Door County Summer Music Preview 2023

Summer Music Preview Music

Your guide to Door County’s best music performances festivals venues

weeklY music

The sun is out, mosquitoes are biting and the ever-present smell of grills is wafting through the air. Summer is officially here. There is so much to see and explore throughout the county, including hikes, tours and festivals. You can also try all the flavors that Door County eateries have to offer.

One special highlight of the summer is always the robust live-music scene. Up and down the peninsula, venues from bars to wineries, and parks to restaurants offer a

wide range of musical delights, including rock, folk, jazz, alternative, classical and all of the genres in between. There is truly something for everyone to enjoy!

Once again, the community has gone all out to provide a rockin’ summer, with over 900 live-music performances scheduled so far. With so many events and limited space, the Summer Music Preview will include only the events and highlights through July. Come August, the final month will be

included in a regular issue of the Peninsula Pulse as a follow-up.

In these pages, you’ll find performance highlights, venue listings, weekly music offerings, all the details for our resident orchestra groups, festival information and a pull-out calendar of all the live music. We hope that our annual Summer Music Preview will once again be a resource for creating a music-filled season on the peninsula.

Here’s to another summer of fun on the Door!

Grace Johnson Assistant Editor

Venues

ALGOMA

Smashed on the Rocks facebook.com/teamsmashed, 920.487.8202

70 Church St.

von Stiehl Winery vonstiehl.com, 920.487.5208

115 Navarino St.

BAILEYS HARBOR

Door County Brewing Company

doorcountybrewingco.com, 920.239.8181

8099 Hwy 57

The Thirsty Cow Taphouse thethirstycowtaphouse.com, 920.839.9991

7899 Cty A

Vino! Vino! Wine Bar at Stone’s Throw Winery stonesthrowwinery.com, 920.839.9660

3382 Cty E

BRUSSELS

Southern Door Community Auditorium southerndoorauditorium.org, 920.493.5979

2073 Cty DK

CARLSVILLE

Simon Creek Vineyard & Winery simoncreekwines.com, 920.746.9307

5896 Bochek Road

Door Peninsula Winery dcwine.com, 920.743.7431

5806 Hwy 42

EGG HARBOR

Anchored Roots Vineyard & Winery anchoredrootswine.com, 920.868.4443

4873 Willow Road

Birch Creek Music Performance Center birchcreek.org, 920.868.3763

3821 Cty E

Carrington carringtondoorcounty.com, 920.868.5162

7643 Hillside Road

Casey’s BBQ & Smokehouse caseysbbqandsmokehouse. com, 920.868.3038

7855 Hwy 42

Harbor Ridge Winery harborridgewinery.com, 920.868.4321

4690 Rainbow Ridge Court

MacReady Artisan Bread macreadys.com, 920.868.2233

7836 Hwy 42

Mojo Rosa’s mojorosas-doorcounty.com, 920.868.3247

7778 Hwy 42

One Barrel facebook.com/obbcdc, 920.868.5262

4633 Market St.

Peg Egan Performing Arts Center

facebook.com/PegEganPAC, 920.493.5979

7840 Church St.

The Alpine alpineresort.com/dine/burtonson-the-bay, 920.868.3000

7715 Alpine Road

Woodwalk Gallery woodwalkgallery.com, 920.629.4877

6746 Cty G

ELLISON BAY

Hügel Haus

hugelhausdoorcounty.com, 920.633.4080

11934 Hwy 42

Kick Ash facebook.com/KickAshDoorCounty, 920.854.9400

12001 Mink River Road

Shepherd of the Bay Lutheran Church shepherdofthebay.org, 920.854.2988

11836 Hwy 42

FISH CREEK

Camp David fishstockmusic.com, 920.839.2981

3127 Cty F

Door Community Auditorium dcauditorium.org, 920.868.2728

3926 Hwy 42

Hill Street hillstreetdoorcounty.com, 920.868.5282

4149 Main St.

Lautenbach’s Orchard Country orchardcountry.com, 920.868.3479

9197 Hwy 42

The Ginger House thegingerhousedcw.com

9114 Hwy 42

The Cherry Hut doorcountycherryhut.com, 920.868.4450

8813 Hwy 42

White Gull Inn whitegullinn.com, 888.364.9542

4225 Main St.

JACKSONPORT

Island Fever Rum Bar & Grill

islandfeverrumbarandgrill. com, 920.823.2700

6301 Hwy 57

Mike’s Port Pub

920.823.2081

6269 Hwy 57

KEWAUNEE

Cold Country Vines & Wines

coldcountrywines.com, 920.776.1328

E3207 Nuclear Road

Parallel 44 parallel44.com, 920.388.4400

N2185 Sleepy Hollow Road

The Blue Door facebook.com/thebluedoorpub, 920.388.6063 208 Ellis St.

SEVASTOPOL

Door 44 44wineries.com, 888.932.0044

5464 Cty P

SISTER BAY

Boathouse on the Bay boathousedcw.com, 920.854.3223

10716 N. Bay Shore Dr.

Husby’s and The Garage at Husby’s husbysdoorcounty.com, 920.854.2624

10641 Hwy 42

Ingwersen Studio Gallery

2029 Old Stage Road

Peach Barn Brewery peachbarnbrewing.com, 920.944.2393

2450 S. Bay Shore Dr.

Stabbur Beer Garden facebook.com/StabburBeerGarden, 920.854.2626

10698 N. Bay Shore Dr.

The Alley Bar sisterbaybowl.com, 920.854.2841

10640 N. Bay Shore Dr., tucked into the north side of the Sister Bay Bowl

Twelve Eleven Wine Bar twelveelevenwine.com, 920.421.9463

10339 Hwy 57

STURGEON BAY

Butch’s Bar 920.366.1777 234 Kentucky St. Door County Fire Company doorcountyfirecompany. com, 920.818.0625

38 S. 3rd Ave.

Drömhus dromhusdoorcounty.com, 608.333.4553

611 Jefferson St.

Fiddler’s Farm thefiddlersfarm.com, 920.559.3460

6951 Cty C

Gilmo’s Bar & Bistro at Wavepointe Marina & Resort wavepointe.com, 920.824.5440

3600 Cty CC

Kitty O’Reillys kittyoreillys.com, 920.743.7441

59 E. Oak St.

Sierra’s Pub & Grill sierraspubngrill@gmail.com, 920.856.6966

S1599 Hwy 42

Sonny’s Pizzeria sonnyspizzeria.com, 920.743.2300

129 N. Madison Ave.

Stone Harbor Resort stoneharbor-resort.com, 920.746.0700

107 N. 1st Ave.

Tambourine Lounge holidaymusicmotel.com, 920.743.5571

59 N. 2nd Ave.

The Hitching Post hitchingpostdoorcounty.com, 920.818.1114

4849 Glidden Dr. Waterfront Mary’s beachharborresort.com, 920.743.3191

3662 N. Duluth Ave.

WASHINGTON ISLAND

Fiddlers Green washingtonislandfiddlersgreen. com, 920.847.2610

1699 Jackson Harbor Road

Fragrant Isle Lavender Farm fragrantisle.com, 920.847.2950

1350 Airport Road

Trueblood PAC truebloodpac.com, 920.847.2528

870 Main Road

Concerts in the Park Venues

Algoma Concerts in the Park Heritage Park, 512 Lake St.

Baileys Harbor Concerts in the Park Kendall Park, 2402 Cty F

Egg Harbor Concerts in the Park Harbor View Park, 7809 Hwy 42

Evenings in Ephraim

Harborside

PERFORMANCES

the orchestra has grown from a chamber orchestra to a full symphony.

The Peninsula Music Festival’s (PMF) August symphony series will return for its 71th season at Door Community Auditorium, where its new music director, Rune Bergmann, will act as conductor for the first time in his new position. He was a guest conductor during the 2022 season. Longtime PMF conductor Victor Yampolsky serves as the festival’s conductor laureate.

Guests can enjoy pre-concert music at the Kane Gazebo. Submitted.

Birch Creek Music

Performance Center

3821 Cty E in Egg Harbor birchcreek.org

As both a music-performance center and educational center, Birch Creek showcases young talent as well as the talent of instructors and seasoned performers. Each year, Birch Creek hosts percussion, symphony and jazz concerts.

The 2023 concerts are Percussion & Steel Band (June 22-24 and June 29-July 1), Symphony (July 4, 6-8 and 13-15), Big Band Jazz I (July 19-22 and 26-29), and Big Band Jazz II (Aug. 2-5 and 9-12). The Birch Creek Jazz Ambassadors – a group of students participating in the music academy – also perform throughout the summer at various locations.

Concerts are held inside the centuryold Dutton Concert Barn at 7 pm, with preshow music at 6:30 pm unless otherwise noted. Select concerts will be held at 3 pm, with preshow music at 2:30 pm. General admission is $32 for adults, $10 for students and $6 for children. For $38, you can get reserved premium seating. Also call to ask about the ¾ Time promotion, through which you can buy three tickets and get the fourth free.

During three weeks, PMF will present nine different symphony concerts. Week one includes American Dream on Aug. 1, Breeze from Fyn on Aug. 3 and Norwegian Romance on Aug. 5. Baroque and Buckner on Aug. 8, Master Mozart on Aug. 10 and Finlandia on Aug. 12 are all featured during the second week. The final week’s concerts are A Night in Stockholm on Aug. 15, French Feelings on Aug. 17 and Transforming Finale on Aug. 19.

All concerts start at 7:30 pm. Tickets are sold through a seating-chart system. Premium seating is $75; other tiers are $50, $45, $40 and $35. Children and students can get tickets for $10 for any seat.

One day during the festival, performers play short concerts at various locations on Washington Island. Submitted.

Washington Island Music

Festival

Trueblood Performing Arts Center, 870 Main Road on Washington Island washingtonislandmusicfestival.com

The idea for the Washington Island Music Festival can be traced back to 1990. From performing five concerts in a week, it has grown to add complementary lectures, and starting in 2003, the festival became the sole support and provider of music education at the Washington Island School. Programming also includes preconcert talks and Musicians in the Barn (Aug. 2, 4 and 10).

Facebook photo.

Midsummer’s Music

Throughout Door County midsummersmusic.com

Founded by Jim and Jean Berkenstock, Midsummer’s Music has been bringing chamber music to Door County for more than three decades and is hosting 40plus concerts this season throughout the county. Programs for the 2023 series include Opening with a Flair (June 17, 20 and 21); Women to Be Heard (June 22-25); Remembering Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky (June 29-30, July 1-2); Brahms in the Spotlight (July 6-9); Eric Lewis Meets Will Healy (July 13-14); Emperor Concerto & Jeannie Yu (July 15-16, 19 and 21); Haydn (Michael) & Mendelssohn (July 20, 22-23 and 26); Schubert Trio (July 27-30); 19th Century French Rapture (Aug. 23-26); Splendid Stories (Aug. 27, 29-31 and Sept. 3); and Celebratory Fireworks! (Sept. 1-2, 4). A salon concert will take place for the Aug. 30 performance of Splendid Stories Salon concerts have limited space, so reservations are required.

Tickets are $38 for adults, $17 for students, and free for children 12 and younger when accompanied by a paying adult. Premium prices apply for opening night, the salon/home concerts and other special events. Flex-pack tickets are also available: six tickets for the price of five.

Peninsula Music Festival

Door Community Auditorium, 3926 Hwy 42 in Fish Creek musicfestival.com

What started out as performances in the Gibraltar gym in 1953 has evolved into performances for hundreds of music lovers in the Door Community Auditorium, and

The 2023 concerts are Welcome Back on July 31, Summer Music on Aug. 3, a concert on Aug. 6, pop-up concerts at various locations on Aug. 8, Children’s Concert on Aug. 9, Big Top Concert on Aug. 10 and Fond Farewell on Aug. 11.

In addition to the classic concert music, the festival features a Summer Music Camp for kids ages 6-12, who are featured performers for the children’s concert. Concerts held at the Trueblood Performing Arts Center are $25; otherwise, concerts are free, with donations appreciated.

Check the schedules on websites for specific dates, times and locations.

The Peninsula Music Festival orchestra rehearses on the Door Community Auditorium stage. Facebook photo.

MUSIC FESTIVALS

Sól Grass Music Festival

Friday-Saturday, June 16-17

This build-your-own-adventure bluegrass festival is returning to the Washington Island Campground for year three. It’s a rain-or-shine event, so arrive prepared.

Sól Grass is a combined music and camping experience. Unreserved tent camping is included with a general-admission ticket, and sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Those staying in trailers, RVs and campers must reserve a campsite. Other lodging options are also available on the island for those who do not wish to camp.

The festival organizers encourage attendees to explore the island during the day before returning to the festival site to enjoy the music. Them Coulee Boys are headlining this year’s festival, and joining that group will be Chicken Wire Empire, Wood Belly, Dig Deep, Miles Over Mountains, Buffalo Galaxy, Good Morning Bedlam, The Cody Sisters Band, High and Rising, Long Mama, The MilBillies, and Steve Stone and the Washington Island Eastsiders.

Bands will play 4-11 pm on both nights, but the fun doesn’t stop when they do! Festival goers are encouraged to take their own instruments and enjoy spontaneous jams with fellow campers and band members. Find out more and purchase tickets at solgrassmusicfestival.com.

Blues on the Bay

Saturday, Aug. 26, 2-8 pm

End your summer of music with a blues bang during the ninth Blues on the Bay festival at the Ellison Bay Community Park. This year’s lineup includes local blues artists Mighty Mouth, Dirty Deuce and Cathy Grier & the Troublemakers. Joining them will be Grammy-winning Chicago musician Billy Flynn, who will have friends along for his performance.

Papa B’s Food Truck and Savor BBQ Co. will be on hand to serve up food, and Mink River Basin will supply beverages. Guests are welcome to take a picnic as well, and they should provide their own chairs or blankets to sit on while enjoying the tunes and water view.

Blues on the Bay is a fundraiser for Door County Secret Santa, an organization that helps local families to pay their heating bills. Last year, enough was raised to help 75 families, with each receiving $750. The event is free, but $20 donations are requested to help this effort. To get more details and see any event updates, visit facebook.com/bluesonthebay.

Pride Anthems

JUNE 23

JUNE 26

2023 MAIN STAGE SEASON

Alive Again - A Tribute to Chicago

September 16

Choir!Choir!Choir! epic 80s SING-ALONG

September 22

• Marty Stuart

September 28

October 6

• Hiplet Ballerinas

• Tartan Terrors October 15

• When You Wish Upon a Star, A Jazz Tribute to 100 Years of Disney October 22

• “Stay Prayed Up” Screening

Hosted by Phil Cook November 5

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

JUNE 20

Mat Kearney with Marc Scibilia

Mike Zito (center) plays the Blues on the Bay stage in 2019. File photo by Len Villano.

Sól Grass lights up the night on Washington Island. Submitted.

BACCHUS LOTUS

Bacchus Lotus has been serving up classic and original rock since 1979, when the original four band members combined forces. The group originally comprised Jeff Radke, Rich Zoran, Matt Bayens and Charlie Eckhardt, who is the band teacher at Gibraltar Area Schools. It added Door County local Zephyr Ciesar –who is known for her powerful vocals – to its lineup in 2022 as its lead singer. Bacchus Lotus delivers its high-energy performances from stages across Wisconsin and performs regularly at venues throughout Door County. The group’s members say they have a lot of fun playing together, pulling from their deep-rooted love of music.

“We’re just a group of musicians who love to play challenging music that lights us up creatively, and we’ve carefully chosen our set list to reflect music we love and find exciting to play each night,” Ciesar said.

Check out Bacchus Lotus at Stone Harbor on July 1, just in time for the July Fourth holiday.

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MAT KEARNEY

Mat Kearney is bringing his blend of hip-hop and folk to the Door Community Auditorium on June 26. Allmusic says of his songs, “Incredibly hooky … buoyant, restorative.”

Kearney came onto the scene in 2004 with the release of his debut album, Bullet. Since then, he has released five studio LPs, claimed the #1 spot on iTunes, topped multiple Billboard charts, appeared on Ellen and The Tonight Show and toured with John Mayer and Sheryl Crow.

Don’t let Kearney’s lilting guitar and breezy tunes fool you: He’s noted for energetic live performances that get the audience going.

LANCE AND LEA

Although they come from different backgrounds, Lance Kotara and LeAnna Kaufman combine their musical histories to create songs that are “marked by heart-pounding harmonies, prominent guitars, emotional lyrics and melodies.”

Having grown up Amish, Lea listened to gospel music and sang in church. Meanwhile, Lance played in a rock band. They met in Nashville and formed the duo Lance and Lea. Their style pulls from old-school country and Americana influences and blends in Texas blues guitar and storytelling lyrics.

They won the New Artist of the Year honor at the 2019 iHeart Radio Rocky Mountain Country Music Awards.

Audiences rave about Lance and Lea’s stage presence and chemistry. See what they’re talking about June 21 at the Trueblood Performing Arts Center on Washington Island.

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RYAN MEISEL

Ryan Meisel’s Spiritual Currents show blurs the lines between a performance and a meditation session. In his performance, Meisel combines his own background in jazz with the sounds of Indigenous musicians throughout the globe, using prerecorded percussion to back up his live saxophone, flute, whistle and woodwind music. The result is a many-layered, one-person show that encourages musical mindfulness. Meisel oft en plays jazz in Chicago, Madison and Milwaukee (his hometown), but on July 27, the multi-instrumentalist, educator and composer will be playing at Kendall Park in Baileys Harbor.

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WET POSSUM

If the year on your driver’s license starts with a one, Wet Possum is the band for you. The five-piece Green Bay cover band focuses on the pop-punk and alt-rock hits of the 1990s and 2000s, playing everything from The Killers to Good Charlotte.

The group is made up of Zach Hibbard, the band’s lead vocalist and Winnie the Pooh impersonator; Devin Whitmire, the band’s bass player and possum fun-fact dealer; Marshall Zak, the band’s drummer and personal chef; Matt Hayes, the band’s rhythm guitarist and dog dad; and Jon Tabers-Kwak, a backup rhythm guitar player and crossword enthusiast.

By the time Wet Possum’s set is over, you’ll want to log back in to MySpace, charge up your Motorola Razr and don your old black skinny jeans. If you’re ready for a blast from the past, catch Wet Possum on July 7 at Husby’s in Sister Bay.

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SHEPLEY FRATER

From folksy solo sets to electric party-rock cooked up during home recording sessions, this multi-instrumentalist does it all. His lyrics blur genre lines, too, flowing between personal reflections to historical character studies to pure fiction.

According to his SoundCloud bio, Frater’s goal is to “figure out how to make [his music] sound cool enough to be included on the flash drive they fire into space to persuade the aliens that our race is worth sparing from a coldly practical extermination, which we may have only dreamed up out of guilt and insecurity.”

In the meantime, he’ll be playing Peach Barn in Sister Bay on July 19 and Aug. 2.

SOUNDCLOUD

THE WAILIN’ JENNYS

Hailing from Canada, this group is a popular, internationally touring folk group. NPR says, “The Wailin’ Jennys are more than just impeccable bluegrass harmonizers; they’re also terrific bandleaders who give their traditional roots music a sense of real reverence.”

Founding members are Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse. The group made frequent appearances on Garrison Keillor’s public-radio show A Prairie Home Companion, launching them into the limelight, and The Wailin’ Jennys won the 2005 Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year.

Group members look outside their folk roots, too, combining influences from Americana and pop. They will be playing Aug. 9 as part of the Peg Egan Sunset Concert Series

DISCONAPSE

Each member of Disconapse has a different taste in music, so when the four Fox Cities–based musicians come together, they create a distinctive swirl of genres, from indie rock to R&B to psychedelic soul.

Intricate melodies by vocalist Shan Fiorello complement intense guitar tracks by Dak Wright. Ben Miller on drums and Mike Brandt on bass give the music a dynamic, groovy backbone.

Catch Disconapse at Mike’s Port Pub in Jacksonport on Aug. 4.

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