Peach Jam - A Tribute To The Allman Brothers Band

Friday, Mar. 01 | 8:00pm ET (7:00pm CT)

Peach Jam is a collective of some of the best musicians Chicago has to offer celebrating the music of the legendary Allman Brothers Band.

About the Artists:

Formed in 2022, these players will transport you back in time to the Fillmore East and keep you moving all night long. Peach Jam brings together members of Chicago mainstays Cornmeal, Terrapin Flyer, Old Shoe, Helping Phriendly Orchestra, and the Brooklyn Charmers for a cosmic gumbo of hot jams, tight grooves, soaring vocal harmonies, and down-home blues that’ll make a believer out of any ABB fan. “People can you feel it? Love is everywhere!”

RESERVED SEATING DONATION option includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to The Acorn and guarantees you a seat with optimal sightlines. $25 Donation per ticket holder in your group.

Grahame Lesh & The North

Friday, Apr. 19 | 8:00pm ET (7:00pm CT)

Midnight North takes its cue from the fertile Bay Area music scene. Formed in early 2012 by singer/songwriters Grahame Lesh and Elliott Peck, whose harmonies came as naturally as the initial songs, along with bassist Connor O'Sullivan. The band's current-day lineup was completed with the addition of drummer/banjo player Nathan Graham.

A Message from Midnight North:

An update for our dear friends & fans,

We - and especially Elliott - are so thankful for your well wishes for her health these last few weeks. It really has been a special thing to see the outpouring of support and love that has come Elliott’s way as she recovers. Since our last update Elliott underwent a complex surgery to remove the tumor, which was fortunately deemed quite successful. Of course, because of the intensity of the surgery her recovery will not be very fast, so it will be some time before Elliott is back on stage and even longer before she’s back on tour.

Our April shows in the Midwest will go ahead, but similar to last weekend we will be billing them as Grahame Lesh & The North (that’s our buddy Justin Mazer who always refers to us as “the North”). There is no Midnight North without Elliott, so we’ll be holding off on calling ourselves MN until Elliott is ready to lead us onstage ❤️

Stay tuned as we keep you updated beyond the spring, and keep the healing love, thoughts, and prayers flowing!

⁃ Elliott, Nathan, Grahame, Connor, & TJ

About Midnight North

"Wanderer shine on high/Brightest star in the midnight sky/Swing down low, the night so black/Ace of diamonds in the zodiac" – 'Jupiter' (lyrics by Robert Hunter)

Midnight North takes its cue from the fertile Bay Area music scene. Formed in early 2012 by singer/songwriters Grahame Lesh and Elliott Peck, whose harmonies came as naturally as the initial songs, along with bassist Connor O'Sullivan. The band's current-day lineup was completed when drummer/banjo player Nathan Graham came aboard after a chance meeting at a benefit concert in Philadelphia in 2016 following the release of its third, and breakthrough, album, Under the Lights, in 2017. In the early days, the group was able to grow as a unit thanks to an association with Lesh's family venue, Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, California.

Diamonds in the Zodiac — on the Americana Vibes label — is Midnight North's fifth studio album (along with three live discs), representing a continuation of the musical direction on 2021's There's Always a Story. The title comes from the unearthed Robert Hunter lyrics for "Jupiter," one of two extended tracks on an album — the other, Grahame's opening "Questions." Other than those two, Diamonds is increasingly song-oriented and steeped in bluegrass, country, soul, blues, funk, jazz and gospel — a true Americana melting pot.

It also turned into a real, second-generation family affair, as it was produced by the band's dear friend Amy Helm, daughter of The Band's Levon Helm and singer/songwriter Libby Titus, and features Grahame's dad Phil and brother Brian. "Things have come full circle in that it was meeting Amy and Levon Helm at a Ramble in the Barn that gave my parents the inspiration to open Terrapin Crossroads, and having Terrapin was so instrumental in the band's development. And now Amy produced this album and shepherded these songs to their ultimate form," said Grahame.

Diamonds was mixed by D. James Goodwin, who has worked with such luminaries as Bob Weir, the Hold Steady, The National, Goose, and Bonny Light Horseman among many others. Micah Nelson, aka Particle Kid, and Willie's son, did the honors on the album cover artwork, using acrylic paint mixed with floetrol poured on wood.

Recorded at Dave Schools' (Widespread Panic) Spacecamp in Occidental, California, Diamond in the Zodiac's 10 tracks represent a truly collaborative effort , featuring band members playing different instruments and many friends & collaborators stopping by the studio to contribute to the music and the vibe. Phil & Brian Lesh, Jason Crosby, and TJ Kanczuzewski all contributed significant moments, and all of the focus was on pulling the best version of the song out of the ensemble.

"What's unique about this band is we have two lead writers in Grahame and I, with very different approaches," says Elliott. "I've always been more in the singer/songwriter mold, while Grahame comes from the jam band ethos of extending things. I feel Grahame has really evolved as a songwriter on this record, where a song like 'Questions' is more lyrically driven."

Grahame acknowledges taking his cues on the track from listening to the audiobook of Jeff Tweedy's "How to Write One Song" in writing "Questions." "Elliott recommended it to me during the pandemic, and that's the song that came out of it. His idea in the book was just to start and finish one song and not worry about a whole repertoire."

Elliott based the piano-driven "The Colors Here," the first single — which features Phil Lesh on bass, Jason Crosby on violin, and producer Amy Helm on harmony vocals — on memories of tornadoes in her Midwest Chicago childhood along with the Judy Garland movie of Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz," where the screen goes from black-and-white to technicolor when Dorothy finds she's not in Kansas anymore.

"It's all about how suffering through a major tragedy can open the door to your salvation," explains Elliott. "You can find beauty on the other side. There's always hope."

Grahame acknowledges the influence of Grateful Dead albums like Workingman's Dead and American Beauty on his "Back to California," another early track which has the warm country flavor of the Allman Brothers' "Sweet Melissa." "Back to California" features backing vocals from the entire choir of the band and extended family of musicians who were at the studio that day, including Phil Lesh, Amy Helm, and touring keyboard player TJ Kanczuzewski. The song first appeared in a very different form on Under the Lights.

"The Under the Lights album was written right after the first time we'd been out in the world as a band on tour," says Grahame. "It felt like we could claim some of that classic rock and roll imagery of troubadours on the road eating up the miles. Even though it's a younger me who wrote those lyrics, they seem to fit the themes of this record too. We changed the key and updated the feel, and it feels like it finally fits musically with where the band is now. It has become one of my favorite songs to play live, and I'm thrilled that this version is on the record."

Nathan's "Walk the Runway" offers an East Coast perspective. It's a story about falling in love with the bartender at an unnamed New York haunt, revealed by the band to be Fanelli's "at the corner of Prince." "Old Country," written by Brian Lesh and featuring his harmony vocals and mandolin playing, is a folk song in which he asks, "Won't you see me sitting there/Grinning at the moon?" under Nathan & Connor's driving country groove.

Other musical flavors include the funky "Round & Round," with Jason Crosby tickling the ivories and Connor's driving funk bassline pushing the action (and which Elliott co-wrote with Grahame while jamming on her '70s Wurlitzer), and the plaintive "In the Sunrise," in which Elliott shows off her vocals — equal parts Janis Joplin's primal scream, Bonnie Raitt's soulful ache and Brandi Carlile's naked vulnerability.

The epic centerpiece of the album, and the piece de resistance for Deadheads, is undoubtedly "Jupiter" — featuring Phil on bass and Brian on harmony vocals — which harks back to Phil Lesh & Friends' "Planet Jams" of some 20 years ago, the Quintet with guitarists Warren Haynes and Jimmy Herring, keyboardist Rob Barraco and drummer John Molo.

"I grew up watching that lineup in my early teens through high school, when that band was really cooking," said Grahame. "They often wrote with Bob [Hunter] at the time for the Phil & Friends album There & Back Again and other projects, and the lyrics to 'Jupiter' come from that time. My dad never put the lyrics to the music he wrote, and at some point passed them along to me, and a few years ago I wrote music to the lyrics. I didn't change any of the words."

"Hunter very much meant for the words to speak for themselves," says Grahame. "I always think of the clip from the Long Strange Trip movie where they asked him to explain the lyrics to 'Dark Star,' and he responded by reciting the lyrics and then saying, 'what is unclear about that? I mean, it says what it means.'"

With its top-flight pedigree, Midnight North is intent on carrying the torch for this distinctly American music from one generation to the next. "Songlines" sums up the idea of a group of individuals putting their unique experiences into the common thread of music. Elliott and Amy join their voices together, singing, "Pass the lyric down to a troubled heart/A broken choir sings to light up the dark."

"It's a generational thing," acknowledges Grahame. "It's about what's passed down to us and what we pass on. The verses are about different people in the dark needing the light, and that's where they get it, from families and friends."

Elliott's "A Great Farewell" brings the album to a suitable close. It's about starting over, trying new things, but never forgetting what got us here in the first place. "I guess we'll repeat the same mistakes/Knowing nothing's going to change," she sings, adding, "There's a light out there/If we're open to the spark."

Diamonds in the Zodiac shows not even the sky is the limit for Midnight North.

"The songs and the community are the pillars holding this up," says Lesh, who has toured with his father as a member of Phil Lesh's Terrapin Family Band and Phil Lesh & Friends. "We're so thankful to be part of this scene. This music is timeless."

RESERVED SEATING DONATION option includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to The Acorn and guarantees you a seat with optimal sightlines. $25 Donation per ticket holder in your group.

The Acorn is hosting a Community Book Drive in celebration of the life and legacy of Dolly Parton! Bring a book to The Acorn throughout the month of April and receive a Dolly Parton themed gift. Bring a book to The Acorn the night of The Music of Dolly Parton on April 27 for $3 off our specialty drink for the night - the Wine to 5! Books should be new and chosen for children of any age - infants through teens! Books will be distributed to River Valley Schools.

Kruger Brothers

Friday, Apr. 12 | 8:00pm ET (7:00pm CT)

Folk band The Kruger Brothers, Jens Kruger (banjo, harmony vocals), Uwe Kruger (guitar, lead and harmony vocals) and Joel Landsberg (bass, harmony vocals) perform at The Acorn. The Kruger Brothers personify the spirit of exploration and innovation that forms the core of the American musical tradition.

About the Artist

Born and raised in Europe, brothers Jens and Uwe Kruger started singing and playing instruments at a very young age. Growing up in a family where music was an important part of life, they were exposed to a wide diversity of musical influences. The brothers were performing regularly by the time they were eleven and twelve years old, and they began their professional career in 1979. Jens’ and Uwe’s first public performances were as a duo, and in just a few years they were busking on the streets of cities throughout eastern and western Europe.

CBS Records contracted with Jens and Uwe when Jens was just seventeen years old, and shortly thereafter, the Krugers hosted a radio show on SRG SSR, the Swiss Public broadcast group. Several years later, the brothers teamed up with bass player Joel Landsberg, a native of New York City who also had a very extensive musical upbringing in classical and jazz music (studying with jazz great Milt Hinton), thus forming a trio that has been playing professionally together since 1995. Together, they established the incomparable sound that The Kruger Brothers are known for today. The trio moved to the United States in 2002 and is based in Wilkesboro, NC.

Since their formal introduction to American audiences in 1997, The Kruger Brothers’ remarkable discipline, creativity and their ability to infuse classical music into folk music has resulted in a unique sound that has made them a fixture within the world of acoustic music. The honesty of their writing has since become a hallmark of the trio’s work.

In their ever-expanding body of work – Jens Kruger (banjo and vocals), Uwe Kruger (guitar and lead vocals), and Joel Landsberg , (bass and vocals) – The Kruger Brothers personify the spirit of exploration and innovation that forms the core of the American musical tradition. Their original music is crafted around their discerning taste, and the result is unpretentious, cultivated, and delightfully fresh.

RESERVED SEATING DONATION option includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to The Acorn and guarantees you a seat with optimal sightlines. $25 Donation per ticket holder in your group.

The Acorn is hosting a Community Book Drive in celebration of the life and legacy of Dolly Parton! Bring a book to The Acorn throughout the month of April and receive a Dolly Parton themed gift. Bring a book to The Acorn the night of The Music of Dolly Parton on April 27 for $3 off our specialty drink for the night - the Wine to 5! Books should be new and chosen for children of any age - infants through teens! Books will be distributed to River Valley Schools.

Fruition w/ Willy Tea Taylor

Saturday, Mar. 16 | 8:00pm ET (7:00pm CT)

Portland-based quintet Fruition perform folk-rock with touches of psych, soul, and bluegrass. Their newest album, Broken at the Break of Day, shines a light on all five members of the band – Jay Cobb Anderson (vocals, lead guitar, harmonica) / Kellen Asebroek (vocals, rhythm guitar, piano) / Mimi Naja (vocals, mandolin, electric & acoustic guitar) / Jeff Leonard (bass) / Tyler Thompson (drums, banjo).

About the Artist

Fruition’s newest album, Broken at the Break of Day, shines a light on all five members of the band, whether it’s on the traded lead vocals of “Dawn” or the irresistible rhythms of “Where Can I Turn.” As it’s been for more than a decade, their sound is hard to define, but the songwriting and the harmonies tie their diverse influences together.

For example, “Counting the Days” is a poignant love letter, while “For You” shows the exasperation of maintaining a relationship on the road. The band’s most electrifying rock moment, “Do What You Want,” is then followed by “Nothing More Than Spinning,” which sounds like a folk song interpreted by Queen. The stunning vocal blend heard in “At the End of the Day” brings Broken at the Break of Day to its beautiful and touching conclusion.

Although it’s a challenge to categorize, the seven-song album feels whole because of the band’s dedication to honesty as well as harmony. The Portland, Oregon-based band is composed of Jay Cobb Anderson (electric guitar, vocals), Kellen Asebroek (piano, acoustic guitar vocals), Jeff Leonard (bass), Mimi Naja (mandolin, electric guitar, vocals) and Tyler Thompson (drums). Broken at the Break of Day, recorded in Thompson’s basement in between tour dates, follows the band’s exceptional 2019 album, Wild as the Night.

“This process was the quickest the band had ever wrote and recorded the songs,” Thompson says. “All the songs obviously fit either a ‘day’ or ‘night’ theme, but the whole rehearsing and recording process had to be done in about half the amount of time we were used to. That time limitation leant us to not over think things, play instinctually and all live in the studio with very minimal overdubs. All the songs are very different, but I think the speedy process naturally created some sonic congruency.”

The prolific band will release Wild as the Night and Broken at the Break of Day together on vinyl as well, giving listeners the option to hear the music as a collective body of work in a playlist-focused era.

“From a visibility standpoint, being able to release more music more often (even if it is in smaller doses) is ideal in the new frontier of digital music that we have found ourselves smack dab in the middle of,” Asebroek says. “It’s nice to be able to stay on people’s radar, in an age where people have instant access to the whole of music history at their fingertips. It’s also nice to put these out together on vinyl as a nod to the way things once were”

With a renewed focus on harnessing the energy of the live experience, Wild as the Night and Broken at the Break of Day allow listeners to get a glimpse of all five band members doing what they do best on stage, whether they’re opening for the Wood Brothers, Greensky Bluegrass, and Jack Johnson, or playing at festivals like Telluride Bluegrass, Bonnaroo, and DelFest.

Their unmistakable vocal blend first revealed itself in 2008 when Anderson tagged along with Asebroek and Naja for an afternoon of busking in Portland. Drawing on their string-band influences early on, they released their debut album Hawthorne Hoedown that same year. Thompson joined the band in 2011, shortly after hearing the band members singing together in a friend’s attic. Leonard came on board in 2015. Broken at the Break of Day is the band’s tenth release, including EPs and LPs.

“We pushed ourselves like never before. But in the end it all turned out great,” Anderson says about the sessions for Broken at the Break of Day. “It was a bit more of a hectic process to get things done and recorded. I can’t believe it sounds so good, when we did it all so fast.”

RESERVED SEATING DONATION option includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to The Acorn and guarantees you a seat with optimal sightlines. $25 Donation per ticket holder in your group.

Beth Orton w/ Pneumatic Tubes

Sunday, Mar. 10 | 7:00pm ET (6:00pm CT)

Beth Orton has long been regarded as possessing one of the most unique and expressive voices in music – a voice that has grown evermore rich and wise over time.

About the Artist

English singer/songwriter Beth Orton’s latest album Weather Alive was one of the most critically acclaimed records of 2022, landing on year-end 'Best of 2022' lists from NPR, Pitchfork, and The New York Times—the latter of which praised Orton for her “modal vocal phrases and marveling [stories]." Pitchfork also named the title track a Best New Track, calling it “a slow-burning tour de force,” while The Late Late Show with James Corden invited Orton and her band to perform album highlight "Fractals."

Orton self-produced Weather Alive, laying the foundations of the album on an upright piano that she installed in her garden shed at home in London. When the time was right, Orton invited an incredible group of collaborators to join her across the album's eight tracks, including jazz poet Alabaster DePlume, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner, multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily and Mercury Prize nominated bassist Tom Herbert of The Invisible. The musicians locked naturally into Orton’s sensibilities, expanding the emotive and dream-like world she'd created and conjuring a deeply meditative atmosphere that remains long after the final note has evaporated.

Orton has long been regarded as possessing one of the most unique and expressive voices in music – a voice that has grown evermore rich and wise over time. Her 1996 debut, Trailer Park, pioneered a synthesis of electronic and acoustic sounds, while its 1999 follow-up, Central Reservation, garnered international success. Further albums like the Jim O’Rourke-produced Comfort of Strangers and 2016’s largely electronic Kidsticks co-produced by Orton deepened the breadth of her craft. A turbulent life that progressed with long periods of ill health slowed her down and made for experience that she was only able to process through music. She began to spend more time making music at the piano than on guitar and the songs she wrote turned into the eight-track Weather Alive, the first album she’s ever self-produced in her nearly 30-year career.

“Music has always worked as a way of seeing,” she says. “I found myself writing until the words lost sense, which is really scary in the real world but really interesting when you’re making music. It gives all meaning new meaning. One of the most exciting elements of writing songs is how they reveal their truth as the process develops.” Indeed, the first notes of the album-opening title track usher the listener into an expansive, emotive and dream-like world of sound with little precedence in Orton’s prior work. The artist challenged herself to create music accordingly. Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden or Alice Coltrane come to mind at times throughout the record.

“I had brought myself a cheap old piano but it had a resonance that really spoke to me, almost an emotional resonance. I could explore in a way I wasn’t able to on guitar — I was able to find a depth, a voice I’d never trusted before. I worked with the atmosphere the piano created as an instrument in and of itself.” On producing she enthused “It wasn’t about proving myself to myself. That would be reductive, but in the end I did find capabilities I wasn’t aware I held. This was a collaboration between my unconscious self and some wonderful musicians and the piano was the constant anchor.”

The musicians locked naturally into Orton’s sensibilities, expanding the new sonic world she’d created. “Every person it attracted brought their sensitivity and love, and I think responded to the vulnerability,” she says. This intuitive interplay is best heard on songs like “Fractals,” “That track is a beautiful example of the nature of collaboration, where people come to the songs as they are, why else would I want to work with them unless I love what they bring,” she says. “I would not have been able to conjure that music without these musicians.”

In time, additional players helped add nuance and color to the music, including Shahzad Ismaily on guitar, drums, harmonica, bass and Moog, Sam Beste on vibraphone, Francine Perry on synths and Alabaster dePlume on saxophone. “Diving into what they brought was really magical,” says Orton. “The palette I had to play with was exquisite, and the players were extraordinary.” Working remotely from her garden, Orton took everything that had been played and spent four months sculpting the raw materials into what has become the final record.

Even when the lyrics lean into stream of consciousness, Orton’s signature storytelling is on frequent display throughout Weather Alive, from the warm, Proust-referencing “Friday Night” (“Though we never do get too close, I still hold you now and then,” Orton sings) and the bittersweet recollections of “Arms Around a Memory” (“Didn’t we make a beautiful life in your eighth-floor walkup that night?”) to the shimmering ambivalence of the seven-minute closer “Unwritten” (“I was sure we made a promise, but you never know”).

“This record explores all of that. I’m talking about my experiences possibly in a more personal way then I ever have but the important part will be how this music makes other people feel. It’s not a finished masterpiece, it is a collaboration with time, of someone struggling to make sense. And in that struggle, something beautiful got made.”

RESERVED SEATING DONATION option includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to The Acorn and guarantees you a seat with optimal sightlines. $25 Donation per ticket holder in your group.

Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos & The Chi-Town Playboys

Saturday, Mar. 02 | 8:00pm ET (7:00pm CT)

Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos & The Chi-Town Playboys perform at The Acorn. Rosas is a founding member of the iconic four-time Grammy-winning band, Los Lobos.

About the Artist

Cesar Rosas is a founding member of the iconic band, Los Lobos. Founded in 1973, the four time Grammy winning band has spanned generations with traditional flavored music to mind altering sounds and garnered a reputation as being one of the best damn bands in America. Their latest release, Native Sons, won the Grammy for Best Americana Album in 2022. Cesar’s original blues rock songs as well as his original Cumbia flavored music have helped make Los Lobos what it is. Joining Cesar will be The Chi-Town Playboys consisting of Dave Herrero, Scott Tipping, Ari Seder, Dan Ingenthron and Chuck Lacy. Come see this lobo on a unique night without the pack.

RESERVED SEATING DONATION option includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to The Acorn and guarantees you a seat with optimal sightlines. $25 Donation per ticket holder in your group.

Lissie w/ Diana DeMuth

Saturday, Mar. 23 | 8:00pm ET (7:00pm CT)

Midwestern artist Lissie is a multi-talented tour de force who recently released her new Americana-tinged indie folk album Carving Canyons.

About the Artists

Midwestern artist Lissie is a multi-talented tour de force who released her new Americana-tinged indie folk album Carving Canyons on September 16. Ahead of the release she has unveiled the first song two songs “Flowers” and “Night Moves”. Debuted by FLOOD Magazine, the haunting sun-soaked song Night Moves channels Fleetwood Mac grandeur as it explores sensory memory and considering multiple realities vs one’s own point of view when navigating heartbreak.

Carving Canyons is about looking within while dealing with the uncertainty of the future—finding hope in personal and worldly adversity, no matter what the forecast might say. Inspired by her incredible intergenerational female friend group and the nature that surrounded her, Lissie traveled to Nashville and co-wrote much of the album with a majority of female-identifying songwriters—including Bre Kennedy, Madi Diaz, Morgan Nagler, Natalie Hemby, Kate York, and Sarah Buxton—who also contribute additional vocals throughout the album. Carving Canyons is Lissie’s first full-length album since her UK Top 10 album “Castles" in 2018.

In 2010, her 1st full length album Catching A Tiger unassumingly established Lissie as a global voice. Lissie has recently appeared in TV shows Twin Peaks and Loudermilk as well as co-owns the music genre themed popcorn company Otts Pops Indie Pop and is involved with land conservation.

Restless and ready to pave her own way, Diana DeMuth has burst onto the singer-songwriter scene with a breathtaking voice and arresting perspective about life, love and self-discovery. Her debut album “Misadventure” was released independently in 2020 to critical acclaim. Shortly after that she sang a featured duet with Lumineers frontman Wesley Schultz on his debut solo album “Vignettes” which reached #1 on Billboard Vinyl Charts. Most recently Diana sang backgrounds on the The Lumineers chart-topping album “Brightside”.

DeMuth, a proud LGBTQ daughter of the Massachusetts coast, brings her songs to life in powerful and cathartic live performances supporting the likes of The Lumineers, Melissa Etheridge, Jade Bird, Amos Lee, The Felice Brothers, and Michael Franti.

“A euphoric must listen.” —Rolling Stone

RESERVED SEATING DONATION option includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to The Acorn and guarantees you a seat with optimal sightlines. $25 Donation per ticket holder in your group.

Davy Knowles w/ Jack Whittle Trio

Friday, Feb. 16 | 8:00pm ET (7:00pm CT)

Roots singer-songwriter and guitarist Davy Knowles boldly steps forward with timeless and cohesive songwriting, sleek modern production, and a lyrical, play-for-the-song guitar approach informed from soul, folk, rock, and blues.

About the Artist

Davy Knowles:
If I Should Wander feels less like an album and more like a diary to me. I couldn’t be more honest or more open to my own thoughts and feelings at the time I wrote these songs. There was no hiding, no skirting around the subjects. For the very first time they came flowing out - one after the other, and in the order they appear on the finished album. The songs also took form in a radically different style than that of anything I had written previously. All of the songs for the album were completed within two months.

After that I waited. Whilst I never lost faith in the music, (it felt far too personal for that), I absolutely lost faith in my abilities and direction. This was such a far cry from the music I make my living playing. Why would anyone following my work in that arena want this? It took a very long time to understand a vital truth. It wasn’t written for them. This is a purely selfish endeavor. Meant only for me and those I hold close. Somehow, (and even typing this sounds strange) once I accepted this, the idea of sending this music out into the big bad world didn’t seem quite as frightening a prospect. “Folks don’t like it? That’s OK. It’s not for them. This one is for you.” There is a little hope of mine that maybe someone, somewhere may see a little of themselves in one of these songs and perhaps not feel so alone.

In keeping with the way these songs were written, and what they were written about, I decided to record these at home, on my own in my little music room in the flat I live in. Close, personal, intimate. More like a confessional than a recording. No frills, no trickery and just one microphone.

I have owned the instrument I used to write and record this album (a National Triolian resonator built in 1932 for those who may be interested) for 15 years, and have played it onstage all over the world, always in the Delta-Blues style this guitar is synonymous with. However, as soon as this style emerged from it, I felt like I finally had discovered what this instrument was truly for.

Jack Whittle:
Jack Whittle is a blues and roots singer, guitarist, and songwriter with a staggering depth of talent. The Chicagoland-based performer has been busy playing all over the Midwest and beyond, including a tour of the South in support of Chicago Blues mainstay Liz Mandeville. On a local level, Jack is a pillar of the thriving Northwest Indiana music scene and a highlight of jam nights and bar stages all over the area. Underneath it all is a foundation of knowledge based upon Jack’s consummate study and love of American roots music old and new from dirty, relentless blues shuffles to infectious country dance tunes and the underlying grooves and shared vocabulary that drive them. This is exemplified in the playful versatility of his songwriting, which was put on full display when Jack released his highly-anticipated, self-titled debut album in June 2022 to tremendous acclaim including a spot on Tom Lounges’ Top 10 Regional Albums of 2022. Featuring 8 original songs, many of which were co-written alongside frequent collaborator James Gedda, as well as Whittle’s rendition of the timeless Gospel song “Glory Glory.”

RESERVED SEATING DONATION option includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to The Acorn and guarantees you a seat with optimal sightlines. $25 Donation per ticket holder in your group.

Aaron Lee Tasjan w/ Molly Martin

Saturday, Apr. 20 | 8:00pm ET (7:00pm CT)

2023 Acorn Music Festival fan-favorite Aaron Lee Tasjan returns to The Acorn! Singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, band leader, activist, and Grammy nominee – Aaron Lee Tasjan has been and continues to be all of these things.

About the Artist

Aaron Lee Tasjan:
Over his past decade plus of writing, recording, producing, Aaron Lee Tasjan has released four excellent and critically acclaimed solo albums, toured the world over on his own and as the guitarist in the New York Dolls. He co-founded and co-wrote all of the material for the band Semi Precious Weapons. In 2021 he was nominated for a Grammy for his writing on Yola’s “Diamond Studded Shoes” and most recently, Tasjan produced Mya Byrne's album Rhinestone Tomboy (Kill Rock Stars Nashville) which helped to establish her as one of the first openly trans artists in Americana Music.

He’s cultivated a brilliant and outstanding career to date already. But his forthcoming album Stellar Evolution (Blue Élan Records) is just what the title says. Tasjan’s new album is truly the sum of all of the parts of his diverse accomplishments to date while clearly heading in a brand-new direction. You can’t put any labels on Stellar Evolution except for it being a career defining work and a major leap forward for someone who’s never been afraid to push the boundaries of any and all expectations.

As he set out to work on Stellar Evolution, Tasjan knew better than ever what was important to him. He’s been working his way towards a record like this since he first started making solo albums, with 2015’s In the Blazes. He stuck to an alt-country paradigm early in his career, though he knew that all of his favorite artists were the ones who broke out of their own boxes. His approach to that changed when he began to be more open about his queer identity.

“I realized that part of being an artist means building a community. What do you want that community to look like? Who do you want to be a part of that community? As an artist, it’s your job to curate that, and to be a reflection of what you wanna see in the world,” he says. “I gradually got braver to share more and more of myself through each record, and the music just kinda had to follow suit.” Stellar Evolution is a record on which Tasjan’s songwriting is beholden to nothing — no expectations, and certainly no genre. Just the pure sense of wonder and discovery that had made him fall in love with music as a kid in Orange County, devouring it all with no understanding or care for what was “cool.”

As he was writing, times became very dark for the queer community in the South. Bathroom bans and drag bans were enacted in Tennessee, while right-wing rhetoric around LGBT people became uglier and uglier. Tasjan knew this album needed to reflect the vibrant community that has become home to him. “You don’t wanna think that you live in a time where people are still so vocal about the hatred that they have for each other. But it’s something that I think we’re seeing the whole world over,” he says. “I felt like it was really important to let people know that they’re not alone, that we’re all in this fight together and that we see each other, and that we’re gonna do what this community always does, which is come together and have each other’s backs.

“The record became a sort of rallying cry for being who you are in a time when people literally wanna try to make it illegal to do that.”

Molly Martin:
Molly Martin’s debut album Mary released January 2023 is cheeky indie rock reminiscent of early Smashing Pumpkins, Land of Talk, and the attitude of the Pretenders. It’s music that pretends not to care about your feelings but really does. It’s a spotlight on the honest truth of Molly’s experience before and after quitting drinking; an 8-song inquiry into self-discovery. Molly’s birth name is Mary, and each track feels like a different aspect of the intersection between a buttoned-up Mary and a buttoned-down Molly. Nowhere near sacred and naturally profane, Mary is a think piece on everything from self-hatred to sexual assault. Something is bound to resonate, and that’s the point.

RESERVED SEATING DONATION option includes a $25 tax-deductible donation to The Acorn and guarantees you a seat with optimal sightlines. $25 Donation per ticket holder in your group.

The Acorn is hosting a Community Book Drive in celebration of the life and legacy of Dolly Parton! Bring a book to The Acorn throughout the month of April and receive a Dolly Parton themed gift. Bring a book to The Acorn the night of The Music of Dolly Parton on April 27 for $3 off our specialty drink for the night - the Wine to 5! Books should be new and chosen for children of any age - infants through teens! Books will be distributed to River Valley Schools.

Art at The Acorn – Artist Reception for Chris Brown - Awakening

Friday, Feb. 02 | 7:00pm ET (6:00pm CT)

The Acorn Center for the Performing Arts transforms into a visual art space with our initiative Art at The Acorn. We are proud to welcome our new artist, Chris Brown and his exhibit Awakening.

The exhibition follows Chris’s painting from about a year into his journey, when he started working in oils.

Artist Reception is free and open to the public.

• Light bites | Cash bar
• Artist Talk and Q&A moderated by Janet Davies

Photography was the first visual art medium to capture Chris’s attention, so much so that he once considered it for a career. Instead, it served as a hobby on-and-off over the years. But in the depths of the pandemic, a very special person put a paint brush in Chris’s hand for the first time – something he describes as ‘life-changing.’

“In an age of uncertainty and isolation, painting provided – and still provides -- much-needed doses of immersion, escape and joy. My newfound passion for painting is also proof that it's never too late in life to take on new endeavors, creative or otherwise.” –Chris Brown

In the three short years Chris has been putting paint to canvas (or wood panels, or cardboard, or reclaimed cupboard doors, etc.), he has gone from small-scale acrylics to larger oils. Using multiple layers, free-form gestures and geometric shapes, Chris’s works are designed to engage the viewer up close and from afar, and evoke interpretation on an individual level.

Registration for the free Artist Reception is encouraged. Please click the “Get Tickets” button at the bottom of this page to register.

Artist Statement:

After dabbling off and on in the written and visual arts for most of my life, a few years back I discovered painting, and now focus on mostly oils, mostly abstract. While self-taught, I am always eager to learn, not just from experience but from others: teachers, artists, or, like me, people who just like to talk about art. It excites me because I know this well is bottomless, that I can explore, consume, surround myself with, and create art ad infinitum and still find more to discover. These paintings represent the evolution of my style, mostly abstract forms that evoke representational interpretations. I utilize the viscous properties of oil paints to blend colors and layers to create depth that rewards viewing both up close and from afar.

About the Artist

Chris was born and raised in the Detroit area, graduated from Michigan State University, moved to Chicago, wrote fiction, played in bands, dabbled in photography, graduated from the University of Chicago, worked and worked some more, bought a place in Three Oaks, discovered painting during the pandemic and can't stop.