Studio5 Presents ‘Down Home Weekend’ June 12-14, Featuring Folk, Bluegrass, and Cajun Music And Dancing

Evanston, Ill. — Ready for a little bit of old-time fun? This June, Studio5, a performing arts center in Evanston, is thrilled to present Down Home Weekend, a three-day music and dance extravaganza featuring folk, bluegrass, Americana, and Cajun music bands; two open jam sessions; performances by local singer songwriters; a fiddle workshop; and two opportunities for interactive, live dancing. Some of the events will be free and open to the public. Others will range in price from $15 to $58.

“At Studio5, we usually focus on presenting jazz music,” said Steve Rashid, co-artistic director of Studio5. “Our live shows are recorded and aired on ‘Chicago Jazz Live’ on WDCB, so we’ve developed this little jazz ecosystem at Studio5. But at heart I am a musical omnivore, and especially to celebrate our 10th anniversary season, we thought it would be fun to have a special weekend to showcase other types of American music. And we knew that adding live dancing would make it especially memorable. We hope audiences really get in on the fun!”

Down Home Weekend will take place from June 12 to 14, with concerts scheduled for each of the days.

The festivities will begin on Friday, June 12, with a salon-style presentation of talented local songwriters from 5:30-6:30 p.m., followed by a performance by singer-songwriterand claw hammer banjo player Jonas Friddle from 7-8 p.m. Friddle has received The John Lennon Songwriting Award, first place in the Great American Song Contest and a nomination for Album of the Year in the Independent Music Awards for his music that is both honest and humorous.

Then from 8-9 p.m., the altfolk trio Sons of the Never Wrong — made up of Bruce Roper, Sue Demel and Deborah Lader — will perform their signature witty, whimsical songs with soaring harmonies and hilarious banter, which has earned them a cult-like following over the last 30 years.

On Saturday, June 13, Studio5 will present a free bluegrass jam from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., followed by acclaimed bluegrass bands The Sullivan Sisters and Don Stiernberg and the Bluegrasstics in the evening.

Known for their fast bluegrass picking and gorgeous harmonies, The Sullivan Sisters are made up of sisters Luciya, 18, who recently graduated from Evanston Township High School, and Soraya, 20. The pair are working on their first album with Dark Shadow Recording in Nashville.

They will be followed by internationally renowned mandolin player Don Stiernberg, who will bereturning to his musical roots and performing the bluegrass music he's played since he was a child. For this show, Stiernberg has assembled a stellar ensemble featuring bassist Jim Cox, singer/guitarist Ben Benedict, and one of the founding members of another bluegrass group, the Henhouse Prowlers, banjo player Ben Wright.

On Sunday, June 14, Studio5 lets the audience get in on the fun by offering interactive dancing, music workshops and jam sessions in the afternoon before some Cajun music concerts in the evening.

The line-up begins at 3 p.m. with live contra dancing, which is similar to square dancing, that will be called by Jo Mortland and set to the live music of Fred Campeau's Old T Blue and the Shipmates.

Meanwhile, at the same time in another room at Studio5, musicians are welcome to join a free old-time music jam session.

At 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., audiences can take a Cajun fiddle workshop and a Cajun dance lesson, followed by a performance by Cajun music group The Cajun Strangers at 7 p.m.

“We don’t often have interactive dancing at Studio5, but if you’re going to have Cajun music, you just have to dancing as well,” Rashid said. “Could there be a better way to end our Down Home Weekend than dancing with friends on a crowded floor? Umm... no.”

Separate tickets will be sold for each day, and one ticket will get you access to all events happening on that day. Tickets for the contra dancing are $15 and will be sold separately.

Tickets include all taxes and fees. For tickets, please visit https://studio5.dance/calendar.

DOWN HOME WEEKEND

June 12 — The Songwriters
5:30-6:30 p.m. Pre-show salon performances by local singer/songwriters
Jacob Parker
Peggy Browning
Chuck Cox
Rebecca Jasso
Tisa Batchelder
7 p.m. The Jonas Friddle Trio
8 p.m. Sons of The Never Wrong

Jonas Friddle is a singer, songwriter and Old-Time banjo player whose songs have received The John Lennon Songwriting Award, first place in the Great American Song Contest and a nomination for Album of the Year in the Independent Music Awards. His songs are full of imagery, honesty, and humor. Sons of the Never Wrong is a turbo-charged Altfolk trio from Chicago — made up of Bruce Roper, Sue Demel and Deborah Lader — that delivers witty, whimsical songs with their signature soaring harmonies. Their oddball humor and spontaneous stories ignite their live shows and have earned them a cult-like international following for over 30 years. Combining influences of folk, jazz, pop and rock, their sound is wildly original, their energy is contagious and their banter is hilarious.
Tickets: $46 for theater seating, $58 for cabaret seating

June 13 — Bluegrass
4:30-6:30 p.m. Pre-show Open Bluegrass Jam (free)
7 p.m. The Sullivan Sisters
8 p.m. Don Stiernberg and The Bluegrasstics

The Sullivan Sisters have dazzled audiences since childhood with their unique blend of fast bluegrass picking and captivating sibling harmonies, with music ranging from lyrical originals to timeless folk classics to blazing instrumentals. Inspired by the bluegrass community in North Carolina where they were born and raised, Soraya and Luciya carried their love of the genre with them when they relocated to Chicago. They will be followed by internationally renowned mandolin player Don Stiernberg, who will be returning to his musical roots and performing the bluegrass music he's played artfully since he was a child. For this show, Don has assembled a unique, phenomenal ensemble featuring bassist Jim Cox, the great singer/guitarist Ben Benedict, and one of the founding members of another incredible bluegrass group, the Henhouse Prowlers, banjo player Ben Wright. Preceding the show, the public can enjoy a bluegrass jam for free from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Tickets: $46 for theater seating, $58 for cabaret seating. Free for the pre-show from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

June 14 — Get On Up!

3-5 p.m. Old Time Jam room (free)
3-5 p.m. Contra dancing with live music by Old T Blue and the Shipmates ($15)
4:30-5:30 p.m. Cajun Fiddle Workshop with Brian O'Donnell
5:30-6:30 p.m. Cajun Dance Instruction with Louie Stallone
7 p.m. Cajun Strangers

If you want to cut a rug, here's your opportunity. Come enjoy two hours of contra dancing (similar to square dancing) to live music from Fred Campeau's Old T Blue and the Shipmates. Plus, enjoy two sets by the wonderful Madison, WI, band, The Cajun Strangers, paired with an hour of Cajun dance instruction before the concert, led by Louie Stallone. The Cajun Strangers are one of the Midwest’s premier Cajun music dance bands. Born out of their love for Louisiana porch music, the band performs Cajun and Zydeco dance music with “unbridled energy and contagious enthusiasm that’s more than enough to entice the most sedentary patron to rise up and shake what their mama gave’em” (Dirty Linen Magazine).
Tickets: $15 for contra dancing. Concert, fiddle workshop and cajun dance instruction $40 for theater seating, $50 for cabaret seating

Studio5
Where: 1934 Dempster St., Evanston, IL 60202
Info: https://www.studio5.dance/calendar

About Studio5
Studio5 is a performing arts venue that opened in Evanston in 2016, bringing professional dance, music, and spoken word events to a 128-seat theater. Founded and curated by Dance Center Evanston director Béa Rashid and Emmy-award winning composer and jazz musician Steve Rashid, Studio5 provides North Shore arts-goers with a venue that is both state-of-the-art and intimate, connecting audiences and artists. Studio5 boasts great sight lines; comfortable seats; excellent sound; ample, free parking; and a cash bar that opens half an hour before each performance.