Upper Middle Western - Tall Tales - Short Tunes Luke Callen At the intersection of Harry Smith’s Old Weird America – the songs of heartworn highways – and the tumult of today you can find the music of Luke Callen. The songs – equal parts tragic comedy and hopeless reverie – paint a picture of the places and people that make up his earthly home. A poet – a player – a folk singer – Luke has traversed his country unraveling tall tales – short tunes and all that’s hidden underneath. Originally from the river town of La Crosse, Wisconsin – the heart of the Driftless Region on the Mississippi River – and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota by way of Colorado Luke brings his humble sense of humor and humanity wherever he may go. His last two albums below your knows (2019) and Hard Sardine (2021) – reach from the ethereal to the eternally real – whimsical walks in the out of doors to hopelessness and heartache and all the in betweens. He is currently working on his third studio album with Erik Koskinen – set to be released in 2022. Luke has played hundreds of shows spanning both coasts, the American west, south and heartland. He has had the opportunity to provide support for Dom Flemons, Dead Horses, The Dustbowl Revival, Kacy & Clayton, James McMurtry, Whiskey Shivers, Charlie Parr, The Lowest Pair, The Last Revel, Lilly Hiatt, Chicago Farmer, and Robbie Fulks among others – You can follow his travels on Facebook – Instagram or in real actual life. “No dog ever eats Luke Callen’s homework. He does it all. He turns it in ahead of time. Not for a grade. Not for extra credit. It’s his work and he’s good at it. Poet. Singer. Player. Just listen. First he captures your attention. You want to make comparisons with the giants whose shoulders he stood on. But don’t. He’s plenty tall enough in his own bare feet and his shoulders are wide enough to hold up the next batch of poets, singers, players. Keep listening. Now he captures your imagination. Luke is the hitch-hiker who picks you up. Get in. Toss your bindle in the back. Have you got a couple bucks for gas? No matter. He’s going take you all around the world. Pay attention. He’s going to show you everything that’s in it. And it’s right Below Your Knows.” -Eddie Allen // Old Pup Old Pup is a folk outfit from Milwaukee, WI with surrealistic leanings and a lyrical nod to American poets old and new. The name was inspired by a Walt Whitman line, "I am old and young, of the foolish as much as the wise." The project is led by multi-instrumentalist Will Hansen, who plays pedal steel with several artists in and around the city. Old Pup's latest record, Incognito Lounge, came out earlier this year on Hear Here Records. "What I like most about Incognito Lounge is how true it stays to the folk-country roots and psych roots without over-flavoring the whole dish with either ingredient. The sequence is perfect and the Lo-Fi, recorded-live on-the-floor, nature of it all lends an honest quality that is refreshing and alluring, like when a friend surprises you with a free lunch." - Chris Ames, Americana Highways (link to the review) $10 adv/ $15 at the door (advance sales until 3pm day of show, then available at the door). Doors at 6pm, showtime 7pm