Gaelic Storm
This is a 18+ event with standing room only It’s hard to imagine a band just coming into their own after 20 years of success, but that’s exactly what makes a true anomaly. This multi-national, Celtic juggernaut grows stronger with each live performance, and as you can imagine, after two decades and over 2000 shows, it is a true force to be reckoned with. With their latest release, Go Climb a Tree, their music has never sounded more representative of themselves as musicians and as live performers. The band attributes their continued success to their fanatic audience, and it’s a well-diversified crowd for sure. The country-music folks adore the storytelling, the bluegrass-heads love the instrumentals, Celtic fans love their devotion to tradition, and the rockers simply relish the passion they play their instruments with. Each band member, in their own way, expresses a deep gratitude for their fans, but it’s best summed up in the words of Patrick Murphy: “The fans are the ones that have given us this life. We’re here for them.” On Go Climb a Tree, co-founders of Gaelic Storm, Steve Twigger and Patrick Murphy, along with longtime friend and co-writer Steve Wehmever, are again at the helm of song-writing duties. The album has everything—party drinking songs (“The Beer Song”), patriotic anthems (“Green, White and Orange”), beautiful folk songs (“Monday Morning Girl”), spritely instrumentals “”The Night of Tomfoolery”), perfectly poppy songs (“Shine On”), and even a raucous pirate song (“Shanghai Kelly”). When speaking of the overall concept of the album, Patrick Murphy gives some insight: “With all the craziness and division in the world, we wanted to make an album about ‘contemplative escapism.’ Go Climb a Tree certainly isn’t about dropping out of the conversation, it’s just about taking a short hiatus to recharge the batteries before you take on the world again.” Gaelic Storm takes a true blue-collar, hard-nose approach to touring, consistently traveling the US and internationally over 200 days a year, forging a unique path in the Celtic music world. “You have to see us live. We are the true working-mans’ band,” says Ryan Lacey, who joined the lineup in 2003. “We still, and most likely always will, tour most of the year, and that’s how we constantly hone our craft.” The dedication to live shows date all the way back to the mid-1990s, when Gaelic Storm kicked off its career as a pub band in Santa Monica, California. Due to their discovery at the pub, by the end of the decade, the musicians had appeared in the blockbuster film Titanic (where they performed “Irish Party in Third Class”). This laid the groundwork for a career that would eventually find them topping the Billboard World Chart six times, making appearances at mainstream music festivals, and regularly headlining the largest Irish Festivals across the country, all the while gaining a reputation as a genre-bending Irish rock band, whose songs mix Celtic traditions with something uniquely creative. Looking to the future, Gaelic Storm is excited about what lies ahead. In 2022, they were excited to welcome Natalya Kay, an incredible fiddler hailing from Western Massachusetts, but living now in Music City, Nashville, TN. Natalya’s energy and presence on stage has been a force to be reckoned with.
Desmond Jones w/ Mighty Big Rig and Fake Baseball
This is a 21 and over event.Standing room only Desmond Jones- Think Zappa meets Weird Al in the middle of a type 2 jam and has a Ween baby. The award-winning five-piece rock group has shared the stage with bands like Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, Papadosio, Here Come the Mummies, Andy Frasco, Dopapod, Ripe, Joe Hertler, Joe Russo, and so many more. 800 shows in 10 years has made the band tighter than ever- and with 4 studio albums and over 100 original songs under their belt- every set is a unique and fresh surprise for both longtime fans and new listeners. Get ready to dance, laugh and probably cringe.- 2023 Performing artist, The Midwest House (SXSW)- 2022 and 2023 “Best Original Band” Revue West MI (Best of the West)- 2019 “Album of the Year” Listener’s Choice WYCE Jammies (Hello, Helou)
The Insiders
This is a 21 and over event.Standing Room Only Close your eyes and you won’t know the difference. Open them and you still might befooled. The Insiders present the premier Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers experience.With 6 veteran musicians and decades of combined stage and touring experience, TheInsiders are genuinely running down the dream.It all starts with frontman Max Lockwood. “I grew up listening to Tom Petty. My momwould play the Greatest Hits record while she worked out. I’d sit at the top of the stairsand listen to those songs—it was my most requested CD as a young kid.” In high school,Lockwood’s band Big Dudee Roo started covering Petty songs at their frequent showsin West Michigan. “Tom Petty was part of the great American landscape to me—alegend by the time I was musically conscious. We got a great crowd reaction with Pettytunes, and people frequently commented that I sounded a lot like him.”Nothing has changed with time. After the passing of Tom Petty in October of 2017,Lockwood organized the band by pulling together some of his favorite musicians for abenefit concert. After a sold-out show that raised thousands for a local domesticviolence shelter The Insiders decided they wouldn’t back down. “We try to honor whatMr. Petty and the Heartbreakers have done for rock and roll each night. We’re fans ofthe music first and foremost. These songs are woven into the fabric of the Americanidentity.” They’ve found no shortage of demand, selling out shows everywhere they go.Local Spins’ John Sinkevics had this to say: “The Insiders set the bar at a new level forTom Petty tributes.”The Insiders are based in Grand Rapids, Michigan and currently tour the Midwest andbeyond. They are available for public and private functions.
The Insiders
This is a 21 and over event.Standing Room Only Close your eyes and you won’t know the difference. Open them and you still might befooled. The Insiders present the premier Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers experience.With 6 veteran musicians and decades of combined stage and touring experience, TheInsiders are genuinely running down the dream.It all starts with frontman Max Lockwood. “I grew up listening to Tom Petty. My momwould play the Greatest Hits record while she worked out. I’d sit at the top of the stairsand listen to those songs—it was my most requested CD as a young kid.” In high school,Lockwood’s band Big Dudee Roo started covering Petty songs at their frequent showsin West Michigan. “Tom Petty was part of the great American landscape to me—alegend by the time I was musically conscious. We got a great crowd reaction with Pettytunes, and people frequently commented that I sounded a lot like him.”Nothing has changed with time. After the passing of Tom Petty in October of 2017,Lockwood organized the band by pulling together some of his favorite musicians for abenefit concert. After a sold-out show that raised thousands for a local domesticviolence shelter The Insiders decided they wouldn’t back down. “We try to honor whatMr. Petty and the Heartbreakers have done for rock and roll each night. We’re fans ofthe music first and foremost. These songs are woven into the fabric of the Americanidentity.” They’ve found no shortage of demand, selling out shows everywhere they go.Local Spins’ John Sinkevics had this to say: “The Insiders set the bar at a new level forTom Petty tributes.”The Insiders are based in Grand Rapids, Michigan and currently tour the Midwest andbeyond. They are available for public and private functions.
Stormy Chromer w/ Trifocal
This is a 21 and over event.Standing Room Only Stormy Chromer has been a mainstay of the Midwest live music scene since its inception in 2014. Hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan, the band has been steadily touring and amassing fans for nearly a decade. With a focus on musical exploration and creative programming, the band works to bring an engaging, raucous, and mesmerizing live show. Dedicated to the concept of group improvisation, one can expect Stormy Chromer songs to reach far beyond the confines of their composed structures at concerts. The band has performed alongside heavy hitters such as Aqueous, Mungion, The Werks, The Main Squeeze, Laith Al-Saadi, and Consider the Source. In addition to Stormy Chromer’s headlining tours they have been featured on major festivals and events, including Summer Camp Music Festival, The Werk Out, Cowpie Music Festival, and official Umphrey’s Mcgee afterparties. Stormy Chromer’s studio debut “Peace of Pizza EP” (2015) was followed by their full-length album, “A Tale of Two Mouths” (2016) and the “Solid Sessions EP” (2018). The band went on to work with acclaimed producer Chris Steinmetz, releasing the fan-favorite “Alucinaré” as a single in 2019. Combined with an explosive live show, Stormy Chromer delivers a one-two punch of riveting performance and powerful songwriting that captivates audiences and keeps them chasing more.
Rachael Davis w/ Sammie Hershock
21 and over Multi-instrumentalist Rachael Davis is as renown for her expressive–and explosive–voice as she is for uniting the often desperate worlds of folk, blues, country, and pop.Davis grew up not only in a family of musicians, but in an extended village of remarkable musicians and songwriters who nurtured and mentored her from the time she was born. Beginning by jingling ankle bells in perfect time on her months old feet in the middle of old timey jams and song circles, to contributing newly minted songs to Music Sundays, Rachael has always found her own unique part in the music. Her clear tone and uncanny memory for just about every song she’s ever heard came early, and has served her well throughout her career. As a child Davis took to harmony, piano, and ukulele, and at 8, joined the family band Lake Effect, performing regularly at folk festivals throughout her home state of Michigan and around the U.S. By age 12, and continuing each year since, Rachael has brought the Wheatland Music Festival to its knees closing the Sunday morning gospel set with her stunning solo acapella version of Amazing Grace.“I was learning everything I could get my hands on and when I was 17, my father gave me his Bart Reiter banjo and taught me to play clawhammer style,” recalled Davis. “I like to joke that cursed me for life.”At 20, already a professional and deeply moved by traditional mountain music, blues, and ballads, Davis composed and recorded her debut album “Minor League Deities,” then with that, and a heart full of promise Rachael Davis headed to Boston the day after the 911 attack. There she began performing in city subways and the streets of Cambridge. Within months she had made her mark on the Boston music scene winning the prestigious Boston Music Award for Best New Singer/Songwriter.Davis often found sanctuary in the city’s basement level record stores as well as Boston’s premier acoustic music clubs where she made fans and friends of local stage veterans Vance Gilbert, Cheryl Wheeler, Josh Ritter, and indie rock’s parade float princess, Mary Lou Lord.“In a way, they’re all still with me today,” says Davis, “I was part of a real music community there. My story was just like theirs. We all knew we were on a path to find something and for that moment, we were all in the same place.”Because Davis has been swayed by so many different types of music, her style is difficult to file and will not languorously rest amid broader musical genres. “My slant on acoustic music can be explained by a mixed cassette tape that my father played during my early childhood while driving in our family’s Chevy Cavalier station wagon we nicknamed Iggy. On one side of the cassette was the soundtrack for the film The Big Chill. On the other was John Hartford’s “Areoplane”.” Today Davis describes her music as ‘Motown-Banjo’.Davis has lent her voice to countless recordings for friends, film soundtracks, and even video games, but it is her intuitive and empathetic understanding of folk music—“the music of folks” as she calls it, and her original and thoughtful songwriting voice that has earned her fans around the U.S.Recently she has collaborated in the critically acclaimed supergroup: The Sweetwater Warblers.Comprised of Rachael Davis, Lindsay Lou, and May Erliwine, all three premiere Michigan-grown songbirds.Rachael Davis now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, critically acclaimed bassist Dominic John Davis with whom she performs as The Davis Duo. They have two children.
The Bygones (Joshua Lee Turner & Allison Young) w/ Hala – SOLD OUT
This is a 18 and over seated show The Bygones are an indie folk duo consisting of Allison Young and Joshua Lee Turner. Their sound ties together unexpected genres, from traditional jazz to 70’s singer-songwriter, classic country to bossa nova. Josh’s classical guitar background and ear for vocal harmony provide the underpinning for Allison’s powerful songwriting and nostalgic voice, in duo arrangements which are intricate yet accessible, classic yet fresh. Josh and Allison first worked together in 2018, recording a cover of Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” which now has over 4 million YouTube views. They soon realized that their musical styles were a natural fit for one another, and in 2022 they recorded their first EP, May 9-12, which they toured to sold out audiences across the UK later that year. Josh and Allison made their US debut as The Bygones in 2023, selling out shows in New York City and Nashville. This show will be part of a national tour in support of their first full-length album of original music, coming out Spring 2024.
Deerfield Run & Carrie McFerrin
This is a 21 and over event.Standing Room Only Formed in 2016, Deerfield Run blends blues rock with a touch of country and a dash of funk, serving up a tasty musical blend that’s irresistible to audiences. Hailing from Grand Rapids, MI, the band delivers strong original songs and surprising covers pulled from a deep back pocket of classic tunes. As a group of seasoned West Michigan musicians with influences ranging from Al Green to Eric Clapton to the Eagles, their powerful instrumental and vocal performances captivate audiences of all ages. With 2 albums released in 2017 and 2020, the group’s newest single, “15 Days To Birmingham” drops on 8/31/23. Keep an eye out for Deerfield Run as they groove on through West Michigan and beyond! “Michigan’s Sweetheart” Carrie McFerrin has been a staple in the Michigan music scene for over a decade. She brings a fierce country twang with an indie twist that is sure to give you the warm fuzzies and kick you in the teeth at the same time. She captivates a room within her first few notes, showcasing her swanky-twang, old country style. Her stage presence is a force full of wit and hilarity as she shares stories about her life and inspired songwriting. For this special night, Carrie is pleased to take the stage in trio fashion, joined by Justin Wierenga (pedal steel and lead guitars) and Jason Huber (bass) as they lend their talents to her original music.
The Ladybug Transistor w/ Memory Cell
This is a 21 and over event.Standing Room Only The Ladybug Transistor was initially formed in 1995 in Brooklyn, New York by singer and trumpeter Gary Olson initiallyas a home recording project. After the release of Beverley Atonale (Merge Records, 1997) Ladybug soon evolved into agroup with Pittsburgh siblings Jeff and Jennifer Baron (guitar and bass) followed by Sasha Bell (keyboards, flute), SanFadyl (drums) and Julia Rydholm (violin, bass) This lineup recorded their landmark The Albemarle Sound album(dubbed the last great pop album of the century!) released in 1999, followed by Argyle Heir (2001) and the self titledLP The Ladybug Transistor (2003). The trio of albums all share a refined psychedelic pop approach that often featuredistinctive string and brass arrangements. These years proved to be the most active for the group, touringinternationally and recording at a steady pace and occasionally all living under the same roof at Marlborough Farms inFlatbush, Brooklyn. Jeff and Sasha eventually departed to focus on their parallel band The Essex Green, Jenniferformed The Garment District and Olson made his first solo record. San Fadyl passed away in 2007.In 2019 Gary, Jeff, Jennifer, Sasha and Julia reformed for shows in New York City and Norway to mark the 20thanniversary of The Albemarle Sound. 2023 finds them back on the road with a run of shows this summer and autumn.The set list will highlight songs from 1999 2003 along with a few other surprises. In 2019 Gary, Jeff, Jennifer, Sasha and Julia reformed for shows in New York City and Norway to mark the 20th anniversary of The Albemarle Sound. 2023 finds them back on the road with a run of shows this summer and autumn. The set list will highlight songs from 1999 – 2003 along with a few other surprises.
Emily Nenni w/ Rachel Brooke
This is a 21 and over event.Standing Room Only The sun sets over the ranch, a can of beer cracks, and an acoustic guitar wrangles the day’s thoughts and memories into a semblance of order. During moments like these, California-born and Nashville-based singer and songwriter Emily Nenni chronicles her life through delicate songcraft rife with honky-tonk spirit and spiked with just the right amount of soul. In possession of a deep understanding of music stoked by a lifelong passion and sharp chops shaped by endless sets in smoky bars and sizzling doublewides, she asserts herself as the consummate country storyteller on her full-length debut album, On The Ranch [Normaltown/New West Records]. Her story represents the difference. Growing up in the Bay Area “in a family of music nerds,” her father worked in radio, and she even attended her first Bruce Springsteen show in utero. Mom and dad took her to countless concerts as a kid and regaled her with endless tales of music lore. Emily’s mother introduced her to the likes of Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Hank Williams, while her father spun James Brown and John Coltrane. Following high school, she attended Columbia College with a major in audio engineering. After a year, she dropped out and saved up enough money to move to Nashville — despite not knowing a soul in the city. In order to break into the iconic Robert’s Western World on Broadway, she baked cookies for the bouncers and house band, finding herself on stage not long after. Simultaneously, she sharpened her skills at Santa’s Pub, often playing all night and building a buzz in the process. Eventually, she linked up with producer and frequent collaborator Mike Eli. Together, they cut her independent debut LP, Hell of a Woman, in 2017. Next up, she joined forces with Teddy and The Rough Riders for the I Owe You Nothin’ EP before serving up 2020’s Long Game EP. The latter’s title track cracked over 1 million streams as she caught the attention of Normaltown & New West and signed to the label. Plus, she earned critical acclaim from the likes of Glide Magazine who proclaimed, “Nenni possesses a unique and deeply charismatic vocal charm.” Around the same time, she ventured to Colorado for a job at a ranch. She recorded On The Ranch with Eli and Alex Lyon. Fittingly, Emily introduces the album with the title track and first single “On The Ranch.” The beat simmers beneath slick dobro and a rollicking lead riff. Her bright verses give way to an unshakable rhyming refrain, “Out on the ranch to avoid my troubles, looks like I’ve got double.” “During lockdown, I heard a lot of people who aren’t musicians say, ‘Oh, you have all of this time to write,'” she recalls. “I felt useless, because I wasn’t able to go out and play or even work my restaurant job for a few months. My first shift back was weird. Here I am at a James Beard Award-winning restaurant, and I’m putting food in plastic containers with stickers on them. It felt good to have a purpose though. When I got back in the car after my first shift, the melody came into my head. It was great energy all at once.” Affirming her outlier voice, “Can Chaser” musically nods to nineties country as it pays tribute to “women in the rodeo” with nothing but love. “I wrote a song about female barrel racers that’s not demeaning,” she counters. “It was a good way to start my first record, because it has feminist themes.” In the end, Emily gives country a new perspective altogether. “When you listen to me, I hope you relate,” she leaves off. “I hope you laugh, cry, and want to hear more. I’m a honky-tonk girl who’s just getting started.”
