Off Square Music is the heart and soul of the Woodstock music scene and the center of musical energy in McHenry County, Illinois. From all of its year-round indoor live music venues to outdoor special events and the award winning Woodstock Farmers Market, musicians and non-musicians alike travel to Woodstock to learn, hear and play music of many genres. Read more about our history in "About."
We’re finishing off the month of June in a truly spectacular way this Sunday 6/27. The Last Word is a celebration of collaboration, in many surprising and wonderful ways. Joined by Tricia Alexander and Diana Laffey, this will be a unique and wonderful show. Get there early for the best view. Show begins at 5 PM. Tips are cheerfully accepted at the Virtual Tip Jar signs posted around the bandstand, or in the Tip Bucket in front of the bandstand. All tips go directly to the performers. See you there!
The Last Word Quintet with Special Guests Tricia Alexander & Diana Laffey The Last Word Quintet is a collaboration between four of Chicago’s best musicians and songwriters with Marc Kelly Smith, performance poet, founder of the Uptown Poetry Slam and a leader of the worldwide poetry slam movement. Marc’s performance of original and classic poetry meshes seamlessly with Al Day’s vocals and lyrics to illustrate multi-dimensional tales of urban life. With pianist Bob Long, bassist Doug Lofstrom and saxophonist Brian Gephart, the Last Word creates new worlds to be explored. As Robert Rodi wrote in New City, “it’s apparent we’re hearing an entirely new kind of poetic conversation, and it’s thrilling.” Tricia Alexander: Award winning Performing & Healing Artist Exquisite voice, powerful performance poet & harmonica player. Tricia’s vibrant performance style is joy-filled, uplifting & inspiring! Diana Laffey, Vocalist Extraordinaire, Guitarist, Singer-Songwriter & Percussionist Folk, Blues, Rock, Kid’s Music – Diana’s got a little piece of it all in her heart! Together these two make musical magic!Sundays on the Square June 27, 5-7 pm – come on out to enjoy The Last Word with Tricia Alexander and Diana Laffey.
Sundays On The Square kicks off this season’s FREE concerts with The LeftOvers. Bring your chair and a snack! Relax in the beautiful Woodstock Square with The LeftOvers Sunday, June 6th, 5-7 pm. Off Square Music and the Woodstock Opera House bring you this free concert.
Band members are Joe Pesz, Rich Prezioso, Brian Murphy, Pete Jonsson, Les Urban, Laurel Palma and Jim Seidel.
Final “Live From Their House” concert this Friday,5/28/21. This time it’s a Zoom show with the incomparable Jack Williams, so it might be tough to get a re-broadcast. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!!! It’s free, but we’re trying to cut down on the gate-crashers. Doors open at 7 PM Central, show starts at 7:30 PM. All donations to Off Square Music go directly to the performers. Thank you for your generosity. See you there! https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZwrfuuvrj8tHdVLxRImMBAhQck4H..
Stage Left Open Mics are held on the 2nd Friday of every month from 7 – 11 p.m. at Stage Left Cafe, 125 Van Buren St. on the historic Woodstock Square. As we get underway with live events, be sure you’re on our email list for information about all our upcoming events! Sign up in the left column of any page on the site. Send your music-loving friends and family to sign up too.
Off Square Music invites musicians, singers, poets and other performers to participate in the Open Mic Nights. Whether you’re just starting out as a performer or are a seasoned veteran, Open Mic Night offers a supportive atmosphere with an exceptional performance space and sound system.
Performing slots are 15 minutes or three songs, whichever comes first. In addition, there will be a featured performer taking the stage for a 30-minute set.
You don’t have to perform to enjoy Open Mic Nights. Just come on out for the live music and Woodstock’s charming atmosphere. Off Square requests a $5.00/pp donation to support our many music activities, including Open Mic Nights.
To sign up to perform, email Mike Breen at offsquaremusic@gmail.com, Subject: Stage Left Open Mics. If you stop by an Open Mic Night early in the evening, there might even be an available slot that same night.
America’s most beloved jazz mandolinist – Don Stiernberg, performing Live from His very Own House! Hear some very tasty licks, be soothed by his tender vocals, and check out the digs while you’re there.
After the premiere, you will be able to enjoy the video right here, in the Video Gallery on the Off Square Music website – offsquaremusic.org.
While you’re on the site, you may use the buttons in the left column of any page of the site to DONATE to Off Square Music or TIP a performer. If you’d like to receive news via email of upcoming programs and events, SUBSCRIBE using that button in the left column.
About Don
Don Stiernberg recently began his fifth decade as a working musician. Along the way he has been involved in many musical activities: performing, writing, recording, producing, and teaching, but is best known for his mandolin playing. Born and still based in Chicago, the mandolin found Don as he grew up “out in the woods” in the nearly-rural suburb of Wauconda, IL. A desire to make music with his banjo and guitar playing brother led Don to appropriate a mandolin that had been given to him. Things came into focus both mandolin and life-wise when his parents sent Don to study with Jethro Burns, famous comedian (Homer and Jethro)and the greatest mandolinist of his time. From the very first lesson, Burns was more than a teacher. He was role model, hero, mentor, and friend, and Stiernberg was hooked and hooked bad on the mandolin.His earliest professional experience was in a bluegrass band with his brother (The Morgan Bros.) and a bit later in The Jethro Burns Quartet.
Don Stiernberg livestream premieres March 26, 7:30pm/CDT
Currently Don is regarded as a leading exponent of jazz mandolin style, and a respected teacher. The most recent of his nine recording projects is “Good Numbers”, a collection of standards and jazz tunes played by his working band, The Don Stiernberg Trio. Also released in 2016 were three online video instructional courses for Soundslice.com. The trio has performed coast to coast as well as in Germany and Brazil. Don also conveys his love of the mandolin and music at events such as The Mandolin Symposium (CA), The Swannanoa Gathering (NC), Django in June (MA), Mandolin and Guitar Camp North (MA), Steve Kaufman Acoustic Camp (TN), River of the West Mandolin Camp (OR), Cape Cod Mandolin Camp (MA), Ashokan Swing Week (NY), Accademia Internacionale di Mandolino (Italy), European Mandoline Akademy (Germany)and Momento Rio Bandolim (Brazil).
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.
