"When Keeler and Maria come together and sing, it’s magic, and they reaffirm how nourishing music can be”   - NO DEPRESSION

Mama’s Broke, based out of New Orleans and Halifax, craft a sound that artfully weaves old-time, Quebecois, blues, punk, Celtic, Balkan and doom metal into a hypnotic and energizing tapestry of original music.  

The connection between Amy Lou Keeler and Lisa Maria draws the listener in as they effortlessly move through dark, lonesome, and intricate acapella songs to fiery, ripping fiddle/banjo tunes accompanied by foot percussion and driving guitar rhythms.  Their debut album Count the Wicked won them a Canadian Folk Music Award in 2017 for ‘Ensemble of the Year’ as well as a nomination for ECMA ‘Rising Star Award.’  Their sophomore album Narrow Line, released in 2022 on Free Dirt Records, was featured in The Bluegrass Situation, Hollar Country, No Depression, Folk Radio UK’s “top ten of the year” as well as being placed on NPR’s taste maker and Tiny Desk host Bob Boilen's “What I’m Listening To Right Now” Spotify playlist.  Narrow Line was nominated in 2023’s Canadian Folk Music Award ‘vocal group of the year’ as well as a Juno award (Best Traditional Roots Album of The Year).

In a perpetual state of transience, the duo has spent a majority of the previous decade pounding the transatlantic-tour-trail. They have supported acts such as Nick Shoulders, Sierra Ferrell, Tim Eriksen, and La Vent du Nord as well as co-headlined tours with Matt Heckler, Willi Carlisle and Rufus Nightjar.  From notable international folk festivals to DIY punk houses to activist gatherings  to opera houses and everywhere in-between, Mama's Broke has garnered a passionate and loyal fanbase in North America, Europe, and the UK. 

www.mamasbroke.ca

 TICKETS: $25

Early in 2020, an article was released declaring that the music industry needed more happy songs. As Martin Earley and Calin Peters recall, they laughed while reading it, knowing that their work as The Ballroom Thieves explores the spirit of that paradigm. Well, sort of…they're not interested in easily defined worldviews.
"We read that article and thought, 'how are we supposed to write happy songs right now?'" says Earley. "We don’t write happy songs, but this time we decided to try something new by pairing optimistic sounding music with dark lyrics. If the listener is not a lyrics person, they might not notice."

The Ballroom Thieves' fourth album, CLOUDS, is a song cycle born of mixed experiences and fueled by the power of imagination. The album is a lush meditation on longing to return to touring - to see different sunsets and cities. But, it's also a reflection of its difficulties, e.g., insomnia brought on by sleeping in different hotel rooms every night. After a major car accident and the departure of a band member, the duo has taken the duality of all these experiences and translated them into song.

www.ballroomthieves.com

BUY TICKETS: $25

A pioneer of San Francisco psychedelia, Jorma Kaukonen is a bona fide graybeard folk swami. He mostly lays back, a master in situ, unfurling melodies and savoring every note. – Rolling Stone Magazine

In a career that has already spanned a half-century, Jorma Kaukonen has been one of the most highly respected interpreters of American roots music, blues, and rock. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy recipient, Jorma was at the forefront of popular rock and roll, one of the founders of the San Francisco sound and a progenitor of Psychedelic Rock. He is a founding member of two legendary bands, Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna. Jorma Kaukonen is a music legend and one of the finest singer-songwriters in his field. He continues to tour the world bringing his unique styling to old blues tunes while presenting new songs of weight and dimension. His secret is in playing spontaneous and unfiltered music, with an individual expression of personality. In 2016, Jorma, Jack Casady and the other members of Jefferson Airplane were awarded The GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award for their contributions to American music.

jormakaukonen.com

A mesmerizing storyteller, Kaukonen delivers a memoir as intricate and dazzling as his music. —Publishers Weekly, starred review

BUY TICKETS: $40

Trevor Stephenson was born in 1959 in Kansas City, Missouri. He began piano studies at age ten, and at twelve decided upon a life in music. Following degrees in piano performance from the University of Missouri and University of Illinois, he received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Historical Performance of Eighteenth-Century Music from Cornell University. In 1990 he moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where, with Norman Sheppard, he began rebuilding and customizing a series of keyboard instruments ranging from Italian Renaissance harpsichords to Victorian pianos. In 1994 he founded the Light & Shadow concert and recording company in 1994 and has issued twelve recordings on that label. Since 2004 he has also served as harpsichordist and Artistic Director of the Madison Bach Musicians. He tours throughout the United States regularly giving concerts, lectures, and masterclasses. Trevor lives in Madison with his wife Rose and daughter Emily—and their adorable cat, Charlie!

Ray Wylie Hubbard is the secret handshake amongst those who know. Earthy, real, funky, unabashed, his records have been swapped and played on the road by everyone from Blackberry Smoke and Georgia Satellites to Black Stone Cherry. “Snake Farm” alone could be the red-blooded touring male’s reality-based point of connection.

That passion for the man who’s as much a renegade poet as a roadhouse saint brought together an eclectic mix of guests for Co-Starring, his first ever high-profile label release. Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, Ronnie Dunn, Don Was, Larkin Poe, Pam Tillis and The Cadillac Three were just a few who clamored to jam, sing and generally be in the studio with the wizened icon.

 The Austin Music and Eric Church-inducted Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Famer was born in Soper, Oklahoma, went to high school with cosmic cowboy Michael Martin Murphey and spent his summers playing folk music in Red River, New Mexico. It all added to an iconoclastic, hell-bent for truths and textures in writing about the way outlaws live – and added to his outlier bona fides that he made 16 albums without ever signing to a major label.

That’s all about to change for the go-to songwriter for Lucinda Williams, Hayes Carll, Pat Green, Jerry Jeff Walker, Waylon Jennings, Slaid Cleaves and Willie Nelson. Whether it’s bluegrass/folk legend Peter Rowan on the tender “Hummingbird,” emerging Nashville renegade Ashley McBryde on the tough girl homage “Outlaw Blood,” SiriusXM femme fatales Paula Nelson and Elizabeth Cook on the randy “Drink ‘Til I See Double” or the trippy rocker Aaron Lee Tasjan on the elegiac “Rock Gods,” Co-Starring is a supple, musky affair.

www.raywylie.com

TICKETS: $30

Hailed by The Washington Post as “one of Nashville’s finest song interpreters,” Kathy Mattea has enjoyed much success and acclaim during her 35-year career in Country, Bluegrass and Folk music, including 2 Grammy wins, 4 CMA Awards, 4 #1 country singles, and five gold albums (plus a platinum Greatest Hits collection). Her latest album is PRETTY BIRD, produced by her old friend, roots music wizard Tim O’Brien. The wide-ranging collection of songs chronicles a period of rededication to singing, digging back in with a vocal coach and emerging with a poignant and eclectic CD. In addition to creating and recording music and performing live on tour, Kathy is increasingly involved with public broadcasting, consulting and contributing on screen in Ken Burns’ 2019 documentary for PBS “Country Music”, and recently replacing founder Larry Groce as the host of the long-running NPR show “Mountain Stage”.

www.mattea.com

BUY TICKETS: $40

“Rogers is both a sensational and a sensitive blues guitarist - certainly among the finest slide guitarists playing today. His wailing slide guitar sound (and churning rhythms, when needed) mark him and his work as of the highest caliber.”

— SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

“Rogers is an exceptionally articulate slide guitarist, whether he’s scorching Robert Johnson’s ‘Ramblin’ Blues’ or taking a lovely, lyrical journey... or rockin’ it out. One of the rare guitar heroes who values feeling over flash.”

— ROLLING STONE

Roy Rogers is considered one of the world’s preeminent slide guitarists. With over 20 recordings to his credit, Rogers has garnered 8 Grammy nominations for producing, recording, and as a songwriter. Known both as producer & performer for delivering critically acclaimed recordings for John Lee Hooker, The Healer, Mr. Lucky, BoomBoom & Chill Out and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Friends of Mine and The Long Ride among other collaborations. His career of more than four decades includes movies, TV and commercials as well as recording and performing. Artist collaborations include Allen Toussaint, Bela Fleck, Ray Manzarek, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Linda Ronstadt, and Sammy Hagar among others. He is known worldwide for his searing live performances and continues to tour with his band The Delta Rhythm Kings.

www.roy-rogers.com

TICKETS: $30

The Marvin Rabin String Quartet is the Mead Witter School of Music’s graduate string quartet. As project assistants, the quartet performs concerts at the Mead Witter School of Music and other university events, as well as performing community outreach. Members work closely with faculty, including the Pro Arte Quartet. The Rabin String Quartet has worked with notable guest artists, including violist Nobuko Imai, violist Lila Brown, and members of the Takács Quartet.

TICKETS: General Admission. Free-Will Donation

With fiddles in hand, Madison's premiere youth violin ensemble, MadFiddle, gears up for its annual Stoughton Opera House performance. Drawing on music extracted from Scandinavian folk, bluegrass, Celtic songs, Eastern and blues folk tunes, Appalachian, Brazilian, ragtime, as well as modern acoustic artists, MadFiddle brings students between the ages of six and seventeen together for a romping, stomping, good time. MadFiddle is directed by the Madison Area Music Association's 2016 "Teacher of the Year," Shauncey Ali, and accompanied by the energetic adult backing band, Highway 151 which consists of Chris Powers on mandolin and bouzouki, Pat Spaay on upright bass, and Bruce Anderson on guitar. Thriving on its mad enthusiasm for the instrument, MadFiddle shows up with that blast of inherent joy that comes along with playing music with friends.

www.Madfiddle.shutterfly.com

BUY TICKETS: $15

With countless tunes you know from the first note, rip-roaring gigs you can count on, and a whole lot of energy you’ll take home with you, BoDeans continue to contribute to the American songbook as a tried-and-true institution. Founded and led by original frontman, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Kurt Neumann, the band’s catalog consists of generational anthems such as “Good Things,” You Don’t Get Much,” “Idaho,” and “Closer To Free,” just to name a few. However, they still reflect the soul and spirit of the modern American experience on their fourteenth full-length offering,  4 The Last Time.

“The music of BoDeans has defined much of my life,” muses Kurt. “I consider myself fortunate to be able to do what I enjoy. I wanted to creatively do something positive for the world instead of just taking from it. So, this is what I’ve chosen to do with my life. The music was always about the blue-collar dream of a better life, and it still is.”

www.bodeans.com

TICKETS: $50

The Arcadian Wild is a four-piece indie folk/pop group from Nashville, TN. Led by songwriters Isaac Horn and Lincoln Mick and Bailey Warren on fiddle, The Arcadian Wild confidently inhabits and explores an intersection of genre, blending the traditional with the contemporary. Combining elements of progressive bluegrass, folk, and formal vocal music, The Arcadian Wild offer up songs of invitation; calls to come and see, to find refuge and rest, to journey and wonder, to laugh and cry, to share joy and community and sing along.

The band’s 2023 album Welcome marks the start of a captivating new chapter for the genre-bending trio, who returned to the studio with renewed purpose and insight after devoting the last few years to a series of critically acclaimed singles and EPs. Like much of the band’s catalog, the album blurs the lines between chamber folk and progressive bluegrass, drawing on everything from country and classical to pop and choral music with lush harmonies and dazzling fretwork, but this time around there’s a rawness to the writing, an embrace of candor and simplicity that cuts straight to the heart of things like never before. The result is perhaps the most arresting collection yet from a band known for its ability to stop listeners dead in their tracks, an exquisitely beautiful celebration of community, connection, and the power of belonging that feels tailor-made for these challenging times.

www.thearcadianwild.com

The Spine Stealers are a Wisconsin-based folk band influenced by the northwood pines, 24/7 truck stop diners, heartbreak and dark lakes. The duo formed around late night bonfires in their shared hometown during the height of the pandemic where they learned guitar together and wrote songs inspired by their experiences of heartache and nostalgia.

www.thespinestealers.com

BUY TICKETS: $25

These outstanding SHS instrumental and vocal music students have received starred firsts in Class A at the district music festival and have qualified for the Wisconsin School Music Association State Music Festival.

TICKETS: General Admission. Free-Will Donation

Marty Stuart is a Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee, five-time GRAMMY-winner, platinum recording artist, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from the Americana Music Association, Grand Ole Opry star, country music archivist, photographer, musician, and songwriter. Since starting out singing gospel as a child, Stuart has spent over four decades celebrating American roots music. His teenage years on tour with bluegrass legend Lester Flatt in the ’70s were followed by six years in Johnny Cash’s band in the ’80s, and a chart-topping tenure as a solo artist in the '90s.

www.martystuart.net

BUY TICKETS: $46

Marty Stuart is a Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee, five-time GRAMMY-winner, platinum recording artist, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from the Americana Music Association, Grand Ole Opry star, country music archivist, photographer, musician, and songwriter. Since starting out singing gospel as a child, Stuart has spent over four decades celebrating American roots music. His teenage years on tour with bluegrass legend Lester Flatt in the ’70s were followed by six years in Johnny Cash’s band in the ’80s, and a chart-topping tenure as a solo artist in the '90s.

www.martystuart.net

BUY TICKETS: $46

Eau Claire, WI - The story is true. Soren Staff and Beau Janke—co-founders of folk/rock/Americana outfit Them Coulee Boys—met as counselors at a bible camp in northern Wisconsin in 2011. Having both grown up amidst a stretch of glacial melt-carved river valleys in the upper Midwest, otherwise known by French fur trappers as coulees, they became fast friends. Camp counselors actually coined the name “them coulee boys” as a way to refer to the constant companions, more often than not with instruments in hand. Soren’s little brother Jens joined the crew on mandolin at camp in 2012, and since, both Neil Krause on bass and Staš Hable on drums have helped to grow the band into the rollicking outfit it is today.

With three full-length albums and an EP behind them, including 2019’s Die Happy (produced by Trampled By Turtles’ Dave Simonett on Lo-Hi Records), the band has garnered international attention and earned press in American Songwriter and The Bluegrass Situation, as well as tours with Trampled By Turtles and a spot on the songwriter’s Cayamo Cruise. In 2020, they were named Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Band to Watch. In 2021, they won Bluegrass/Americana Band of the Year by the Wisconsin Area Music Industry.

www.themcouleeboys.com

BUY TICKETS: $25

Wisconsin’s favorite bestselling humorist and author Michael Perry returns with his band the Long Beds for a night of music, storytelling, and laughter. Perry began writing songs in the early 1990s during long nights when he was struggling to survive on prose. Often described as "country folk," "roughneck folk," "folk-twang," and Americana, they prefer the description given by an audience member after a benefit concert in Perry's old high school gym: "You sound just like Gordon Lightfoot... only zippier!"

Perry has co-written or collaborated with musicians including Phil Cook, Justin Vernon, Sean Carey, Mary Cutrufello, and Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Geoffrey Keezer, but not until he met producer (and Long Beds' musical director) Evan Middlesworth did he learn to play a "cheater” B minor.

In the fall of 2019, Michael Perry & The Long Beds released Long Road to You, an EP featuring five freshly-recorded songs and a spoken word piece from the Long Beds headlining stint on 2019’s Wisconsin Vinyl Collective tour. The set list will also include solid favorites, a couple fresh ones, and—between songs—easygoing humor and tangential tales arising directly from Michael Perry’s other gig as a humorist and New York Times bestselling author.

www.sneezingcow.com/music

BUY TICKETS: $25

 Eric Tran (D.M.A.) is a pianist-composer and teacher. He is a native of the Bay Area, CA, graduating with honors from Stanford University and receiving his MM from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. After his piano duo—infamously known as “Happy Dog Duo”—won 1st prize and the Abild American Music Award at the Ellis Duo Piano Competition, he went on a 2-year performance tour of the US, which included a guest artist performance at the Chautauqua Institution and a historic performance on the Pleyel Double Grand Piano. Tran moved to Madison, earning his DMA with Christopher Taylor at the Mead Witter School of Music at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he now serves as lecturer.

     Tran has performed in Italy, Korea, China, Canada, and in 20 US states. He won multiple awards from the Wideman International Piano Competition, 3rd place from the American Prize, and invitations to the US Chopin National and Virginia Waring International. Tran was selected for a Gilmore Fellowship and has also performed at PianoTexas, Aspen, and Art of the Piano, where he worked with Jonathan Biss, Robert Levin, Leonard Slatkin, and Olga Kern.

     Tran’s compositions have been performed across the US, including by the St. Lawrence String Quartet and the Friction Quartet. The SF Examiner reviewed his String Quartet as having “a tendency to thwart the usual expectations… fascinating”. His String Quartet also won the 1st Prize in Composition from the Pacific Musical Society, after which no 1st Prize was awarded for almost a decade. It can be heard on Tran’s album “Water” along with other original solo/chamber music. In addition to writing concert music, Tran has composed over 100 pedagogical pieces for different levels.

     Tran has given masterclasses and workshops for the Jacobs School of Music Young Pianists program, the National Federation of Music Clubs Conference, and for teachers in the Madison area. His scholarly edition of the Chopin Barcarolle Op. 60 has been downloaded more than 3000 times and has been praised by International Chopin winner Kevin Kenner, Juilliard Professor Hung-Kuan Chen, and Van Cliburn Winner Jon Nakamatsu. Tran’s students have won prizes for piano and composition and have gone on to pursue degrees at UC Berkeley and UCLA.

     Tran has been involved for over 15 years with the US Open Music Competition, a non-profit organization that holds a comprehensive annual competition for over 1,000 young musicians across 100 events. As a youth, he was its record-setting, 29-time gold medalist. He later held posts as composer-in-residence, accompanist, adjudicator, and program director.

     His principal studies were with pianists Sharon Mann, Thomas Schultz, and Christopher Taylor; and with composers Jaroslaw Kapuscinski and Laura Schwendinger. He underwent additional piano studies with Julian Martin, Arie Vardi, and Kevin Kenner. Outside of music, Tran is also a youth chess coach.

www.erictranmusic.com

TICKETS: General Admission. Free-Will Donation

Celebrating 35 years together in song, Leo Endres and Linda Kunz co-direct the Stoughton Festival Choir in a selection of favorites from programs past.

TICKETS: Free-will donation at the door

Born and raised in Europe, brothers Jens and Uwe Kruger started singing and playing instruments at a very young age. Growing up in a family where music was an important part of life, they were exposed to a wide diversity of musical influences. The brothers were performing regularly by the time they were eleven and twelve years old, and they began their professional career in 1979. Since their formal introduction to American audiences in 1997, the Kruger Brothers’ remarkable discipline, creativity and their ability to infuse classical music into folk music has resulted in a unique sound that has made them a fixture within the world of acoustic music. In their ever-expanding body of work – Jens Kruger (banjo and vocals), Uwe Kruger (guitar and lead vocals), and Joel Landsberg (bass and vocals) – the Kruger Brothers personify the spirit of exploration and innovation that forms the core of the American musical tradition. 

www.krugerbrothers.com

BUY TICKETS: $30

For 60 years, South Africa’s five-time Grammy Award winners, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has warmed the hearts of audiences worldwide with uplifting vocal harmonies, signature dance moves and charming onstage banter. It was Paul Simon’s 1987 Graceland album that introduced Ladysmith Black Mambazo to the world. The late former South African President Nelson Mandela designated the group “South Africa’s cultural ambassadors to the world,” a title the members carry with them with the highest honor. In 2018 the group received not one but two Grammy Award nominations for two separate albums, a first in the history of World Music. These two nominations brought their career total to 19 Grammy Award nominations. One of these albums, SHAKA ZULU REVISITED, won Best World Music Album. This was the group’s fifth Grammy Award win, the most for any World Music group. In 2019, Ladysmith Black Mambazo collaborated for the third time with the famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company on a production entitled LINDIWE and released an album with songs from the show.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo has performed for millions of people, singing a message of peace, love and harmony.

www.mambazo.com

BUY TICKETS: $40

Award-winning Austin, Texas-based Hot Club of Cowtown may be the world’s most globe-trotting, effervescent string trio, who’s joyful sound blends the traditional Western swing of the 1940s American southwest with European hot jazz influences of the same era. The Hot Club of Cowtown, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2022, writes its own original songs and reinterprets everything from hoedowns to American songbook standards in its own, original style. The band is guitarist Whit Smith, fiddler Elana James, and upright bassist Zack Sapunor.

HCCT has toured with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Roxy Music and others and proudly represents traditional American music throughout the world for the US State Department from Azerbaijan to the Sultanate of Oman. It has been named Ameripolitan Western Swing Group of the Year and is a member of the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame. Fifteen albums, a global following, and the relentless passion of its live shows are the band’s enduring trademark.

Recently signed to UK roots label the Last Music Company, the Hot Club of Cowtown continues to amass a devoted following worldwide through its one-of-a-kind versatility and virtuosity. Career highlights include the Fuji Rock Festival (Japan), Lincoln Center, the Grand Ol’ Opry, the Glastonbury Festival (UK) and all points in between.

www.hotclubofcowtown.com

BUY TICKETS: $27

Current members of Wingra Wind Quintet are Conor Nelson, flute; Lindsay Flowers, oboe; Alicia Lee, clarinet; Trevor Healy, horn; and Marc Vallon, bassoon.

Since its formation in 1965, the Wingra Wind Quintet at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music has established a tradition of artistic and teaching excellence.  The ensemble has been featured in performance at national conferences such as MENC (Miami), MTNA (Kansas City), and the International Double Reed Society (Minneapolis). The quintet also presented an invitational concert on the prestigious Dame Myra Hess series at the Chicago Public Library, broadcast live on WFMT. In addition to its extensive home state touring, the quintet has been invited to perform at numerous college campuses, including the universities of Alaska-Fairbanks, Northwestern, Chicago, Nebraska, Western Michigan, Florida State, Cornell, the Interlochen Arts Academy, and the Paris Conservatoire, where quintet members offered master classes.

The Wingra Wind Quintet has recorded for Golden Crest, Spectrum, and the UW-Madison Mead Witter School of Music recording series and is featured on an educational video entitled Developing Woodwind Ensembles. Always on the lookout for new music of merit, Wingra has premiered new works of Hilmar Luckhardt, Vern Reynolds, Alec Wilder, Edith Boroff, James Christensen, and David Ott. The group recently gave the Midwest regional premiere of William Bolcom’s Five Fold Five, a sextet for woodwind quintet and piano, with pianist Christopher Taylor. New York Times critic Peter Davis, in reviewing the ensemble’s Carnegie Hall appearance, stated “The performances were consistently sophisticated, sensitive, and thoroughly vital.”

The Wingra Wind Quintet is one of three faculty chamber ensembles in-residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music. Deeply committed to the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea, the group travels widely to offer its concerts and educational services to students and the public in all corners of the state.

TICKETS: General Admission. Free-Will Donation

"Handsome is as handsome does....

A princely (yet frightening!) beast finds redemption and transformation through the friendship of a brave young woman. Bubbling with memorable Mozart-like melodies, this re-telling of the beloved fairy tale is set in a fantastical South Asian context influenced by Bollywood style. Local elementary students join professional opera singers onstage as the opera chorus of exotic birds and enchanted (kid-sized) fruit. In true Opera for the Young fashion, this show will be animated…but definitely not animation!"

www.operafortheyoung.org

Free-Will Donation

The deep roots tag team of Cajun slide guitar phenom Sonny Landreth and legendary New Orleans Latin-Americana rockers the Iguanas presents a mind-blowing musical trip through the scenic soundscape of the bayou. Still wet from crawling out of the swamps, this cross-pollinated confection will be both savory and sweet.

Louisiana’s calling—here’s your chance to answer.

www.sonnylandreth.com

www.iguanas.com

BUY TICKETS: $40

It's a matter of time. 50 years to be exact. And in that time Los Lobos have created an unprecedented body of work, a legacy of greatness. The numbers are staggering: 100+ gigs a year for five decades running, crossing millions of miles to rock millions of fans. And that's just at the live shows. In between they've recorded 17 studio albums, 7 live LPs, 3 compilations, 2 EPs, 2 DVDs, and contributed 40+ guest appearances on their friends' recordings — all garnering 5 Grammys, an Austin City Limits Hall of Fame induction, the ALMA Richie Valens Pioneer Award, NEA and Hispanic Heritage Foundation Honors, Congressional recognitions, plus countless "Keys to the City" and "Los Lobos Day" celebrations. And those are just a few of the highlights. But beyond all the hoopla and applause (and the source of it all, really) is the tremendous heart. Rather, hearts. Cinco corazones. Five blood brothers who have dedicated their off-stage time to helping others, working for peace and justice, penning some of the most literate and important music of their time, transforming the hard cries from the East L.A. barrio into songs of hope, tales of common folk finding ways to endure. The young wolves were weaned on late-night radio's soul, R&B, and doo-wop. Were cured through the African-American currents of the blues, jazz, and rock 'n' roll. An amalgam. As proud Chicanos, their songs have always glistened with the distillation from their Mexican and Latin American roots — nourished by Norteña and rancheras, buoyed by bolero and cumbias, soaring on the rhythms of son huasteco and son jarocho. Los Lobos have helped spread the rich diversity of cultures across every continent, throughout the global community. Kids in Antwerp now know about Aztlán. Residents of Luxor and Ghana are crooning Lalo Guerrero. People from Laos and Bulgaria are belting "La Bamba '' — all thanks to The Wolves as cultural ambassadors. Talk about a living legacy. Talk about a productive half century. And in the true rebel spirit, they did it all on their own terms, against formula. For the ages. To our delight. Quite simply, they are one of the tightest, one of the best, one of the most prolific bands ever. And, amazingly, with the original founding members as the pack the entire time. Unprecedented. As their liner notes put it, quite simply: "Los Lobos still are David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Jr., Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, Steve Berlin."

www.loslobos.org

BUY TICKETS: $65

Born in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1954, Grammy winning singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien grew up singing in church and in school. After seeing Doc Watson on TV, he became a lifelong devotee of old time and bluegrass music. Tim started touring nationally in 1978 with Colorado bluegrass band Hot Rize. His songs “Walk the Way the Wind Blows” and “Untold Stories” were bluegrass hits for Hot Rize, and country hits for Kathy Mattea. Soon more artists like Nickel Creek, Garth Brooks, and The Dixie Chicks covered his songs. Over the years, Tim has collaborated with his sister Mollie O’Brien, songwriter Darrell Scott, and noted old-time musician Dirk Powell, as well as with Steve Earle, Mark Knopfler, Dan Auerbach and Sturgill Simpson.

O’Brien’s newest, CUP OF SUGAR, drops June 16. A feel-good summertime release with humor on top and deeper meaning just below the surface, it includes 13 new originals about a bear, a fish, lambs, horses, and some people too - a grave digger, a neighbor, and even Walter Cronkite. Backed by his loyal bandmates Mike Bub (bass), Shad Cobb (fiddle), his wife Jan Fabricius (mandolin and vocals) and Cory Walker (banjo) and other ace sidemen, CUP OF SUGAR  features a special guest spot from old friend Del McCoury. CUP OF SUGAR co-writers include Ronnie Bowman, Jonathon Byrd, Shawn Camp, Jan Fabricius, and Thomm Jutz. 

www.timobrien.net

Martha Scanlan & Jon Neufeld:

Jon Neufeld and Martha Scanlan's unique alchemy on stage started when they first played together at Portland's Indie roots festival Pickathon ten years ago. It was an immediate musical connection and friendship that has only deepened with time and miles spent touring venues and festivals across the country.

While their collective accolades are impressive they have shared the stage and collaborated with artists as diverse as Levon Helm, Jim James, Emmy Lou Harris and Peter Buck, and played festivals from Merlefest to Bonnaroo it is that unique alchemy, that sense of adventure and improvisation on stage and in the studio, that most characterizes their work together and what has earned them a loyal following world wide.

https://www.marthajonmusic.com/home

BUY TICKETS: $40

It's a matter of time. 50 years to be exact. And in that time Los Lobos have created an unprecedented body of work, a legacy of greatness. The numbers are staggering: 100+ gigs a year for five decades running, crossing millions of miles to rock millions of fans. And that's just at the live shows. In between they've recorded 17 studio albums, 7 live LPs, 3 compilations, 2 EPs, 2 DVDs, and contributed 40+ guest appearances on their friends' recordings — all garnering 5 Grammys, an Austin City Limits Hall of Fame induction, the ALMA Richie Valens Pioneer Award, NEA and Hispanic Heritage Foundation Honors, Congressional recognitions, plus countless "Keys to the City" and "Los Lobos Day" celebrations. And those are just a few of the highlights. But beyond all the hoopla and applause (and the source of it all, really) is the tremendous heart. Rather, hearts. Cinco corazones. Five blood brothers who have dedicated their off-stage time to helping others, working for peace and justice, penning some of the most literate and important music of their time, transforming the hard cries from the East L.A. barrio into songs of hope, tales of common folk finding ways to endure. The young wolves were weaned on late-night radio's soul, R&B, and doo-wop. Were cured through the African-American currents of the blues, jazz, and rock 'n' roll. An amalgam. As proud Chicanos, their songs have always glistened with the distillation from their Mexican and Latin American roots — nourished by Norteña and rancheras, buoyed by bolero and cumbias, soaring on the rhythms of son huasteco and son jarocho. Los Lobos have helped spread the rich diversity of cultures across every continent, throughout the global community. Kids in Antwerp now know about Aztlán. Residents of Luxor and Ghana are crooning Lalo Guerrero. People from Laos and Bulgaria are belting "La Bamba '' — all thanks to The Wolves as cultural ambassadors. Talk about a living legacy. Talk about a productive half century. And in the true rebel spirit, they did it all on their own terms, against formula. For the ages. To our delight. Quite simply, they are one of the tightest, one of the best, one of the most prolific bands ever. And, amazingly, with the original founding members as the pack the entire time. Unprecedented. As their liner notes put it, quite simply: "Los Lobos still are David Hidalgo, Louie Pérez, Jr., Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, Steve Berlin."

www.loslobos.org

BUY TICKETS: $65

Christopher Allen earned his Doctorate of Music in classical guitar form UW-Madison, where he studied with Prof. Javier Calderon. He is currently the President of the Madison Classical Guitar Society, and teaches for Madison College and Monroe Street Arts Center. 

https://www.facebook.com/christopher.allen.10297

TICKETS: General Admission. Free-Will Donation

Stoughton native, Madlen Breckbill studied for a Music Performance Degree from the UW Madison and the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, after which she spent four years in Germany, continuing her studies and performance.

Micah Behr, also a UW Madison alumnus, lives in Madison where he composes, teaches, and serves as Worship Director for Geneva Campus Church.

TICKETS: General Admission. Free-Will Donation

Broken at the Break of Day

Fruition’s newest album, Broken at the Break of Day, shines a light on all five members of the band, whether it’s on the traded lead vocals of “Dawn” or the irresistible rhythms of “Where Can I Turn.” As it’s been for more than a decade, their sound is hard to define, but the songwriting and the harmonies tie their diverse influences together. 

For example, “Counting the Days” is a poignant love letter, while “For You” shows the exasperation of maintaining a relationship on the road. The band’s most electrifying rock moment, “Do What You Want,” is then followed by “Nothing More Than Spinning,” which sounds like a folk song interpreted by Queen. The stunning vocal blend heard in “At the End of the Day” brings Broken at the Break of Day to its beautiful and touching conclusion. 

Although it’s a challenge to categorize, the seven-song album feels whole because of the band’s dedication to honesty as well as harmony. The Portland, Oregon-based band is composed of Jay Cobb Anderson (electric guitar, vocals), Kellen Asebroek (piano, acoustic guitar vocals), Jeff Leonard (bass), Mimi Naja (mandolin, electric guitar, vocals) and Tyler Thompson (drums). Broken at the Break of Day, recorded in Thompson’s basement in between tour dates, follows the band’s exceptional 2019 album, Wild as the Night.

“This process was the quickest the band had ever wrote and recorded the songs,” Thompson says. “All the songs obviously fit either a ‘day’ or ‘night’ theme, but the whole rehearsing and recording process had to be done in about half the amount of time we were used to. That time limitation leant us to not over think things, play instinctually and all live in the studio with very minimal overdubs. All the songs are very different, but I think the speedy process naturally created some sonic congruency.”

The prolific band will release Wild as the Night and Broken at the Break of Day together on vinyl as well, giving listeners the option to hear the music as a collective body of work in a playlist-focused era.

“From a visibility standpoint, being able to release more music more often (even if it is in smaller doses) is ideal in the new frontier of digital music that we have found ourselves smack dab in the middle of,” Asebroek says. “It's nice to be able to stay on people's radar, in an age where people have instant access to the whole of music history at their fingertips. It’s also nice to put these out together on vinyl as a nod to the way things once were”

With a renewed focus on harnessing the energy of the live experience, Wild as the Night and Broken at the Break of Day allow listeners to get a glimpse of all five band members doing what they do best on stage, whether they’re opening for the Wood Brothers, Greensky Bluegrass, and Jack Johnson, or playing at festivals like Telluride Bluegrass, Bonnaroo, and DelFest.

Their unmistakable vocal blend first revealed itself in 2008 when Anderson tagged along with Asebroek and Naja for an afternoon of busking in Portland. Drawing on their string-band influences early on, they released their debut album Hawthorne Hoedown that same year. Thompson joined the band in 2011, shortly after hearing the band members singing together in a friend’s attic. Leonard came on board in 2015. Broken at the Break of Day is the band’s tenth release, including EPs and LPs.

“We pushed ourselves like never before. But in the end it all turned out great,” Anderson says about the sessions for Broken at the Break of Day. “It was a bit more of a hectic process to get things done and recorded. I can’t believe it sounds so good, when we did it all so fast.”

www.fruitionband.com

TICKETS: $25