CELEBRATING 25+ YEARS OF SCARY GOOD MUSIC WITH A MISSION
Everyone has a Covid announcement, and so do we:
For all indoor shows this fall, vaccinated people only. At this moment, masks will also be necessary. Yes, it stinks. I don’t like it either, but it’s the only sure-fire way we can keep artists and audiences safe. Besides, all our artists require it. Hopefully this ends soon, but until then… Attendance at all shows for the fall will be capped at 125 out of a possible 210 if the virus didn’t exist. It does, it sucks, but we want to make everyone comfortable and into the music.
With this show down at the Madison Land Conservation Trust’s Rettich Preserve, we surpassed raising over $100,000 for local non-profits over the past 10 years. Woo Hoo!!
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:
1: Thanks to the virus, we’re implementing the following things. All attendees must be vaccinated. Period. Masks may be necessary depending on conditions at the time. We will also cap admission to 125 people.
1A: Reservations: Due to the limiting of the audience numbers, and spreading out, we’re not assigning seats. Don’t ask for “front row seats!” unless you include a check for, say, $1000.
To reserve, email Charlie at workdog(at)mindspring.com or click here
If the email bounces (it’s been a little wonky, try pshafer8(at)icloud.com, Sorry for the inconvenience! Our tech guru is working on it (no, he’s not…drinking again..)
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… and you know, stuff.
The Schedule
INDOORS (we might go back to the field, we’ll see) 2021
We’re kicking off the re-boot post-virus thing with some friends who represent the best of the best of what made us get into this in the first place: Blur-grass/alt-grass/alt-strings/new-wave folk…whatever you want to call it. So to get things going again, we present the grand master of the genre with his band, and the youngest guns to follow in his footsteps.
Mr. Sun
September 18
We will now be outdoors for Mr. Sun, to take in some, well, sun! The show will be at 4:00 PM at a Madison Land Conservation Trust Property, and reservations must still be made as space will be limited by parking. If it’s raining, it’s back to the church at 7:00 PM. When you register, I’ll send out the location, trying to keep this under control!!
What better way to kick off the re-opening of our indoor shows with old friend Darol Anger and his band. There’s a level of musicianship and fun that intersects somewhere on a planet all it’s own. Darol’s been a ground-breaking musician for something like 40 years, from the early David Grisman Quintet days, the founding of the Turtle Island String Quartet days, the duo work with Mike Marshall, blah blah blah. Whether the rest of the world knows it or not, he has helped shape the sound of Americana music, and the whole alt-grass universe. The rest of his band? You know them all, if you’ve been to the series. From Berklee profs (Joe K. Walsh), “Live From Here” guests (Grant Gordy), they’re just perfect. 30 bucks if yer out of high school, 5 if still in or younger.
HAWKTAIL
October 30, 7:00PM
What’s better than re-opening the series (indoors, anyway, with ice cream of course) than Brittany Haas, Paul Kowert, Jordan Tice, and Dominick Leslie? I can’t think of anything, especially since they’ve all been to the series at least once, and in various formats. So it’s sort of a reunion in so many ways, friends on the stage, friends in the audience, friends making ice cream for us, and so on down the line. Musically, everyone who has been to the series knows how special all Brittany, Paul and Jordan are, and when they added Dominick (you saw him with Sam Reider and the Human Hands) and came together as Hawktail, it makes it even more superb. Four players, as good as they get, playing for you, an audience that is as good as you get. Adults $30, kids high school and under, $5.00
Kicking these to somewhere…:
All shows we had scheduled and are looking for just the right timing.
9 Horses with Jacob Joliff
Our favorite alt/classical/jazz folks, with the added brilliance of Jacob Joliff. We had a great time with them the first time through, and can’t wait for a return.
Ashley Bathgate
While I can’t say she’s the most important musician of the 21st century, she’s in the group of daring classical musicians exploring what exactly music is. As a group, they are indeed the most important musicians right now. Technical chops are so extreme it’s not even part of the discussion anymore. Ashley’s at the forefront of playing music by contemporary composers that push limits. Some pieces are extremely melodic, and some are on the edge of the “noise” edge of music, some challenge the assertion that 12 tones are sufficient. I’ll say this: anyone who is willing to sit up in front of an audience solo and play weird stuff brilliantly for an hour+ show gets a medal for bravery. But don’t fear, she’ll mix in some old classical standards, just so you can hear the reference points that the modern composers are jumping off from. $30 and 5.
Mike Marshall and Darol Anger
What do you say about Mike and Darol that hasn’t been said a million times. Oh wait, I know… nothing. The standard bearers, and are two of the maybe six or seven guys who literally and figuratively started it all. Nothing would sound like it is if it weren’t for that group, and these two were at the head of the table. Cost ya $30, with the same 5 for kids high school and under.
And things we’re in the process of scheduling, but with everything going on, they might not quite come together. But hey, we’re trying…