featuring Listening Party, Old Oaks & Friends, Sam Ness and Dana Perry
Doors 6:30PM Show 7:30PM
General Admission: $18ADV / $25DOS
Reserved Balcony Seating: $35ADV / $40DOS
Atwood Music Hall presents a special night of new Wisconsin music. Featuring an Album Release from Listening Party, a Single Release from Sam Ness, a Single Release from Old Oaks and a sneak peak at new music from Dana Perry. Buckle up for a night of authenticity with grit, melody and voices that will move you. Join the celebration and let these fresh Wisconsin songs keep ya warm through the winter.
Listening Party
A four-piece Midwestern Americana outfit by way of Wisconsin. Singing songs for both the happy and the sad; the romantic and the bitter. Buckle up for a real life, good timin’ listening party while “the band creates the kind of sparse campfire epiphanies that made The Lumineers so popular” (Piet Levy, Journal Sentinel)
"Their folk and Americana-steeped sound expertly and reverently takes the pulse and traditions of their genre while adding their own charm" - Glide Magazine
"A generous slice of Mid-Western Country Americana" - Americana UK
Old Oaks
Old Oaks encompasses the chill-yet-funky acoustic music of singer-songwriter Frank Laufenberg. Their award-winning acoustic folk rock originals are paired with covers from artists spanning from Neil Young to Vulfpeck. Frank's vocals and 12-string guitar interludes are complemented by harmonious saxophone solos and alto flute riffs by Daniel Haschke. Frank and Daniel also play with Madison’s funk-fusion band Wurk. Old Oaks' intimate sonic atmosphere is boosted into a full band jamboree by a range of regional touring pros on bass and drums.
Sam Ness
From theater performer to full-time busker and wanderer, performing at festivals and cafes, Sam Ness has shared the stage with America, Styx, Night Ranger, Chris Barron (Spin Doctors), and many others. Mixing Traditional Folk/Americana roots with an Indie feel, Sam Ness finds inspiration in the ancient cobblestone streets across the globe. Sometimes wild and dance oriented, other moments raw, emotional, and punctuated by moments of silence, Sam’s show changes every night. His percussive playing paired with an assortment of special effects including a loop system, have built a sound larger than some full bands.
Sam has taken home a handful of MAMAs (Madison, Wisconsin Area Music Awards) including Male Vocalist of the Year (2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024). He is the youngest person to enter the Madison Music Hall of Fame (in 2024 at age 26). In 2025, Sam was awarded the WAMIs (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) – Folk Performer of the Year and Folk Song of the Year “Walmart Parking Twilight”.
Other MAMAs include Alternative Album of the Year “Whispered on the Wind” – 2018, Madison Area Breakthrough Artist Second Runner up – 2017, Cover Song of the Year – Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” – 2020, Unique Performer of the Year – 2021. In 2022 Sam won Single of the Year “Slow It Down”, Alternative Album of the Year “City Lights and Smoke”, as well as Folk Song of the Year “She Is Love”. He was named Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year in 2023. Sam took top honors again for Folk Song of the Year “Slotty Road” in 2024.
His “City Lights and Smoke” album is a story of the road. That road has taken Sam to the UK many times, to a half dozen countries in Europe, to New Zealand, Thailand, and Cambodia. The unique collection of songs is the story of an introvert playing over a thousand shows across many countries, traveling to explore not only external places but the internal self. It’s sticking out your thumb in hope. It’s fumbling for a light switch in the dark. It’s the story of looking back at one’s self across the stage lights, back alley puddles, and rear view mirrors. It’s repair shop coffee. It’s “City Lights and Smoke”.
Sam has been a road warrior since a stranger he’d never had a full conversation with bought him a one way ticket anywhere he wanted to go. He found ways to keep playing music to keep the adventure going, and now a typical year means somewhere between 150 and 200 performances. He bought a house last year, where he’s continuously refining his recording studio, and where he’s spending time working on his newest project for a 2026 release, Of Heart and Home.
Dana Perry
Madison-based evo-folk artist Dana Perry has been making music passionately for 30 years, with over 15 years of focus on playing guitar and songwriting. A thumping guitar style, combined with poignant lyrics and powerhouse vocals; her music resonates with anyone who recognizes that we are all on our own Journey.
Dana is a 15-time winner at the Madison Area Music Association (MAMA) Awards; including Acoustic Guitarist of the Year (2019) and Folk/Americana Performer of the Year (2020), and Best Female Vocalist (2021). Her album Tunes on the Battlefield won the 2021 MAMA award for Folk/Americana Album of the Year. Often sought after for her moving live performances, she has been featured at many a songwriter showcase in the area since 2013. Whether playing with a group or just her guitar, on a festival stage or in the corner of a coffee shop; there’s a passion for musical storytelling that can captivate a room. She shares songs of life’s Journey – its trials and triumphs – with a deep self-inquiry, and an invitation for self-evolution.
She has self-released 7 albums – 3 of them she recorded herself under Folk U Productions, a DIY mobile studio she runs with her partner. When she’s not on the road, Dana spends her time working with various music local music initiatives – she teaches guitar and songwriting workshops, is a guitar instructor/band coach/gear manager for Girls Rock Camp Madison, music coordinator at Cargo Coffee East, and Executive Director of the Madison Area Music Association.