| A little more than 20 years ago, on a cold November evening, a small group of Door County visitors and residents gathered at a local inn, enjoying the first of what has become a popular tradition: monthly winter folk concerts. During this time, more than 55 talented folk singers and songwriters from all over the country have performed at the White Gull Inn.
The concerts were conceived by the Innkeeper Andy Coulson, a banjo player himself and lover of traditional and contemporary folk music. Coulson was frustrated by the lack of live entertainment during the long quiet Door County winters. The first concerts were loosely based on the "house concert" concept, in which traveling folk musicians, often on tight budgets and in need of work, are invited into the homes of fans along the route of their travels. The fans provide the musician with food and lodging in return for a concert to a small group of friends, often right in their living rooms. A collection at the door goes to the artist to help defray expenses.
The house concert circuit has provided work and travel expenses for generations of singers and brought folk music to many rural areas that are too small to otherwise provide such entertainment. "I wasn't sure who would come to a concert on a weekday in winter in Fish Creek," Coulson recalls thinking in the beginning. "But we had plenty of room and board , and figured that we had nothing to lose. At the very least, we'd have some quality folk music in Fish Creek."
In the beginning, it was not easy finding artists willing to come so far for such a small turnout. However, as word got around, more and more musicians decided that a "working holiday" in the quiet beauty of the Door Peninsula was worth the trek to the north country. The series has gradually been able to attract in more and more well known performers, such as Anne Hills, Chris Smither, Tom Paxton and Cheryl Wheeler, many of whom normally play in much larger halls.
The pre-concert dinners, now almost as popular as the concerts, were added in recent years at the request of local residents. White Gull chefs responded by offering an optional fixed price dinner, served at 6 pm for each concert.
Concert tickets are $14.00-$16.00 and can be purchased at the door, although most concerts are sold out, so advance ticket purchase and reservations for the pre-concert dinners are recommended. You may purchase tickets at the White Gull front desk, or you can do it by phone, using a credit card.
Another Successful Season of Concerts Comes to a Close
Date: Thursday, May 1, 2008
With Joel Mabus delivering a great concert on April 30, our 23rd concert season is over, and plans are now underway for next winter's series. Until we have the new schedule, we are leaving last season's concerts up to provide an idea of the type of music our series showcases.
For those of you who want to know the new schedule as soon as it is available, you can email me at andycoulson@whitegullinn.com with your email address. Otherwise, the new schedule is usually posted by mid-September. Thanks for a great season, and we hope to see you next fall, if not before. Andy Coulson
Date: Wednesday, November 14, 2007
For decades Don Stiernberg has been known throughout the country for his virtuosity on the mandolin, and his equally impressive talents on the guitar and as a singer. Today considered the country’s premier jazz mandolinist, Don was a teenager playing in a bluegrass band when he found his direction in life, meeting the late Jethro Burns (of Homer and Jethro) for mandolin lessons. Later, as a member of The Jethro Burns Quartet, he was able to share the stage with such luminaries as Chet Atkins, Steve Goodman, and The Newgrass Revival. Don co-produced and played rhythm guitar on Jethro's final recordings, "Swing Low, Sweet Mandolin"(1995) and "Bye Bye Blues"(1997) for the Acoustic Disc label.
His 1999 recording "About Time" on Blue Night Records garnered exposure on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Since then he has appeared at festivals and clubs around the country and recorded three more titles for Blue Night Records: "Unseasonably Cool" (2001), and, with guitarist John Carlini, "Angel Eyes"(2004) and their newly released all-Gershwin collection "By George". In addition, Don's mandolin can also be heard on about 30 recordings by other artists in genres ranging from bluegrass to pop and children's music.
Don’s trio for this concert also features John Parrott on guitar and Stewart Miller on bass, for an evening of trademark Stiernberg jazz, interspaced with bluegrass, folk and western swing. Tickets: $15
Optional Pre-concert dinner served at 6 PM. Menu:
Hunter Style Chicken on a crispy risotto cake, accompanied with butternut squash leek gratin, romaine salad with sun dried tomato vinaigrette. Apple crisp with vanilla ice cream for dessert. $18.95
Date: Wednesday, December 12, 2007
A graduate of Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, Vox moved to Nashville in 2000 to pursue a songwriting career, but rejection from the holier than thou exclusive country songwriting community pushed her to carve her own path. Leaving Nashville for England, she returned to the States six months later with a collection of emotionally inspired songs which fell into place on her 2002 acoustic recording Still.
Encouraged by the positive fan response to her first two CDs, Vox began touring full time, and soon teamed up with Midwestern singer/songwriters, Stolie and Kellie Lin Knott, to form the acoustic trio, Tres Femmes.
An accomplished guitarist and ukulele player, Vox released Victoria Vox and Her Jumping Flea in 2006 to rave reviews. On her first Hawaiian tour in support of the album, Vox was offered sponsorship by KoAloha Ukuleles out of Honolulu. Jumping Flea has been featured on NPR’s “To the Best of Our Knowledge”, the song “America” was used on A&E’s Random 1 and indie film “Lost in Woonsocket”, and “My Darlin’ Beau” was awarded runner up in the International Acoustic Music Awards. For the past 3 years, Vox has been touring full-time, 150+ shows a year, across the continental U.S., Hawaii, and Western Europe. Tickets: $15
Optional Pre-concert dinner served at 6 PM. Special Holiday Concert Menu: Peppercorn Dusted Tenderloin Medallions with a toasted chestnut red wine reduction sauce, parsley buttered new potatoes, roasted squash gratin and Yorkshire pudding. Winter greens salad, fresh baked rolls. Steamed Chocolate pudding for dessert. $20.95
Date: Wednesday, January 9, 2008
What can we say about the Berrymans that we haven’t already, other than they have been regulars on our series since the beginning, kicking off their first national tour of each year with a White Gull performance, and who:
• “Had our first band (a folky band) in high school in 1964.
• Had our second band (a jug band) in college in 1966.
• Had our brief third and fourth bands in 1969 and 1971.
• Were married to each other in 1967.
• Had a five year honeymoon in Canada.
• Got a divorce in 1974.
• Started playing weekly at the Club de Wash in Madison in 1977.
• Became a full-time musical duo in 1977.
• Finished playing weekly at the Club de Wash in 1987.
• Recorded our first of twelve original albums in 1980.
• Have the best fans in the biz.
• Owe a great debt of thanks to many people, especially our spouses Kristi and Mark, plus the likes of Rodney Scheel and Michael Cooney.”
To which we’ll add: amazing songwriters, insightful, funny and very entertaining. Oh, and the only group we’re featuring this year (or any year for that matter) that accompanies themselves on the 12-string guitar and piano accordion. Tickets: $15
Optional Pre-concert Dinner served at 6 PM. Menu: Braized short ribs with cream cheese mashed potatoes, caramelized root vegetables, mixed mesclun greens with balsamic vinaigrette. Carrot cake for dessert. $18.95
Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Wil is a highly acclaimed songwriter, a previous winner of the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest, and has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry with her original music, in addition to touring extensively in Europe and Japan. She honed her songwriting skills playing music professionally in Europe with her group Shady Mix.
Wil Maring and virtuoso guitarist and fiddler Robert Bowlin have been recently combining talents to create beautiful original acoustic music which straddles the fence between bluegrass, folk and country music. Wil’s beautiful airy vocal style and heartfelt lyrics have raised the eyebrows of the acoustic music world in recent years with the release of her three solo cds and four band cds with her band Shady Mix. Robert, a two-time National Fingerpicking and Flatpicking Guitar contest winner, has been a band member with legendary artists like Bill Monroe, Maura O Connell, Kathy Mattea, the Osborne Brothers, and many more.
As Dave Higgs, respected host of Nashville Public Radio's nationally syndicated bluegrass program describes their performance: "Absolutely, hands-down some of the most mesmerizing, exciting, interesting and enjoyable acoustic music I have ever heard. Wil's songs are just in a league of their own, and the picking.... the interplay between (the musicians) is simply astonishing. Not clones -- but an inspired group with a different message. I love it!" Tickets: $15
Optional Pre-Concert Dinner served at 6 PM. Menu: Yankee Pot Roast with boiled new potatoes, carrots, onions and gravy. Served with a simple greens salad in Italian vinaigrette, oven fresh Limpa rolls and chocolate fudge cake for dessert. $18.95
Date: Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Steve Gillette is best known as a songwriter, with songs recorded by artists from Ian & Sylvia to Garth Brooks, from Jiminy Cricket to John Denver. His song Darcy Farrow alone has been recorded by more than one hundred artists since 1966, most recently by Jimmy Dale Gilmore and Nanci Griffith. Quite literally, he wrote the book on songwriting: Songwriting and the Creative Process (Sing Out Press) is a standard text in songwriting classes across the country. Steve sings in a rich baritone and is a virtuoso on guitar, using a unique fingerpicking style with a flat-pick and two fingers. His most recent solo recording is Texas and Tennessee (Redwing Music), named one of the Top Ten Folk Albums of 1998 by Tower Records' Pulse Magazine.
Cindy Mangsen, who married Gillette in 1989, is also a songwriter, but her focus has been on song keeping. Cindy is a master interpreter of traditional ballads, rich in myth and legend. She plays guitar, concertina, and banjo, and is renowned for her compelling voice, described by one critic as a voice that can warm a New England winter. Her newest solo CD is Cat Tales: Songs of the Feline Persuasion (2005, Compass Rose Music), an album of songs about cats and their people. As Steve comments, "Cindy has brought me back to my roots, and I think I've influenced her in terms of ensemble playing, rhythmic development, arrangement and performing. We're very fortunate to play for people who really listen and who come to a concert with a certain sense of history. There's a strong feeling of community about this music."
Steve and Cindy have been featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered and Mountain Stage, and have delighted audiences across North America and Europe with their music, warmth, and humor. They have recorded four duet albums: Live in Concert (1991), The Light of the Day (named Best Folk Album of 1996 by WFMT and WDET), A Sense of Place (2001, Redwing Music), and Being There (2006, Compass Rose Music).
Optional Pre-concert dinner served at 6 PM. Menu: Cider glazed baked ham with potato gratin, warmed cinnamon apples, green bean almond sauté, and sweet potato pecan pie tartlets for dessert. $18.95
Date: April 30, 2008
Singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Joel Mabus is a maverick in the folk music world. He defies any easy pigeonhole. By turns, he picks a mountain banjo to accompany an ancient ballad, sings a witty song about modern life, plays a sweet Irish melody on guitar, swings a hot jazz number, and then reaches deep for a soulful expression of values in a troubled world. He tops it all with a fiddle tune or old Carter family song -- all skillfully blended into a seamless flow. One fan said “Its music from the heart that hits you right between the eyes.”
A mainstay on the folk circuit these past 30 years, Joel has 18 albums to his credit; the latest is The Banjo Monologues (2007). He has performed in concert with such folk music stars as John Prine, Joan Baez and Tom Paxton, and has been featured at the top folk clubs and festivals, such as the Philadelphia Folk Festival and Vancouver Folk Festival. Tickets: $15
Optional Pre-concert dinner served at 6 PM. Menu: Herb and Parmesan crusted chicken served over roasted garlic pasta topped with a charred tomato salsa with a sauté of seasonal vegetable, green salad with apples, dried cherries and balsamic vinaigrette. Rhubarb torte with vanilla ice cream for dessert. $18.95
Folk Musicians Previously Featured at the White Gull
Date: 1985-2007
Musicians who have appeared in the White Gull folk concert series in the 22 seasons since its inception in 1985: Tom Paxton, Cheryl Wheeler, John McCuen, Chris Smither, Michael Smith, Bill Miller, Fred Alley, Vance Gilbert, Neal & Leandra, Lou and Peter Berryman, Michael Johnson, Garnet Rogers, Pat Donohue, Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum, Joel Mabus, David Mallett, Suzzy and Maggie Roche, Cindy Mangsen and Steve Gillette, Bill Staines, Buddy Mondlock, Bryan Bowers, Anne Hills, Willy Porter, Michael Miles, Bob Bovee and Gail Heil, Jim Hurst and Missy Raines, Dave Moore, Cathie Ryan, Small Potatoes, Matt Watroba, Peter Mayer, Kenny White, Natalia Zukerman, Eric Lewis, Tommy Burroughs, Andy Ratliff, Hans Christian, David Roth, Brooks Williams, Steppin In It with Rachel Davis, James Keelaghan, Chuck Pyle, L. J. Booth, John Smith, Tom Pease, Louise Taylor, Christopher Shaw and Bridget Ball, Mark Dvorak, Priscilla Herdman, Claudia Schmidt, Moe Dixon, Cosy Sheridan, Becky Schlegel, Phil Passen and Highland Road.
The concerts are held approximately once a month, November through April, beginning at 8 pm, after an optional dinner served at 6 pm .
Phone 920-868-3517 or Toll Free 888-364-9542
E-mail innkeeper@whitegullinn.com
PO Box, 160, Fish Creek, WI 54212
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