“Mike Quick has always been an adventure waiting to happen…” (Michael Jerling) 

Wisconsin native Michael Quick has been writing and performing music for nearly thirty years in a variety of styles and venues.  Mike has performed in table-thumping rock and roll bands as well as acoustically. Quick credits his diverse musical content to "his roots"… that is, his parents' superb vinyl record collection including such albums as "Lester Lanin Does The Big Band Polka", "Mitch Miller Performs The Hottest Numbers of 1961", and "The Best of Burl Ives".

As music critic Ann Barsness of the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram put it: "Mike Quick's first solo album, Down Bullfrog Road, is like a patchwork quilt, his gravelly voice the thread that binds together a pleasing array of colorful lyrics and richly textured instrumentation." Whatever blows your hair back, Mike has something to offer for everyone!

http:// www.mikequick.net

Detroit born Jan Krist is a well-established veteran of the acoustic music scene; with 13 nominations and 4 Detroit Metro Music Awards under her belt, she has proven herself to be a Detroit area favorite. “Her talent as a songwriter equals - if not surpasses her vocal gifts. She has an uncanny way of cutting to the heart of a topic and providing the listener with food for thought.” (Image Journal)  “evocative... somewhere between Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush, but it’s all Jan Krist. Unreservedly recommended.” (Billboard Magazine)

Kitty Donohoe is also Michigan-based singer songwriter. Her first album Sing Out was “a beautiful blend of the new and the traditional, rooted in the Irish music she absorbed living in the Corktown district of Detroit. Kitty manages to stretch the listener by the sureness of her music.  This is intelligent, literate songwriting infused with an inherent optimism.” (Tweeddale Press, Ltd – England)  In addition Kitty has an amazing range with a flexibility that few other singers have…  “rich, flexible, soaring, haunting... one of those rare voices that I could listen to for hours.” (Victory Music Review)

http://www.jankrist.net
http://kitdonohoemi.tripod.com

 http://www.losttribedreams.com

"One-of-a-kind homey tales that fall somewhere between dreamscape episodes and a soundtrack of southern lore. . . The stunning solos and erudite lines are seemingly infinite " (Dan Willging, Dirty Linen Magazine)  "In the tradition of the best southern literature, his melodies are as rich and instantly familiar as those of southern songwriters like Stephen Foster or Randy Newman.  And all this is to say nothing of his lush, eclectic arrangements... a musical tour de force which heralds the arrival of a major new voice in the world of music..." (Willis Alan Ramsey) To my mind this is not a Stained Glass Coffeehouse moment to miss… You will leave the concert amazed at what you have just heard and experienced. We have not had much opportunity to hear John William Davis in the Midwest and I say, it’s high time!  You will love every minute of the show and want to hear more.  (Blair Hull, SGCH)

 http://www.chrismcnamara.org

These “energized urban songsters have found a way to combine two different musical styles to form yet another. Together, they are dedicated to presenting some of their original music as well as preserving and presenting interestingly written, rarely heard folk music. Lush harmonies, great acoustic guitar... a most entertaining and energetic performance... a dynamic duo with a polished presence."

“Imagine my astonishment and joy at hearing these two sing together. I felt chills up and down my spine. I told them later that they were the perfect example of ‘one and one equaling three.’  s much as I have enjoyed them separately, the two of them together is much more.  They embody the "Holy Trinity" of performing, "enthusiasm, vitality, and joy." …Tony Spaeth, contributing columnist for Folk Wax E-zine

http://www.dianajonesmusic.com

"It goes without saying, Diana Jones is a consummate singer and writer, who totally charms audiences.   What sets her apart - and this is the highest praise in a crowded music profession - is her originality.  Her music doesn't sound like anyone else's."-- Richard Thompson

To read a current Pioneer Press interview, see: http://www.pioneerlocal.com/evanston/entertainment/789404,dn-dianajones-021408-sl.article

http://www.andrewcalhoun.com 

“Andrew Calhoun writes with a paradoxical combination of incandescent intellect and unstudied magic.  With deep respect for both tradition and innovation, he is both a lightning rod for "the unconscious rightness of intuitive connection" and a perpetual student of song craft.  In the thirty-odd years that he has been a songwriter and performer he has created an impressive collection of songs…  On stage he is disarmingly unpretentious, spontaneous, insightful and darkly witty, as he weaves a tapestry that includes not only his original songs, but Scottish ballads that he has translated from dialect, and poems and songs by such exceptional writers as Dave Carter, Mary Oliver and Robert Frost.”

“A wonderful songwriter and funny, warm performer.” (The Daily Iowan)

The holidays are a mixed bag and so is the Bittersweet Christmas Band!
 
From Thanksgiving through December 25th, traditional artists Cooper, Nelson & Early join forces with songwriter and "wise" woman Susan Urban for a show that presents every possible perspective on the holiday season from the reverent to the ridiculous.
 
Two to four-part harmonies and masterful instrumentation on guitar, hand drum and other percussion instruments, dulcimer and pennywhistle make the Bittersweet Christmas Band an act not to be missed!

For more information see:  http://uuwisewoman.tripod.com/bittersweetband/

The house was packed on September 15 to hear a kind of twin peaks version of Peter, Paul, and Mary; the songs were wacky, "original and up-lifting, combining exquisite vocal harmonies which spill and spiral all over the place, glorious melodies, and...er...unique perspectives."  The evening was a wonderful experience for all.

A kind of twin peaks version of Peter, Paul and Mary; the songs are wacky, original and up-lifting, combining exquisite vocal harmonies which spill and spiral all over the place, glorious melodies, and ...er...unique perspectives.

One of the best concerts of Season II, Sons of the Never Wrong is coming this March to delight the audience again. The Sons is as good as it gets when it comes to a different view of three part harmony on top of original, whimsical songs that spring from a tradition you swear you have heard before but just don’t know where and when.  The Sons is a trio made up of Sue Demel, Deborah Lader and Bruce Roper.  Three somewhat mixed up adults of perfect parents of a bygone era, just crazy enough to think life in the fast lane comes with a banjo.

Bruce brings the subtle, like a hammer honed by a well-seasoned carpenter, to build a song that shelters.  His reputation in the folk industry is that of a crafted, prolific writer.  His songs feel like they were written by a wise old poet, yet sung by a child.  With a gift for painting the melancholy, sometimes with a wink and a nod, he makes things that are hard to say easy to hear.

Whether it’s scatting, chanting, weaving, or arranging, Sue explodes the pre-conceived notions of harmony singing.  Sue is a seasoned back-up vocalist and her body of work as a songwriter achieves a rare peace between the boundaries of love and redemption.

Deborah’s diverse influences converge and are expressed through her unique and multifaceted music.  A nationally recognized visual artist, she is also a skilled multi-instrumentalist (guitar, mandolin, slide banjo) with a special fit for songwriting and a sought-after affinity for vocal harmony.

Come hear "One of folk music's most distinctive trios"... (Grand River Folk Society.)

For more information on the Sons, see: www.sons.com