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

Summer is here and it’s only ONE MONTH until we are listening to great music under the tent at the Sugar Maple Music Festival!

This year’s festival is August 3-4 at our usual, beautiful, Lake Farm County Park.  Tickets are on sale, but volunteers receive free entry on the day they volunteer — it’s a great deal. Spots are filling up fast (nearly 70%) and when they’re gone, they’re gone. Sign-up here to volunteer.

The Sugar Maple Music Festival is a completely volunteer driven event; your participation is our lifeblood. Please consider registering today.

Looking forward to seeing all of you at the festival!

Want to support the Sugar Maple Music Festival and get your very own limited-offer Sugar Maple T-shirt? Go to our Bonfire.com campaign and check out our updated design on youth and women’s cut t-shirts, hoodies and more.

Calling ALL musicians: Music con Brio is proud to present a Summer Workshop Series event featuring bluegrass band Circus No. 9! These acoustic freaks of nature feature five-string wonder Matthew Davis, who followed up his 2016 National Banjo Championship win with a crown as champ at the 2017 Rockygrass Festival. The band hails from East Tennessee and puts the “pro” in progressive bluegrass sounds. Come spend the day hanging with the guys pickin’ some tunes, experimenting with bluegrass style, and jamming together in concert! Open to ALL musicians with at least two years experience on their instrument.  Generously sponsored by the Sugar Maple Music Festival and the Goodman Community Center. Date and time: Sunday, July 1, 10am – 5 pm (Free concert at 4 pm featuring Circus No. 9 and all participants) Location: Goodman Community Center, 149 Waubesa St Madison 53704 What you get: 3 workshop sessions and concert with Circus No. 9. Lunch, snack & t-shirt provided. Cost: $60 (need-based scholarships available) Register online at: www.musicconbrio.org

Just a few more hours to get your early-bird two day passes to the 15th Annual Sugar Maple Music Festival!  On sale here through May 31.

Mid-2017, The Tillers holed up at Candyland Recording Studio in Dayton, KY with producer Mike Montgomery (Jeremy Pinnell, The Breeders) and tracked ten new songs, live to 2” tape. The recordings showcase the diversity of their writing and musicianship, from hard-tackle thump to tender graceful melody – lightening-fast banjo to intricate guitar flat picking, plaintive fiddle, deep anchoring bass and clear tenor harmonies. Fueled by life, family, history, travel and politics, the new self-titled LP is the band’s most engaging record to date. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Sean Geil says of the new record, “This album is definitely more aggressive than past efforts. At our core we are still a traditionally rooted string band, but I’d say our punk rock roots are more visible on this album. And the addition of Joe Macheret on fiddle has added a new dynamic and allowed us to explore new territories as well as fill out the overall sound.”

Catch the Tillers at the Sugar Maple Fest Friday, August 3.