorded in Meridian, Nashville, New York, and New Jersey and Virginia convey a firm sense that age ought not diminish a lust for living. Big City Cat and The Magic Tree underscore what revered critic the late Paul Nelson wrote about Forbert in Rolling Stone almost 40 years ago: “..Nothing, nothing in this world, is going to stop Steve Forbert, and on that I’ll bet anything you’d care to wager.”

SPOOK HANDY
2019-08-01 19:30 - 21:30
SPOOK HANDY performed alongside Pete Seeger at festivals and concerts more than 50 times from 2003 – 2013 learning firsthand many of Pete’s songs and the stories behind them. Even more, he learned who Pete Seeger was and what he stood for. Spook is now traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada with his “Remembering Pete Seeger” World Tour, keeping alive Pete’s tradition by sharing a few songs of Woody Guthrie (Pete’s most notable mentor), plenty of songs by Pete Seeger and a healthy handful of new songs Spook wrote under Pete’s tutelage.
Spook’s 2019 album, “Songs of Pete, Woody & Me, Volume II – Dedicated to the Proposition,” reached No. 3 on the International Folk Radio Charts in May, 2019. His 2016 album, “Pete Woody & Me, Volume I – Keep the Flame Alive,” held the No. 3 position for two months in 2016 with his original songs reaching as high as No. 2. Recorded with his backup band “The Seed Planters,” the CD is more than just a tribute to Pete. It is a work that, as John Weingart of WPRB Radio says, “certainly rests on the shoulders of the past but is unmistakably steeped in the present.”
Spook was named Best Folk Artist by Upstage Magazine, Aquarian Magazine, Gannett New Jersey, The Courier News, The Home News and About.com. His song “Whatcha Gonna Do?” was used in the BBC documentary film “Doomday Code.” And four of this songs including “Bring Back Abiyoyo” were used in a theatrical adaptation of Pete Seeger’s children’s story “Abiyoyo.” Spook is well known speaker and workshop facilitator at festivals and conferences around the country.
“The passion, purpose and spirit of American Folk Music are alive and well with Spook Handy and his Remembering Pete Seeger World Tour and concert.” … Gary Wien – Editor in Chief, New Jersey Stage
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

BEN DE LA COUR- brand new addition to schedule
2019-07-27 20:30 - 22:30
An unexpected show just fell in our lap. The talented Nashville songwriter BEN DE LA COUR would otherwise have been wandering aimlessly after a gig cancellation, so we lassoed him into performing here.
There may even be a surprise guest. or two.
What happens when the unstoppable force of our dreams meets the immovable object of reality? It’s unclear… but Ben de la Cour is hell-bent on finding out.
Raised in Brooklyn, Ben was playing New York City dive bars with his brother a full decade before he could legally drink. A high-school dropout and former amateur boxer, he received his education by listening to his parent’s record collection – full of everything from Bob Dylan and The Everly Brothers to Black Sabbath and Lynyrd Skynyrd. At the tender age of nineteen he spent a year in Havana training with members of the Cuban national boxing team before moving to London with his brother to revive their doom metal band, Dead Man’s Root. They lived in a van and toured around Europe until 2008 when de la Cour returned to the states with a head full of softer, bruised, but no less intense acoustic songs later described by No Depression as “brimming with urgent authenticity”.
Following a short stint in Los Angeles, Ben passed through New Orleans on tour and decided to stay. He released Ghost Light in 2011 but was soon on the move again, this time winding up in Nashville where he crashed on friends’ couches and worked as a doorman until finding his footing.
De la Cour’s second album Midnight in Havana came out in 2016 on Flour Sack Cape Records and was met with critical acclaim from outlets like The Huffington Post, No Depression, and The Nashville Scene, with one journalist dubbing him “a vitriolic Leonard Cohen”. That same year he won the prestigious New Folk Competition at the 2016 Kerrville Folk Festival.
“I like stories that are specific and I don’t like them to be preachy” Ben continues. “If I think I’m being preached to or if there’s an agenda at play – I’m out of there. I think a lot of people feel that way. When I say I think this album is about dissolution, I mean it on a personal level. How do we cope with this feeling of being lost and unmoored? What happens to relationships when they fall apart? What happens when the unstoppable force of our dreams meets the immovable object of reality? Well, what usually happens is that it turns out our dreams aren’t quite as unstoppable as we once thought!”
In 2018 Ben de la Cour released The High Cost of Living Strange, eight tracks of his self-proclaimed Americanoir style – weaving what Maverick describes as “rich and uncompromising narratives of lyrical fierceness and rough beauty” with a unique blend of instrumental backing and the occasional glimpse of gallows humor. Along with his unique perspective towards songwriting and his lyrical attention to detail, de la Cour has a veracious studio ideology; live tracking, minimal overdubs, no headphones, one room, and just a couple of days. “I’m like a bargain basement Cowboy Jack Clement!” he jokes.
The High Cost of Living Strange debuted at #22 on the Euro Americana Charts and received high praise from American Songwriter, No Depression, NPR and Daytrotter amongst others as well as fellow songwriters and sometimes touring partners such as Adam Carroll, Jon Dee Graham and Rod Picott. Ben de la Cour currently spends over a hundred days a year on the road touring the U.S, Canada and Europe.
Come enjoy, and give alms de la Cour.
If you can, please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

SONG CIRCLE w/ TRICIA ALEXANDER
2019-07-25 18:30 - 21:00
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 regularly on the last Thursday of each month (except sometimes, like this time, when it is the second to the last Thursday).

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.

SCOTT AINSLIE
2019-07-24 20:00 - 22:00
SCOTT AINSLIE has studied with elder musicians on both sides of the color line – in the Old-Time Southern Appalachian fiddle and banjo traditions, as well as Black Gospel and Blues. He plays this music with affection, authority, and power.
Armed with a variety of instruments – vintage guitars, a fretless gourd banjo, a one-string, homemade diddley bow (aka cigar box guitar) and carefully chosen historical personal anecdotes of his encounters with senior musicians across the South – Ainslie brings the history, roots music, and sounds of America alive.
Ainslie has spent more than 30 years looking for the right story, the right set of facts, the right piece of history, to introduce a song. He offers a personality, a moment in history, a vignette to entice you into a song and to give that song a chance to wake and breathe among us like a living thing.
Ainslie transcribed the original recordings and published a book on Delta blues legend Robert Johnson [Robert Johnson/At The Crossroads (Hal Leonard, 1992)], and has an instructional DVD on Johnson’s guitar work [Robert Johnson’s Guitar Techniques (Hal Leonard, 1997)].
“Durham resident Scott Ainslie led the way, accompanied by his trusty National Steel guitar and a heart full of the best of Robert Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, and Blind Blake. His set was a combination of extremely well-played blues and brief sorties into the history of the music, the musicians, and even his guitar. ” The Spectator, Durham NC
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve.

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2019-07-20 20:30 - 22:30

PIPER ROAD
2019-07-19 20:30 - 23:00
Tickets will be sold through Brown Paper Tickets. Click on Buy tickets to get yourself some:

PIPER ROAD is:
Randal Harrison – Fiddle
Bob Mason – Mandolin
Mark Hembree — Bass
Barry Riese — Guitar – Vocals
Bill Kangaroo — Washboard
Piper Road was born into the age of rock & roll with individual backgrounds diverse as classical, cowboy, folk, blues and Dixieland. Influenced by some live performances of Doc Watson and Bill Monroe and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band release of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” in the early 1970’s, they put away the electric amps and guitars and developed a unique acoustic/bluegrass style. They never completely abandoned their musical roots and have blended Irish fiddle tunes with American country, big band, novelty and space-aged Grateful Dead inspired jams.
The band continues to swing! With their strong bond of friendship, commitment to quality musicianship and continuing support of a strong fan base, Piper Road invites you to join them as their show hits the road. The current Piper Road roster has accumulated over 100 years of experience performing together.
