MUSIC UNDER THE STARS
36th ANNIVERSARY SEASON
BUTTERMILK PARK
ENJOY LIVE MUSIC BY LOCAL ARTISTS
Music Under the Stars is a showcase for local and area bands, coordinated by the FdL Area Musicians, Inc. and co-sponsored by the City of Fond du Lac.
Concession stand will be available. In case of bad weather, shows will still be held at the Cow Palace, located at Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds.
Follow us on Facebook Music Under the Stars FDL.
For additional information or questions, call Anne Abel 920-979-5186 or Bob Shirek at 920-921-1167
2024 SCHEDULE
All concerts located at
Buttermilk Creek Park,
7:00 pm Monday EveningS
JUne 10 | THE BEST WESTERNS
Milwaukee's Western Swing Kings!
JUNE 17 | COMIN’ IN HOT
When each of his kids hit 4th grade, Jerry Ward made sure that they all took violin lessons. As they progressed into the high school years, some of them learned other instruments and played in the school band. Jerry was a guitarist, playing in many area bands during those years… Jerry and the Jesters, The Telstars, Jim Sabel’s band, Maynard’s Playboys, Heartbeats in the Holyland, and many single gigs. Now years later, Jerry has pulled his own family together, and “Comin in Hot” is now in its 2nd year, enjoying the thrill of performance of music with their proud dad. The band is made up of seven performers on many instruments, including; guitar, bass, harmonica, mandolin, viola, Drums, trumpet, flute, piccolo, saxophone magic accordion, dobro… and in addition, they all are vocalists!! They wow their audiences, playing a mix of country, old rock ‘n roll, Bluegrass, originals… “and an occasional Polka.” One wonders… with all those violin lessons, was this Jerry’s plan from the start?
June 24 | GROESCHL BAND
The Groeschl Band, Formerly the Syl Groeschl band, is led by Matt Lavey on Trumpet and Dale Mueller on Drums. Others in the band are: Roger Gerner on Sax & Clarinet , Mark Birschbach on Trumpet & Sax, Mike Ludwig on Tuba, and Valeria (Groeschl) Buechel vocalist and piano. Roots of the Groeschl Band go back to 1870 in Austria when earlier generations of the family began entertaining.
Valeria’s dad let the Tony Groeschl band during World War II, and his son led the Syl Groeschl Band from the 1960s until 2003. His band recorded frequently and in 2002 Syl was awarded Bandleader of the Year by the Wisconsin Orchestra Leaders Association. Today they specialize in parades and ballroom dances. Six CDs are available and “Herman Take Me Home” is his best known recording. The songs "Over Three Hills" and "Laughing Polka" are available on the Old Time Dance CD.
JuLY 1 | Jesse Stratton Band
Born and raised in the Texas Hill Country, Jesse Stratton is a true and deep-rooted Texas Country / Americana artist who plays music chock-full of truth and raw emotion. Jesse's relevant and gripping songs display and showcase the multi-talented musicians who make up the Jesse Stratton Band.
Jesse is the lead vocalist in the band; also playing guitar, saxophone and harmonica. Alongside him are a few of Texas' finest musicians. Playing percussion in the band is Jesse's long-time friend, Kenny Martinez. The lead guitarist is Austin's own Tony Garossino - guitar instructor by day, rock star by night. The band's latest member is the soulful, smooth-playing bassist, Lyndsey Torrez.
July 8 | LIQUID COURAGE
Liquid Courage is an area band that plays a wide variety of mostly danceable tunes, from 70s and 80’s and 90’s rock, but with a wide variety of genres in between. Liquid Courage is an extreme variety band. Their passion is to play danceable songs, sometimes playing upwards of 50 songs a night. One will hear songs from Artist's like, Elvis, Bodeans, INXS, Blink 182, Tom Jones, Violent Femmes, Billy Joel, Poison, Green Day, AC/DC, Fleetwood Mac....just to name a few.
Band members are: Larry Brown on vocal leads and harmonica; Ron Stageman on lead guitar; Matt Gau, drums and vocals, Shauna Bowe on saxophone, Brett Stageman, rhythm and lead guitar; and Jason Pugh, bass and vocals.
The band claims Dundee as its hometown.
July 15 | THREE CARD STUD
“Three Card Stud” consists of three fun-loving area musicians who love to entertain, love to vocalize, love to share old country and rock n’ roll, and love to laugh. Fred Ferguson, Jim Vollmer and Rob Peterson will entertain you, and make you go home happy! All three have had solo careers in recent years and so this show gives them the opportunity to combine their different styles of entertainment into one ninety minute show, full of variety, musicianship and humor.
July 22 | TALK OF THE TOWN
The Talk of The Town, under the leadership of Kevin Van Ess, is one of the hottest Swing / Dixieland / Traditional Jazz Party Groups north of New Orleans. This six piece group consisting of Clarinet / Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone / Tuba, Bass, Piano / Vocals and Drums has collectively over 300 years of experience. The group not only boasts having some of the finest musicians in the Midwest it is also very entertaining and appealing to audiences of all ages. Complete with a traditional Mardi Gras Parade and bead tossing, the group performs throughout Wisconsin and is available for all occasions and events.
July 29 | PAGE FOUR
Page Four, a Fond du Lac-based band plays typical wedding dance variety music — 1950s-60s tunes, modern-day songs, polkas and waltzes.
Bandleader Anne Abel started the band years ago when she and fellow band member Sharon Vollendorf were competing in softball tournaments throughout Wisconsin and at national tournaments. Their passion for music caused them to take their instruments on the road with them where they would perform unexpectedly (just for the fun of it). Nancy Johnston soon joined them in the band.
Eventually they officially formed the Page Four band which has played at hundreds of area weddings, public events and back-yard parties.
Page Four, later hired drummer Mark Hintz. Abel plays the keyboard, Johnston plays bass guitar and is the lead singer, and Vollendorf is on the guitar, banjo and sings solos. Highlights of their concert usually includes Johnston singing "The Auctioneer."
August 5 | THELEN SISTERS
Three-sisters groups have always been popular through the years. There were the McGuire Sisters, the Andrew sisters, the Lennon Sisters, etc. When the three sisters sing in three-part harmony, they have similar voices, it often sounds like the same person singing all three parts. Now we have the Thelen Sisters, the daughters of Paul Thelen, well-known musician and leader of his own quartet.
Two of his daughters play instruments in the group – Ellie Thelen on saxophone and Eva Thelen on violin – daughter Elise (Thelen) Winkle joins in with the vocals. Paul is on keyboard and sings with his daughters at times. Two additional musicians accompany the quartet -- Phil Schmahl on bass and Bob Milanowski on drums.
The Thelen Sisters ensemble does a wide range of tunes from the 1930s through the 1990s. Styles include jazz standards, popular music and opera. The repertoire includes music of Neil Diamond and standards by the Andrew Sisters, Frank Sinatra and the Beatles.
AUGUST 12 | MOLLIE B AND FRIENDS
Mollie B, the multi-instrumentalist, award-winning vocalist, and host of the Mollie B Polka Party TV show, has been performing music all her life. Mollie started her career performing with the Jim Busta Band when she was only a child. Through hard work and dedication, Mollie now performs nation-wide to live audiences, as well as TV productions and the movie screen. She has performed several years with the award winning, Ted Lange, and also serves as a guest artist with other bands. Mollie not only has performed on over 40 recordings, she has shared her many God-given talents with fans in over 30 states and eleven countries and continues to inspire young musicians with her love for music.
AUGUST 19 | Ryan Kautzer Band
Ryan Kautzer is a young accordionist and bandleader who plays a wide variety of polkas and waltzes.
AUGUST 26 | REMINGTON'S RIDE
Remington’s Ride is a five-piece band based in Fond du Lac, specializing in vintage western swing and roots country music of the 1930s to 1970s. “Western swing is an exciting blend of Americana, honky-tonk, blues, big band and roots country,” says bandleader Steve Miller. “Asleep at the Wheel” is one of the only nationally known bands currently performing this style of music.
Miller plays lead guitar and vocals. Other band members include; Daniel “Dutch” Baker on drums, “Marshall” Matt Morse of Pickett, on upright bass, steel guitarist Jory Simmons from East Troy, and Allan Sanders from Neshkoro on fiddle.