Category: 4th Friday Concert Series

Off Square Music is thrilled to present these 4th Friday concerts to you. You can enjoy the video right here, on the Off Square Music website: offsquaremusic.org (or click on the image in the right column). While you’re here, you may use the buttons in the right column of every page of the site to donate to Off Square Music or to tip the performer.

And now about our guest performer, Bill Camplin

Bill Camplin, co-owner with Kitty Welch of Café Carpe in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, contributes greatly to the folk music scene in Wisconsin and beyond. He kicks off our 4th Friday Concerts at Home series. Bill is a singer-songwriter and acoustic guitarist, playing professionally in the Milwaukee area since the late 1960s. Bill writes and arranges his own material and has produced a considerable body of work. He has appeared regularly at various clubs including the Blue River Café, Numero Unos, The Crystal Palace, The Avante Garde and the 19th Street Coffee House. Live performances with the Bill Camplin Band can be seen on Facebook, Reverbnation and on YouTube. Call the Café Carpe at 920-563 -9391, email info@cafecarpe.com or go to cdbaby.com to order Bill’s CDs. You’ll also enjoy The Bill Camplin Band’s CD, “Reunion at Ebbott’s Barn.”  Bill’s songs, “Village of Kindness” and “Inspiration” invite us to think and dream about kindness and follow the inspiration of people we admire.Off Square Music is excited to feature artists that have performed for us before such as Bill Camplin. He has performed in the past for both the Woodstock Folk Festival and Off Square Music. To sign up for the Café Carpe events email list, go to cafecarpe.com. In-house events are cancelled, but you can check for live-streamed events. Many fans are eagerly awaiting the day when we can go to concerts in the listening room, dine in the café and have a drink in the bar! 

What folks say about Bill

“When I think of Bill, I experience his warm voice and gentle guitar that pierces the heart in the night.” ~ Corky Siegel

“Bill is one of THE nicest club owners on the planet, with a keep love of music, and a strong commitment to bringing the best music to Ft. Atkinson, WI. Warm-hearted, generous, and slightly surreal, he and Kitty provide the most simpatico and copasetic vibes possible at Café Carpe, along with great food. Not to mention his great singing voice that I wouldn’t mind hearing more of! Bill, my hat is off to you, even though it’s REALLY cold out there now!” ~ Howard Levy

Bill Camplin is one of my favorite songwriters and performers! His percussive guitar and innovative interpretations of cover songs are second only to his original material. Musician, club owner, head cook or human being, Bill is one of the best! ~ Tricia Alexander

“What can I say about Bill Camplin that you haven’t already heard on your police scanner? Well, when he’s not running from the law, he is singing soulful renditions of his own songs, delivering inventive interpretations other others’ material (most notable Bob Dylan), and accompanying himself on his Martin guitars. He makes a mean jambalaya in the galley kitchen of the beloved Café Carpe in Ft. Atkinson, WI. He is a longtime dear friend and colleague, but if you happen to see him, please remind him he owes me forty bucks.” ~ Randy Sabien“

I have been a follower of Bill Camplin’s music for over a decade. I love to sit in the dimmed lights of the listening room at the Café Carpe and get lost in Bill’s performances. He is one of those rare performing artists who seems to become one with the song–whether his own or a cover arrangement–and, in becoming one with the music, he invites us into that experience as well. To be carried away by Bill’s music is not an escape so much as a journey of emotion and ideas. With Bill, it seems to me that it’s about the music, the art; his guitar playing and singing serve the songs, amplifying their power and beauty. As a singer myself, I have extra appreciation for Bill’s vocals. His strong, passionate voice, gorgeous and true, masterfully conveys all that each song has to say, fulfilling a promise to us as listeners and, also I believe to the Muse, to Art itself. I feel enormously grateful to have had the opportunity to enjoy his concerts, and even learn a thing or two from him over the years.” ~ Kaia Fowler

“Bill Camplin is well known as a singer/songwriter and acoustic guitarist. He was an integral part of the Milwaukee acoustic folk scene for many years and is also proprietor (along with Kitty Welch) of the World Famous Café Carpe in Fort Atkinson. The club attracts people on the singer-songwriter circuit, and has gained a national reputation among songwriters. ” ~ Wisconsin Public Radio

Remember, if you’d like to tip our performer, Bill Camplin, or donate to Off Square Music, you may use the buttons in the right column of every page of the site, offsquaremusic.org.

Sammy from Miami and the Roadkill Rangers

October 25, 2019 at Stage Left Cafe 7:30 pm

$10 suggested donation accepted at the door.

The band plays a variety of “good time string band music” featuring all acoustic instruments. Their repertoire includes bluegrass, country, folk, swing and some songs that just don’t fit into any box. However, the goal is to present high quality acoustic music with dynamic instrumentals and pleasant vocal harmonies.

The Roadkill Rangers are:

Sammy (From Miami) Byerly
Guitar & Vocals: Sammy grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and has been a full time amateur musician and songwriter his entire life. He is a trained percussionist and a self-taught guitar and bass player. Sammy’s original songs include love stories, humorous situations and anecdotal stories about his “Quest For Walter” the uncatchable fish of a thousand lies. Two recordings of his original songs are available on CD; “I Don’t Wanna Be Mom” and “Tie Me Down”. Sammy currently resides in Yorkville, Illinois.

Josh McPartland
Mandolin: Josh comes from a long line of musicians and performs around the Chicagoland area with a wide variety of bands and other musical acts. He is masterful at playing a wide variety of mandolin styles and I am happy to have him as a member of the Roadkill Rangers whenever I can wrangle him from his job and other musical commitments.

Charley Smart
Dobro: Charley is a talented dobro player in Northern Illinois where he occasionally fills in with the Roadkill Rangers on Dobro, but is also an active member of the Truman’s Ridge band and his own band, Bluegrass Escape. He is capable of playing old time traditional dobro style as well as the more modern Jerry Douglas style of dobro picking.

Mike Warfel
Bass Fiddle, Vocals: Mike provides the foundation for the band, with impeccable timing and spot on rhythm playing. Never a day goes by when the band is not in total awe of his twisted sense of humor and willingness to be silly on stage. Mike also plays bass guitar for a 1960’s hippie revival band known as “Peace Road”. He is an all-around groovy guy who currently lives in Sandwich, Illinois with his comedic sidekick, Dudley the parrot.

$10 suggested donation