Sunday, May 6, 2012

The Power of Music


I have played music all my life and enjoy it as a personal and interactive activity.  But seeing live music, to me, is something greater than just the individual on stage or the participants in the crowd.  What it is is the collaborative of a collective group of people, in the same room, bearing witness to a person (or people) presenting their art form.  In my mind, everyone is winning.  The artist is given an outlet to present their works of art, that more than likely are created from a place close to their heart, and the audience is there to enjoy that art.  Together.

Here is a video of Jeff Tweedy from one of my favorite bands Wilco hitting the nail on the head.


The creation of Moonshine Showcase was born out of this concept.  When I go to a concert something great happens to me.  I can recount every single concert I have ever been to.  And I have great memories of all of them.  It is not just music, but a life experience.  I have had some of the best times of my life at concerts.  Whether it was festivals like Edge Fest with my buddies in the late 90's or Sugarland with my beautiful wife, concerts have always been a hot bed of good memories for me.

My goal is to create that for other people and to do that 4 blocks away from my home and yours.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Life up to this point in time.


Well, here we are four months into the "White Lightning 2012 Tour" at the Broadway Theater in Wabasha, MN and things are going GREAT!!!!

 Here is a quick rundown of the first three shows:

February 13th: Lovers in the Round featuring Bob Wootton, The Dove Tailers and The Sudden Lovelys. It was great to have Bob back at the theater again.  He is an electric individual. It was great to hear him play 30 years of Johnny Cash and attach all the stories with the tunes. I am sure he will grace us with his presence in the near future


    The Dove Tailers, Brandon Sampson and his wife Heather, did a great job showing the satisfaction and struggles of being married and musicians.  Brandon and his Band Six Mile Grove www.sixmilegrove.com have a new album out and are doing some great things! It is well worth a listen. They are getting a lot of great press internationally!  Look for these guys to explode at any moment.  Hopefully, they will remember us little people:)  Brandon is also the creator of American Showcase www.americanashowcase.com hosted at the Civic Theater in Rochester, MN.  This series is the premier presenter of quality music in Rochester!  This is also worth checking out.
    However, the show stealers of the night were The Sudden Lovelys www.thesuddenlovelys.com . The lovely duo of Paige and Danny bring greatness to the stage.  Have you ever seen a man sit on an old steamer trunk, on a bicycle seat playing the guitar next to a woman surrounded by percussion and the voice of an angel?  Me either, but The Sudden Lovelys can give you that experience.  We were happy to have them and are looking to welcoming them back in June to open for Jeremy Messersmith.

March 17th: Two Tap Trio with The Moon Coin Ceili Dancers.
St. Patty's Day fulfilled every Irish stereo type for us! Great music backed with great dancers and copious amounts of beer guzzled.  Two Tap Trio www.twotaptrio.com was recommened to us by a number of people and they delivered.  They have got to be the premier traditional Irish band in the metro area.  And, they were really great people!  It was an honor to host them.







April 21st: Monroe Crossing featuring: The DitchLilies

Monroe Crossing is a MACHINE!! www.monroecrossing.com From the time you first inquire about booking them till the day they play the show, they are professionals.  No wonder why they can book 160+ shows a year.  This show was supported in part by Legacy Grant money from the Southeast Minnesota Arts Council.  This allowed us to afford them when we would not normally be able to.  Also, they were required to fulfill an educational component, so Wabasha-Kellogg High School got to see the magic of great bluegrass musicians.  Again, The DitchLilies www.theditchlilies.com did not dissapoint.  Hailing from Maiden Rock, WI, Lisa and Kari are the paradigm of wonderful music that we have in the area!








That brings us to this month.  May 19th we will welcome MASON JENNINGS!!!  It is great to be able to provide such a small town with such a big artist.  If you miss this show, you will be missing something great!  Tickets for this show are going fast and will sell out, so don't delay!

Tickets and info for this show and the rest of the season can be found on our website www.moonshineshowcase.com .


YOUR CHANCE TO WIN:
Subscribe to this blog via email (link below) or facebook (look at the top right of this blog) and be entered for a chance to win 2 VIP Tickets to see Jeremy Messersmith live @ The Broadway Theater in Wabasha, MN on June 16th.

The winner will be notified Friday June 1st!





The Big One!

It has begun!
For the past 2 years we have poured our hearts and souls into creating Moonshine Showcase.  We have been very lucky to host a number of national acts early on.  That list includes Gary Louris from the Jayhawks, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Johnny Cash's legendary guitar player Bob Wootton, and bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley.  Early on we set the bar very high and this year is no different.  Moonshine Showcase has established itself as the provider of A+ music with an A+ experience.  Since 2009 we have grown leaps and bounds to what we are now.  And we continue to grow.  This season we present to you the WHITE LIGHTNING 2012 TOUR.  This collection of shows has met the high standards of the past and exceeds to the next level of great music in the small town of Wabasha.  

The Line-Up:
As previously mentioned, we are committed to bring the highest quality music to Wabasha, MN.  Our goal is to make Wabasha a hub for great music in the region. First and foremost in this equation is GREAT BANDS.  Not only will the headliners be great, but all supporting musicians as well. Here is your 2012 line-up:





The Benefits of Membership:
One major change this year is the creation of membership packages. The details of the packages can be found on our website at 


The packages are reduced in price after every show, making them available for purchase throughout the season.

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN:
Subscribe to this blog via email (link below) or facebook (look at the top right of this blog) and be entered for a chance to win 2 VIP Tickets to see Jeremy Messersmith live @ The Broadway Theater in Wabasha, MN on June 16th.

The winner will be notified Friday June 1st!