Upcoming Events
Mad Folk presents:
James Keelaghan
March 6, 2026 (Friday)
7 pm
(Doors at 6 pm)
North Street Cabaret
610 North Street, Madison, WI 53704
Non-perishable donations of food will be collected for local food banks.
Flyer (Please print/post/share!)
Tickets:
$27 advance
$32 day of show
James' songwriting has often been cited for its keen sense of history.
Songs like "Hillcrest Mine " and "Cold Missouri Waters " instantly come to mind. On SECOND-HAND James also takes on a number of topical issues of concern to us all "Walk On " about overcoming depression and "The Benefits of Surrender "- allowing oneself to be more open to life's possibilities. These, coupled with a command of the language and delivered with an unmistakably rich baritone, and it's not surprising that James has come to be considered one of Canada's great singer songwriters.
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SECOND-HAND finds James at the top of his game with ten new songs including co-writes with Catherine MacLellan, Lynn Miles, J.D. Edwards, Cara Luft and Dave Gunning. "I love co-writing, " he says, "it's the spark that gets me motivated – the fresh approach to a lyric or a different way of forming a melody for a song is so stimulating. "
"He displays a genius for finding his way deep inside big stories, building them outward from palpably intimate moments." – The Boston Globe
"He is one hell of a good songwriter, and as a guitarist his playing is practically faultless." – Time Out, London
"Canada's finest singer songwriter." – Dave Marsh, Rock critic, historian & author
More about the artist:
https://keelaghan.com/
Mad Folk presents:
Anne Hills
April 18, 2026 (Sat)
7 pm
(Doors at 6 pm)
North Street Cabaret
610 North Street, Madison, WI 53704
Non-perishable donations of food will be collected for local food banks.
Flyer (Please print/post/share!)
Tickets:
$15 advance
$18 day of show
Anne Hills is one of the most beloved voices of the contemporary folk music scene, receiving awards and recognition for her live performances, her unique solo and collaborative recording projects, and her overall artistry and benefit work. Her song "Follow That Road" was the title cut of the Martha's Vineyard Songwriter Retreat and has been a certified folk classic since the late 1990s. Whether she is singing her own songs, the words of six-year-old Opal Whiteley, or her song settings of the Hoosier poet James Whitcomb Riley; accompanied with her guitar, banjo, or simply a Tibetan bell, she puts her whole heart and soul into the moment. You won't want to miss a chance to hear her songs and stories in person. She tours extensively, winning over audiences with her warm, lively and humorous performances.
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The AllMusic Guide says, "A stunning soprano tone has made Anne Hills one of contemporary music's premiere vocalists … Her knack for writing heartfelt songs [has] brought her to the upper echelon of her craft."
"Anne Hills is such an exquisite singer that it’s understandable that people might be swept up in the pure beauty of her voice and thereby overlook her writing. That would be a mistake. For me, Anne's writing, in songs like 'Follow That Road’ and many others, is as direct, melodic and deep as any work being done today. She is quite simply one of my absolute favorite songwriters."
— Tom Paxton
For more see artist website.
Mad Folk presents:
Garnet Rogers - Last U.S. tour
May 5, 2026 (Tuesday)
7 pm
(Doors at 6 pm)
North Street Cabaret
610 North Street, Madison, WI 53704
North Street Cabaret
610 North Street, Madison, WI 53704
Non-perishable donations of food will be collected for local food banks.
Flyer (Please print/post/share!)
Tickets:
$30 advance
$33 day of show
(This show is part of Garnet's final U.S. tour)
In a darkened bedroom, lit only by the amber glow from an old floor model radio, two young brothers aged 6 and 12 lay in their beds, listening to the country music broadcasts from the Grand Ol' Opry, and practiced their harmonies. Two years later, the youngest one was playing the definitive 8-year-old's version of "Desolation Row" on his ukulele. He soon abandoned that instrument to teach himself the flute, violin and guitar. Within ten years, and barely out of high school, Garnet Rogers was on the road as a full-time working musician with his older brother Stan. Together they formed what has come to be accepted as one of the most influential acts in North American folk music. Since then, Garnet Rogers has established himself as 'One of the major talents of our time".
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Hailed by the Boston Globe as a "charismatic performer and singer", Garnet is a man with a powerful physical presence – close to six and a half feet tall – with a voice to match. With his "smooth, dark baritone" (Washington Post) his incredible range, and thoughtful, dramatic phrasing, Garnet is widely considered by fans and critics alike to be one of the finest singers anywhere. His music, like the man himself, is literate, passionate, highly sensitive, and deeply purposeful. Cinematic in detail, his songs "give expression to the unspoken vocabulary of the heart" (Kitchener Waterloo Record). An optimist at heart, Garnet sings extraordinary songs about people who are not obvious heroes and of the small victories of the everyday. As memorable as his songs, his over-the-top humour and lightning-quick wit moves his audience from tears to laughter and back again.
"Garnet Rogers is capable of awe-inspiring and unpredictable stuff – and that includes more than just music"
Resolutely independent, Garnet Rogers has turned down offers from major labels to do his music his own way.
For more see artist website.
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