Grab your partner, or someone else’s, and dance to the sultry sounds of the Sweet Sheiks at Sugar Maple Fest 2017. This Milwaukee-based quintet will send you straight to the Big Easy with antique pop tunes inspired by jazz of the 1910s, ‘20s, and ‘30s. They may be relatively new to the scene, but their style and musicianship won’t give them away. These cats are red hot!

The Sweet Sheiks feature not one, but two, vocalists—Jen Müttin-Schrank and Ousia Lydian. Jen also plays guitar, musical saw, and washboard, while Ousia plays the violin and sometimes wows the crowd with her hypnotic whistling. The remaining band members are just as charming and talented with Garrett Burton on banjo, Andrew Spadafora on clarinet, and Aaron Johnson on tuba. See them on our Main Stage Saturday, August 5^th.

If you’re not familiar with the Sweet Sheiks, you might recognize some of the artists who influenced them. The list includes performers of early twentieth-century jazz and blues, such as the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, Eddie Condon, Wingy Manone, and Blind Willie McTell.

Get a preview here, and follow the band’s upcoming shows and antics by visiting their Facebook page.

~written by Jennifer Phistry