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GROOVIN' GROUNDS
All performances are in the Common Grounds Coffeehouse in the University Union beginning at 9pm on the dates specified below.
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Nick Motil
Friday, September 5, 2008
Take
a listen... |
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No managers, no labels, no shoes…no problem!
This singer-songwriter is destined for success; and so far, he’s done it all on his own. Sharing the spotlight with artists Jason Mraz, Chantal Kreviazuk, The Verve Pipe, Keller Williams, Everclear, The Calling, Duncan Sheik and others; Nick Motil has sold over 5,000 copies of his music in just over two years. Three albums in three years and hundreds of shows later, Nick Motil is just getting warmed up. Coming off a roving showcase at NACA West, Nick Motil captured the audience at NACA Northern Plains and walked away one of the highest booked acts of the conference.
Nick Motil creates songs you can relate to. His songs take you to a place you’ve never been, but feel like you’ve lived there all your life. His live performances capture you, draw you in, and make you sing along…even if you’re unsure of the words. The humor Nick Motil displays on stage breaks the ice to an evening-long conversation in which the stage becomes a living room. Kick off your shoes and enjoy.
After all, "everything’s better barefoot." |
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Far Beyond Frail
Friday, October 3, 2008
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a listen... |
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Like a mythical siren luring explorers close to her side, Kansas City’s far beyond frail has been drawing listeners near with an irresistible blend of alternative-folk music, poetic lyrics and stunning female vocals.
Formed in 2002 on Martha’s Vineyard, an island sleeping off the coast of Cape Cod, far beyond frail is comprised of vocalist Sharlynn Verner and songwriter David Cecil. After having discovered a mutual love for the melodies and emotional depth of Counting Crows, Sharlynn’s voice and David’s creativity had found their home, resulting in the first steps that led to far beyond frail’s formation. In 2004, the band relocated to Kansas City, taking with them the surreal ambiance that their time spent on the oft-romanticized, East Coast island had instilled in their sound. |
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John Kollman
Saturday, October 11, 2008 |
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Nick Venturella
Friday, November 7, 2008
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a listen... |
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Nick is a folk/rock/garage/pop singer-songwriter who delivers smart songs with simplistic savvy.
Nick has been writing and performing his music for a little over a decade. His music stems from personal experiences and observations of life, relationships and self-awareness.
Nick’s acceptance of various influences allows his sound to be versatile and forever evolving (think John Mayer and the BoDeans meet Ryan Adams and Dashboard Confessional). Plus, with a loose personable performance style, Venturella connects well with his audiences making each show a memorable one.
Venturella is originally from St. Louis, MO, but got his musical start in Waukesha, WI. For the last few years he has lived in Madison, but just recently moved to the Milwaukee area. Nick performs throughout the upper Midwest at colleges, coffee shops, restaurants/bars, hotels, and private parties. |
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Jana Holland Duo w/ John Statz
Friday, November 14, 2008
Take
a listen... |
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Jana Holland has been given a rich heritage of song and spirit. Every Saturday afternoon for the first 15 years of Jana's life, she would join her Grandmother at the local nursing home in Muskegon, Michigan, to sing hymns of old. As a teen, she was introduced to the world of performance, and recording by touring with Judy Price, her mother, mentor and gifted vocalist.
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Kristin Diable
Friday, December 5, 2008
Take
a listen... |
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"You only have to listen to a few seconds of Kristin Diable's 'Sister Sadie' to hear that she sings songs that have roots in the blues, folk, and soul. Just 22, Kristin's been writing her own songs for about six years now. Her songwriting and performing is strong enough to have established her as one of New York City's more promising young artists." - Voice of America |
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WHATYAMISSED (Spring
'08): |
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Nini Camps
February 1, 2008
Take
a listen... |
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A native of Miami, Fl and New Yorker by choice, Nini Camps is an independent, touring, singer/songwriter and self-proclaimed road warrior. Camps' live powerhouse performances showcase her unique "no fear" approach to the acoustic guitar (using her slide, effects pedals and percussive latin rhythms) as well as the diversity of her vocal delivery. Two of Nini’s songs have been featured on As The World Turns being performed by Jennifer Landon. |
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Bari Koral
March 7, 2008
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a listen... |
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Bari becomes Groovin’ Grounds only three time return artist this show so you know she has to be good! She is often compared to her peer folk/pop singers like Jewel, Norah Jones and Joan Osborne (some of whom she has appeared with). Her albums have been critically acclaimed and she has received great reviews while gracing the covers of entertainment sections of city papers, college papers and hundreds of zines and music magazines around the country, including Billboard. |
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Jonathan Clay
April 4, 2008
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a listen... |
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With the release of his first album, "Whole New Me," Jonathan Clay solidified something that was in the works for quite some time. Songs off that album landed spots in nationally broadcasted reality shows, independent movies and radio shows across the country. Now working on his second album, he feels like this is "right where he needs to be." |
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WHATYAMISSED (Fall
'07): |
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Austin Willacy
September 7, 2007
Take
a listen... |
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Austin Willacy is an accomplished vocalist/songwriter who is also a member of
Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. recording artists The House Jacks. willacy has recorded
four CD's with The House Jacks (as well as 3 solo releases) and tours
extensively throughout the US, Europe and Japan, performing with Ray Charles,
James Brown, The Neville Brothers, The Temptations, The Gap Band, The Pointer
Sisters, LL Cool J, Run DMC, Starship, Chicago and Crosby, Stills and Nash. |
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Meg Allison
October 5, 2007
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a listen... |
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At 23, Meg Allison is smack-dab in the middle of
the crazy-awesome-wonderful-frustrating life of a singer/songwriter—waiting
tables by day, singing by night, and paying her dues.
After listening to Meg sing, it is evident that she possesses a gift for
storytelling with heartfelt emotion. She writes the songs you can’t get out
of your head, with the lyrics you’ve lived. Meg’s songs are not only inspired
by her life, but by the artists she most admires such as Jason Mraz, Martin
Sexton, Patty Griffin, Ryan Adams, and Ray LaMontagne. Witness one performance
and you can tell that when on stage with her guitar on one side and a beer on
the other, she is as comfortable as old jeans. |
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Sean
McConnell
November 2, 2007
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a listen... |
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"If you want to get up on stage, you've got to take em to a place where the
people need to feel it. If you can't hit that note, you're not deliverin'
the goods" Musician Kim Wilson once said. And in a world where
superstars embarrass themselves with lip synching bloopers and where music is
more about the money than the emotion, it is good to know that there are
still artists like Sean McConnell who get it. Sean's music is about
emotions. Showing incredible maturity for a 21-year-old singer-songwriter,
Sean's music draws upon familiar themes of "life, love, pain, remembrance,
and hope, as he encourages listeners to think and to feel, but not
necessarily in that order. |
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Julie Moffitt
December 7, 2007
Take
a listen... |
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2007 looks to be a breakout year for Julie, with major events already in the
works. February sees her song "Let Him Be" included in Paste Magazine's
Sampler, alongside The Shins and Lucinda Williams, and in July she'll be
enjoying her first solo stage slot at Summerfest. |
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