Friday, January 4, 2020
7:00 pm Doors // 8:00 pm Music
$12 Advance // $17 At the door — On sale 8:00 am Friday, December 6
All Ages
Winners of the Parkway's 2019 Bluegrass Battle of the Bands! Presenting innovative bluegrass and roots played with virtuosic skill and soul.
The Barley Jacks will kick-off the new year with an evening of original vocals and jaw–dropping instrumentals performed in a spirit of excitement and fun. These masters of the fiddle, guitar, bass and percussion meld their divergent backgrounds of blues and bluegrass, classical and Celtic, R & B and bebop -- and inspire each other to create something entirely new. Frontman, fiddler and mandolinist Brian Wicklund is joined by Mike Cramer on guitar, Keith Yanes on bass, and Joel Arpin on drums.
Virtuosity, magic and a little danger combine to make every performance unique. Audiences are struck with how much fun the Barley Jacks have when they perform. These Minnesota–based veterans of years in the musical trenches enjoy making music together so much that they sometimes giggle like little kids!
Native Minnesotan Brian Wicklund has been an integral part of the acoustic music scene for decades. As a teenager, he won dozens of fiddle contests. He has toured nationally and internationally with bands Stoney Lonesome, Judith Edelman Band, Kathy Kallick Band, Lorie Line’s Pop Chamber Orchestra, Chris Stuart Band, and currently with Brother Mule. He has been busy as a studio musician and producer laying down fiddle and mandolin tracks on over a hundred projects including two CD projects of his own. Brian also wrote best-selling books, American Fiddle Method published by Mel Bay. He is in constant demand as a teacher worldwide. Mike brings 20 years of eclectic guitar virtuosity to the band. Keith is as comfortable in a symphony as he is in a jazz combo or a bluegrass band. Joel constantly seeks grooves to propel the band in new directions. Together, they truly are synergy.
"The Barley Jacks are musicians' musicians playing seriously good music. If you can sit there and listen to these guys without smiling or tapping your toe, check your pulse.”
–Ron Arsenault, Rock Bend Music Festival
"The Barley Jacks had the crowd standing, clapping, dancing and shouting for almost the entire final hour. They are one finely tuned machine. An absolute treat to listen to!"
–Greg Schmitz, Sioux River Folk Festival