The Big Al Wetzel Band has gigs on the way at Champs Sports Bar & Grill, in Lake Geneva, and at The Ridge Hotel, in the town of Geneva.
The following information is subject to change. To list an upcoming gig, email us at newsroom@lakegenevanews.net.
Friday, Feb. 19
Brian Steenstry 5 to 9 p.m., Studio Winery + Geneva Lake Distilling, 401 E. Sheridan Springs Road, Lake Geneva.
Don Wiggins 8 to 11 p.m., The Ridge Hotel, W4240 Highway 50, town of Geneva.
Doug Sheen 8 to 11 p.m., Broken Spoke Tavern & Eatery, 332 Fellows Road, Genoa City.
Big Al Wetzel Band 9 p.m., Champs Sports Bar & Grill, 747 W. Main St., Lake Geneva.
Tom Stanfield 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Bar West at The Abbey Resort, 269 Fontana Blvd., Fontana.
Saturday, Feb. 20
Tim Castle & Dale Sellers 2 p.m., Countryside Pub, 8225 McHenry St., Burlington.
Austin Hopkins 2 to 5 p.m., Hart’s Saloon, 9932 Main St., Hebron, Illinois.
That Gurl 5 to 9 p.m., Studio Winery + Geneva Lake Distilling.
Tom Stanfield 6 to 9 p.m., 240 West at The Abbey Resort.
Two Beer Tommy 6 to 9 p.m., Rush Creek Distilling, 1501 W. Diggins St., Harvard, Illinois.
Scott Huffman Duo 6 to 9 p.m., The Hive Taproom, W2463 County Road ES, East Troy.
Michael “Tinker” Tierney 6:30 to 9 p.m., The Runaway Micropub and Nanobrewery.
D’Lite Duo 7 to 11 p.m., The Waterfront at The Abbey Resort.
Folk Service 7 to 9 p.m., Delavan Lake Store & Lounge, 2001 North Shore Drive, Delavan.
Brews & Tunes with Cullah 7 p.m. Free livestream event. Visit Wise Farm Productions Facebook page for details.
Karen Shook 8 to 11 p.m., The Ridge Hotel.
Gerald and Camille 8 to 11 p.m., Broken Spoke Tavern & Eatery.
Dirty Canteen 8 p.m., Burlington Tap & Smokehouse, 7305 McHenry St., Burlington.
Simply Elton 8 p.m., Spoondogger’s Pell Lake, N1320 S. Lake Shore Drive, Bloomfield.
Tom Stanfield 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Bar West at The Abbey Resort.
Sunday, Feb. 21
Abby Kay 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Broken Spoke Tavern & Eatery.
Friday, Feb. 26
Johnny Guarnieri 5 to 9 p.m., Studio Winery + Geneva Lake Distilling.
Jess Piano 6 to 9 p.m., Rush Creek Distilling.
Big Al Wetzel Band 8 to 11 p.m., The Ridge Hotel.
Boys and Toys 9 p.m., Burlington Tap and Smokehouse.
Tom Stanfield 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Bar West at The Abbey Resort.
Saturday, Feb. 27
Fifty One Lincoln 5 to 9 p.m., Studio Winery + Geneva Lake Distilling.
Tom Stanfield 6 to 9 p.m., 240 West at The Abbey Resort.
Karen Shook 6 to 9 p.m., Rush Creek Distilling.
Georgia Rae and Mykal Baas 6 p.m., The Hive Taproom.
D’Lite Duo 7 to 11 p.m., The Waterfront at The Abbey Resort.
Ed Chapman 7 to 9 p.m., Delavan Lake Store & Lounge.
Chris Kohn 8 to 11 p.m., The Ridge Hotel.
2 Pump Chump 8 p.m., Broken Spoke Tavern & Eatery.
The Mackenzie O’Brien Band 8 p.m., Spoondogger’s Pell Lake.
Tom Stanfield 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., Bar West at The Abbey Resort.
Golden Brown, "Flora and Fauna of the Uncanny Valley"
Tranquil, acid-infused bluegrass that warms the soul like a wood-burning stove. A supreme sense of melody drives Colorado’s Stefan Beck through spirited acoustic numbers and meditative electric guitar works. This was the first Golden Brown release in about eight years, and while I would have thought it was impossible to top Beck’s “High Tide at Gold Beach” from 2012, well, here we are. Link: goldenbrown.bandcamp.com/album/flora-and-fauna-of-the-uncanny-valley.
Channelers, "Isles Beyond"
Oakland, California’s Sean Conrad has released many great albums in various styles, under different aliases. His latest under the Channelers moniker finds him playing various instruments — piano, synths, guitar, dulcimer, mandolin, harmonium. The songs on Conrad’s New Age folk masterpiece are simple, direct and honest, ideal for reflection and contemplation. Link: innerislands.bandcamp.com/album/isles-beyond.
Mat Eric Hart, "Spirits & Reflections"
Pastoral acoustic guitar passages emerge from the sounds of a beautiful spring day on this gorgeous debut. Curator of a monthly radio show called “Sonic Tapestries,” Hart recorded the peaceful psychedelic folk album in rural Provence, France. Link: auralcanyonmusic.bandcamp.com/album/spirits-reflections.
Tambourinen, "Wooden Flower"
Improvised, trance-inducing instrumental rock with the texture of burnt plastic. This is the solo work of Grant Beyschau, of The Myrrors. Beyschau played everything on the four songs, which cover a lot of ground in just under a half-hour. Link: tambourinen.bandcamp.com/album/wooden-flower.
Don Cherry, "Om Shanti Om"
In 1976, the jazz and world fusion innovator recorded a rare, improvised performance on TV in Italy. Finally given the archival release treatment on vinyl and CD, the set fits nicely with Cherry’s 1972 album “Organic Music Society.” Vocal chants and exotic percussion solos propel these jam sessions, drawing from African, Asian and Latin musical styles — usually in the same song. Link: blacksweat.bandcamp.com/album/om-shanti-om.
Leo Takami, "Felis Catus & Silence"
One of the smoothest, most soothing albums of the year came from this Tokyo guitarist and composer. Rich with lithe melodies, “Felis Catus & Silence” reigns supreme at the intersection of jazz, modern classical and ambient music. Link: unseenworlds.bandcamp.com/album/felis-catus-and-silence.
Andrea Cortez, "The Secret Song of Plants"
Cortez is a music therapist in Austin, Texas, who plays harp on this album with her plants. That’s right, plants. There are devices which read plant energy and translate it into data which can trigger synthesizers. As fascinating as this is, the reason to book an appointment with this therapist is her exquisite harp sounds. Link: auralcanyonmusic.bandcamp.com/album/the-secret-song-of-plants.
Matt LaJoie, "Everlasting Spring"
LaJoie carves out blissful soundscapes with just a guitar, a looper and a reverb pedal. LaJoie and Ash Brooks often record together and run the Flower Room label, which consists of mostly their own solo and collaborative releases. Whether it’s guided meditation tapes, psychedelic rock or experimental music, the Flower Room sound is cosmic and earthy. “Everlasting Spring” is a great introduction to it. Link: flowerroomrecords.bandcamp.com/album/everlasting-spring.
SiP, "Leos Naturals"
Heady, adventurous and seriously fun synthesizer jazz backed by drum machines, and on occasion, bass clarinet and melodica. Apparently, Chicago organist Jimmy Lacy cultivated his sound during happy hour at a cocktail lounge in Logan Square. Link: sip-groop.bandcamp.com/album/leos-naturals.
Iasos, "The Next Dimension"
Pronounced “ya-sos,” this celestial-minded composer has been crafting otherworldly music since before the term “New Age” was coined. His music has a sense of dynamics unique to New Age and ambient music in general. The biggest surprise and delight of the album is “Ubud Trance Dance,” a electronic jaunt through gamelan — Indonesian music played by percussion ensembles. Link: iasos.bandcamp.com/album/the-next-dimension.
Steve Targo
Reporter
