On Saturday, November 29, Riders in the Sky will come to Fish Creek to kick off the holiday season, celebrating Christmas the Cowboy Way. For more than thirty years, this classic cowboy quartet has carried the flame passed on by Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, revitalizing the western music tradition and even singing in the hit Pixar film Toy Story 2. In Christmas the Cowboy Way, Riders in the Sky will infuse classic Christmas tunes with the open-plains spirit of cowboy music, sprinkling the evening with their wacky western wit and down-home charm.

The East Bay Express says of Riders in the Sky’s performances, “You can almost feel the heat from the campfire and hear the coyote in the distance.”

In Christmas The Cowboy Way, Riders in the Sky will combine their unique brand of cowboy humor with classic holiday cheer, singing original songs like Riding Home On Christmas Eve, Deck The Bunkhouse Walls, and The Last Christmas Medley You’ll Ever Need To Hear. Audiences will also be invited to join the Riders in singing traditional holiday songs such as I’ll Be Home For Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and others. All this yuletide charm will be supplemented with the Riders’ classic western favorites.

Riders in the Sky have been performing together since 1977. In that time, they have chalked up 2 Grammy Awards, as well as over 6,100 concert appearances in all 50 states and 10 countries, appearing in venues everywhere from county fairs to the Hollywood Bowl. Their music has been featured in major motion pictures, including Woody’s Roundup from Toy Story 2 and music for Pixar’s short film For the Birds. They have also pioneered an original radio show, Riders Radio Theater.

Riders in the Sky are sponsored by The Cordon Family Foundation, JJ’s La Puerta and The Waterfront Restaurant.

Riders in the Sky will perform at DCA on Saturday, November 29 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert range from $22 to $38. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made through the DCA box office, located at 3926 Highway 42 in Fish Creek. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in person, on the phone at (920) 868-2728, or online at www.dcauditorium.org.

On Friday, November 14, the Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre will present its program Come to the Center at Door Community Auditorium (DCA). Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre uses dance and song to tell the story of the birth, death, and rebirth of a nation. The New York Times hails their performance as “a visual treat…a ritual celebration that made dancing a ceremonial act” and The Washington Post wrote that the Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre puts on “a dazzling performance…a profound sense of ritual.”

In Come to the Center, or Cokata Upo!, Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre celebrates the culture of the Lakota people, featuring narratives, creation stories, original video imagery, and more than twenty traditional and sacred songs and dances. The program also features Grammy-award winning Native American flutist, Kevin Locke (his Lakota name, Tokaheya Inajin, means “The First to Arise”). Locke is known throughout the world as a visionary Hoop Dancer, preeminent player of the indigenous Northern Plains flute, traditional storyteller, cultural ambassador, and educator.

For more than 30 years, the Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre has carried on the powerful tradition of dance and song in Plains Indian Society. Founded in 1978 on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, the ensemble began with the support of traditional Lakota educators, powwow dancers, singers, and storytellers. Now under the direction of noted choreographer Henry Smith, Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre tours internationally, performing and educating people worldwide about the strong resonance of music and dance in Lakota Sioux society.

The Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre has appeared at the Kennedy Center, the opening festivities for the National Museum of the American Indian, the 2000 Millennium Celebration in Times Square, and universities, cultural centers, reservations, and casinos throughout the United States. The company toured West Africa under the auspices of the State Department in the 1980s and toured Greece as part of the Cultural Olympiad. They have also completed extensive cultural exchange tours to Alaska and Hawaii.

On November 13th, DCA will also host students from all Door County schools for two student matinee performances which were made possible through generous sponsorship support. The student matinees are part of a week-long series of educational activities hosted by Friends of Gibraltar, Gibraltar Schools and DCA as part of a Native American Heritage Celebration.

The Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre will perform at DCA in a public performance on Friday, November 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert range from $15 to $36. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made through the DCA box office, located at 3926 Highway 42 in Fish Creek. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in person, on the phone at (920) 868-2728, or online at www.dcauditorium.org. Thanks to generous sponsorship support, DCA is able to offer a limited number of special $5 tickets for Door County students and families.

On Sunday, October 26 at 2 p.m., some of Door County’s most popular musicians will gather to raise funds for the Scandia Village Partners in Compassion campaign with the second annual “Play It Forward” benefit concert at Door Community Auditorium.

This year’s lineup includes Found The Lost, Julian Hagen, Deathfolk (Jess Holland and Nick Hoover), One Voice (Lynn Gudmundsen, David Hatch, and Lloyd Michalsen), Ben Larsen, poet Ralph Murre, Madisen Lutz, Dirty Deuce, Elliot Goettelman, Small Forest (Jeanne Kuhns, Marybeth Mattson, and Patrick Palmer), Last Man Standing, Larry “Thor” Thoreson, Matt Burress, and Mighty Mouth. In addition to maintaining loyal local fan bases, many of these artists tour regionally or nationally. Their music ranges from sultry R&B to classic rock to old-timey folk.

Proceeds from this year’s Play It Forward concert will benefit Partners in Compassion, a capital campaign to fund construction and remodeling work at Scandia Village, a large senior living community in Sister Bay. The campaign seeks to meet specific needs of residents and better serve the greater community by adding on to the Scandia Village campus and remodeling existing spaces. The Partners in Compassion campaign will help expand the exceptional care for which Scandia Village is known.

This year, Play it Forward is sponsored by Ministry Door County Medical Center.

Play it Forward will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 26. There is no charge for tickets, but freewill donations to the Partners in Compassion campaign are encouraged. With questions, contact the DCA box office, located at 3926 Highway 42 in Fish Creek. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. More information is also available on the phone at (920) 868-2728 or online at www.dcauditorium.org.

On Sunday, September 14, six of Door County’s favorite musicians will take the Door Community Auditorium (DCA) stage to play a one-night-only concert of their musical revue Buckets of Rain: The Songs of Bob Dylan. The Buckets of Rain team has played to enthusiastic (and often sellout) crowds at Woodwalk Gallery and Door Community Auditorium for each of the past three years. This year at DCA, Memphis multi-instrumentalist Eric Lewis, California string player Chris Irwin, local folk crooners Katie Dahl and Jeanne Kuhns, and bassist-percussionists Rich Higdon and Patrick Palmer will reunite in this one-night-only tribute to one of America’s most iconic songwriters.

Each possessed of considerable vocal and instrumental skills, the Buckets of Rain crew breathes new life into some of Dylan’s best-known songs, summoning the power of such driving anthems as “The Times They Are A-Changin’” and making classic ballads like “Blowin’ in the Wind” spark and crackle. This year’s performance will contain favorite selections from past Buckets of Rain shows, as well as a few Dylan tunes the troupe hasn’t yet covered. The six Buckets of Rain musicians will play in a variety of different configurations, backing each other up with fine vocals, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, electric guitar, dobro, harmonica, bass, and percussion.

Bob Dylan is arguably one of America’s most important songwriters, influencing countless musicians and writing dozens of hits in his long tenure on the music scene. His songs range from straight-ahead folk to classic rock-and-roll, from modern jazz to traditional blues. The depth and breadth of Dylan’s songwriting make him an ideal subject for the wide-ranging talents of the Buckets of Rain ensemble.

Multi-instrumentalists Eric Lewis and Chris Irwin are well-known on the Door County music scene for their astounding musical wizardry on a multitude of stringed instruments. Lewis has won the Premier Player Award for Strings by the Memphis Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Lewis (based in Memphis, TN) and Irwin (based in Los Angeles, CA) have worked locally with American Folklore Theatre and a plethora of local Door County musicians.

Katie Dahl is a Door County resident and national touring artist who is known for her work as an American Folklore Theatre playwright, as well as for her solo music shows. Her rich alto voice and lively performances have earned her many accolades, including 2010 Big Top Chautauqua Songwriter of the Year. Jeanne Kuhns is a singer-songwriter who weaves themes of blues and jazz into her own unique blend of progressive folk. Kuhns (who also owns Lost Moth Gallery and is a member of the band Small Forest) sings with a versatile voice that is both powerful and intimate. In 2008, Kuhns was voted “Best Female Musician” in Door County Magazine.

Rich Higdon is a bassist and percussionist who regularly performs with a variety of Door County artists, including Katie Dahl and Julian Hagen. Higdon is also a well-known Door County potter. Patrick Palmer, a member of the band Small Forest, accompanies musicians across the peninsula with his skills on both electric and upright bass. He also works as an audio engineer through his company Wired for Sound.

Buckets of Rain is sponsored by Door County Land Trust, Ecology Sports / Base Camp Coffee Shop, and Main Street Market.

The Buckets of Rain ensemble will perform at DCA on Sunday, September 14 at 7:00 PM. Tickets for the concert range from $16 to $22. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made through the DCA box office, located at 3926 Highway 42 in Fish Creek. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in person, on the phone at (920) 868-2728, or online at www.dcauditorium.org.

On Monday, September 1, young bluegrass sensations Della Mae will electrify the stage of Door Community Auditorium (DCA). Nominated for a Grammy this year, the five young women who make up Della Mae combine centuries’ worth of musical influences with a fresh, acoustically gritty sensibility. Armed with classical training and bluegrass smarts, the members of Della Mae showcase their considerable technical talent with Texas-style fiddling and vocal abilities beyond their years.

“Move over, bluegrass boys,” writes American Songwriter magazine. “Della Mae’s newest album…[is] proof that Americana ain’t a man’s world any longer.”

In just a few short years, Boston-based Della Mae has become a sensation in the world of contemporary bluegrass. With vocal, instrumental, and songwriting talent to spare, these five young women revitalize time-honored musical traditions to create a bluegrass sound that’s unmistakably modern. Their most recent album, The World Oft Can Be, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album in 2014. In demand at festivals across the country even before their Grammy nod, Della Mae imbues their live performances with a captivating chemistry, finesse, and vivacity.

Each of Della Mae’s members brings an impressive musical pedigree to bear on the band’s music. Band founder Kimber Ludiker hand-picked the musicians of Della Mae from all over the United States: singer Celia Woodsmith comes from a blues/rock background, guitarist Courtney Hartman studied at Berklee College of Music, bassist Shelby Means played with various bands in Nashville, and mandolin player Jenni Lyn Gardner was well versed in traditional bluegrass.

The Boston Globe says, “The five young women who make up the group all possess instrumental virtuosity that coheres in vintage bluegrass fashion while giving lively support to the throaty sibilance of lead singer and principal songwriter Celia Woodsmith. This World marks Della Mae as an emerging bluegrass force.”

Della Mae is sponsored by Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant and Butik, Door County Advocate, Main Street Market, White Gull Inn, Parkwood Lodge, Signature Pieces of Egg Harbor, and Wild Tomato.

Della Mae will perform at DCA at 7 p.m. on Monday, September 1. Tickets for the concert range from $18 to $32. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made through the DCA box office, located at 3926 Highway 42 in Fish Creek. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in person, on the phone at (920) 868-2728, or online at www.dcauditorium.org.

On Friday, August 1, southern singer-songwriter Jason Isbell will bring his cutting-edge alt-folk to the stage of Door Community Auditorium (DCA). Isbell, who originally gained fame as a member of the alt-country band Drive-By Truckers, has met with enormous success as a solo artist, with his 2013 album Southeastern landing him on hundreds of top-ten lists across the country. The New York Times calls Isbell “one of America’s thoroughbred songwriters, with a knack for rueful melodies and the kind of grainy blue-collar detail that pins a song in your mind.”

Rolling Stone, NPR, and American Songwriter are just three of the many news outlets that named Jason Isbell’s record Southeastern as one of the best albums of 2013. The album delivers stark and poignant story songs against an alt-country and blues backdrop, weaving in powerful characters in a southern gothic vein. His fourth solo outing and his first since getting sober after a long and public struggle with alcoholism, Southeastern explores themes of struggle, loss, and redemption.

The record led Spin magazine to name Isbell as “one of the finest lyricists working today, excelling at wordplay in the purest sense of the term, finding the music in language, how it sounds and flows and fits within the surrounding sounds.” The Boston Globe says Isbell writes “lyrics that could break hearts.”

Alabama native Isbell embarked on a solo career after six years of playing with Drive-By Truckers, with whom Isbell gained a reputation as a skilled guitarist and incisive songwriter. After setting out on his own, Isbell first funneled his songwriting talents into Sirens of the Ditch, a bluesy, punk-influenced album infused with guitar tones and Southern swagger. Backed by a new band dubbed the 400 Unit, Isbell took his songs on the road and soon released two more solo albums. His latest album, Southeastern, marks the latest chapter in a career that is still very much on the rise.

Jason Isbell’s performance is sponsored by Main Street Market, Peninsula Pulse and Door Country FM 97.7.

Jason Isbell will perform at DCA at 8 p.m. on Friday, August 1. Tickets for the concert range from $22 to $38. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made through the DCA box office, located at 3926 Highway 42 in Fish Creek. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in person, on the phone at (920) 868-2728, or online at www.dcauditorium.org.

Carrie Rodriguez and Luke Jacobs will perform at Door Community Auditorium (DCA) on Saturday, July 26, presenting an evening of music that will range from red-hot country to noir rock to plaintive folk. Musical maverick Rodriguez uses her sultry contralto voice and fiery fiddle playing (along with Luke Jacobs’ remarkable guitar picking) to create music that is both alluring and defiant. Together, Rodriguez and Jacobs can’t be pinned down, shifting easily between a desert swing and an urban strut. The Boston Globe hails Rodriguez and Jacobs as “one of the most compelling new voices on the roots-rock scene.”

Texas native Carrie Rodriguez came to national attention a decade ago when she began performing with singer-songwriter Chip Taylor (Wild Thing, Angel of the Morning) and has since established an impressive roster of touring, recording, and co-writing affiliations, including Lucinda Williams, Rickie Lee Jones, John Prine, Mary Gauthier, Alejandro Escovedo, and guitarist Bill Frisell, among others. Rodriguez’ latest album, Give Me All You Got, establishes her musical identity more powerfully than ever before, featuring songs that she wrote, co-wrote, or handpicked from the repertoires of her longtime collaborators.

Luke Jacobs is a native Minnesotan whom The Guardian has called “an impressive exponent of acoustic, electric and lap steel guitar and harmonica.” Currently based in Austin, Texas, Jacobs adds sophistication and texture to Rodriguez’ distinctive style.

A Washington Post review of a recent Rodriguez-Jacobs performance raved, “Trained at such elite institutions as the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Berklee College of Music, Rodriguez, with her by turns fluttery and dissonant trills, is a formidable soloist, seemingly equally at ease with classical European melodies and rural American ones…. Jacobs, it should be noted, proved a compelling presence in his own right.”

Carrie Rodriguez and Luke Jacobs are sponsored by Wild Tomato.

Carrie Rodriguez and Luke Jacobs will perform at DCA at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 26. Tickets for the concert range from $18 to $25. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made through the DCA box office, located at 3926 Highway 42 in Fish Creek. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in person, on the phone at (920) 868-2728, or online at www.dcauditorium.org.

On Saturday, July 19, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will bring their modern, high-energy brand of big band swing to Door Community Auditorium (DCA). This nine-man ensemble has forged a one-of-a-kind musical fusion from jazz, swing, Dixieland, and big band music, building its own songbook of infectious original dance tunes. With appearances that range from the Swingers soundtrack to the Super Bowl, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has become an American fan favorite.

Since 1993, when they electrified the Los Angeles music scene with a now-legendary residency at the Brown Derby nightclub, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s irresistible performance style and aggressive musical innovation have distinguished them from the large pack of bands that launched the swing music revival of the 1990s. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch calls Big Bad Voodoo Daddy “house-rocking ambassadors of hip nostalgia.”

Although music by other composers has been featured on each of the band’s albums, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has always focused on original music, producing an impressively diverse repertoire of original hits. The band’s originals rocketed the group into its first phase of stardom when You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three (Tonight) and Go Daddy-O were featured in the 1996 landmark indie film Swingers.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was co-founded in California by lead singer Scotty Morris and drummer Kurt Sodergren and has made a career of mixing classic American sounds with the energy and spirit of contemporary culture. The band, whose core lineup has remained constant since 1995, includes vocals, guitar, drums, double bass, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, and piano.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has cultivated its career through relentless touring and a discography that includes the platinum-selling Americana Deluxe, as well as follow-ups This Beautiful Life, Save My Soul, and Everything You Want For Christmas. Their music has appeared in countless films in addition to Swingers and has been widely used for television broadcasts of sporting events, including NFL, NBA, MLB and PGA broadcasts.

The Big Bad Voodoo Daddy performance is sponsored by Alexander’s Restaurant, On Deck Clothing Company, Green Bay 7 Up, and the Cordon Family Foundation.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will perform at DCA at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 19. Tickets for the concert range from $22 to $44. Advance reservations are recommended and can be made through the DCA box office, located at 3926 Highway 42 in Fish Creek. The box office is open Monday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in person, on the phone at (920) 868-2728, or online at www.dcauditorium.org.