pat mAcdonald and melaniejane aka Purgatory Hill

Purgatory Hill, comprised of Door County’s own pat mAcdonald and Milwaukee transplant melaniejane is coming home to perform at Sturgeon Bay’s Cherry Lanes on Saturday April 23 at 10 pm. This duo has been hard at work since August of 2007 when pat mAcdonald first saw melaniejane perform on her electric cello and invited her to “sit in on a few.” The rest is history in the making, as they have been performing non-stop ever since.

Nowadays, even though their current sound is heavy with mAcdonald’s low-down, dirty, amped-out cigarbox guitar and melaniejane’s organ and percussion, they have not abandoned their original configuration featuring guitar and electric cello. With an entire night of their own, you can see it all at Cherry Lanes on Saturday April 23. melaniejane opens with solo cello/looping at 10pm. Look for Purgatory Hill’s second studio album “Invisible Pistols” to be released later this spring.

Continuing to thrive on a state of constant evolution and the ever-increasing mileage accumulated their white Chevy Astro, we look forward to the return of this rockin’ duo!

Tickets for the 8 PM concert, the seventh and final concert of the season at the Fish Creek inn, are $15.  The Dewdrops, Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish, perform original songs focusing on vocal harmonies and tight instrumentation.  Influenced by traditional Appalachian music as well as contemporary singer-songwriters, the Dewdrops blend old styles with new and accompanying themselves on guitar, banjo and mandolin.

If the Sun Will Shine, their debut record, was released in 2009 to critical acclaim and was #2 for two consecutive months on Folk DJ Radio in 2010. The album is a collection of songs written over the past two years, capturing “something haunting, melancholic and all-together charming, according to Jeff Royer of Fly Magazine. Their second album, These Old Roots, is also a tribute to the way music was recorded before overdubs and tracking.  It was the #1 rated album on the Folk DJ Charts for October and November 2010.   The Dewdrops gained national recognition with award winning performances of NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion in 2008 and were finalists in Mountain Stage’s New Song Contest in 2009.

An optional pre-concert fixed price dinner will served at 6 pm.  The menu consists of Panko Crusted Chicken with Fettuccine, charred tomatoes and roast garlic cream;  herbed parmesan Focaccia, spinach salad with gorgonzola, seasoned croutons and warmed cider bacon vinaigrette.  Key lime cheesecake will be served for dessert.

Tickets for the concert, reservations for the dinner and information can be obtained by calling the White Gull Inn at 920.868.3517.

On Saturday, March 19 from 1 – 3 pm Jeanne Kuhns and Debra Hadraba will celebrate the full moon with a delicious mix of soulful songs from the heart. Each of them will play a separate set to bring a double helping of talent to the Glas coffeehouse stage.

Jeanne Kuhns is a folk/blues singer,songwriter and a passionate performer who conveys to her audiences her love of life, women’s issues and nature. She has been influenced by folk, blues and rock and these threads have been woven into her music. She carries her poetic lyrics to you with a voice that has a private, intimate quality, full and deep yet capable of sliding into a clear high falsetto. She breaches the topics of single motherhood, surviving abuse and the beauty of the world around her with awe and humility and humor.

Debra Hadraba may be the Twin Cities’ most prolific songwriter, encouraging listeners to “Honor Your Truth” in her songs from the heart. She will be singing all original works, many of which are featured on her latest CD. She is also a blogger and a videographer with more than a hundred videos posted on her YouTube channel.

She explains herself as: “…a singer/songwriter/artist but, I don’t like to box myself into any kind of an ‘I am’ category. I prefer, ‘I am, that I am.’ You can decide. Appearing quite differently to different people, it stymies me when I’m asked to fill in the blanks to define me. No matter what the choices, it’s always an uncomfortable fit.”

On Saturday, April 16 Glas concerts will feature The Hollands! who have come to Wisconsin via Australia. The Hollands! are one part American dreamer, one part Aussie charm, with a splash of gypsy love and some punk thrown in for a spicy good measure.

Glas, The Green Coffeehouse is located at 67 East Maple St. in Sturgeon Bay – phone: 920.743.5575. There is no cover and all ages are welcome to attend the “Saturday Afternoon Delight” music series taking place March 19 from 1 – 3 pm.

After ten years, everyone has a story that starts “Remember that night we saw them at…” so grab all your friends and head up to the Basin to “Giv’er at the River!”

Relive all those crazy shenanigans with Jeremy and the Boys! The first half-barrel is on the house as long as you’re shaking it on the dance floor and there’s no cover so bring everyone!

The show starts at 8:30pm and only lasts until midnight so the guys can hang out and tell stories after. Guest appearances by former band mates throughout the night will really bring you back.

For more information, check out the Mink River Basin in Ellison Bay.

Captain John

Captain John Nolte is a retired Great Lakes, 100-ton, Master Captain, a singer and a songwriter. He spins a web of yarns and ballads that paint images of working sailors on the decks, under sail, in storms and in shipwrecks. Watch aloft because your emotions may start to ebb and flow like the tides he unleashes.

The Captain’s fans say, “You’ll definitely know him when you see him.”

He stands 6′ 4″ in his sea boots and blue felt Captain’s Brim, lending a bit of shade to his steely blue eyes. The Captain’s booming baritone evokes memories of Johnny Cash and Stan Rogers with a hint of a southern drawl. His acoustic Taylor, 12-string guitar playing includes finger and flat-picking styles -quite easy to listen to. In order to  take you into his world of wind, waves and shipwrecks, Captain John likes the minor chords, especially A and E. He often uses them to create an ominous mystic sea sound that supports some deeply emotional subjects evolved out of a life of experiences. The Captin’s work stands in sharp contrast to much of today’s lyrics.

Captain John’s “Safe Harbor” CD and original work is featured on satellite radio. But, you can see him live at Joe Jo’s Pizza and Gelato in the Red Barn collective on Saturday March 12.

Here’s a compilation of what they’re saying about Capt. John at the Fisherman’s Village, Navigator, MTOA Boat Club and all in South Florida: “Captain John’s unique blend of original recordings such as ‘The Men of the Linda E’ and ‘The Ship Beleavin’ along with many riveting nautical ballads of the Great Lakes such as the ‘Edmund Fitzgerald’ and ‘Sailing Into History’ thrills audiences from Ellison Bay, Wisconsin to Key Largo, Florida. Throw in a sea shanty, a few Caribbean tunes, some oldies by Elvis and Roy Orbison not to mention  one of his humorous educational stories drawn from his many years as a commercial fisherman for a nautical set that captivates everyone, especially those who love boats and the sea. And if the Captain is in a playful mood you might even hear some political satire.”

Songwriters Don Henry, Sally Barris and Tom Kimmel all have established single careers, but when they tour together as the Waymores, their concerts have been described as Alt-Nashville Writers-in-the-round, in which they pass the mike, performing their own songs with accompaniment from each other.

Grammy Award winner Don Henry‘s songs have been recorded by Ray Charles, Patti Page, Conway Twitty, Kathy Mattea and dozens of other artists.  Henry is a veteran of 28 years in the music business as a writer, publisher, producer and performer.  He has shared the stage with Joey Ramone, Al Gore, Pete Seeger, Steve Earle, Ray Price, Livingston Taylor, Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Webb, Guy Clark, David Crosby, John Prine, Keith Urban, Shawn Colvin, Dan Seals, Michael Johnson, Janis Ian, Nanci Griffith, and Jim Messina among others.

Henry’s songs include “B.F.D.” , a  biker-lullaby entitled “Harley”, the  Martin Luther King tribute “Beautiful Fool” and the Grammy Award winning “Where’ve You Been.” In addition to a Grammy, Kathy Mattea’s version of “Where’ve You Been” won a Henry  (and co-writer Jon Vezner) song of the year honors from ACM (Academy of Country Music), CMA (Country Music Association) and NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International). “Where’ve You Been” was the first song to be awarded all four honors in the same year.

Sally Barris, has managed to be successful in the mainstream world of country music without giving up her folk and Celtic roots.  Her unique style is influenced by artists such as Tony Rice, Dougie Maclean, Triona Ni Dhomhnaill & Richard Thompson.  Whether in her own performances or those of artists such as Lee Ann Womack or American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler, Barris’s music is unmistakably distinctive.

In addition to touring with the Waymores, Barris is currently on tour with her third CD, Restless Soul. Writing in Maverick Magazine, Reviewer Alan Cacket called Barris a, “songwriter poised to make the breakthrough to international recognition as a major recording artist like Nanci Griffith, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mindy Smith and Allison Moorer… Sally Barris doesn’t easily fit into the country genre, but is one of the most talented writers currently working in Nashville.”

Whether on her own recordings or those of hit artists like Martina McBride or Lee Ann Womack,  Barris’s songs are widely recognized. And while her songs have been covered by Trisha Yearwood and Keith Urban, John Michael Montgomery, Kathy Mattea and many others, she has a wide base of fans and peers who are attracted by her high mountain soprano on her own recordings.

Tom Kimmel‘s business card  reads Overnight Success, but the truth is far from it. After graduating college, he worked as a short order cook, bus boy, taxi driver, chef, shipping clerk, lab technician, janitor, waiter, bartender and window washer before establishing himself as an award winning songwriter for Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Joe Cocker, Randy Travis and a host of others.  Since 1980, when his songs were recorded by Roger McGuinn & Chris Hillman (of Byrds fame) and Levon Helm (of The Band), dozens of his compositions have been covered by a host of major artists including  Shawn Colvin, Waylon Jennings, the Stray Cats, and the Spinners.

Once an eclectic rock and roller, Kimmel found his voice as a singer-songwriter while opening Nanci Griffith’s 1991-92 world tour. A New Folk winner at the Kerrville Folk Festival in ’93, he began performing as a solo act, stressing an  acoustic-centered approach to his music and bringing what one critic called “a poignant and humorous spirit to his poetry and storytelling”.

Kimmel’s peers have joined critics in commending the Alabama native’s unadorned stylings as uniquely soulful. Irish songstress Maura O’Connell, who has recorded haunting versions of Kimmel’s The Blue Train and Poetic Justice, says, “Tom is an incredible songwriter… And he seems to be getting better as the years go on.”

Featured in motion pictures such as Runaway Bride, Serendipity, and Twins, and in television shows as varied as Captain Kangaroo, Miami Vice and Touched by An Angel, recordings of Kimmel’s compositions have sold millions of copies around the world, achieving gold and platinum sales in many countries.

An optional pre-concert fixed price dinner will served at 6 PM, consisting of chicken, shrimp and andouille sausage jambalaya with basmati rice,  corn bread, salad, and pecan pie for dessert.

Tickets for the concert concert, the sixth in a series of seven this winter, are $15. Dinner reservations and information are available by calling the White Gull Inn at 800.624.1987.

Yes, that’s me on the cover of the Peninsula Pulse this week. Yes, that is a camera on top of my crash helmet. But no, I failed to hit the record button last year before starting. That was at the 1st Annual Fruit Loop run, part of the festivities that took place at the Fish Creek Winter Festival in 2010.

This year, I was back, caped in Packer green and gold and you can be sure, I captured the entire event… live from the helmet cam! I look forward to sharing the fun on Thursday, February 10 at Door County Mini Movie Night II.

Thanks to Joel Kersebet and Chris Opper with Nostalgic Productions for collecting a good portion of the films we will feature… all created by local Door County filmmakers. They launched Door County Mini Movie Night at the Base Camp Coffee Shop in Sister Bay a few weeks ago. Check out this great Pulse interview with Chris… The Allure of the Short Film: Door County Mini Movie Night.

Here’s the tentative roster… more shorts may be added.

New Religion
Early Thomas Band, pat mAcdonald and Supernova Production Co.
3:01

Christmas Time
Patrick and Shannon Smits
3:25

Mailbox Baseball
Kenny Barrickman
12:05

The Cheese Curd Incident Aftermath
Tim Erskin
16:17

Rhythms of H2O
Ed Dimaio
13:27

Butterflies Fly Free
Lloyd Michalson
4:41

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Rebecca Dougherty
4:24

Duh!
Chris Opper
2:00

DCZ
Eric Michalson
5:40

Aliens in the Kitchen
Tim Erskin
2:24

“My Time Here is Done”
Early Thomas Band and Supernova Production Co.
4:17

“Fish Creek Fruit Loopin’ 2011″
Stephen Kastner
5:19

Caballeros, Duesenbergs and Trains
Laura Stewart
7:30

Any one who wishes to add their DVD short works (10-minutes or less) to the evening’s roster may call me at 920.256.9449 with questions. The screening room is now equipped with a 60″ wide screen, video projector, supplemental audio speakers and a standard DVD player.

The films will be shown in the loft above the Deli at Greens N Grains Natural Food Store in downtown Egg Harbor and screenings are free – however, the seating is limited to 30 persons. You may make a seating reservation by calling 920.868.9999 or by email at info@greens-n-grains.com.

The $7.50 natural and organic dinner special; soup, salad, a fresh baked roll and tea features tasty examples of the G&G Deli’s specialties. Serving begins at 6 pm with the film screening at 7 pm. The dinner special is available to anyone with a reservation. So please let them know that you are coming… RSVP.

Greens N Grains Natural Foods and Deli is open daily from 10 am – 5 pm – except on movie nights when they remain open until 9 pm – in downtown Egg Harbor at 7821 Hwy 42, and can be reached at 920.868.9999 or by email at info@greens-n-grains.com.

There is no cover and all ages are welcome to attend the “Saturday Afternoon Delight” music series taking place December 18 from 1 – 3 pm

Also every Wednesday Josh Gregory and Elliot Goettelman host the Mid-week Open Mic at Glas from 7 – 10 pm. These two are great entertainers, even if no one else shows up to play so it’s a guaranteed great night of free music. All performers receive a coupon for a free coffee or tea after they play!

UPCOMING:

Lojo Russo and Julian Hagen Saturday, January 15, from 1 – 3 pm.

Lojo Russo

Lojo Russo, Minneapolis singer/songwriter now living in Iowa makes her debut in Door County. Russo fuses roots, blues and folk into her lyrics and guitar creating a sound that’s sometimes intense, sometimes outrageous and always original.

“…performs with the energy and rocking power of Ani DiFranco and the graceful folksiness of the Indigo Girls.” – Minneapolis World Beat/Daily Planet

February 19 – Midwest Dilemma – Fronted by Omaha’s Justin Lamoureux, Midwest Dilemma is deeply rooted in history and the journey of one family to America. Their recording Timelines & Tragedies was the winner of Album of the Year at Omaha Entertainment Awards.

March 19 – Jeanne Kuhns and Deborah Hadraba- Jeanne Kuhns, Door County’s pride and joy will open for Deborah Hadraba. Deborah may be the Twin Cities’ most prolific songwriter, encouraging listeners to “Honor Your Truth” in her songs from the heart. This will be an afternoon of inspiration and encouragement.

April 16 – The Hollands! – Wisconsin via Australia, The Hollands! are one part American dreamer, one part Aussie charm, a splash of gypsy love and punk DIY ethic.

Glas, The Green Coffeehouse is located at 67 East Maple St. in Sturgeon Bay – phone: 920.743.5575.

Mike Hendee

Hendee’s piano bar style concert will include song, dance and comedy. The entertainment begins at 7 pm. There is no cover charge.

Additional concerts over the holidays in The Cookery’s Wine Bar include Katie Dahl on December 27, and David Hatch and Lynn Gudmundsen on December 29.  Both concerts are at 7 pm.

The Cookery is open daily December 26 through January 1. The restaurant and wine bar are located at 4135 Highway 42, in Fish Creek.