July 6th – Panchromatic Steel with Special Guest, Sage Lewis

Thanks for your support:  MHTC  and Norsk Golf Club

Panchromatic Steel is a steel drum band homegrown in Madison, Wisconsin that plays authentic island calypso, jazz, classical and familiar pop/rock. Its music brightens any day, transports listeners to their happiest moments in the sun, and threads the needle by being creative and artful while still being fun, danceable and accessible to virtually everyone. The steel drum, or “steel pan,” is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago: a small but culturally rich island nation in the south Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela. The instrument is literally a sawed-off 55-gallon oil drum with the top stretched into a bowl shape and painstakingly hand-hammered to create tone-producing centers, which are struck by rubber-tipped mallets. Founded in 2016 by Chad Bartell and Josh Pultorak, Panchromatic Steel strives to honor Trinidad and Tobago’s contribution by respectfully applying the steel pan to a variety of creative music and showcasing it to audiences across Southern Wisconsin.

July 13th – Elizabeth Mary Band

Thanks for your support: Jessica Martin: Pilates and Ethical Fashion and Village Smile Care

Elizabeth Mary fills her schedule playing 130+ solo acoustic and full band shows annually in the   tri-state area playing small venues to large music festivals.  Whether playing solo or with the full band,  Elizabeth will leave an impression on your heart and a smile on your face. Elizabeth Mary’s  relatable lyrics and genuine personality will leave you wanting more.

 

July 20th – The People Brothers Band

Thanks for your support:  McFee on Main and Sunn Cafe

Originally hailing out of Madison, Wisconsin, The People Brothers Band (PBB) are a staple of the Midwest’s vibrant music scene. Featuring some of the best vocalists and musicians in the region, the PBB have blossomed into a unique brand of Rhythm and Soul dedicated to uplifting the hearts and minds of its friends and fans. The PBB’s core mission is to bring people together by spreading love through music. Coupled with their energetic live shows and infectious stage presence, they are guaranteed to bring the party.

 

July 27th – Soggy Prairie

Thanks for your support:  Sign Art Studio and Pioneer Environmental Group – Joe Drapeau

Soggy Prairie has the five-piece instrumentation of a traditional bluegrass band, but don’t call them traditional. With a mix of bluegrass standards, modern takes on country and Americana, and original music, Soggy Prairie puts on a show that demonstrates the versatility and broad appeal of string music. Formed in 2002 in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, the band has developed a confident, high-energy sound and an enthusiastic following.  Starting out as high schoolers too young to go to bluegrass jams in bars, they came up with their own interpretations of bluegrass classics. Since then, they’ve become a mainstay of the southern Wisconsin bluegrass scene, playing close to a hundred shows per year at festivals, concerts, fairs and bars.

 

August 3rd – Michael Perry and The Long Beds

Thanks for your support:  The Third Door Storage, GrandStay Hotel and Brix Cider

Perry began writing songs in the early 1990s during long nights when he was struggling to survive on prose (he is the author of numerous books including: Population 485, Truck, The Scavengers,and the New York Times bestseller Visiting Tom). With no arts background (he has a nursing degree) he found himself drawn especially to the work of poets and singer/songwriters. (In interviews Perry tends to list his greatest literary influences as Dylan Thomas and Steve Earle – and not necessarily in that order.) “I remember writing late one night and hearing a Kevin Welch song with the line, ‘I whiskey’d up my coffee cup… sittin’ here tryin’ not to call you up,’” says Perry, “and I was floored by the rhythm and the story in that single line…” He began writing songs as a way to break up all-night typing sessions, and eventually he had enough of them that a musician friend invited him to play a coffee shop. “I’m not saying I was nervous, but I ripped out a sixty-minute set list in thirty-two minutes flat,” says Perry. By 2004, he had begun recruiting Long Beds. In 2006, he released his first album, Headwinded.

While the music made by Perry and the Long Beds has been variously 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!” Nice – but there are limits. “Zippy or not,” says Perry, “when ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald’ comes on the radio, we sit down, shut up, and listen.”

August 10th – Don’t Mess With Cupid

Thanks for your support:  TRICOR Insurance and Potosi Brewery

Don’t Mess With Cupid is an 8 Piece Soul group based out of Madison, Wisconsin, led by Kevin Willmott. They play Otis Redding, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Al Green Marvin Gaye and More.
Bring your dancin’ shoes.