Cafe Carpe

JOHNSMITH w/ Dan Sebranek
2021-10-23 20:30 - 22:30 (America/Chicago)
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

JOHNSMITH is one of those artists so often under-recognized – he possesses a genius that cannot be denied, ignored, or overlooked. For the past thirty-plus years, Johnsmith has been sharing his music all across America and abroad. He has become a favorite at festivals, clubs, and house concerts alike. In addition to being a Kerrville New Folk Winner, Johnsmith has released eight solo CDs to rave reviews, leads musical tours to Ireland, teaches songwriting, and has served as a staff songwriter in Nashville.
With his faded jeans, his twinkly blue eyes, and his infectious smile, John immediately connects with audiences. You get the sense of a man who loves his life, his family and friends, and who loves nothing more than sharing that love in song and stories all across this land.
John and buddy and great flat-picker DAN SEBRANEK have been playing together for 34 years, and they know how to make it happen.
“Johnsmith’s songs always move me. They make me laugh, cry, dance or just sing along. He is one of the most consistent writers of quality songs that I’ve ever met.” – Lydia Hutchinson, Editor, Performing Songwriter Magazine

“[Johnsmith] is one of those really pure hearted people that isn’t wasting any time on the cool factor, he gets there by virtue of his integrity.” – Frank Goodman

VANCE GILBERT
2021-10-24 19:00 - 21:00
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

— “If Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens had a love child, with Rodney Dangerfield as the midwife, the results might have been something close to the great Vance Gilbert.” As the above quote from Richmond magazine suggests, Vance Gilbert defies stereotypes. It’s little wonder then that he also exceeds expectations. In this case, those two qualities go hand in hand. “I’m black, I sing, I play an acoustic guitar, and I don’t play the blues,” Gilbert insists. That may be a broad statement, but it rings with truth.
What he does do is make memorable music, as evidenced by the 13 albums he’s released so far, as well as the mark he’s made on the folk and acoustic music scenes in general. Over the course of a prolific career that extends back to the early ’90s, he’s recorded with his good friend Ellis Paul and shared stages worldwide with Aretha Franklin, Shawn Colvin, Arlo Guthrie, the Milk Carton Kids, George Carlin (150+ shows), Anita Baker, the Subdudes, Paul Reiser and any number of others.
He’s also made a prominent presence at some of the world’s most prestigious gatherings, among them the Newport, Winnipeg, Rocky Mountain, Calgary, Ottawa, and Falcon Ridge folk festivals, the Kate Wolf Music Festival, and Australia’s Woodford Folk Festival and Mullum Music Festival. “There was also that one nude festival in Maryland,” Gilbert recalls. “I don’t recall the name of that one, but I have to admit that the name wasn’t the first thing I would remember.”
Naturally, Gilbert can be forgiven for that minor oversight, given the amount of praise he’s received from the pundits. His remarkable rapport with his audiences and his free spirited performances inspired one critic to hail him as “a folkie trapped in a vaudevillian body,” with “a voice that could have been on the opera stage, a wit that could have been on a comedy stage and a songwriting talent that’s thrust him on the folk stage for decades.”
Those descriptive phrases come to full fruition on Gilbert’s current album, the appropriately named Good, Good Man. Recorded with an A-list support cast that includes bluesman and singer/songwriter Chris Smither, Al Green’s organist Stacey Wade, Tommy Malone of the Subdudes on guitars, Mike Posner on backing vocals, and Celtic harpist and vocalist Aine Minough, it sums up the strengths that Gilbert’s always had at his command — that is, a gift for compelling melodies, insightful lyrics, a witty and whimsical point of view, and the ability to maintain an inherent humanity that translates to his connection with his audiences.
As always, the music is as varied as it is vibrant, from the philosophic musings of “Pie and Whiskey” and the rollicking R&B-flavored title track, to the swinging sound of “Zombie Pattycake,” the tender trappings of “Hitman” and the bare-bones remake of the 1972 hit “Wildflower,” a seminal song given Gilbert’s intimate and essential additives.
In short, it’s Gilbert at his very best, a set of songs that deserves to bring Gilbert the wider recognition that’s eluded him for far too long.
Over the course of his career, he’s carved out a singular niche with songs that have resonated with his fans and drawn in new listeners. His classic compositions — “Old White Men,” “Charlene” and “Unfamiliar Moon,” “Goodbye Pluto,” and “Waiting for Gilligan” — are emotive and profound, offering certain truths in ways that make a meaningful impact in the most enduring and evocative ways.
Indeed, Gilbert posses a wide palette and perspective, from a co-write with Grammy Winner Lori McKenna, “House of Prayer,” to a song on a Grammy-nominated children’s record by the duo Trout Fishing in America. Likewise, after alt-rock star Mike Posner heard Gilbert perform on a podcast, he invited him to take part in co-writing sessions and subsequently to sing on his recent single, “Noah’s Ark.” Posner reciprocated with a haunting background vocal on “Flyby,” a song featured on Gilbert’s forthcoming album.
“How rounded is that?”, Gilbert may quip. Truth is, ultimately, it’s the impact that he has on his audiences that matters to him the most. “People take away from these songs what they decide they’re going to take away,” he reflects. “I would hope they walk away thinking. If that’s the case, then I’ve done my job successfully.”

LARA HERSCOVITCH
2021-10-28 19:30 - 21:30
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.
LARA HERSCOVITCH is a gem of a modern American troubadour.
A singer-songwriter-poet-performer-author and policy social worker, Lara writes masterful modern folk music, sings and leads with authenticity, integrity, humor and heart, and delivers performances that inspire, inform, uplift and entertain.
As described in The Boston Globe, she brings “…a luminous voice and a buoyant stage presence… big-hearted lyrics embrace the sum of life… Herscovitch’s music blows on the embers of a lagging spirit or a dormant creative life.”
Acoustic Live in New York City added, “She possesses not only a huge reservoir of musical talent and a voice with a bell-like clarity, but a keen sense of global concern and a fierce intellect… It might seem too good to be true, but true it is… a rising talent who is truly someone to watch for.”
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

ZACH PIETRINI & MCKENNA BRAY w/ THE LONE CANARY
2021-10-30 20:30 - 22:30
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.
Memphis & Milwaukee collide with singer-songwriters ZACH PIETRINI & MCKENNA BRAY. With Pietrini’s compelling songwriting from the Midwest and Bray’s vocal prowess from the South, the two initially joined forces to tour in March 2020. When the shutdown canceled everything, Pietrini and Bay began writing together almost every week. The result of which exploded into the Modern Love EP. Singer-songwriter at its core with indie Americana vibes, this duo packs the whole punch into its captivating live show.
THE LONE CANARY is a Folk/Americana duo comprised of Rockford, IL musicians Jesse Fox and Heather Camacho. They have an acoustic, rootsy sound echoing the styles of legendary folk artists.
Having been friends and fellow musicians since high school, you can hear the years of shared musicianship in their music; their harmonizing and performing has become second nature.
This duo’s perfectly matched voices showcase their haunting vocals, singing songs of love and loss, resulting in a well-honed acoustic masterpiece that will woo your music-loving soul.

ORDINARY ELEPHANT/ RACHAEL KILGOUR/ WES COLLINS
2021-11-05 20:30 - 22:30
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

The stars have aligned to bring us these 3 great acts in the round on this night.

International Folk Music Awards 2017 Artist of the Year ORDINARY ELEPHANT captivates audiences with their emotionally powerful and vulnerable songs, letting the listener know that they are not alone in this world. The collaboration of husband and wife Pete and Crystal Damore, their connection, and their influences (such as Gillian Welch, Guy Clark, Anais Mitchell) all meet on stage.
“Two become one, in song…hand-in-glove harmonies surprise the listener with focused intensity and musical mastery,” says Mary Gauthier.
The Associated Press is calling their latest album, Honest, “one of the best Americana albums of the year.”
“I’m a big fan…intimate songs, weaving harmonies, and stories that draw you in as if you were gathered around an enchanted campfire.” — Eliza Gilkyson
RACHAEL KILGOUR is a Minnesotan songwriter and performing artist whose sincere, lyric-driven work has been called both brave and humane. The 2015 grand prize winner of the esteemed international NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition and winner of the 2017 Kerrville New Folk Contest, Kilgour has been featured at NYC’s Lincoln Center, at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and by the ASCAP Music Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival.
Called “…a heartfelt slice of master crafted indie folk brimming with the battle-tested capacity to endure the worst in others” by Billboard, [her third album}Rabbit in the Road took an intimate and often painful look at the failed marriage and loss of family. Kilgour’s writing and delivery cut deep, with resolute simplicity. Ravelin Magazine observed “this sort of metonymic ability to evoke the whole of someone or the entirety of a feeling is typical of Kilgour’s poetic songwriting.”
Her newest EP, Game Changer, examines the artist’s tentative first steps into a new existence, post-heartbreak. With a clear head, Kilgour touches on the complicated nature of romance and relationship, sets up a stunning defense of queer love, and reassesses her priorities as a citizen of a changing wider world.
At age 44, WES COLLINS and his wife Anita made a pact to become writers: she started writing fiction and Wes penned his first song. A few years later, they were both multi-award-winners in their fields. Collins more than makes up for lost time with songs so dense with ideas that a first listen only scratches the surface. Come for a haunting melody and some intricate fingerpicking and stay for the wit and deep literary intelligence. There is always more to find in a Wes Collins song.
Wes has played shows from coast to coast including: The Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville, TN; The Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, TX; the Cary Theater in Cary, NC (opening for Dave Olney); and many more. He is a winner of the prestigious Grassy Hills New Folk Competition and a North Carolina Arts Council Songwriting Fellowship, and has been featured as a finalist in The Telluride Troubadour Contest in Telluride, CO; The Songwriter’s Serenade Competition in Moravia, TX; and The Wildflower Performing Songwriter Contest in Dallas, TX.

HARMONIOUS WAIL- postponed
2021-11-06 20:30 - 22:30
Postponed- Future date will be in 2022. Keep your eyes peeled.
ATTENTION: The spread of the Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring mask wearing in the backroom, and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking. Keep checking for updates, as circumstances could require further measures, or even cancellation.

Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.
HARMONIOUS WAIL
Featuring the SuperStar2020 winner, vocalist extraordinaire Maggie Delaney-Potthoff !
Americana flavored Gypsy Jazz on full tilt! Harmonious Wail combines the searing wit, humor and mandolin virtuosity of vintage Jethro Burns performances, the Continental panache of Django and charm of Edith Piath inspired vocals to create a unique musical journey.
“In the gypsy jazz field, no one does it any better than the Madison, Wisconsin based group Harmonious Wail.”
-Jazz Review
”Intense playing & sense of purpose that never wavers… a mind altering experience.”
-The Washington Examiner

JOHN GORKA
2021-11-07 19:00 - 21:00
Ticket link below.
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

JOHN GORKA balances his rich baritone and introspective songwriting with his trademark wit and humor. His music spans the genres of folk, pop, country and soul, and he illuminates it all with his trademark wordplay.
We will be serving a divine though limited menu this evening. We will open at 5:00.

“Gorka is widely heralded for the sophisticated intelligence and provocative originality of his songs.” – The Boston Globe
“Listening to John Gorka sing, one can get goose bumps all over. There are many reasons: fresh lyrics, a stunning emotional baritone, and his twisted humor.” – New York Times

NEW PIONEERS
2021-11-11 19:00 - 21:00
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

Hang on to your bluegrass hats for this news-

This five piece bluegrass ball of fire featuring vocals, banjo, fiddle, guitar, bass and mandolin are back! for this month anyway.

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.

JAMES LEE STANLEY-cancelled
2021-11-12 20:30 - 22:30
James has cancelled this show due to an injury which keeps him from traveling.
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

It is only a long-lived singer-songwriter career that lets JAMES LEE STANLEY unite the unpredictable creative turns and the eclectic elements that make up his world. His remarkable ability as a vocalist and composer allow him to create songs, each recorded with a finely crafted with guitar orchestrations that enhance the lyric. But a whole new dimension is added when James Lee performs live. These incredible songs, coupled with his outragously hilarious repartee, make for an evening of hilarity and tenderness and one of the most entertaining concerts on the circuit. He has been hailed as one of the few all time greats and undisputed geniuses among singer-songwriters. Fi Magazine listed his FREELANCE HUMAN BEING as one of the finest recordings of 1998 and one of the Top 200 Recordings of all time – FI Magazine March 1999.
JAMES LEE STANLEY has toured consistently since he returned from the USAF (as a Chinese linguist) and has performed up to three hundred dates a year since then, with such diverse acts as BONNIE RAITT, ROBIN WILLIAMS, NICOLETTE LARSON and even BILL COSBY. STEVEN WRIGHT chose James Lee as his opening act for three years in a row; a testament to his professionalism and talent.

LONESOME BILL
2021-11-20 20:00 - 22:00
CAMPLIN, that is. Sometimes a guy just has to wail away all on his own.
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

WHAT'S HIS NAME & the OTHER GUY
2021-11-26 20:15 - 22:30
Buy tickets below. Showtime is officially 8:15, but if you come at least by 7:00 to allow serving and eating time there is a chance it could start at 8:00…
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

What’s His Name & the Other Guy are BRIAN “LOOPER” LUCAS & GREG “not cool enough for a nickname” VALDE. They will regale you with everything Americana, from folk to blues to country – with a smattering of banter some find amusing. Guitars, harmonica, vocals, and comedy. Perhaps your sensibilities are low brow enough to appreciate this kind of thing.
An array of talented special guests are likely to join them for parts of this special holiday show.

ERNIE HENDRICKSON
2021-11-27 20:30 - 22:30
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Shullsburg, Wisconsin native ERNIE HENDRICKSON grew up on a steady diet of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Jerry Garcia. These early heroes opened the gates to the deep well of American roots music which he continues to draw inspiration from.
His 2007 solo record, Down the Road, of which the Illinois Entertainer deemed “Groundbreaking” pushed him onto the Midwest’s radar as an emerging singer-songwriter. His second and third records ‘Walking with Angels’ and ‘One For the Dreamers‘ found him working with industry veterans Bo Ramsey (Lucinda Williams, Greg Brown) and Chad Cromwell (Neil Young, Mark Knopfler) respectively.
His latest effort, ‘Roll On’ released in summer of 2019 was recorded in Chicago with producer Brian Deck
(Counting Crows, Iron and Wine). He has played stages from the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville to the Living
Room in New York City and all points in between. His songs have been in regular rotation at over 100 different
radio stations across the country and his fans will attest to the energy and fun found at his live shows, which in
the spirit of his heroes are never the same and always evolving.

Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

SWAY WILD - CANCELLED
2021-12-04 20:00 - 22:00
So sad this show has been CANCELLED. Somewhere down the line COVID has struck again and Dave and Mandy have had to cancel this tour.
ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part. Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.
The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

SWAY WILD– Internationally acclaimed indie folk-rock duo Mandy Fer and Dave McGraw (from San Juan Islands, WA) are back at it with a new sound, and a new name: Sway Wild! Their exceptional vocal harmonies, coupled with Fer’s pioneering electric guitar work, have become a vehicle to carry them around the world, sharing stages with the likes of Iron & Wine, Lake Street Dive, Gregory Alan Isakov, and Mandolin Orange. Sway Wild’s infectious sound explores the corners of rock, pop, funk, prog, worldbeat, and folk, but at its nucleus it is undeniably a music full of joy. It can squeeze the heart in your chest, it can draw tears from your eyes, and it can force you to get up and move your body; over and over, it somehow manages to do all three at once. Mandy Fer also tours as the lead guitarist for Allison Russell and recently performed with Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell.
“Grooving…wistful, driving, and a masterful combination…velvety vocals over staccato guitar and light percussion capture your attention with Sway Wild.”
Parade Magazine
“…high energy (and) soulful… Like The Wood Brothers and Lake Street Dive, Sway Wild hones a universal
likeability where uptempo anthems and melodic precision prevail. Fer is an impressive…[and] masterful guitarist…”
Glide Magazine

Lamplighter- PETER MULVEY/ KATIE DAHL w/ Rich Higdon/ HUMBIRD/ HER CROOKED HEART
2021-12-11 20:30 - 23:00
Oops- no SistaStrings– they had a change of plans…
It is December after all, and darkness descends earlier than any of us wish. The lamps must be lit, and who better to light them than PETER MULVEY?
Who, by the way, is a person who happens to also be a singer-songwriter of great renown, as well as humanity, which is not always the case.
“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. Husband Rich will bring his bass along.
HUMBIRD will be Siri Undlin solo. Combining a wintry longing with the warmth of a familiar folktale, Humbird stretches between experimental folk and environmental Americana to embrace the unexpected. Her music invites a refreshing dissonance into the house, it leaves breadcrumbs along the path and reflects light back at the stars.
HER CROOKED HEART is writer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Rachael Ries.
Hear Siri and Rachel together here just for fun.
Ticket link follows this important announcement.
ATTENTION: Delta Dawn, what’s that COVID you’ve got on? The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

Lamplighter- PETER MULVEY/ HUMBIRD/ HAYWARD WILLIAMS/HER CROOKED HEART
2021-12-12 19:00 - 21:30
It is December after all, and darkness descends earlier than any of us wish. The lamps must be lit, and who better to light them than PETER MULVEY?
Who, by the way, is a person who happens to also be a singer-songwriter of great renown, as well as humanity, which is not always the case.
HUMBIRD will be Siri Undlin solo. Combining a wintry longing with the warmth of a familiar folktale, Humbird stretches between experimental folk and environmental Americana to embrace the unexpected. Her music invites a refreshing dissonance into the house, it leaves breadcrumbs along the path and reflects light back at the stars.
HER CROOKED HEART is writer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Rachael Ries.
Hear Siri and Rachel together here just for fun.
HAYWARD WILLIAMS
“Hayward Williams’ voice has that wonderful quality that draws people in from the next room to ask Who is that?… I will put this vocal (Fades Away) up against any track by the Great Ones, including Roy Orbison.” – Darrel Norman— ReverbRaccoon
Ticket link follows this important announcement.
ATTENTION: Delta Dawn, what’s that COVID you’ve got on? The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

SHIHTZUNAUTS
2021-12-16 20:00 - 22:00, 2021-12-17 20:30 - 22:30, 2021-12-18 20:30 - 23:00
These rejects from the billionaire space race have come down to earth and are resorting to sharing their musical talents. Peter Mulvey is on some long-term domestic flight and will not be joining them on this venture.
Ticket link follows this important announcement.
ATTENTION: Delta Dawn, what’s that COVID you’ve got on? The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.

WILLY PORTER BILL CAMPLIN RANDY SABIEN
WILLY PORTER
“Porter plays intelligent, groove — heavy folk with hearty abandon”
— Santa Fe New Mexican
“With his exquisite, tranquil guitar work, Willy Porter could easily astonish an audience without singing one note. His ability to engage the audience with his personality and intellect raises Porter from the level of guitar wonk into the realm of masterful performer.”
— Earvolution
“Willy Porter is a relaxed and fearless performer who’ll entertain you as well as move you.”
— Acoustic Guitar Magazine
“Porter accentuates well – rendered tales with spit – fire – percussive acoustic guitar strumming and fiery color – chord picking.”
— Billboard
“[Willy Porter] can captivate an audience as completely as can an entire rock band.”
— Washington Times
RANDY SABIEN is no stranger to our stage, and no stranger than anyone else who has graced it. He regularly steps beyond the boundaries of what many think of as jazz, forging headlong into the worlds of rock, blues and funk. His career began with classical violin lessons, he soon picked up fiddling and from there it was only natural he would find himself playing along with his favorite rock tunes. Then at age 19 he was reborn with the discovery that you could play jazz on the violin. The resulting sound is swinging, rocking, rhythmic and bluesy with a fiddle that often plays more like a saxophone than a violin. There are shades of Duke and Miles and you can certainly hear the echoes of the great jazz violinists from the swing era but above all, Randy is a product of his time – someone who grew up playing the violin while immersed in the music of the 60s and 70s.
“Jazz violinists usually draw from one of two traditions. The best of both can be found in the superb Randy Sabien… he combines classical technique and folk energy in a program that’s still strictly jazz. ” USA TODAY
BILL CAMPLIN is no stranger to our stage or to Willy or Randy, who has admitted in weaker moments to enjoying accompanying Bill. Bill is a fine lad with a fine voice, but give him JimBeam instead of djembe. Oh yeah, by the way- “the best singer no one has ever heard of”.

KRAUSE FAMILY BAND
2021-12-23 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.
KRAUSE FAMILY BAND

You are in for a treat with this great family band.

ATTENTION: The Delta variant has us once again rethinking how to safely do our business. The CDC recommends that vaccinated Americans return to wearing masks in indoor spaces in communities where coronavirus transmission is substantial or high, and Jefferson county, Wisconsin, is currently in the substantial category https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.
The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:
proof of vaccination
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking)
Original music and cover tunes ranging from Bob Wills to the Reverend Al Green sung in close family harmony- talent in abundance.
The Krause family, Katie, Ruthie, and their father Rick, sing together and play a variety of instruments, forming the core of the Krause Family Band. They perform originals and some traditional roots music, and are known for their distinctive close harmonies. They have been featured many times on the live radio show A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor.

Katie Krause – vocals, piano
Ruthie Emily Krause – vocals, fiddle
Rick Ernest Krause – guitar, vocals
Scott Wright- keys

CLOSED Christmas Eve and Day
2021-12-24 08:00 - 2021-12-29 11:30
We will be closed Christmas Eve (day and night) and Christmas Day.
Enjoy the holidays. Some of the best gifts are to be safe and not sorry, and to find and spread joy and kindness wherever you can.

Chris Hanson Trio / POSTPONED
2021-12-31 20:30 - 2022-01-01 00:15
This event has been postponed due to COVID concerns. Pay attention to our website or newsletter to be updated as to when the CHRIS HANSON BAND will next appear.

CLOSED FOR A BIT
2022-01-01 08:00 - 2022-01-26 11:30
We are closing for the first 3 weeks of January to enjoy ourselves, and let Satchel downsize all our weirdly possessions.
Continue to enjoy the time away from us.

Jeff Stehy/ Mark Soriano/ Eliza Hanson- POSTPONED
2022-01-29 20:00 - 22:30
Sigh, another COVID postponement. Keep checking for updates. They will reschedule for a later date.

Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats. If it has not been updated here, be sure to check with us about COVID protocols.Masks and proof of vaccination WILL be required if we are not out of the woods.
It is not surprising that JEFF STEHR, a twenty-first century, glass half-empty cognoscenti songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, enjoys stage names. Hunter Gatherer. Matthew McCudahy. Rich Caramel. In dark times, entertainers need more than melodies and rhymes to conjure up the good times.The songs are mostly wordplay atop a bed of Jamaican one drop rhythms, explicit and implied, and dusted with powdered sugar, cocoa and diatonic doom. All styles and influences are on the menu. All genres are accomplices.
When he’s not doing solo shows, Jeff plays the piano with The Best Westerns, The John Sieger Combo and The Mike Benign Compulsion. He led Milwaukee-based rock steady ensemble, The Tritonics, from 2009 – 2020, and is an esteemed alum of local ensembles World Roots, Brave New Groove, Mark Truesdell & The Lost Pioneers and C-Food Buffet, who once accidentally opened for Jimmy Buffet at Alpine Valley Music Theater in 1990.
ELIZA HANSON knows how to smooth out life’s ups and downs by covering them with melody and charm. After releasing her first EP in 2016, she has been very fortunate to enjoy acclaimed success around the Milwaukee area playing stages such as Turner Hall, Milwaukee PrideFest, Evanston SPACE, The Frequency, among many other venues. After a postponed 2020 tour, Eliza got back on the road in 2021 bringing her music to places it’s never been before, collecting new stories and friends along the way. Now home, she’s gearing up to get back in the studio to record a full length record sure to combine the honesty of a traditional singer/songwriter, mixed with an indie folk flare to project a style all her own. Eliza blends soulful vocals with carefully crafted lyrics to create an emotionally authentic listening environment.
Over the last decade, MARK J. SORIANO has played for many of Milwaukee’s favorite bands like Dropbear Collective, The Oxleys, Fellow Kinsman and The Hatchets. When the world shut down in 2020, Mark stepped out of the drummer’s role and began recording as a solo artist, releasing a handful singles and now his debut EP, So Strange. As a Milwaukee native, Mark not only pulls inspiration from folk, country and alternative rock, but from the unique experiences of the city itself.
“This song and the entire EP were recorded over quarantine and was my way of dealing with everything. Like many other people, I fell hard into my vices so all of the songs helped me reflect and ultimately, turn things around. Music has always pulled me out of the dark and I hope these songs can help someone else.”-Mark
Until Dec. 13th, all sales from this single, made on bandcamp will be donated to the Safe Harbor Program at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. The program is dedicated to helping men break free from addictions and provides both long-term and short term services.
https://milmission.org/programs/safe-harbor/“

CLAUDIA SCHMIDT- Postponed
2022-02-04 20:00 - 22:00
CLAUDIA SCHMIDT
Will reschedule when Claudia next returns to the Midwest.

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2022-02-12 20:00 - 22:00
BILL CAMPLIN “ditches his band so that you are forced to focus on his singing and instrumental talents. Lonesome with benefits.” (That is a quote, not from Bill. or me.) Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats to hear Bill live, and consider coming early to eat to support the Carpe. Live stream information is lower on the page.*
Proof of vaccination and mask wearing in the listening room required. We are not out of the woods yet.
In case you didn’t know, “Bill is a strong guitarist as well as a skilled singer with a beautiful tenor voice and great range. He is noted for penetrating, intensely emotional performances of both his original songs and his interpretations of others such as Bob Dylan.”
Here is a review of Bill’s performance at Linneman’s with Jason Klagstad and Paul Wehrly almost a year ago.
*Live stream ticket purchase: Use the following link to purchase tickets to see the live stream of Lonesome Bill’s show. We will send the live stream link to the provided e-mail on the day of the show. (Call 920-563-9391 if any questions or problems arise.)

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2022-02-19 20:00 - 21:30
BILL CAMPLIN “ditches his band so that you are forced to focus on his singing and instrumental talents. Lonesome with benefits.”- a quote. Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats for the live show, and consider coming early to eat to support the Carpe.
Tickets to the live stream can be purchased below.*
Proof of vaccination and mask wearing in the listening room required. We are not out of the woods yet.
In case you didn’t know, “Bill is a strong guitarist as well as a skilled singer with a beautiful tenor voice and great range. He is noted for penetrating, intensely emotional performances of both his original songs and his interpretations of others such as Bob Dylan.”

Here is a review of Bill’s performance at Linneman’s with Jason Klagstad and Paul Wehrly almost a year ago.

ELLIS PAUL
2022-03-04 20:30 - 23:00
Buy tickets for the in-house show below the bio. COVID protocols remain in place. Mask wearing in back room and proof of vaccination required.
Purchase tickets for the live stream here.
ELLIS PAUL is a troubadour, a singer/songwriter, a folky, and a storyteller — all are fair labels for this artist, but they do not quite suffice. However, the tattoo of Woody Guthrie worn proudly on his arm is a good starting place from which to grasp Ellis Paul, for it is from the Woody Guthrie tradition that he hails, and Maine as well. Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and James Taylor are also listed among his influences, and their spirits seem to occasionally grace his work. With an acoustic guitar in hand, he weaves intimate, provocative, and romantic tales of lives that were obviously witnessed by a most-talented voyeur.
Based in Massachusetts, Paul has been called the quintessential Boston songwriter more than a few times and has garnered the recognition and awards to back up that claim, including a shelf full of Boston Music Awards. Since coming onto the scene in 1993 with his independent debut, Say Something, Paul hasn’t slowed or weakened as a performer or a writer. Spending two-thirds of most years on the road has helped him perfect both crafts, with a lot of practice on-stage and a lot of people whose stories he retells in song. In fact, his 1994 album Stories proved enchanting enough to secure him a deal with Rounder Records and a national following of dedicated fans.
Over the years and albums, his songs have gotten more personal. He purposely turned the looking glass onto his own life for 1998’s aptly titled Translucent Soul as he publicly worked through the pain of his divorce. Following hot on the heels of 1999’s double-CD Live, the new millennium saw Paul’s song “The World Ain’t Slowing Down” featured in Me, Myself and Irene starring Jim Carrey.
His eighth studio release, a collection of previously unreleased tracks called Sweet Mistakes, arrived in 2001, followed by Speed of Trees (2002), a two-disc career retrospective (2006), a children’s record inspired by the birth of his second daughter called The Dragonfly Races (2008), and, finally, an all-new studio album, The Day After Everything Changed, in January 2010. In 2012, Paul released his second children’s record, The Hero in You, which featured songs about Benjamin Franklin, Georgia O’ Keefe, Rosa Parks, and Thomas Edison, and other notable Americans that Paul deemed heroic.

CANCELLED!!!!!- Humbird/ Her Crooked Heart
2022-03-05 20:30 - 22:30
Dangerous icy weather in the Twin Cities is preventing them from driving down for the show. They will try to reschedule. Lonesome Bill Camplin will occupy the stage at 8:00. Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats if that option interests you.
ATTN: While COVID is still misbehaving, we are requiring proof of vaccination as well as mask wearing in the listening room.
We are so happy that Siri (Humbird) and Rachel (Her Crooked Heart) have agreed to return after they wowed people during the Lamplighter Sessions this December. They will swap songs, and accompany each other at their whim.
We will also be live streaming- click on this to buy tickets for the live stream.
TICKETS FOR THE IN PERSON SHOW:

HUMBIRD will be Siri Undlin solo. Combining a wintry longing with the warmth of a familiar folktale, Humbird stretches between experimental folk and environmental Americana to embrace the unexpected. Her music invites a refreshing dissonance into the house, it leaves breadcrumbs along the path and reflects light back at the stars.
HER CROOKED HEART is writer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Rachael Ries. Rachael is a Minneapolis-based musician, songwriter, Kith + Kin Chorus director, sideman, auntie, artist and tiny home inhabiter. She has released four albums and four EPs, including the country ep, a split 45 of countryish duets with longtime friend and collaborator, Anaïs Mitchell. In 2016, with the release of To Gentlemen, Rachel parted ways from performing as “Rachel Ries” and now writes for and tours with her new project, HER CROOKED HEART. HCH carries Rachel’s wry and powerfully tender writing farther down the path of instrumental expansion and distillation. HCH’s debut album,To Love To Leave To Live, was released May 2019.
Hear Siri and Rachel together here just for fun.

NEW PIONEERS
2022-03-10 19:00 - 21:00
Happy to have these bluegrass gentlemen back, for this month at least.

ATTENTION: COVID has not left us yet- https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view, so we’ll do our part.

The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

Keep checking for updates, as circumstances can change.
Always nice if you call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats.

This five piece bluegrass ball of fire featuring vocals, banjo, fiddle, guitar, bass and mandolin are back! for this month anyway.

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.

Acoustic OPEN STAGE
2022-03-11 19:00 - 21:30
ATTENTION: re the coronavirus situation. The small space of the listening room prevents any reasonable distancing. For the safety of everyone, and to protect the performers who cannot mask while performing, we will be requiring:

proof of vaccination
mask wearing in the listening room, (and recommending it in all of our spaces when not eating or drinking.)

This is an acoustic open stage. Share your songs (or stories- storytellers welcome) in a 2-3 song rotation with others.

Please support our business by buying drink and/or food.
