Chicken Wire Empire at the Redstone Room -- May 13.
Friday, May 13, 8 p.m.
The Redstone Room, 129 Main Street, Davenport IA
Lauded by the Milwaukee Record for their “intriguing lyrics, rich harmonies, and excellent musicianship,” the Wisconsin-based bluegrass talents of Chicken Wire Empire make their Quad Cities debut at Davenport's Redstone Room on May 13, the ensemble inspiring Bluegrass Unlimited to rave that “the vocals and harmonies are strong, and they play with a high-energy blend of traditional and modern approaches.”
Born out of the Wisconsin jam-band scene, Chicken Wire Empire began as a traditional bluegrass band that first honed its sound in 2014 with their self-titled debut album. With half of the group rooted in bluegrass and the other half steeped in jam-band music, a change occurred when the musicians performed an Old & In The Way tribute show. A new sound was consequently found in Milwaukee, and Chicken Wire Empire joined the roster of high-energy jamgrass happening across the nation. This journey from traditional to progressive was documented by director Ross Monagle in the film All It Takes that premiered in 2016, follows the band around Wisconsin, and includes performances from Milwaukee’s historic Riverside Theatre. In 2018, the band returned to the studio, recording their sophomore album What Moves Mountains with engineer Vinny Millevolte and the mastering talents of Justin Perkins. It was released on New Year's Day of 2019, and led the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to state, "Coming out the first day of 2019 – as if daring other artists to make a more spirited album this year – the progressive bluegrass band's latest is so infectious it had me hollering out loud by the time fiery finish 'Going Down the Road Feeling Bad' was blasting from my car speakers."
In November of 2019, Chicken Wire Empire toured Germany, Austria, and Switzerland as part of the ninth-annual Bluegrass Jamboree, and with the help of their engineer Daniel Machnik, the tour was encapsulated in the releases Live from Deutschland Vol. 1 and 2. In 2020, as live opportunities were drying up, the band turned to live-streaming, and were featured showcase artists in virtual renditions of the IBMA and Folk Alliance International conferences. The band used their time away from live audiences to arrange and record an album with Minnesota songsmith Chris Castino of The Big Wu, and featuring guest artists Peter Rowan, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Andy Hall, Tim O’Brien, and Nick Forester, Fresh Pickles was released this past February. According to The Grateful Web, "Fresh Pickles aims to satisfy your cravings and is just the beginning of Castino’s heartfelt and fulfilling voyage into bluegrass. Always true to the tradition and authentic in presentation, Fresh Pickles is packed with great music."
The musicians of Chicken Wire Empire play their Redstone Room engagement on May 13 with opening sets by Miles Over Mountains and Bethann Heidgerken, admission to the 8 p.m. concert event is $10-75, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-1333 and visiting RiverMusicExperience.org.
