Jamgrass, newgrass, funkgrass, whatever you want to call it—Armchair Boogie is rapidly becoming one of the country’s hottest acts. With an unbounded sound, this Wisconsin-based quartet is known for their powerful harmonies, timeless originals, and choice covers, along with unforgettable live performances. Listed as a “Must-See Roots Artists at Bourbon & Beyond'' by The Bluegrass Situation who wrote, “We recently caught this jammy Wisconsin outfit at Earl Scruggs Music Festival, where they burnt down their late-night set.”

Armchair Boogie is Augie Dougherty on banjo and Ben Majeska acoustic and electric guitars backed by tight, driving rhythms of Eli Frieders on electric bass and Denzel Connor on drums. This unconventional lineup enhances their lightning-fast bluegrass, allowing them to freely venture into the realms of funk or country.

Dumpstaphunk stands out amongst New Orleans’ best, cementing themselves as one of the funkiest bands to ever arise from the Crescent City. Born on the Jazz & Heritage Festival stage, and descended from Neville and Meters family bloodlines, these soldiers of funk ignite a deep, gritty groove that dares listeners not to move. Their performances combine ingenious musicianship through complex funk, rock, and jazz arrangements accompanied by soulful melodies and Big Easy traditions.

The band released their 4th studio album Where Do We Go From Here on April 23, 2021 featuring Marcus King, Trombone Shorty and Chali 2Na on double bronze vinyl, CD and all digital platforms. Dumpstaphunk culled material from many different sources over the past few years, creating during downtime and rare off tour cycle stop-gaps at various studios in New Orleans: some songs were born on-the-spot in the studio, others as a drum beat or a groove at sound-check. A few were simply covers that were already in the band’s live repertoire. The songwriting was largely collaborative, with all band-members contributing their own respective stylistic nuances.

For the past 17 years, Dumpstaphunk has earned its reputation as the most well-regarded next-generation New Orleans live powerhouse, the type of band whose live shows attract sit-ins from legends like Carlos Santana, Bob Weir and Trombone Shorty. Alongside Tony Hall, Nick Daniels, Alex Wasily, Ashlin Parker and drummer Deven Trusclair, cousins Ivan and Ian Neville have built upon their family’s iconic NOLA legacy as they’ve transformed Dumpstaphunk into the city’s pre-eminent 21st-century funk-fusion export. As a result, recent career highlights include supporting Dave Matthews Band at Madison Square Garden in NYC (2022), Trombone Shorty’s Voodoo Threaudown with Tank and the Bangas, Big Freedia and The Soul Rebels (2022), Allman Family Revival Tour (2022), supporting the Rolling Stones on their home turf at the Superdome in New Orleans (2019), and touring with George Clinton & The Parliament Funkadelic for his farewell tour (2019).

Dueling baselines from Tony Hall and Nick Daniels III set off one of the dirtiest rhythm sections on the planet, while Ivan Neville lights up the Hammond B3 keys and cousin Ian Neville’s funky guitar riffs send the groove into overdrive. Dumpstaphunk tosses around lead vocals and four-part harmonies the way Sly & the Family Stone did, but with three studio albums under their belt, Dumpstaphunk stands on the merit of their own material.

Dumpstaphunk has performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival every year since 2001 and continues to tour all over the world. They have performed on hundreds of festival stages like Jam Cruise, Dead & Company’s Playing in the Sand, Lockn Festival, NYC’s Summerstage, Byron Bay Bluesfest and more – and you never know who may appear as a guest on stage with the band on any given night. Guest appearances have included Santana, Bob Weir, John Oates, Lucas Nelson, Deen Ween, Blackbyrd McKnight, Jerry Harrison, Marcus King and Nicki Bluhm.

Charlie Parr is an American country blues musician. Born in Austin, Minnesota, he spent part of his childhood in Hollandale before starting his music career in Duluth.

Sicard Hollow is a four-piece progressive bluegrass band who formed with a mutual passion for pushing the boundaries of genre. Heavily influenced by the Grateful Dead and New Grass Revival, these young pickers bring new energy to a timeless style with a combination of fearless improvisation and instrumental prowess.

Nashville’s psychedelic punk-grass rockers, Sicard Hollow, grew up sick of any existing institution telling them who and what to be. Now, as they navigate adulthood, they’re equally tired of the music institutions telling them what their music should sound like—so they dunked it in patchouli and a skate-and-destroy ethos that brings an enduring sound into the modern age.

Before the band met in 2018, none of the members ever considered playing bluegrass. Matt Rennick (violin) was working on electronic music, Will Herrin (mandolin/vocals) was playing guitar in rock bands, and Alex King (guitar/vocals) was barely playing music at all. After a few jam sessions, the bluegrass just kind of happened. Since adding Parrish Gabriel (bass) in the Fall of 2019, the band has been on a journey of self discovery within the genre while challenging themselves to make it their own.

Sister Sadie is a wildfire: raging hot bluegrass combined with breathtaking instrumental drive and awe-inspiring vocals. Comprised of original members Deanie Richardson (fiddle), Gena Britt (banjo & vocals) and newcomers Jaelee Roberts (guitar & vocals), Dani Flowers (guitar & vocals), and Maddie Dalton (acoustic bass & vocals), Sister Sadie has combined the varied talents of each of the individual women in the lineup to create something that is far more than the sum of its parts. It is a sound uniquely their own. Yes, it’s undeniably classic, hard-driving bluegrass, but it’s much more than just that. Rooted in forceful and tight vocal harmonies, this isn’t your granddaddy’s Appalachian high lonesome sound. This is something far more powerful than that—it’s the sound of the mountains themselves.

When Sister Sadie first formed, they didn’t plan to stick around for more than a decade. They didn’t even plan to stick around for more than one show. But fate had other plans. In December of 2012, the original lineup of the band took the stage at the Station Inn with the goal of having a good time and playing good music together. “We thought it would be a fun little thing,” says Gena Britt. But it was immediate from the first moment that this band was more than just a flash in the pan. “I’ll never forget it. At five o’clock that evening, when we hit the first note, we all looked at each other like, ‘Oh yeah, this is pretty special.’”

The original Station Inn lineup formed the core of the band for the majority of the first eight years, featuring Dale Ann Bradley, Beth Lawrence, Tina Adair, and of course, Deanie Richardson and Gena Britt. Together, this lineup reached heights that none of them thought imaginable leading into what they had assumed would be a one-time Christmas season pickup gig. In 2019, following the release of their second studio album “Sister Sadie II” on Pinecastle Records, they had their debut on the Grand Ole Opry, won their first IBMA award for Vocal Group of the Year, and received a GRAMMY nomination for Bluegrass Album of the Year. In 2020, Deanie was named the IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year (the second woman to win that prize in the 30 year history of the awards), and the band took home the top prize as the Entertainer of the Year. Sister Sadie also was named Vocal Group of the Year for the second year running.

But without change, there is no growth—and Sister Sadie continues to grow.

The Last Revel is a four-piece folk group from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Utilizing their multi-instrumental abilities, members Lee Henke, Ryan Acker, Vincenzio Donatelle and Lauren Anderson bring a full spectrum of modern Americana to life with lush arrangements of four-part vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, upright bass, fiddle, and 5-string banjo to consistently support impassioned performances of their honest and heartfelt songwriting. Drawing influence from their salt of the earth Midwest ethos the band’s songs so naturally blend the genres of Folk, Old Time String-Band and Indie Rock to create a sound that echoes the current heartbeat of America.

Their latest release, Dovetail, highlights each member's strength as songwriters and collaborators, and further solidifies their musical foundation after a hiatus beginning in 2019. Self-produced and released under the bands own label, Sheep Sheep Records, Dovetail is the band's fifth studio album.

Joseph Huber hails from the state of Wisconsin, and seems to bring forth the varied voices of whatever it may be that lies dormant within either the fertile soil or the callous concrete of that world. It has been said, "You don’t just like Joseph Huber’s music. You feel it’s something that the rest of the world needs to hear, and how criminal it is that it isn’t spreading far and wide." That sentiment could be related to the fact that the voices which Huber unearths are subtle and take more than a hurried listen to truly absorb. A person who appears reserved and matter-of-fact in everyday speech brings forth songs that are anything but that.

As the singer, songwriter, performer, recorder and producer of all of his own material, Huber has his hands full, but never seems to miss a beat. And his own 'solo' material has now certainly surpassed the output of his past efforts, both in volume and substance. As one of the founding member of the .357 String Band--a group that would probably fit better in today's 'Americana-saturated' environment than in the early to middle aughts--he's gradually honed a sound that seems to fill a very real gap within the still-emerging genre. Having progressed, Huber continues moving onward and upward captivating folks with his sincere and well-crafted songs under his own name along with the impeccable musicianship of his fellow touring partners. Whether it's irresistible, fiddle-driven, dancing tunes or honest, heart-wrenching "songwriter" songs, Huber's songs and shows spans the spectrum of 'Roots' music while preferring not to stay within the boundaries of any strict genre classification.

His lyricism and introspective writing style has received high acclaim from music enthusiasts looking for a more substantive substitute to much of today's music. Maintaining a solid touring schedule, playing all throughout both the U.S. and all around Europe, Huber continues to gain positive press, including being listed on L.A. Weekly's '10 More Country Artists To Listen To.' Blue Ridge Outdoor writes, “Songwriters like Townes Van Zandt, Chris Smither, and John Prine can marvel listeners in the simplest of acoustic settings,...From time to time, I stumble upon a new singer/songwriter whose work warrants comparison to the luminaries on this list. ...Huber’s songwriting has me comparing him to my favorites above.” He's had the pleasure of sharing the stage with many artists including Tyler Childers; Hackensaw Boys; Scott H Biram; The Tillers; Possessed By Paul James; Dave Simonett; Robert Earl Keen; Ben Nichols; The Tossers; Charlie Parr; Amy Lavere; Horseshoes & Hand Grenades; Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band; Henhouse Prowlers; Keller Williams, and more...

As of now, Huber has delivered five solo records: 'Bury Me Where I Fall' (2010); 'Tongues Of Fire' (2012), 'The Hanging Road' (2014); and 'The Suffering Stage' (2017), 'Moondog' (2019) and now 2021 give us 'The Downtowner'--Huber's latest effort which rollicks between social and personal spheres while mixing elements of rock and folk music that fans will immediately see as maintaining a solid continuity of sound and attitude with his previous two albums--rollicking between the feelings of freedom and severity, with both wit and earnestness.

The son of a small-town farming community, Cody Diekhoff logged plenty of highway and stage time under the name Chicago Farmer before settling in the city in 2003. Profoundly inspired by fellow Midwesterner John Prine, he’s a working-class folk musician to his core. His small-town roots, tilled with city streets mentality, are turning heads North and South of I-80.

“I love the energy, music, and creativity of Chicago, but at the same time, the roots and hard work of my small town,” he shares. Growing up in Delavan, Illinois, with a population less than 2,000, Diekhoff’s grandparents were farmers, and their values have always provided the baseline of his songs.

He writes music for “the kind of people that come to my shows. Whether in Chicago or Delavan, everyone has a story, and everyone puts in a long day and works hard the same way,” he says. “My generation may have been labeled as slackers, but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t work hard - many people I know put in 50-60 hours a week and 12-hour days. That’s what keeps me playing. I don’t like anyone to be left out; my music is for everyone in big and very small towns.”

He listened to punk rock and grunge as a kid before discovering a friend’s dad playing Hank Williams, and it was a revelation. Prine and Guthrie quickly followed. The name Chicago Farmer was originally for a band, but the utilitarian life of driving alone from bar to bar, city to city - to make a direct connection to his audience and listener, took a deeper hold.

“You can smell the dirt in the fields, hear the wind as it blows across the plains, and see the people that Chicago Farmer sings about. Each track captures a moment in time, whether for a person or a particular place. Imagine if a John Steinbeck short story had been written as a song, and this will give you a fairly good idea as to what Chicago Farmer accomplishes on his albums.”

— HONEST TUNE

Feeding Leroy began as a duo, when Lee Martin and Sonja Bjordal started performing together in Park City, UT. They had a weekly gig throughout one fateful summer and decided they had found what they were meant to do. The two took their show back home to Duluth, MN, on the shores of Lake Superior where they have been performing regularly ever since.

They took on a few more band members, recorded an album, had a couple name changes, but it has all led them to become... Feeding Leroy, living a simple life, playing tunes around the country and finding inspiration along the way.

Feeding Leroy came out of the collaboration of Sonja and Lee’s original songs, blending into a unique project, with their songwriting and vocal harmonies as the focus of this band’s sound. It’s kind of a family affair now, with brother Luke stepping in on the harmonica and long time friend and bassist, Adam Staupe on the upright bass, both adding their vocal harmonies, creating somewhat of a gospel undertone that acts as its own instrument in the band.

You can find this foursome around the twin ports of Duluth, MN and Superior, WI, but they have also recently taken to the open road, bringing this up north sound to new cities across the nation. It's country music at its core, it’s fun, it’s original, it’s Feeding Leroy.

Molly Brandt is a music teacher specializing in classical piano instruction with eight years of experience teaching hundreds of students of all ages and levels through in-person and online lessons. Molly has studied classical piano and theory since age five, learning a wide breadth of essential repertoire by a variety of composers and throughout musical eras and genres. Molly Brandt has a Bachelor of Music degree from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she focused on vocal and piano performance, choral music, jazz performance, music business, and music theory.

Molly has been trained in piano education technique for several years under many mentors and teachers, having improved the craft through hundreds of lessons given consistently through the years. Her specialized method for teaching proper classical piano technique and physical skills to beginner and experienced players alike can help piano playing become a more engaging and successful experience that will instill a sense of accomplishment in anyone who wants to play. She can help students concentrate on skills, read music independently, and grow in overall music knowledge, learning essential and fun repertoire that they enjoy performing and playing at home. All students learn the essential basic technical skills as well as focus on repertoire that is fun and fits each students interests and needs. Lessons can be fast-paced or more laid-back and curriculum can be tailored to fit each student.

When she is not teaching Molly is a country and Americana singer-songwriter, performer, guitarist, and recorded artist regularly performing under her name, Molly Brandt, and alongside her band for a variety of audiences in the Twin Cities area and beyond.

Hailing from McHenry Illinois, Miles Over Mountains plays a modernized style of progressive bluegrass covering a wide spectrum of genres, dynamics, and feeling. Their live show captivates the audience with anything from lightning fast picking to strong 3 part harmonies to heartfelt ballads. Their extensive repertoire draws from their 4 studio albums “Five Star Heart Breaker” (2015) -“Ballads & Burners” (2017) - “Work Harder Not Smarter" (2020) - "Burn The Ships" (2023). The band has been performing, touring, and making records since early 2014 playing an average of 150+ shows per year throughout the Midwest regions and beyond. The band looks ahead with excitement and ambition to touring thru a town near you! ​Collectively the members of the group have thousands of shows under their belt, giving their songs, sound, and performances a musical maturity that echoes their collective years of passion and experience for their craft.

The group features Phil Hoffman (upright bass), Caleb Peters (guitar), Sean Shiel (mandolin) & Pete Smith (banjo).

Long Mama’s music blisters with the heart and grit of someone who has lost hard, loved harder, and licked her burns until they stung then silvered. In a drafty attic just west of the Milwaukee River she grew up on, you’ll find songwriter Kat Wodtke (Wood-key) raking through notebooks in search of a salve: words, stories, and sounds to temper the dumpster fires we never mean to light. Flickering behind each song is Wodtke’s lived insight into our human faults & fissures – the moments in life when we can slip and lose our footing, or claw our way out…better people on the other side of the blaze.

Wodtke was raised in Southeastern Wisconsin by two radical, musician-turned-teacher parents. Often left to wander through the stacks of People’s Books as a kid, she discovered a love of reading – devouring everything from Carson McCullers and Ralph Ellison to Sam Shepard and Tu Fu. In the basements and living rooms of Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood, a gangly teenaged Wodtke was captivated by scrappy DIY bands that defied categorization and carved their own paths. Wodtke eventually moved to Minneapolis where she waited tables and immersed herself in the mercurial Twin Cities music scene. They traveled to Alaska for seasonal jobs, living in a small, secluded cabin. All the while, Wodtke observed and wrote, studying the curious characters who always seemed to hang their hats in her unsettled heart, whether they paid rent there or not.

With years of drifting in her rearview mirror, Wodtke made their way back home to Riverwest. After the death of a close friend in 2018, she struggled to make music. It took time – and a heap of tenderness from friends and family – for her to pick up a guitar again. When she finally did, music became a raft – or maybe more like a submarine – through the strange wilderness of heartache and grief, loneliness and love, risk and abandon. With a growing collection of original songs and buoyed confidence, Wodtke coined the name Long Mama (after a prickly, shade-loving cactus) and teamed up with guitarist Andrew Koenig and drummer Nick Lang, a pair whose chemistry adds dusky afterglow to Wodtke’s musical landscapes. Upright bass ace Samual Odin came aboard soon after, along with regular collaborator Eva Nimmer, whose backing vocals blend so elegantly with Wodtke’s that one could mistake them for blood harmonies.

Poor Pretender, Long Mama’s debut album released October 2022, embraces a rich spectrum of light and shadow, heat and cold. The ten-song collection’s palette of country, folk, indie rock, and punk reflects its makers' coming-of-age in the rustbelt crossroads of north, south, east, & west. Engineered by Erik Koskinen and recorded live over a long, snowy weekend in Cleveland, Minnesota, the record showcases the band’s particular ability to conjure the beautiful in the broken, the silver in the ore.

Two gals making spooky folk-based in Madison, WI

Wisconsin-based group of funky all-stars.

Led by Ben Majeska & Trevor Northsoul.

Psychedelic cowboy songs

Dusk is a group that walks the shadowed path. It's well known in the rural pastures of Wisconsin, where all of the members of this group were raised, that the traditional music of the common people is Polka, but the most respected form of musical expression is Country and Western. Dusk walks cleanly between these two worlds; pulling influence from both but most strongly associating with Rock & Roll and Rhythm & Blues. They bring with them a strong, informed, melodic statement that draws a line between themselves and the trend of bubble gum pop and country-influenced mall schlock.

The group consists of vocalist Julia Blair on Wurlitzer electric piano, Colin "Wild Man" Wilde on drums and percussion, Amos Pitsch on bass guitar and vocals, Tyler Ditter on lead guitar, and Ryley Crowe on rhythm guitar, pedal steel, and vocals. Amos also doubles as a member of Appleton, Wisconsin punk band Tenement. The group is often compared to 60's garage and R&B groups like NRBQ and THE LOVIN SPOONFUL, early 70's country rock pioneers THE FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS, and at times the primitive rock and roll sound of a group like THE VELVET UNDERGROUND.

They hint at all these things, even as something in their music seems to breathe modern air. It's a feeling that few musicians that attempt to nod to prior generations can capture without bastardising the very music that they intended to salute. Dusk have done it well, and in their music, you'll find this plain truth among many exciting secrets.

North Folk ~ Wisconsin-Based

Hailing from the musical Mecca that is Minneapolis, Pit Stop is Jake Balistrieri (vocals/guitar), Sarah Mevissen (vocals/guitar), Patrick Horigan (guitar), Zack Warpinski (bass), and Gage Webster (drums).

Their self-titled, debut album, recorded at The Pearl in NE Minneapolis by Zachary Hollander, was met with enthusiasm from the Twin Cities music community upon its release, noted by The Current as one of the “Best Local Albums of 2022.” Since then, the band has played many shows across the Midwest. One of their biggest accomplishments, thus far, was opening up for Niger’s world-famous Tuareg rock band, Mdou Moctar, and NYC’s living punk-rock legends, Parquet Courts, to a sold-out First Avenue. Parquet Courts’ co-frontman, Andrew Savage, encouraged the audience that night to support these “hometown heroes,” telling the crowd: “If I were you, I’d go to all their shows, so you could say you were there from the beginning.”

Pit Stop is currently working on their sophomore album that they plan to release in 2024, recorded by Holly Hansen at her riverside studio, Salon Sonics. Deviating from the country-influenced tracks of their first record, the new material finds the band wandering down and wildly oscillating between beaten up paths of rock eras past, in search of a trail all their own.

Augie Dougherty and Billy Bronsted are both pure bred wisconsin fellas. You'll often find them out wandering around in the forest until they are needed on stage. Both being independent song writers for many years, they've recently felt the urge to collaborate and it's been a natural fit to say the least. With heartfelt, tongue & cheek, and clever lyricism, they are sure to win your over hearts. They sing like brothers, swear like sailors, and smell like they've been working on trailers.

Americana/New Grass Band known for their artfully blended string band sound and powerful harmonies!

Hailing from the heart of Madison, Wisconsin, Connor Lyle and the Mother Guys bring a refreshing twist to the music scene with their unique blend of country, folk, and a dash of 90s nostalgia. Led by the charismatic Connor Lyle on vocals, guitar, and even the occasional kazoo, the band is rounded out by the talents of Eli Frieders on bass, Denzel Connors on lead guitar (and sometimes drums or slide whistle), and Jackson Erdman holding down the rhythm on drums, with a rotating cast of lead musicians adding to the dynamic mix.

Drawing inspiration from the legends of country music and eclectic singer-songwriters of the past, Connor's songwriting evokes the spirit of Dave Van Ronk, Michael Hurley, Bob Dylan, and Jonathan Richman, while infusing it with their own modern flair. Their sound is a testament to their refusal to be confined by genre boundaries, as they effortlessly weave together elements of traditional country with the raw energy of folk and the nostalgia of 90s country.

Bringing back jazz & pop from the teens, 20's, & 30's to Milwaukee, WI.