History update

 

At Stone & Snow's house concert we had fun talking about it being 15 years since we started, so I thought I should update the blog post with all of our shows.  So through Nikki Grossman's concert we've had 59 concerts and 6 cancelled.  

Bluff View history is one where I step back and say wow, then I say... boy that wasn’t enough fun. Should have booked more! Really wondering if I missed a 2011 concert. None were duds, all were special in so many different ways. Feel free to post a comment on how many you’ve made.

You know from the start we were asked, "really you open your house up to strangers?" Well yes we do, but in 15 years we've only had two memorable visitors that were both harmless and unique. Everyone else is like us, friendly and so welcoming to listening to music. Newbies and strangers and welcomed and encouraged.

What do your neighbors think? Well they say in the house concert world being friendly with your neighbors is important. Our neighbors have been to the concerts, and they are great people. We live out in the country on a cul-de-sac so plenty of road parking.

Lori and I lived in Manitowoc where after we started dating, house concerts with Fritz & Mary Shuler were the best thing in the world. Now Fritz's started in his house and grew larger so he moved them to his store, Golden Ring Folklore Center, so you sat around his albums for sale.

House concerts in general are mere private parties where traveling musicians play for the pass of the hat. BMI/ASCAP can't really claim royalties because we're not a business. 100% of the hat goes to the artist, and your audience brings their own beverages so no sales are being had.

The format is so much fun to talk about, and artists love them. As a host, I normally serve up our musical guests salmon on the grill for dinner and make sure they have a warm home with cats to pet and to spend the night.

So now guess on how many accordion or fiddle players we’ve hosted. Anyone know who picked up my bouzouki and played it smoothly? Which concert started outside for the first set and inside for the second? What night was so hot the air conditioning just couldn’t keep up? Which was your first? Have you made others in the area? Which concert had Bill Monroe's fiddle player? Who is a niece of a famous musician? Which artist is so allergic to cats that I shampoo the carpet before they attend? We've had European connections to Switzerland and Sweden; can you guess which two? Which musician also played at Fritz's series back in Manitowoc? What couple started dating after one of our house concerts?

We've had a good network of three other house shows within the LaCrosse area; but I try not to book too many. I don't want to burn out our audience, and I don't want to compete with my business friends like Trempealeau Hotel, Leo & Leona's, Pump House, and Root Note too much.

Updated in Nov 2023 with pictures and/or links of song tracks or ONE video from the night. (if there are more you can find them in my Around Town Playlist)

Of course the best way to keep track of our schedule and where we are really located is at our Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/BluffView/

2008

Wil Maring & Robert Bowlin (Feb show)

Heather Waters & Rich McCulley

Mike & Amy Finders (Summer show)

Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen Oct 18th

2009

Norah Rendell & Brian Miller March 8th

Allison Sattinger & Matt Coleman (May 27th rare Thursday night)

Becky Schlegel July 17th

Heather Waters & Chuck Lee Bramlett Oct

2010

The Pines

Tori Sparks (cancelled lost voice)

Clay Riness (Saturday & Sunday shows)

Seth Horan (July Show)

David Stoddard & David Glaser

Mary Mack with Don D Harvey opening act. Dec 10th

2011

Dana & Sue Robinson

Doug Spears (canceled Easter)

Two Tap Trio - Norah Rendell, Brian Miller, Nathan Gourley (Xmas Show)

The next day was setting the room for a Xmas tour on Sunday, I put two songs from Friday on the tour video.

2012

Beth Wood May 5th

Evie Laden & Keith Terry Jun 23rd

Lindsey Lou & Flatbellys Nov 16th

2013

Beth Wood & David Stoddard Mar 15th

Carrie Elkin & Danny Schmidt Apr 27th

Prairie Smoke Fest Fundraiser Jun 29th

Mary Mack & Tim Harmston Sep 27th

WhiskeyBelles Nov 2nd

2014

Norah Rendell & Brian Miller Feb 7th

Drew Nelson Apr 25th

Barbara Jean & Erik Koskinen Sep 13th

Pigtown Fling Stringband Nov 8th

2015

Bill Staines Mar 6th

Natalie Gelman Apr 10th

Kelly McRae & Matt Castleline Sep 18th

WhiskeyBelles Oct 23rd

We so love these women, and this was their second booking. Next visit in LaCrosse was when they were booked at the Pump House. Their Xmas CD is solid fun and great music and includes "Santa Lost a Ho" My all time favorite top ten Christmas song, and sure beats Grandma Got Run Over, so much it showed up in the Pete and Pat Show.

2016

Michael Johnson (canceled health issues)

Barbara Jean & Erik Koskinen Mar 19th

Jillian Rae & Eric Martin Oct 7th

Brian Miller & Randy Gosa Nov 4th (Norah was ill)

2017

Bill Staines March 3rd

Emily Earle w/Jessie McDonald May 5th

Yellow Bellied Sapsuckers Sep 29th

Chicago Farmer Nov 9 & 10th

2018

Siri Undlin of Humbird & Luke Callen Feb 9th

Hobbes always picked the back row.

Beth Wood Mar 10th

Caitlin Jemma Apr 13th

Photos by Pete Solberg

Pigtown Fling Stringband - May 5th 60th birthday party

What a blast, thanks for everyone who could come and celebrate with me.

Sofia Talvik - Sep 22nd

Natalie Gelmen - Oct 27th

Yes it was our only Halloween themed concert, and Natalie did have me play harp on one song... pretty cool. I'm thinking Pete Solberg took these pictures too.

Randy Sabien - Nov 16th

2019

Humbird & Andy Hughes - Feb 9th

This video was taken by Dylan Overhouse.

Pat Ferguson & Christian Staehly - May 3rd (reschedule from March due to weather)

Claude Bourbon - Oct 18th

Chicago Farmer - Nov 9th

2020

Luke Callen & Nici Pepper - Feb 7th

Merry Weathers - Postponed Pandemic

Miss Tess - Postponed Pandemic

2021

Sarah Morris & Annie Fitzgerald - Postponed Pandemic

2022

Humbird & Luke Callen - Feb 12th

Eddie Allen - Mar 25th (originally schedule in 2021 moved because of pandemic)

Caludo - Jul 6th at the Trempealeau Hotel

Vivian Leva & Riley Calcagno - Sep 23rd

Good Morning Bedlam - Dec 9th (rare Xmas tree was up)

2023

Mike Munson - Mar 3rd (Two Chickadee Project)

Stone & Snow - Mar 31st

Nikki Grossman - May 5th (Two Chickadee Project)

Weary Ramblers (Kathryn Severing Fox & Chad Elliott) - Oct 6th

Barnaby Bright - Nov 3rd

2024

Jaspar Lepak & Ben Cook-Feltz  Feb 9th

Here's a preview what the night will sound like:

Jessica Malone Sat April 27th

Here's a video to introduce you to her music:

Sarah Peacock Fri Nov 1st

Implusively I quickly booked Sarah after watching this video: