Memorial Union Terrace Gig Tonight 8/14 at 7pm

We've got some beautiful weather here in Madison, WI and the Milwaukee Brewers have the night off from dominating MLB. What is there to do? How about a free acoustic show at the Memorial Union Terrace looking out on the Lake Mendota sunset while the brats and burgers sizzle nearby?

I'll be singin' and pickin' guitar with some of my WORT FM friends from 7-8:15 and there's a great bluegrass band that follows. If you're out on the town, come on by and we'll sing a song for YOU!

Chess Country up next on Back to the Country (WORT FM 89.9)

Last month, Rachel and I went to Chicago and took a tour of the Chess Records historic studio. We saw Leonard and Phil's offices, the studio where Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Etta James, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, and so many more recorded, Willie Dixon's bass, some original recording equipment in the control room, and much more. Many thanks again for an amazing tour, Janine! It's a blues and rock and roll oasis that every music fan should visit.

Though we thoroughly loved the tour, I didn't hear any talk of the great country music that came out on Chess. Between 1950 and 1960, Chess (and its subsidiaries Argo and Checker) released a handful of really great country records including Sam Phillips' first ever country recordings, some gems by Freddie Fender, Leon Russell and Pig Robbins, as well as seven releases on their own 4800- country series between 1954-55 (all Louisiana Hayride artists including one by Elvis Presley's then girlfriend!). Just last month I finally found the 7th and final 45 to complete the set and tomorrow I'll share the A and B sides of all seven. And of course, one cannot forget Chuck Berry and the profound impact he had in the country music sphere!

Tomorrow's Back to the Country on WORT FM show will shine a light on this country side of Chess with three hours of my very favorite Chess country 45s and 78s. Hope you can tune from 9am-noon CST via 89.9fm in southern WI or streaming at wortfm.org

Nate Gibson & the Stardazers to play the High Noon Saloon Patio This Thursday 8/7

Howdy Friends, Nate Gibson and the Stardazers will be playing a FREE all-ages outdoors show this Thursday [8/7] at the High Noon Saloon patio from 5:30-7:30. We love playing the High Noon and this one is sure to go down as a grand time had by all. It's our last Madison gig of the summer and we'd love to celebrate with y'all! [photo from our gig at the Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, WI last week by Joe Shaffer].

And speaking of that gig last week, I want to give a huge gratitude shout out to both the Baraboo Concerts on the Square and the Al Ringling Theatre staffs. The Stardazers and I had a blast playing to a great crowd of 250+ folks and we were even treated to a special behind-the-scenes tour of their 1915 architectural gem before being shown to our 11 separate dressing rooms for the night. Ha! I also want to specifically thank Jamie McCloskey (just his second gig as a Stardazer) and Jordan Kowalski (his first!) for crushing it onstage! Lastly, thanks to everyone who came out to honky-tonk with us and we'll hope to see ya in Baraboo again soon, or maybe even Madison (8/7 High Noon Saloon) or Spring Green (8/22 Sh*tty Barn) later this month!

Jordan Kowalski, Andrew Harrison, Jamie McCloskey, Nate Gibson

A great night for honky-tonking in a 1915 theatre

Starry skies for the Stardazers

Andrew Harrison, Nate Gibson, Jordan Kowalski, and Jamie McCloskey

Preaching the Starday recitation gospel

View from the Soundcheck of the Al Ringling Theatre, Baraboo, WI

Make Music Madison Saturday 6/21 - 2 Solo Sets

Howdy friends. Tomorrow is Make Music Madison day and the entire town will be buzzing with live music. Over 400 musicians/bands have signed up and will be performing at more than 100 different venues throughout the day (you can check out the complete listings here: https://makemusicmadison.org/).

I'll be playing two solo sets, the first from 2-2:45pm at Pinney Library on the east side, and then later at Todd's House in Greentree from 4-5:00pm on the west side. Was thinking about booking some morning and evening shows too, but there's so much great music at Garver Feed Mill that Rachel and I want to see in the morning and then of course, Joel Paterson and Annie Dolan will be playing tomorrow night at Kiki's House of Righteous Music (and also tonight at McPike Park Sessions). If not there and then, hopefully later and somewhere else, I'll look forward to seeing and catching up as we're out and about enjoying live music!

Nate Gibson and Asleep at the Wheel at the Stoughton Opera House Three Nights 5/8/5/9 and 5/10

Howdy Friends, I've got some exciting news to share. Western swing icons Asleep at the Wheel are coming to the Stoughton Opera House this week for three nights in a row and I'll be opening up the Ghost Light Lounge for all three shows! I can't wait! But just in case you fear repetition, fear not. Each night will be a completely different show and set list!

Thursday 5/8 - A rare Nate Gibson solo set! All originals. All me. One+ hour. Several brand new songs. I'm somewhat terrified.

Friday 5/9 - Nate Gibson and Andrew Harrison play the Starday classics! It'll be a fun night of Starday songs and stories (including several that didn't make it into the "Y'all Come" Starday spectacular) with one of the best guitar pickers out there!

Saturday 5/10 - In honor of Asleep at the Wheel, the Nate Gibson and the Stardazers trio will be playing our very favorite western swingers. No rockabilly. No honky-tonk. And no classic country, unless it swings west!

All three gigs are from 5:55-7:10 in the Ghost Light Lounge of the Opera House and will be followed by the amazing Asleep at the Wheel! Hope to see y'all for some or all of the shows!

https://www.stoughtonoperahouse.com/events/2025/5/8/asleep-at-the-wheel

photo by Chad at CAH Promotions

Another MUS103: INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC CULTURES OF THE WORLD is in the books!!

Phew! Another MUS103: INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC CULTURES OF THE WORLD is in the books, and this semester in particular was a doozy! I got a puppy, sprained my ankle, learned how to use TopHat to take class attendance, and grew a professor beard.

The 200ish students, however, were much more productive! They read a book and took 14 reading comprehension quizzes about it. They attended lectures and discussion sections. They learned how to use Mills Music Library resources from Public Services Librarian Tom Caw and then wrote an annotated bibliography (archival research!). They curated playlists. They took photographs and told stories with them. They learned how to conduct and record interviews from UW's Distinguished Oral Historian Troy Reeves and then interviewed multiple people. Then they wrote (and edited) transcripts and outlines of those interviews using AI.

They negotiated permissions and contracts. They accessed Mills Music Library and Wisconsin Music Archive collections and reviewed radio programs. They met distinguished ethnomusicologists, folklorists, and anthropologists Dr. Langston Collin Wilkins, Dr. Jim Leary, Dr. Portia Maultsby, and Dr. Falina Enriquez and learned about the kinds of work they do and the productions they produce. Then they completed their own audio productions (yay, public programming!). They listened to music from all around the world including Africa, the Middle East, Indonesia, Europe, North America, and South America AND in class heard traditional and modern Ojibwe-Anishinaabe songs from UW-Madison's Folk Musician-In-Residence Lyz Jaakola as well as some beautiful Middle Eastern melodies and rhythms from Dena El-Saffar and Tim Moore.

I think this all qualifies as a doozy!

I owe big thanks to the TAs–Anya, Ezra, and Jordan–for their incredible work all semester. I must also thank Dr. Nadia Chana again for recommending me and the Mead Witter School of Music for employing me! I also want to thank all of our guest speakers--it was a real honor to introduce you and share your work and experience with this class! Y'all are an exceptional and inspiring cast of scholars and humans!! And lastly, a big thank you goes out to several friends who donated their time, expertise, and patience by being interviewed for many of the students' final projects about why music matters and to whom--Julea Thomerson, Mason Meyer, Langston Collin Wilkins, Barry J Neely, Cris Plata, and many more. Y'all are the best and I can't wait to listen to all the final projects!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Queer Country on Back to the Country 4/9/25

Howdy Friends, Just a heads up that I will once again be hosting Back to the Country on WORT FM tomorrow morning from 9am-noon (CST) and that the theme this week will be "Queer Country." In response to the daily onslaught of nonsensical and punitive legislation targeting gay and trans communities all over this country, I think it's (long past) time to shine to a light on some of the amazing LGBTQ+ artists in the country music field.

Sure, there'll be some of the expected jams by Lavender Country, Wilma Burgess, k.d. lang, Chely Wright, and Orville Peck, but there are also hundreds of other amazing and queer country artists to promote. It's an exciting time for country music. The show will feature several hilarious and touching coming-out stories as well as an extended interview with my critically-acclaimed songwriter friend Abigail Austin (formerly Austin Lucas), as well as a tribute to my very recently departed friend Cary Canary (formerly Davy Jay Sparrow--R.I.P., my friend!). Prepare to laugh, cry, get angry, and dance your socks off!

9am-noon (cst) on 4/9. You can tune in via 89.9fm in Southern WI, streaming on wortfm.org or via the WORT app.

Nate Gibson & Patrick Haggerty of Lavender Country, Bloomington, IN circa 2011

Cary Canary [formerly, Davy Jay Sparrow] & Nate Gibson, Bloomington, IN 2011