High Noon Saloon and Sugar Maple Music Festival present The Revelers
High Noon Saloon
Sunday, March 15 at 6:30 pm

The Revelers, founding members of the Red Stick Ramblers and The Pine Leaf Boys —  “unquestionably the two groups at the vanguard of the Louisiana cultural renaissance” — have joined together to form a Louisiana supergroup which combines swamp-sop, Cajun, country, blues and zydeco into a powerful tonic of roots music that could only come from southwest Louisiana.

As individuals, they are each in high demand having performed and recorded with T-Bone Burnett, Natalie Merchant, Linda Ronstadt, Preston Frank, Walter Mouton, Mamadou Diabate, the Duhks, Cedric Watson, and Tim O’Brien, to name a few. As a group they play with a sense of empathy and depth that can only be fostered after years of making music together. They have all appeared on the 2011 season finale of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, and they also were handpicked by David Simon (producer/creator, The Wire) to be featured musicians for the third and fourth seasons of HBO’s Tremé.

Long-time fans of the Red Stick Ramblers may find themselves very familiar with The Revelers: the powerful singing and songwriting of Chas Justus and Eric Frey, a mix of traditional Cajun and zydeco dance music, some of the swing that was such a strong focus of early RSR, the magical rhythm section chemistry of Glenn Fields and Eric Frey, and impressive musical virtuosity across the board.

Take what you know about the Red Sticks, add into the mix the crooning vocals of Glenn Fields, and the singing/songwriting of Blake Miller (founding member of the Pine Leaf Boys and unarguably the most prolific French songwriter coming out of Louisiana right now, the tightly arranged section of sax-fiddle-accordion, and you’ll start to get The Revelers’ picture.

The depth of this band has only developed from digging deeper into the dancehall traditions of Southwest Louisiana and emerging with an arsenal we call Louisiana Jukebox Music. Music critics are wont to categorize music into clear genre styles, but that’s not really the way folk traditions develop — things are passed around, the lines are blurred — and particularly in a culture as unique as that of SW Louisiana (we won’t use the old gumbo cliché, but you get the idea … ). The Revelers have embraced that musical truth in a way few bands have — the lines between traditional and original, Cajun, country, zydeco, swamp-pop, and the blues, are blurred, and wide-ranging styles are honed into an extremely cohesive performance.

The genre of swamp pop may bear some explanation. Little-known outside of Louisiana (but still quite popular in the region) it’s a music that’s nearly confined to the archives of the 50s and 60s, save for a handful of bands today. In short, swamp pop is Southwest Louisiana’s answer to the R&B and rock ’n roll that came out of New Orleans, Memphis and Detroit in the 50s. When that unstoppable sound reached Cajun and zydeco musicians, they caught the bug and played their own versions the only way they knew how — sometimes in French, and traded in their fiddles and accordions for horns and electric guitars. It’s a perfect example of how everything that comes from Acadiana is dripping with its own unique culture.

If you are looking for some hot music to get you through the cold days of winter, look no further! The Sugar Maple folks are supporting, sponsoring and featuring a number of artists and events in the coming weeks.

Nickel&Rose, Carl Nichols (guitar) and Johanna Rose (upright bass) playing Folk, Blues, Jazz and Country with world music influence, kick things off January 24th at the North Street Cabaret. Details here.

The Cajun tunes of T’Monde will spice things up when they take the stage at the North Street Cabaret on January 31. T’Monde is the Acadian phenomenon that Offbeat Magazine has called “a creative fusion of classic country and out-of-the-way Cajun.” With a combined 10 GRAMMY nominations between members Drew Simon, Megan Brown, and Kelli Jones, T’Monde brings influences ranging from early Country music to ancient French and Creole ballads to present day Cajun music. Details here.

The music keeps coming when The Tillers hit the town! The Tillers will be heating up the Rathskellar February 2 as part of the UW Winter Carnival. Details here.

Bring the whole family to the 18th annual United Way Bluegrass Fundraiser on February 10 and dance away your winter blues. Band line-up and ticket info here.

And finally, join us as we welcome Lula Wiles back to town on February 28! details here.

For these events and more, check out the our Facebook page.

If you enjoyed the jam tents at the Sugar Maple Music Festival, then you don’t want to miss the Fall String Gathering!

A weekend of traditional, old-time, bluegrass, Irish, and Cajun music-sharing; organized by musicians, for musicians. Open to all skill levels and acoustic instruments.

Hosted at the Clarion Convention Center in Baraboo, WI, the gathering will feature impromptu jamming as well as several scheduled jams and a washtub bass workshop.

November 16-18, 2018

Friday 6 pm – Sunday 11 am

Friday 7:30 – 9:00 pm  Gypsy Jazz Jam – 4th floor

?Sat 10:00 – 11:30 am  – Slow/Half Speed Jam – 5th floor

Sat 1:00 – 2:30 pm   Irish Session – 4th floor?

Sat 2:00 – 3:00 pm Washtub Bass Workshop – 5th floor?

Sat 3:00 – 4:30 pm   Cajun Circle – 5th floor

The String Gathering provides an opportunity for bluegrass and old-time musicians across Wisconsin, its bordering states and beyond, to come together and celebrate their common love of music.

More information at String Gathering

On Sunday, July 1, Tennessee-based bluegrass band Circus No. 9 spent the day with music students in Madison, Wisconsin. Specifically, the band members led a workshop sponsored by the Sugar Maple Music Festival and the Goodman Community Center and organized by Music con Brio, a local nonprofit that gives music lessons to young people, regardless of ability to pay.

As part of Music con Brio’s summer workshop series, Circus No. 9 illustrated the basics of bluegrass tunes, shared the history of the genre, and taught students the basics of bluegrass jamming and improvising.

The day culminated in a free community concert that included the professional musicians and students performing together.

In addition to staging the annual Sugar Maple Music Festival, the Four Lakes Traditional Music Collective (the nonprofit behind the festival) also supports music education for youth and others.

On Saturday, August 18th, Mazomanie will host some of the hottest and most respected groups in Bluegrass, Folk, and Americana music for this family friendly one-day (11am-8pm) festival celebrating the village’s railway history.

The Kitchen Dwellers headline the festival and the line-up includes The Kevin Prater Band (2013 Sugar Maple Festival performer.)

The Gandy Dancer Festival is an annual event featuring bluegrass, folk, and other roots music along with family-friendly activities (face painting, model trains, and more) with free parking, food vendors, and many other exciting local attractions in close walking distance.

The origin of the term “Gandy Dancer” is unknown but refers to the track crews who put down and maintained America’s vast rail network.

Tickets and details at www.gandydancerfestival.org