Cafe Carpe

ACOUSTIC OPEN STAGE
2023-09-08 18:30 - 20:30, 2023-09-15 18:30 - 20:30 (America/Chicago)
This is an acoustic open stage, sound system set up in advance.
Share your songs (or stories- storytellers welcome) in a two song (think 8-10 minutes) rotation with whoever else is there to play, being respectful of others.
Please support our business by buying drink and/or food.

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2023-09-09 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to let us know if you will be eating here that night.
Cover charge $12,
Lonesome Bill rides again.

SAM KNUTSON
2023-09-16 20:00 - 22:00
Buy tickets here. Bio will follow.

SAM KNUTSON is a singer-songwriter from Iowa City. His most recent album is Donkey Island, and “it is chock full of songs that sound as if they were written to animate the air of that lively little listening room.”
In late July, the day of a massive storm in Fort, Sam gamely played parts of his last show in the basement after the tornado sirens went off but before the power went out, and in our front room under our emergency exit lights after the power went out.
From the Shepherd Express: “Sam Knutson’s 2022 release Donkey Island is a collection of observational folk songs. “Already Gone” recalls John Hartford’s breezy melancholy, while “Prayer for the Downtown” leans into the lineage of fellow Iowan Greg Brown. The album’s sparse instrumentation allows Knutson’s songwriting to shine. In fact, his Bandcamp discography reveals a songwriter ripe for discovery.”

THE WILDWOODS
2023-09-21 19:30 - 21:30
Buy tickets below. Bio follows ticket link.

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

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

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

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

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

PRIVATE CLASS REUNION- closed to public after 6:00 pm-
2023-09-22 18:00 - 23:00
Fort Atkinson High School Class of 1978 will be sharing memories without you.

GARNET ROGERS- sold out
2023-09-23 20:30 - 22:30
Bio will follow ticket link. Garnet encourages audience members to bring non-perishable donations of food, and items of personal care (shampoo, toothpaste, soap) to help the less fortunate in the community.

GARNET ROGERS
In a darkened bedroom, lit only by the amber glow from an old floor model radio, two young brothers aged 6 and 12 lay in their beds, listening to the country music broadcasts from the Grand Ol’ Opry, and practiced their harmonies. Two years later, the youngest one was playing the definitive 8-year-old’s version of “Desolation Row” on his ukulele. He soon abandoned that instrument to teach himself the flute, violin and guitar.
Within ten years, and barely out of high school, Garnet Rogers was on the road as a full-time working musician with his older brother Stan. Together they formed what has come to be accepted as one of the most influential acts in North American folk music.
Since then, Garnet Rogers has established himself as ‘One of the major talents of our time”. Hailed by the Boston Globe as a “charismatic performer and singer”, Garnet is a man with a powerful physical presence – close to six and a half feet tall – with a voice to match. With his “smooth, dark baritone” (Washington Post) his incredible range, and thoughtful, dramatic phrasing, Garnet is widely considered by fans and critics alike to be one of the finest singers anywhere. His music, like the man himself, is literate, passionate, highly sensitive, and deeply purposeful. Cinematic in detail, his songs “give expression to the unspoken vocabulary of the heart” (Kitchener Waterloo Record). An optimist at heart, Garnet sings extraordinary songs about people who are not obvious heroes and of the small victories of the everyday. As memorable as his songs, his over-the-top humour and lightning-quick wit moves his audience from tears to laughter and back again.
“Garnet Rogers is capable of awe-inspiring and unpredictable stuff – and that includes more than just music”
Resolutely independent, Garnet Rogers has turned down offers from major labels to do his music his own way.

SONG CIRCLE w/ TRICIA ALEXANDER
2023-09-28 18:30 - 20:30, 2023-10-26 18:30 - 20:30
Round robin song circle led by TRICIA ALEXANDER– (performer, poet, healer, “with a voice, music and lyrics that resonate the heart”) done informally, not from the stage, no microphones. This is a lovely gathering of singers, songwriters, musicians and music appreciators, poets, and storytellers held somewhat regularly on the last Thursday of each month (unless interrupted by a pandemic).
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.

KRAUSE FAMILY BAND/ JP CYR & the RAMBLIN' KIND
2023-09-30 20:00 - 22:00
Bio follows the ticket link.

What these 2 bands have in common is the fabulous RUTHIE KRAUSE. This night is one of a series of CD release shows for Ruthie’s lovely new solo CD Ruthenium.

You are in for a treat with this great family band- father Rick Krause (guitar and vocals), daughters Katie (vocals) & Ruthie (violin and vocals), accompanied by Scott Wright on piano.
Original music and cover tunes ranging from Bob Wills to the Reverend Al Green to the Mills Brothers to Tom Waits sung in close family harmony- talent in abundance.
Also playing will be JP CYR & the RAMBLIN’ KIND, because they also appear on Ruthie’s CD. JP Cyr & The Ramblin’ Kind are a Country and Western band from Milwaukee, influenced by music from the 30’s to the present. They blend many roots music styles into their honky tonkin’ sound.

THE KENNEDYS
2023-10-01 19:00 - 21:00
Buy tickets below- bio follows ticket link.

“If you get a charge from a rich folk rock vibe, love a super sharp guitar lick, or appreciate a moving story song, you will find all of that on The Kennedy’s Headwinds. Pete Kennedy’s astonishing range on any guitar he touches deftly underpins every mood of Maura Kennedy’s warm, lyrical voice. You’ll get no resistance from these Headwinds, only pleasure.” – Marilyn Rea Beyer, Host, WFMT’s The Midnight Special & Folkstage
Songwriting duo PETE & MAURA KENNEDY revisit the Carpe after an almost 2 decade gap.
They are making a strong return to the studio and stage after three years of weekly live-streamed lockdown-era concerts. They took the opportunity to explore classic songwriting in depth, performing over a thousand songs during the pandemic. That vast overview strengthened and refined their own writing and laid the foundation for this new collection of original, socially-conscious songs.
“After such a deep dive into American roots music, we felt like we had a new set of writing tools. We were ready to create this body of work, and there’s just SO much to write about,” says Maura. “During our five-year hiatus from writing and recording, America changed in massive ways, divisive ways that have shaken our whole foundation. That has to be addressed by creative artists, those of us who have a voice to speak for others. Our love of the great things about this country, things that are under threat, is the reason we decided to make “Headwinds” the title track of the CD. Political and social headwinds are making it hard to get back “home’ to our greatness as a nation. We want to push back in a positive way against those winds.”
In addition to singing and writing, Pete and Maura are multi-instrumentalists. The thirteen songs are cast in a soundscape that draws from the classic canon of American roots, in keeping with the theme of getting back “home” as a nation. Acoustic and electric guitars, a vintage steel guitar, a gospel-inflected piano/organ mix, and even a slide ukulele all add colors to a songbag of sounds that have drawn us together during hard times. Pete and Maura believe that those sounds still have the power to pull us through again.
The Kennedys began their writing and touring life three decades ago as members of Nanci Griffith’s Blue Moon Orchestra, developing their own sound as a frequent support act on Nanci’s tours across America, Ireland, Scotland and England. Collaborations with Nanci continued, culminating in Pete and Maura producing her final album, “Intersections.” Along the way, they hosted a nationwide radio program, “The Dharma Cafe” on Sirius/XM, wrote and released sixteen CDs of original music, and have been core artists on folk radio, expanding their audience further with the inception of the AAA and Americana formats.

BUDDY MONDLOCK w/ special guest Martyn Travis
2023-10-06 20:30 - 22:30
Buddy will be accompanied by Mike Lindauer on bass and vocals, and special guest from Ireland Martyn Travis will also do a few songs.
Extensive bio follows ticket link. People are impressed with Buddy:
“Buddy Mondlock represents the best of the new generation of singer/songwriters in folk music. His writing style is grounded in the traditions of the past, but has its heart in the present. He is one of my favorite writers.” Nanci Griffith
“I first saw Buddy Mondlock while hosting the Ballad Tree, a tradition at the Kerrville Folk Festival. This kid in a bathing suit walked up and played “No Choice” to an audience of 30 – 40 people. By the time he got to the second verse, he had 200 people singing along with him. He blew me away! Pay attention to Buddy; he’s a great writer!” Guy Clark
“Buddy Mondlock is one of our country’s best songwriters. His approach is gentle and Zen-like, the songs unfurl like little movies and the listener is transported to some distant better place — and isn’t that what music should be about?” Ellis Paul
“As acclaimed as he is as a songwriter, he is a fine performer who can create his share of magic with his high clear voice and inventive acoustic guitar.” David Johnson – Boston Globe
“Buddy Mondlock is consistently eclectic, consistently innovative and consistently one of the few artists that doesn’t irritate me. I love working with him and he better keep working with me.” Janis Ian

BUDDY MONDLOCK You might’ve heard his song “The Kid” (recorded by David Wilcox, Peter, Paul and Mary and Cry, Cry, Cry) and maybe even sung it yourself around a campfire. He draws you into his world – where a single snowflake follows the trajectory of a relationship, where you get you pocket picked by a Roman cat, where you might swim over the edge of the world if you’re not careful and where dreams that don’t come true still count.
His latest album, Filament, finds him exploring some new territory, both sonically and rhythmically. Produced by Brad Jones, known for his creative approaches to singer/ songwriters, songs like “Problem Solved” and “Sunlight In My Pocket” are propelled along by drums and percussion. Others are painted with woodwinds and string arrangements. Buddy is at heart a storyteller and the songs cover a lot of territory too, ranging from a young artist who finds fame too soon in the title song, to the wonders and mysteries found in “The Dark,” a song he co-wrote with the great Guy Clark.
When Buddy’s not on the road you can find him in Nashville but he grew up in Park Forest, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He didn’t have a troubled childhood. His parents were nice to him. They paid for guitar lessons when he was ten and they never said, “when are you going to get a real job?” He sang Crosby, Stills and Nash songs with his sisters and answered his little brother’s questions from the top bunk. A few years away at college puzzling over Homer and Plato and then he was back. Living in the big city this time and playing open mics at Chicago’s crucible for songwriters in those days, the famed Earl of Old town. He once opened for the amazing Steve Goodman there on New Year’s Eve. Buddy was 21. Says he could have walked out of there that night and gotten hit by a bus and he wouldn’t have felt like life cheated him at all.
When Buddy made his first trip to Texas from his native Chicago, Guy Clark heard him singing one of his songs under a tree at the Kerrville Folk Festival and liked it. So Guy went back to Nashville, opened the door and said, “listen to this kid, he’s good!” A publishing deal and a U-Haul headed south soon followed.
People were starting to pay attention. In 1987 he was a New Folk Award Winner at Kerrville and he released his first album called “On the Line”. Over the next few years
David Wilcox recorded “The Kid” on his first record for A&M. Buddy did some writing with this other new kid in town named Garth Brooks. Janis Ian heard him singing at the Bluebird Cafe and asked him if he’d like to write with her. Their song “Amsterdam” got recorded by Joan Baez. Nanci Griffith asked Buddy to sing on a show she was taping for Irish television. She ended up liking that song so much that she recorded “Comin’ Down In the Rain” on her Grammy Award winning collection “Other Voices, Other Rooms.” Garth became a star and “Every Now and Then” ended up on his album “The Chase.”
Buddy was touring all over the U.S. by this time playing coffeehouses and the occasional festival (he’d become a regular on the main stage at Kerrville). And there were trips to Europe too. Buddy’s second album, produced by Steve Addabbo in 1994, got picked up by Son Records, a small label in Ireland started by the band U2, and he was well received on the island of poets. He’s toured there consistently ever since. 1996 was a good year. Peter, Paul and Mary recorded “The Kid” and then asked the kid himself to sing with them on their “Great Performances” TV special. He won a Kerrville Music Award for Song of the Year that autumn for “The Kid” too.
Since then he’s released a string of critically acclaimed solo recordings on his own label and on EMI. And in 2003 Buddy toured North America and Europe with Art Garfunkel and Maia Sharp in support of their album “Everything Waits To Be Noticed” which they wrote and recorded together as a trio. “Filament” will be his seventh album.
In recent years Buddy has been writing songs with military veterans through a program sponsored by an organization called Music Therapy of the Rockies and he includes several of those songs in his shows (and one on his new album). “This has been such a powerful experience and I’m honored to have been trusted with these stories of trauma and of triumph too,” he says.
Buddy and Maia Sharp have also been collaborating on a new musical called, “The Girl In the Red Dress.” It includes several songs from their project with Art Garfunkel and a slew of new material from Buddy and Maia. Set in a world where “The Leader” has banished all color as subversive, the story focuses on a young woman who must learn to believe in herself and comes to find that she can actually make a difference.
In addition to writing and touring Buddy also teaches songwriting. Along with one day workshops across the US and Europe he has also been a staff instructor at the Swannanoa Gathering, the Kerrville Folk Festival Song School, the Sisters Folk Festival Song Camp and retreats like Ellis Paul’s New England Songwriter Retreat and Cedarsongs in Tennessee.

SCOTT COOK w/ Pamela Mae
2023-10-12 20:00 - 22:00
Buy tickets below. Bio follows ticket link.

In 2007, Albertan songwriter SCOTT COOK quit his job teaching kindergarten in Taiwan and moved into a minivan. He’s made his living as a troubadour ever since, touring almost incessantly across Canada, the US, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere, averaging 150 shows and a dozen summer festivals a year, and releasing seven albums of plainspoken, keenly observant verse along the way. His latest collection Tangle of Souls comes packaged in a cloth-bound, 240-page hardcover book of road stories and ruminations, equal parts introspection and insurrection. The album spent two weeks at #1 on Alberta’s province-wide community radio network CKUA, and earned Scott his third Canadian Folk Music Award nomination, for English Songwriter of the Year. Its second single “Say Can You See” was the second most-played song of 2020 on Folk Alliance International’s folk radio charts, and took top honours for the folk category in both the 2020 UK Songwriting Competition and the 2020 Great American Song Contest. In 2022 he’s touring the album all over North America, believing more than ever that songs can change your life, and your life can change the world.
“Scott Cook has distilled his travels down into songs powered by a sharp eye for imagery, a healthy dose of humanity, and that unforgettable voice, that at the same time intones the rigors of the road and the most comfortable couch you have ever slept on.” — David Francey, 3x Juno-winning songwriter
“Scott Cook’s seventh ‘love letter’ to the world is all strings and beauty, a 12-song agnostic endorsement of love over fear… It doesn’t condemn, it summons to one fire… Of all his records this one simply feels the best. ✭✭✭✭✭” –The Edmonton Journal
“Damn, this is a gorgeous album. Scott Cook’s voice – vocally and lyrically – is as clear-eyed, optimistic, and straightforward as ever… Tangle of Souls is the medicine we could all use right now.” –Rachel Cholst, Adobe and Teardrops
“He sings his heart and soul, … A good eye for imagery, a gentle human touch, a wry sense of humour, a whole lot of integrity, a warm, rugged voice and a bunch of memorable lines… Truly one of Woody Guthrie’s children.” –RnR Magazine
Pamela Mae is frosting on the cake, adding harmonies and a bass line.

LONESOME BILL CAMPLIN
2023-10-14 20:00 - 22:00
Please call 920-563-9391 to reserve seats and to indicate if you will dine here that night.
He’s back! You just can’t keep a lonesome guy down.
” Bill co-presides at the Fort Atkinson, WI, cafe, bar, and listening room called Cafe Carpe. Occasionally you’ll see him performing there ….with his consummate guitar, voice, and lyrics, and with a mix of folk and rock-influenced tunes. And an awesome sense of humor.”

Steve DAWSON & Tommi ZENDER- CANCELLED
2023-10-20 20:30 - 22:30
Unfortunately, Steve has contracted COVID and this show has been postponed until we can find a date which will work for all of us.

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

KAIA FOWLER
2023-10-21 20:00 - 22:00
Buy tickets below- bio will follow.

KAIA FOWLER

creates music that speaks to the soul. Her passion, warmth, and genuineness invite listeners to open their hearts and transcend the everyday through song. A versatile guitarist and singer known for her soothing, vibrant, and beautifully resonant voice, Kaia displays a rare depth of emotional expressiveness. For Kaia, who also practices Reiki therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy, music creation is part of her healing arts ministry.
Her latest album, One Breath, placed on the Folk Alliance International “Top Albums of the Month” chart for July 2022, receiving radio play from coast to coast in the U.S. and in Canada. With mixing on most songs provided by Grammy award-winning engineer Charlie Pilzer, One Breath features songs of hope and healing. Special guest tracks include “Take Shelter in Love” with harmony vocals and bouzouki arranged and performed by Joe Jencks; “Obon, Dance of Light” with bass and bamboo flute parts arranged and performed by Peter Phippen; and “Ridin’ Along” with Tricia Alexander on blues harmonica.
Kaia Fowler extends her musical performances beyond stage and studio into communities where she promotes greater wellbeing and supports experiences of comfort, courage, and connection. Learn more at kaiafowler.com.
Media Quotes:
“Fabulous voice and song…”— Lilli Kuzma, host of Folk Festival on WDCB Public Radio, Chicago, Ill., referring to “Ridin’ Along” from One Breath (2022)
“Kaia Fowler is a tremendous lyricist. Her lyrics paint pictures and her musical notes add the color.“— The Americana Gazette (2010)
“It was a pleasure to host Kaia as a guest on Another Green World at WORT in Madison. It’s apparent — from her impressive guitar work, beautiful voice, and intentional, evocative lyrics — that she is the real deal when it comes to both singing and songwriting. Our conversation was lively, and she speaks about her music with authenticity and grace. Plus, she’s so da*n sweet! We’d have her back anytime.”— Katie Hutchinson & Farmer Shaun, WORT FM 89.9, Madison, Wis. (2019)

VANCE GILBERT
2023-10-27 20:30 - 22:30
Buy tickets here: bio follows ticket link.

“If Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens had a love child, with Rodney Dangerfield as the midwife, the results might be something close to the great Vance Gilbert”, says Richmond Magazine. “….the voice of an angel, the wit of the devil, and the guitar-playing of a god……” Fort Worth Star-Telegram
VANCE GILBERT‘s new album, “The Mother Of Trouble”, features Grammy winner Lori McKenna on background vocals, Juno award recipient and Bonnie Raitt Grammy hit song co-writer Joey Landreth on guitars, and Americana-Roots master mandolinist Joe K. Walsh. With 4 bullies, 4 deaths (3 of them murders), 3 moms, 2 accidents, 2 Black people, 2 dogs, 1 dog ball, 1 gay kid, and 1 missed flight thanks to gas station sushi, this album benefits from the gifts of time and experience honing songwriting skills that put this most vital of acoustic storytellers at the top of the game.
Oh, and Management wants to make sure to tell you that this is the 14th release for this acoustic stalwart.
30 years into his career, the songwriter’s influence can be felt all over the contemporary Folk and Americana realm as he has helped pave the way for many of the BIPOC artists who have followed.
Vance was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. Starting out hoping to be an R&B and jazz singer once at college, there he discovered his affinity for the storytelling sensibilities of the acoustic singer-songwriter thing. Word spread like wildfire about Gilbert’s stage-owning singing and playing, and Shawn Colvin invited him to be special guest on her 1992 Fat City tour where he took much of America by storm and by surprise. “With the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god..” wrote the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Noted not only for being the ever consummate performer, Gilbert has recorded 13 albums, including 5 for Philo/Rounder Records. Along with being opener of choice for artists as varied as Arlo Guthrie, Anita Baker, The Milk Carton Kids, and Southside Johnny, the mid 2000’s found Gilbert opening 150+ shows for comedian George Carlin.
Gilbert has also been a prominent presence at some of the world’s most prestigious gatherings and halls, among them the Newport, Winnipeg, Rocky Mountain, Calgary, Ottawa, and Falcon Ridge Folk festivals, the Kate Wolf Music Festival, and Australia’s Woodford Folk and Mullum Music Festivals, Mountain Stage, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Nashville’s Lyman Auditorium, The Barns at Wolftrap, and a private party for his veterinarian where there was terrific lo-mein.
Most recently he’s been the opener of choice for Mad About You/Stranger Things star Paul Reiser’s stand-up shows (50 +) for the last 7 years, along with his own busy acoustic music touring and coaching schedule. That current schedule includes Vance’sMondayNightAcousticPajamaParty on YouTube. Having started the first week of the pandemic in 2020, Vance has played a live, themed, weekly 90 minute mixed bag of originals and cover tunes to a rotating following of about 200 folks. 10 to 20% of his weekly tip jar is donated to a local 501(c)3 of his choice. At the time of this writing, having done 155 of these shows has become newsworthy in itself.
Gilbert has been a songwriting, performance, and voice coach all around the world, kinda, from Australia to Winnipeg, at all the festivals above plus The Kerrville and Rocky Mountain Song Schools, he is currently on staff as Instructor/Professor at the University Of Colorado Denver and has a decade worth of summer programs at the Berklee College Of Music under his belt. What? Private coaching? Yes, 6-10 students weekly too.
Considered by many to be an integral part of the national folk scene, his previous record “Good Good Man” features an eclectic roster of musical types including rocker Mike Posner, world renown Celtic harpist Aine Minough, bluesman Chris Smither, and Al Green’s organist Stacey Wade.
Gilbert runs 3 to 4 miles ever so slowly 5 days a week to stay sharp for the road and does historical aviation research and model building just for great nerdy fun.
He even has a tune on a Grammy Nominated children’s album. How rounded is that?

REED FOEHL
2023-10-28 20:00 - 22:00
Ticket link below- bio with video hyperlinks will follow. Some of you may have heard Reed open for Todd Snider at Stoughton Opera House a few years ago.

Grammy-nominated songwriter REED FOEHL was raised in a small New England town whose folk/Americana music tells stories with a voice that pushes boundaries while paying homage to tradition. Foehl released his sixth studio album – “Wild Wild Love” – in May 2022 which was recorded with The Band of Heathens. From traditional folk ballads to barroom sing-alongs, this tunesmith’s “emotional, deeply personal lyrics and indelibly infectious choruses…leave the listener with an overriding sense of optimism” (Glide Magazine) — something we could all use a little more of these days.
He was nominated for a Grammy Award for his song “Fly” co-written with Brent Cobb which was covered by country legend Lee Ann Womack. With a life dedicated to songwriting and music, Foehl’s five studio albums have put him on the map of the publishing world, garnering placements in both film and television, most notably the feature film “Just Friends” and the popular vampire series” The Originals.”
Foehl now resides in the Green Mountains of Vermont and continues to tour across the globe.
“Reed has the ability to transport the soul, a true master. One of the great songwriters of our time.” –Gregory Alan Isakov
“Reed Foehl is like a brother to me, we’ve traveled a lot of miles on the road together, and I don’t think they make better singer-songwriters than him.” –Todd Snider
“Reed’s songs hit you in the heart, and everything else falls away.” –Anais Mitchell

IAN GEORGE
2023-11-02 20:00 - 22:00
Bio follows ticket link.

IAN GEORGE along with his gorgeous band of talented handsome young men (Patrick Horigan on electric guitar and Reese Kling on drums) deliver the sort of concert you’ll dance, sway, sing, laugh and probably cry too. The live performance is an experimental and emotional ride teeming with whimsicality, clever arrangements – interrupted by triumphant tangents – and outlandish solos grounded by George’s emotive and gauzy voice and by the simple strength of a good song. Expect an engaging and dynamic string of gentle and not so gentle folk-rock adventures.
“Weirdly beautiful with a gorgeous voice.” ~ The Current (MPR)
“Ian George is a fanciful folk troubadour with a rhythmic flow and spirited vision. He’s an American Matt Corby; a heartwarming blend of Iron & Wine’s folk and Vampire Weekend’s frisky energy. George’s music is the type to which one would ascribe words like frolic and wandering, but his songs are equally intimate and emotional… Worthy of everyone’s ears, songs we can teach our children, our parents, our grandparents, and ourselves.” ~ Atwood Magazine
“Poetic, lush, and cautious songs that will resonate with anyone in transition. Despite the eight tunes defying comparison, each song here is a treasure.” ~ New Noise Magazine
“tolkien-like ramblings and adventurous instrumentation; weirdly inviting.” ~ Maverick Magazine
Ian George will perform as:

Patrick Horigan – electric guitar
Reese Kling – drums
Ian George – acoustic guitar, vocal

JAMES LEE STANLEY
2023-11-03 20:00 - 22:00
Buy tickets below: bio follows ticket link.

JAMES LEE STANLEY is an American singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and producer whose six-decade career spans numerous artistic mediums. He is the true renaissance man, born in Philadelphia, PA, and has been recording and performing since the age of fourteen, with 34 album releases and television and film credits to his name.
He 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 STEPHEN STILLS. STEVEN WRIGHT chose James Lee as his opening act for three years in a row; a testament to his professionalism and talent.
“So where have they been hiding James Lee Stanley? We could say that James Lee Stanley is probably the last great undiscovered singer-songwriter in America. But true as that may be let’s say something else, let’s say that a diamond has been smuggled into the wasteland … and here is where the wasteland ends” – Tom Robbins, Author of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
“It is simple, really. With James Lee you get great songs, great guitar playing, great voice and a gifted comedian as well. You are in for a very entertaining evening.” Village Voice

MARK DVORAK/ JIM CRAIG/ BILL CAMPLIN
2023-11-04 20:00 - 22:00
A lovely in-the-round song swap with JIM CRAIG MARK DVORAK and BILL CAMPLIN should make for a fantastic evening of music and camaraderie. Bios follow ticket link.

JIM came of age during the folk boom, “listening to Pete Seeger and Dave Van Ronk, but also more obscure musicians like Dock Boggs and Pink Anderson, folks who were off the map but were rediscovered in the early ’60s.” He was a regular at the Green Dragon Inn, where we came to know and love him for his understated warm grace. Jim has guitar chops and a beautiful baritone voice, and an interesting repertoire of songs.
He taught guitar at the Old Town School of Folk Music, jammed with figures in the Chicago folk scene such as Eddie Holstein and Steve Goodman. He is the owner of Hogeye Music in Evanston. He is a gentleman.

MARK DVORAK is a modern day troubadour who has never stopped performing, writing and recording. He has been called “a folk singer’s folk singer” with “an encyclopedic knowledge of traditional songs.” His original songs are described as “wondrous” and “profound.” Though Mark often appears in theaters and on festival stages, he is also at home in a more intimate setting. His concerts are a mix of the familiar and the new, traditional folk and standards from the American songbook. He plays authentic country blues guitar and picks great old-time banjo.
Mark enjoys involving his audiences in sing-along songs, just like The Weavers used to do, and mixes in his own well-crafted and infectious originals. Mark has a refreshing, down-to-earth stage presence, and is a very engaging performer. He sings with a clear, signature voice, and he likes to joke around with the folks who attend his shows. Throughout the program he’ll interject personal anecdotes and add a touch of history or social context to the performance.
“Masterful” Chicago Tribune
“The real deal. His show is funny, passionate, intimate & unforgettable” Old Town School of Folk Music
“One of a vanishing breed. Although all of us benefit from the tradition, Dvorak is one of the few who keep it alive.” Utah Phillips
And then there’s BILL CAMPLIN, who can sing and play guitar too. Amazing
Did I mention this will be a really fun in-the-round?

BEATLES SINGALONG- Fundraiser
2023-11-05 17:00 - 20:00
This fun event is a community-building fundraiser for the Jefferson County Democratic Party. Have a grand time and learn about volunteer opportunities.
Local musicians will provide the music; you provide your voice, your vote when the time comes, and your donations.
Food and drink will be available.
The Packer game will be over by the time this event starts.

LUCY KAPLANSKY-SOLD OUT
2023-11-10 20:30 - 22:30
Bio follows ticket link:

LUCY KAPLANSKY started out singing in Chicago folk music clubs as a teenager. Then, barely out of high school, she took off for New York City. There she found a fertile community of songwriters and performers—Suzanne Vega, Steve Forbert, The Roches, and others. With a beautiful flair for harmony, Lucy was everyone’s favorite singing partner, but most often she found herself singing as a duo with Shawn Colvin. People envisioned big things for them; in fact, The New York Times said it was “easy to predict stardom for her.” But then Lucy dropped it all.
Convinced that her calling was in another direction, Lucy left the musical fast track to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Upon completing her degree, Dr. Kaplansky took a job at a New York hospital working with chronically mentally ill adults, and also started a private practice. Yet she continued to sing. Lucy was often pulled back into the studio by her friends, (who now had contracts with record labels) wanting her to sing on their albums. She harmonized on Colvin’s Grammy-winning “Steady On,” and on Nanci Griffith’s “Lone Star State of Mind” and “Little Love Affairs.” She also landed soundtrack credits, singing with Suzanne Vega on “Pretty in Pink” and with Griffith on “The Firm,” and several commercial credits as well—including “The Heartbeat of America” for Chevrolet.
Then Shawn Colvin—who was itching to produce a record—hooked up with Lucy, her ex-singing partner. They went into the studio, and when Lucy’s solo tapes got into the hands of Bob Feldman, president of Red House Records, he was blown away. Suddenly, Lucy was back in the music business. She signed with Red House Records and started playing gigs. Red House released The Tide in 1994 to rave reviews, and within six months Lucy signed with a major booking agency—Fleming Artists—and began touring so much it required leaving her two psychologist positions behind.
Lucy’s second album, Flesh and Bone (1996), emphasized her development as a gifted songsmith. Then Lucy’s success took flight with back-to-back hit albums Ten Year Night (1999) and Every Single Day (2001). Both received the AFIM award (Association For Independent Music) for Best Pop Album of the year. Lucy also contributed her story to a unique book, SOLO: Women Singer- Songwriters in Their Own Words, which includes some of the best known women on the music scene today: Ani DiFranco, Shawn Colvin, Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Sarah McLachlan and others. She was also featured in Lipshtick, a collection of essays by NPR commentator Gwen Macsai, published in the fall of 1999.
In 1998 Lucy teamed with Dar Williams and Richard Shindell to form supergroup Cry Cry Cry, and recorded some of their favorite songs written by other artists. The resulting album, Cry Cry Cry (which The New Yorker dubbed “a collection of lovely harmonizing and pure emotion,” and to which Entertainment Weekly gave an “A” rating), was an astonishing success in stores and on radio. A national tour of sold-out concerts by the trio served to introduce Lucy’s luminous voice to a new audience. In 2017 and 2018, the trio celebrated their 20th anniversary with a sold out national tour and the release of their first recording in 20 years, a single of Jump Little Children’s “Cathedrals.”
The Red Thread followed the commercial and critical hit Every Single Day, weaving together themes of motherhood, home and the family with stunning production. Lucy’s 2007 release Over the Hills as well as her 2012 release Reunion explored universal themes of love, joy, loss, and dreams for the future, through reflections on family.
In 2009 and 2010 Lucy had two songs commissioned by the international cosmetics company La Prairie to help launch their new fragrance line “Life Threads.” As part of that marketing campaign, Lucy was featured in a music video, as well in as in a variety of marketing appearances and materials, including a feature story in “Women’s Wear Daily.”
In 2010 Lucy joined up with acclaimed singer-songwriters John Gorka and Eliza Gilkyson to record an album as part of new folk super-group Red Horse. Awash in gorgeous harmonies and stripped down production, the album features the singers performing each other’s songs. Red Horse received rave reviews and was the number one album on Folk Radio for several months in 2010. Since the album’s release, the trio were interviewed on NPR’s “Weekend Edition” with Liane Hansen and appeared on NPR’s “Mountain Stage.”
In 2011 Lucy released an EP, Kaplansky Sings Kaplansky, featuring songs written by her father, famed University of Chicago mathematician Irving Kaplansky, including live performances of the two of them performing together in California. This is Lucy’s first venture into 1940’s style swing, reminiscent of the work of Kaplansky’s former student Tom Lehrer.
Lucy’s September 2018 release, Everyday Street, is a stunning collection of songs weaving stories of joy, friendship, family, loss and discovery. It is somewhat of a departure sonically: stripped down, spontaneous, acoustic, with the feel of one of her concerts. The songs were recorded over four days with her long-time collaborator Duke Levine on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandola, National guitar, and octave mandolin, and Lucy on acoustic guitar, mandolin and piano. These are genuine performances, many were captured in one take.
The opening song, “Old Friends,” a duet with Lucy’s long-time friend Shawn Colvin, is a reflection on their friendship and on their times together in the early days of the Greenwich Village folk scene. “Keeping Time,” with Richard Shindell on harmony, is from her vantage point as a mother sharing her neighborhood’s rhythms, albeit from a distance, with the late actor and father of three Philip Seymour Hoffman. “Janie’s Waltz” is about the beauty and grace of an ordinary day. The everyday streets of her long-time home, Greenwich Village in New York City, are woven throughout the recording. There are also four cover songs which have all been fan favorites from her shows, including Bruce Springsteen’s “Thunder Road,” Nanci Griffith’s “I Wish it Would Rain,” and the traditional Scottish song “Loch Lomond.” Finally, there is a re-imagined version of the title song of her first album, The Tide.
Lucy’s version of Roxy Music’s “More than This” was featured on a Spotify playlist, “Your Favorite Coffeehouse,” and to date her recording has over 11.5 million streams. She has appeared on the CBS Morning Show, NPR’s Weekend and Morning Editions and All Things Considered, Mountain Stage, and West Coast Live. Her voice has remained in high demand by her peers. Lucy’s song “Guilty as Sin” was featured in the NBC television show Ed. In addition, she can be heard on releases by Bryan Ferry and Nanci Griffith, and on the Greg Brown tribute album Going Driftless (also featuring Ani Difranco, Iris Dement, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams and others).
Lucy continues to tour and receive airplay both nationally and internationally. Her CD Ten Year Night is the #1 selling album of all time at Red House Records.

ERIK KOSKINEN/ Jeremy Moses Curtis
2023-11-15 20:00 - 22:00
JEREMY MOSES CURTIS is touring in support of his new record Midlife Chrysler. This date was moved from its original date on November 19 so that ERIK KOSKINEN could join in the fun. Jeremy will open for Erik. Both have played extensively with local hero Jeffrey Foucault.

A blend of American folk, country, rock-n-roll, and blues, ERIK KOSKINEN realizes a sound that is distinctive and fresh while familiar and classic. Erik has recently released Burning The Deal on Real Phonic Records/Tone Tree Music. The “Big Plane” video clip features Amelia Fleetwood (daughter of Mick) and the track is out now.
Koskinen’s albums are a lyrical and musical metaphor of America’s theaters of war, history, relationships, and reflections in the mirror. Burning The Deal was produced by Koskinen and Bernie Larsen (Melissa Etheridge, Jackson Browne) and recorded by Jason Mariani (Mumford & Sons, Kenny Loggins) at Brotheryn Studios in Ojai, California.
Knowing but not didactic, Koskinen channels the ways of Whitman and reverently enters the anthology of uniquely crafted wry songs with the likes of Woody Guthrie and Ry Cooder while speaking as plainly as your neighbor. The Minneapolis Star Tribune calls Koskinen “the real deal” and “the best country songwriter in Minnesota.”
JEREMY MOSES CURTIS will be accompanied by Mike Castellana, a fabulous guitar player and steel player as well. Bios below ticket link-
“Midlife Chrysler is the kind of record it takes a lifetime of music to make: wry and wise, heavy and light, simple in the best ways, with an uncanny turn of phrase and a bone-deep pocket… I hear Tweedy in the magpie eclecticism, Prine in the strangeness that lands, Bobby Charles in the patient groove. American music is starving. This is a banquet.”– Jeffrey Foucault
Moses says: (a lot more than this on his webpage)
“In 2005 I cut a record of my own songs under my own name with the late great Billy Conway (Treat Her Right, Morphine) producing. I toured it here and there, but I was too busy working as a sideman and with other projects to give it much attention. In the spring of 2022 I found myself with a pile of songs and I asked Kris Delmhorst – an old friend and tour companion, and a musician I admire – to help shepherd them into the world. Observations, reflections, opinions, and love letters to the times I’ve traveled through and the people I’ve loved, Midlife Chrysler drills down through two and a half decades on the road, the tension between here and gone, love and motion, music and silence, work and calling in a country where the exceptions make all the rules, and where everything feels like a racket, except music. The big mystery, the one that still brings people together.”

THE VON CARPE FAMILY SINGERS
2023-11-16 19:30 - 21:30
“You have two families in this life, one that you’re born into and one that you choose.”
The Von Carpe Family Singers are such a mix, comprised of partners Karen Reinhardt and Jim Marousis, grandson Camdyn James, daughter Laura Christianson, daughter-in-law Stephanie Kracht Kilkenny, sister Lisa Reinhardt, and brother Eric Reinhardt .
For this occasion, they have also enlisted family members Ruthie and Leon McQuinn (Krause Family Band and Slip Jig) and Brian Looper Lucas (Brothers Quinn and the Organ Grinders), as well as Skip Armstrong (FOMA and Lovestrong Jammers).
All ticket proceeds will be donated to the Fort Atkinson Homeless Coalition.
It promises to be an interesting evening. Hope to see you there!

CORKY SIEGEL & RANDY SABIEN 11/17
2023-11-17 20:00 - 22:00
Chicago Blues Hall of Fame, music legend CORKY SIEGEL, and Jazz violinist RANDY SABIEN combine virtuosity, wit and showmanship.

Blues harmonica ace, pianist, vocalist, Corky Siegel earned his craft at the feet of legendary first generation bluesmen Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf as a part of his Siegel-Schwall Band. His Chamber Blues is credited with moving the blues from smokey clubs to the classical concert stage obliterating musical categorization. Recent Chamber Blues release “Different Voices,” received Downbeat Magazine’s Editor’s Pick calling Corky a “National Treasure.”

Randy Sabien, a 25 year alum of Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” dazzles on jazz violin, piano, guitar, mandolin, and vocals. The Chicago Tribune says: “ Sabien’s art bristles with the spirit of bona fide jazz improvisation developing new musical motifs along the way.

Corky Siegel is a master of piano and harmonica, a superior entertainer, and writer of unusual songs. Who else writes Blues about Idaho potatoes?” –Chicago Magazine

“Corky Siegel fuses entertainment and intellect. There is no doubting the talent of this brilliant performer.” – Chicago Tribune

CORKY SIEGEL & RANDY SABIEN 11/18
2023-11-18 20:00 - 22:00

LOST SOULS
2023-11-24 19:30 - 21:30
Show will only start at 7:30 IF all souls have finished their meals by that time. So come plenty early to allow time for that dream to become a reality.

The LOST SOULS are Looper Lucas & Greg Valde (with some surprise musical guests if we’re lucky). These two have been playing together around these parts for over 25 years – under an array of monikers. You may have known them as “What’s his name & the other guy,” “Devil in the Outhouse,” or “Syd Hartha & the Monkeyminds.” Folks often ask if they are twins, but they’re not. Fun fact: same sperm, different mothers. As for music, expect some stirring and rousing americana, blues, country, and humor.
“Sure it’s juvenile and irreverent, but if you drink enough it’s not that bad.”
(anonymous satisfied customer)

JOHNSMITH
2023-11-25 20:00 - 22:00
Bio follows ticket link.

JOHNSMITH is one of those artists so often under-recognized – he possesses a genius that cannot be denied, ignored, or overlooked. For the past forty-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 nine solo CDs to rave reviews, leads musical tours to Ireland, leads Idaho rafting trips, 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.

SONG CIRCLE w/ TRICIA ALEXANDER
2023-11-30 18:30 - 20:30
Round robin song circle led by TRICIA ALEXANDER– (performer, poet, healer, “with a voice, music and lyrics that resonate the heart”) done informally, not from the stage, no microphones. This is a lovely gathering of singers, songwriters, musicians and music appreciators, poets, and storytellers held somewhat regularly on the last Thursday of each month, though this will be the last one until April of 2024.
Traditional Round Robin protocol applies – everyone is part of the circle and has an opportunity to: play, pass or request a song from someone in particular or from anyone in the circle.
Everyone is welcome to attend. $5 cover for musicians and audience. Come early and have a bite to eat- therein lies our sustenance.
