CELEBRATING 23+ YEARS OF SCARY GOOD MUSIC WITH A MISSION

Looking to play here? Two things; use email (no calls, I’m trying to get work done at the day job) and read the page linked to in the next sentence. We like to hear from musicians we don’t know about but… if you want to see if you’ll fit, look at this page here.

All shows are at the North Madison Congregational Church, 1271 Durham Rd, Madison. See you here soon!!

You can read this first, or scroll down to the shows:

Ticket Sales or Reservations:

1A: Reservations usually necessary, but not always. Some shows sell fast, some a little slower, just like life. Check under each show’s heading to see if it’s sold out or in danger of doing so.  With this level of talent, you never know, but we try hard to make sure there’s always room for walk-ins. 

1B:To reserve seats or for more information for these shows please send us an email. All seats are assigned and reserved in the order in which they come in, so if you reserve early, you get good seats. If the link isn’t working for you, the email is: workdog(at)mindspring.com, or call Charlie at 203-668-3735. Leave a message if he can’t hear the phone due to tools powering away.

1C: Pay at the door, always. Cash or check is fine. We don’t do the pre-pay thing because we’re too lazy to figure it out. Plus, if you’re sick or something, you’re already miserable, and losing the price of a ticket makes it worse.

We are the only concert venue with a mission.We want to educate, inspire, and yes, entertain. Not to waste space here, please look at the “workshops: the mission” page to see what we mean. Virtually EVERY concert is a fundraiser for a local non-profit.

And of course, visit our Facebook Page for links to really cool music. Some we book, some we don’t due to whatever, but it’s all great stuff.

Thanks to the great audience members, volunteers, sponsors and musicians that made this one of our best seasons ever! From new bands to the most seasoned of pros, every show was southing to remember. Now, on to summer..

September 2o (FRIDAY) , 7:30 PM

the one and only, rarely seen…

Väsen

We have so many living legends, it’s hard to keep calling everyone we get a “living legend.” But Väsen certainly qualifies as that. It’s a very rare East Coast tour. Please note the day, it’s a Friday. We’ve switched so they can also get a slot up at Freshgrass that weekend, which means we’re not only the home of the best music around, we’re almost tolerably nice guys.. No need to go into detail, any music geek knows what’s up here. And they’ll reserve well before you, unless you hurry. Once in a lifetime opportunity? Maybe not, but then, maybe.. Adults $30, kids high school and under, the usual $5.

 

OCTOBER 26, 7:00 PM

DAMN TALL BUILDINGS

From the 30-years of experience Väsen has, we move to a relative newcomer on the scene. But don’t be fooled, Damn Tall Buildings has been busy building up a very impressive resume of really happy audience members. Things change quickly though, and they’re on the verge of exploding and not being “the new hot band” anymore. They’re simply “the hot band.”  It’s not bluegrass, it’s not old-time, it’s not funk, it’s not soul or pop or any one thing. As per our usual preference for everything genre-less, it’s a mix of everything that’s great. It’s a Halloween candy bowl of goodness, where you reach in and everything you pull out is chocolate. Another night of too much fun. Adults $25, kids high school and under, $5.00

 

NOVEMBER 9, 7:00PM

THE TERRIBLE MOUNTAIN STRING BAND

Hosts the occasionally-annual concert/Barn Dance

It’s our whenever-we-get-around-to-it concert/Barn dance, where we listen to some tunes just to get in the mood, then split off the big side room and try our hands at an enormous contra-like thing. Don’t be shy if you’ve never done one. This is for folks who want to have great time. Serious dancers are more than welcome, but there will be a lot of newcomers jumping in. As for the band? What can I say…killer old-time authentic dance band rock solid players. Led by Ida Mae Specker, she’s the daughter of one of the National Treasures of old-time, John Specker. She carries the torch proudly, and she and her sister, Lila, are keen to throw in their own embellishments, too. Ida Mae is one of the very few who grew up old-time, but can swing with all the Berklee-born moderns, too. So the tunes will be great, the dancing great, the ice cream great, just plain everything will be great. And you only have to fork over 25 bucks for an adult, 5 per kid. Oh, and we’ll have to cap this at about 150, or there won’t be room for the dancing. 

 

DECEMBER… SOMETHING.

DAROL ANGER’S HOLIDAY STRANGENESS

Yes, details are sketchy, but in the works. Darol has been tasked with assembling a repertoire for the must unusual holiday show we can come up with. Klezmer, Classical, Goofy Favorites, Cowboy Christmas redolent of old Sons Of The Pioneers stuff, it’s all on the table. As we draw closer, we’ll fill in the blanks.

JANUARY… 18, 7:00 PM

SAM REIDER AND THE HUMAN HANDS

Yes, Sam was here just a short bit ago with the unbelievable Jorge Glem, and the show was so well received, we’re doing it again in January, where the house will be packed. Many felt this is was their favorite show ever. EVER. And that includes folks like Crooked Still, Solas, John Jorgenson Quintet, Hot Club OF Cowtown, etc. We’re not messing around with this one! Pack this house!! Adults $25, kids high school and under, $5.00

February 15, 7:00 PM

YOUTH IN A ROMAN FIELD

I’m going to lead with this statement: Claire has the sweetest voice that’s ever been here since Aoife O’Donovan. There. Now the rest: Youth In A Roman Field is a most interesting collaborative fronted by singer-songwriter-violinist Claire Wellin. The band can shrink to one, or expand to something like 30 when they feel like orchestrating something in an Icelandic volcano. (It’s true, looky here) Most often, though, it’s 4 or 5 musicians who are all extremely accomplished. All that’s insignificant, as what Youth really is is an attitude and an experience. Sure, Claire’s voice is simply remarkable, and the songs are equally superb, but it’s how the tunes are arranged, the super-relaxed and laid back manner in which they’re performed. The band is clearly having fun playing, and it shows. They don’t worry about perfection, they just feel the music so profoundly. This will be a great Brooklyn-based contrast with Sam Reider the month before in January. With Sam you’re swept away by the sheer technical skills, with Youth, you’re sucked in by the sheer intricacy of the subtle rhythms and magical voices. Really cool stuff. Adults $25, kids the 5 smackers.

March 21, 7:00 PM

Barefoot Movement

I’ve always loved Barefoot Movement, and we’ve had them twice now for holiday shows. Those were great, but they never really had the chance to show what they’re all about. Now they will. Once again, we’re talking about four folks who can really play. But once again, they’re well past the point of worrying about whether or not they’re showing off chops. Killer harmonies, but used to just slay soulful and rocking old-time/bluegrass/soul/R&B inflected tunes that like every good thing are impossible to adequately describe with words. Take that you ad copy expository writing professor from back in college. Adults $25, kids $5

And then….

April 25 7:00 PM

Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas

Do I really need to go on about this? From their first time here almost 15 years ago to now. Still two of the most influential voices win violin and cello. Still cranking out some of the most original sounding stuff. A perfect season-ender. And yeah, it’s also the volunteer/sponsor pizza party. Adults $30, kids the usual $5.00