Hickory Ridge Concert Series
1/3/2025, our 4th season at Ellisville!
Showtime: 7:00 p.m.
Price: $10/Adults | $5/Under 12
Once again, we are starting a new season at the historic Ellisville Opera House, our 4th! I have heard so many compliments about the space and how much folks enjoy being there. I want thank Paula Helle, Becky, and all of the folks in HERO that that make this possible and a big thank you to Mike Franke who has been handling our sound!
I am pleased to say that I have managed to book the entire year. You can see the entire linup below. Keep an eye on Hickory Ridge Concerts on facebook to keep in the loop. I had to cancel the December show thisnyear due to ice and bad weather. That's the place where you can keep up to date with the latest happenings. I'll also email to folks on the mailing list if there are cancelations or issues. Drop me an email at vallillo@macomb.com and say you want to be added to the e-list.
For anyone not familiar with the series, Hickory Ridge concerts presents acoustic music of all styles in a unique, intimate listening room; the historic The Ellisville Opera House. The Ellisville Opera House in an 1891 Opera House right along the Spoon River in rural West Central, IL. It still retains it's original bent wood chairs, the painted backdrop and all it's original detailing plus there is in house sound, lights and air conditioning! Though in keeping with tradition, the Opera House is a second story venue, the elevator is installed and working!
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I'll be varying the third Saturday of the month schedule on occaision this year due to previous conflicts and artist availability but I'll continue to feature the best in roots, folk and acoustic music of all kinds.
Coffee, drinks, and a variety of desserts are available! Desserts provided by Becky of Lunch Wagon Concessions, all locally made and delicious! Here is a google Map link for the Ellisville Opera House: ELLISVILLE MAP
Thanks to our media partner, WIUM, FM, your source for NPR programming, local news and a variety of music
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PERFORMERS: CLICK HERE FOR THE POTENTIAL PERFORMER LETTER WITH ALL THE GIG DETAILS
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This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Two Rivers Arts Council.
2025 Lineup
Misspent Youth, a band formed in the 1980's, resurected to play the bluegrass music...
The 3 members, Dale Ludewig (banjo), Mike Warfel (bass) and Dave "DK" Kolars (guitar) bring over 150 years of combined playing together into a tight mix of vocal harmony and musicianship, playing the music the way Bill Monroe himself would like it. Misspent Youth likes to play ALL kinds of bluegrass, and especially like finding good, old songs that are not heard very often and bring them back once again.
February 8th, Bill Maakestad, Hank Williams
and Johnny Cash
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Bill Maakestad has performed for audiences in Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa for more years than he would like to admit. Whether playing solo or in groups such as The Blenders, Usual Suspects and Bb Avenue, Bill loves to include stories about the songs, singers and songwriters. He'll perform “Stories and Songs: A Casual Evening with Hank and Johnny”—about the life and music of country music legends, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash
March 15th, Jonnas Friddle
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 tunes bear the marks of a musician who has done his time in pub sessions and square dance halls, and his writing is full of imagery, honesty and humor.
Friddle was raised in the mountains of North Carolina and learned to play guitar on a yard sale Harmony six string. He was already writing songs by the time he got to Kentucky at age eighteen. There, the bluegrass pickin’ and old-time dances turned him on to the power and joy of traditional folk music.
April 19th SongSisters
SongSisters - Sue Fink, Patti Shaffner, and Amy Dixon-Kolar - are award-winning singer/songwriter friends who discovered that their own distinctive styles blend together, creating something richer than the individual, stronger as a whole. They delight in and celebrate each other’s music: each “sister” takes the lead on original songs, the others adding soaring harmonies and instrumentation. Audiences enjoy their diverse repertoire of original and thoughtfully chosen cover songs. ​
May 17th, Curtis and Loretta
Curtis and Loretta will use seventy-three strings and two voices deliver an enchanting evening of contemporary original songs, traditional Celtic ballads, old-time American songs, and more.
The glue that holds all this together is their magical harmonies, and their skill on a parade of stringed instruments, from Celtic harp and mandocello, to steel ukulele and kazoo, to mandolin, guitar, and clawhammer banjo. Their charming stage presence is a product of nearly thirty years of living together - on the stage, and as husband and wife.
June 21st Ced Ba’etch
Ced Ba'etch' was born and raised in the Champagne region of France, in a town called REIMS. He is a full time expatriate artist residing in Madison, WI. His artistic life is mostly divided between fingerstyle guitar and fine art painting (full gallery to be seen on www.cedmusic.com). After 11 years of playing and singing in the popular local duo "MalOdua" (french swing/waltzes of the past with a heavy Gypsy influence), Ced decided in 2020 to perform solo and further define his fingerpicking style. Every performance showcases a little bit of all the different kinds of music Ced enjoys playing: French music, old movie soundtracks, Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, country blues, rags, bottleneck slide...and he plays it all exclusively on National Resonator Guitars.
July 12th, Daniel Neihoff
Born in Texas and raised in Kentucky, Daniel wrote his first song at 8 years old, surrounded by a family fit for country songs. Now living in Paducah, KY, he honed his skills playing at church and learning from masterful guitar player Cheryl Yates.
At 20, his smooth and soulful sound landed him a spot at Nashville’s iconic Bluebird Cafe. His debut album reached number 32 on the iTunes singer/songwriter charts. Neihoff’s accolades include winning the Kerrville New Folk Competition in 2019, being a 3-time finalist of Songwriter Serenade, placing 3rd in the Woody Guthrie songwriter contest, and winning the Rocky Mountain Songwriters Contest in 2023.
August 16th Ashley and Simpson
Ashley & Simpson are quickly becoming folk scene favorites. This folk duo blends traditional songs and instrumentation along with beautiful vocal harmonies reminiscent of famous duos such as Ian & Silvia and The Everly Brothers. With their sophomore release “Off To Here Land,” they have pushed the art of folk to a new sound with an all traditional track list that will delight fans new and old. Both bringing a classical perspective to their duo, Jennifer Ashley & Joel Simpson have reached a new level with incorporating elements of jazz, popular music and other modern styles in their arrangements.
September 20th Bob Bovee
Since 1971 Bob has traveled the country taking old time music to audiences of all ages at festivals, fairs, concerts, dances, schools, libraries, music camps, radio and TV programs. This is rural music as played in homes, at dances and for earlier entertainments such as minstrel shows and country radio.
Along with a repertoire including dance tunes, ballads, cowboy songs, humorous and sentimental numbers, blues and rags, he spices their shows with stories, history and folklore. Bob sings (yodels, too) and plays guitar, harmonica, banjo and autoharp.
October 18th James Curley
"The Best Damn Songwriter You Never Heard."
James Curley began writing songs in the mid 1970s in his native Philadelphia, influenced mainly by trips to the Philadelphia Folk Festival and to local clubs. He appeared as a solo songwriter back then, opening locally for other artists of the day, including Artie Traum and Lou London. James played in Denver, Boulder, Eugene and other areas and eventually wound up in Houston, where he was heavily influenced by the Texas songwriter scene eventually moving to Chicago several years later. James is known for his spirited live shows. He plays often in selected venues in Chicago including SPACE, where he recently opened for three separate shows for Ellis Paul, Pattty Larkin and Sons of the Never Wrong.
November 15th, Mustard's Retreat
Mustard’s Retreat’s performances are always joyful and uplifting, as well as intelligent, thought provoking and insightful. The honesty of what they present onstage and the extensive body of outstanding original songs and recordings all contribute to a fiercely loyal audience that continues to grow. “Music to cure what ails you” was how one reviewer in the 1970s described them, and that is as true now as it was then. They’ve traveled more than a million miles and performed more than 6,000 shows, from pig roasts and pool parties to Lincoln Center Out of Doors, The Barns at Wolftrap and the Kennedy’s Center’s Millennium Stage.
December 13th, Chris Ferrell
For over 40 years Chris Farrell has been a mainstay of Chicago's famed singer-songwriter scene. Learning his craft while sharing the stage with legendary acts of the '70s and '80s, he has emerged with his own brand of songwriting and showmanship to carry on this proud tradition. Chris' work is the genuine item from those days and has grown with the times to hit a bull's eye with relevance for today.
Chris easily flows from ballads to satire, from comic songs to social commentary while always finding room for the sweet tunes you'll hum on the way home.
