Enjoy live acoustic music.
Top local and national touring performers grace the stage of our intimate 'listening room' at least one Sunday of each and every month. If you love and respect musical storytellers with an acoustic bent like we do, the club is a wonderful place to experience them live.
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CONCERT CALENDAR
Monthly Acoustic Concerts
MUSIC BEGINS AT 7:00 PM / Seating begins at 6:30 PM Reservations are highly recommended and encouraged as seating will be spaced and limited for the foreseeable future, and it helps us with venue planning. See full seating policy at bottom of this page. MASK POLICY: We welcome everyone, masked and unmasked. |
CONCERT ADMISSION
$18 – General Public $15 – Seniors $13 – Folk Club Members |
JAN 21, 2024Grayslake Village Hall
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JENNY AND ROBIN BIENEMANN
By turns hilarious and heartfelt, this cutting-edge acoustic duo melds original and traditional music with an elegant hint of jazz. Robin's wild guitar stylings harken back to the earliest forms of jazz, blues and country guitar. Jenny’s voice and guitar playing evokes comparisons to Joni Mitchell and Ricki Lee Jones. Opener: TOM MCNAMEE |
FEB 18,
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DOUG SMITH & JUDY KOCH SMITH
Grammy-award winning guitarist and fingerstyle guitar champion DOUG SMITH has been called “one of the finest acoustic guitarists of his generation”, and “a cross between Chet Atkins, Michael Hedges and Leo Kottke”. His original compositions have been heard everywhere from NPR to Turner Classic Movies and Good Morning America, and he has played on movie soundtracks including the popular film August Rush. JUDY KOCH SMITH has been playing flute and singing since childhood and she loves trying out new genres for singing harmonies or adding flute parts. Opener: SCOTT ENGSTROM |
MAR 17,
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DON STIERNBERG
Don Stiernberg has been a professional musician for nearly 50 years. Along the way he has been involved in performing, writing, recording, producing, and teaching, but is best known for his mandolin playing. Currently Don is regarded as a leading exponent of jazz mandolin style, and a respected teacher. In June of 2020 his tenth recording project ,”Straight Ahead” by The Don Stiernberg Quartet, was released and quickly garnered praise in The Chicago Tribune as one of the “Best Jazz Recordings of 2020”. “Rhythm Twist." Opener: WATTLE & DAUB |
APR 21,
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GERALD DOWD
Gerald Dowd has recorded and toured extensively with two-time Grammy nominee Robbie Fulks, both nationally and overseas. As a solo artist, he has played shows with Jeff Tweedy, Ian Hunter, Delbert McClinton, Kasey Chambers, Heartsfield, Jason Narducy, Rhett Miller, Nellie McKay, Sam Baker and Mr. Fulks. He has also performed and/or recorded with Eddie Vedder, David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas (of Los Lobos), Barbara Carr, A Prairie Home Companion, Mavis Staples, Chris Mills, Bernie Williams, Frisbie, and Nora O’Connor Opener: JIM FINE |
MAY 19,
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KATIE OATES
Drawing inspiration from a wide variety of genres and eras, Katie’s songs resonate with the yearning for connection: the magic of childhood, celebrating old friends and life itself. Her songs invite us to discover our best selves and create deeper, more humane relationships with others. Opener: JACK KENNEDY |
JUN 16,
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ARIELLE SILVER
Arielle Silver is a consummate storyteller whose rich, expressive voice and acoustic guitar frame expansive melodies that echo her tours and travels across the American heartland. Raised on folk festival fields and synagogue pews in woodsy and watery places up and down the Atlantic Seaboard, Arielle now lives a traffic jam away from the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, whose mountains, valleys, and waters that were the historical land of the Gabrielino and Tongva Tribes now inspire Arielle's writing. Opener: RANDY BURGESS |
JULY 14,
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BILL CAMPLIN
Bill Camplin, co-owner with Kitty Welch of Café Carpe in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, contributes greatly to the folk music scene in Wisconsin and beyond. A singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist, Bill has been playing professionally in the Milwaukee area since the late 1960s. Bill writes and arranges his own material and has produced a considerable body of work. He has appeared regularly at various clubs including the Blue River Café, Numero Unos, The Crystal Palace, The Avante Garde and the 19th Street Coffee House. Opener: TBA |
AUG 18,
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RICHARD GILEWITZ
Never one to settle for the boring or mundane, Richard Gilewitz surprises his audiences with his hilariously eccentric vision of the world and its inhabitants alongside breathtaking fingerstyle artistry on the 6- and 12-string guitar. Named one of the top fingerstyle guitarists of all time, Richard invariably captivates listeners with uniquely emotional interpretations of romping knucklebusters and contemplative classical tunes reimagined for steel strings. He credits his ability to pull the deepest breath out of a tune to having studied for decades with a classical guitarist, who was himself taught by a violinist who played alongside Albert Einstein. That is Richard in a nutshell…unusual, unique, surprising, and a genius. Opener: TBA |
SEP 15,
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SARAH MORRIS
2018 Kerrville New Folk Winner; twice-named Midwest Country Music Organization’s Songwriter of the Year, Sarah Morris aims to document the glorious details of our messy, magical lives. Called a “A bright, clear, brilliant songwriter” (L’Etoile Magazine), Morris wields a keen eye and a captivating voice offering poignant and relatable songs with timeless melodies. “What a voice, never showy or seeking the limelight, just impressive within the requirements of the song and that in itself, in this day and age, is a rare thing.” – DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE Opener: TBA |
OCT 20,
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BRIAN OBERLIN
Brian Oberlin is an internationally acclaimed mandolin player and educator. During his decades long professional career, Brian has been playing swing, bluegrass, and Italian classical as a solo mandolinist and vocalist. Brian celebrated the release of his 20th album in May, 2016; Troubadour which features Brian playing solo and singing original music. Opener: TBA |
NOV 17,
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ANNE HILLS
Anne Hills is one of the most beloved voices of the contemporary folk music scene, receiving awards and recognition for her live performances, her unique solo and collaborative recording projects, and her overall artistry and benefit work. Whether she is singing her own songs, the words of six year old Opal Whitely, or her song settings of the Hoosier poet, James Whitcomb Riley, she puts her whole heart and soul into the moment. You won’t want to miss hearing her stories and songs in person. Opener: TBA |
DEC 15,
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JOHN PRIMER & FRIENDS
John is a Blues Hall of Fame, legendary artist! He has 3 Grammy nominations as well as played guitar on Pinetop Perkins Grammy award winning CD, Joined at the Hip. He won a Blues Music Award in 2023, 2021 and 2016 for Traditional Blues Male Artist and one for Traditional Blues Album in 2012 with The Chicago Blues, A Living History Band. He has 3 Lifetime Achievement Awards and in 2018 John was given the “Muddy Award” for being a Traditional Blues Icon by the Jus’ Blues Foundation in MS. John is one of the very last traditional blues artists with original Mississippi roots. John will be joined by LCFC favorites, Donna Herula and Marc Edelstein. Opener: TBA |
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Seating Policy
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