Junegrass Jamboree June 25, 2010

Hundredth Monkey Productions presents
1st Annual Junegrass Jamboree at the High Noon Saloon
Friday June 25th

This annual event is set forth in celebration of the summer solstice.

This years Junegrass Jamboree will feature Great Midwestern Bluegrass Bash favorites Sweetgrass and Past Blue Rhythm as well as regional folk hero Charlie Parr
Come out early and enjoy cocktail service and a very special acoustic patio performance with Madison's own Sweetgrass from 8pm-9pm (8:35pm sunset)
then join us inside for some boot stompin Bluegrass from 9:30pm until close.
Take in the full moon at the High noon
ages 21+

Swetgrass (headliner 8pm-9pm on the patio and 12:30pm-2:00am inside)

SweetGrass is an acoustic quintet based out of Madison, WI. Its five members share a passion for bluegrass music that is the driving force behind the band. They play a mix of original music and traditional bluegrass songs that combine to create the SweetGrass experience. Their beautiful four part harmonies and finger burning solos helped them win the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Organization's band competition in 2009, making them the reigning "Race for a Place" champions. They play that hard-driving kind of bluegrass that makes you want to get up, stomp your feet, and dosy-doe with your neighbor. SweetGrass honed their craft on the sidewalks of State Street in Madison, but you can find them now, making that high lonesome sound, at music venues across the Midwest.

Charlie Parr (10:45pm-12:15am)

It must be a crazy world when “authentic” is a term used to separate an artist from the pack. Charlie Parr is a folk and country blues musician who is routinely labeled “authentic” and “the real deal” by fans and critics alike. Charlie shows up with a lived-in rasp of a voice, National resonator and 12-string acoustic guitars, a banjo and a batch of his own songs and well-traveled numbers by Mississippi John Hurt, Charley Patton and other cohorts from another time. He lays it on you, and you sense that the gamblers, the union workers, the criminals and the sinners that wander around his songs are peering right over your shoulder. Parr has sung about these folks at steady gigs in his hometown of Duluth, Minnesota, showcase performances like “A Prairie Home Companion,” roadhouses in Texas and Montana, punk clubs in Ireland and pubs in London – let's just say that he's turned a lot of heads. His self-taught mix of slide, finger-picking and quasi-frailing technique, together with a voice that's low on drama and high on impact, can also be heard on four CDs (including the acclaimed 2005 release Rooster). The stories he tells get into some dark spots; that place where regret and remorse part company. A bit of a modern take on timeless conditions. Check him out and you'll probably agree – Charlie Parr is coming from a very real place, and this has, in fact, always been a crazy world.
Parr moved from the Twin Cities to Duluth, Minnesota in 2000. In 2001 he released his debut CD, Criminals & Sinners, named “Best Local Folk Record” by Duluth's Ripsaw News. His three additional releases include 1922 (in 2002), King Earl (2004) and Rooster (2005). Glowing reviews for each release have cited the obvious influence of pioneers like Mississippi John Hurt and Robert Johnson, as well as more modern artists like John Fahey and Nick Drake. But what also gets people's attention is Parr's willingness to be himself – unbound by the constrictions of traditionalists and undeterred by present-day themes. (You wouldn't hear Robert Johnson refer to television or raising funds by recycling cans. Charlie does, but not for the sake of irony – it's simply part of his landscape.) Perhaps being steeped in pre-WWII acoustic blues while having his eyes wide open to current conditions explains how Charlie Parr has been embraced at punk clubs, jam band festivals and trendy bistros, in addition to traditional “Americana/roots” venues.

Past Blue Rhythm (9:30pm-10:30pm)

Past Blue Rhythm (P.B.R.) is a four piece bluegrass band based out of Northeastern Wisconsin. P.B.R has been performing at live events ranging from fundraisers to some of the largest bluegrass festivals in the State of Wisconsin since 2005. P.B.R. provides an energetic recipe of music containing hints of Country, Rock, and Traditional Bluegrass. The tight harmonies and fast paced picking will provide you with a lively framework for any afternoon or evening.
PBR recently had the honor of supporting regional powerhouse Cornmeal.