Happy Saint Patrick's Day

The Star of the County Down, by Denny Egstad

Oak Street Ramblers

After a full day of jamming and dancing I was glad I stopped by the High Noon Saloon to catch the last set of the literacy network benefit. The last band was the Oak Street Ramblers and it was good to see my buddy and fellow banjo picker Mark Schlutt. In spite of the late hour for a Sunday the crowd was still enthusiastic and ready for some bluegrass.
We were not disappointed as the Ramblers performed a great set with hot instrumentals and super tight vocal harmonies. You can catch them at the Alchemy cafe on the first Saturday of the month and the third Monday at the Malt house on Madison's east side.

To see all four videos of the Ramblers go to DenWolf YouTube

Lilly of the West

I ran across a great bluegrass band from Bulgaria named Lilly of the West, featuring Lilly Drumeva on vocals. It's amazing what a great feel they have for the music and nice to see bluegrass has such a worldwide appeal.

Happy New Year

Watch some great Telluride and Grey Fox festival video. Sorry about the small size but this isn't YouTube. Then again you won't find these vids on YouTube. Go to WOLF TUBE and ENJOY!

Tuvalu Coffee & Tea

There is a great new acoustic music venue in Verona. The Tuvalu coffee house features folk, old time, new age, acoustic rock, jazz, and bluegrass. The first Thursday of the month is old time, and the third Thursday features bluegrass. There is also an open mic every other Friday and various performers every Saturday.
Tuvalu is located right next to Miller's Grocery in the center of home town USA.
They offer good food, fair trade coffee, and tea. Also BEER AND WINE!
Stop by and enjoy the fun.
Tuvalu coffee & tea

New Pioneers

I've heard Jerry Wicentowski on recordings but have never seen him live so my friend Dave Bacholl and I made the trip to the Cafe Carp to see the New Pioneers. This all star group consist of Jerry(lead vocals and guitar), John peik(bass), Mike Schmidt(banjo), Paul Kienitz(fiddle), and Bruce King(mandolin). Bruce wasn't there the night we attended but Brian Ray did a good job as a sub. Jerry's vocals were a pleasure to hear live as he has one of the best bluegrass voices around. Being a banjo player I was thrilled to see two of the finest in the area. Mike's playing can only be described as smooth and tasty and John(banjo for Nob Hill Boys) got to pick one when Mike played bass. This band plays every 2nd Thursday at the Cafe Carpe in Fort Atkinson and we will definitely be going again to see the regular lineup with Bruce King. To see a couple of videos go to DenWolf YouTube.