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RECENT ARTISTS
LUCY KAPLANSKY
359 Concerts and Still Counting
Origin and Support
A New Home in 2009
Origin and Support
Thoroughly woven into the fabric of a welcoming community, Grassroots Concerts has for more than a quarter century presented live music from artists who have put us on the national folk map. Our success is due to volunteers and audiences who like to listen.
The series is rooted in the era of river fests and house concerts, evolving beyond river bank and living room to serve larger gatherings in a sustainable schedule of spring and fall Fridays. Remaining dedicated to the intimacy and interactive environment, Grassroots has drawn music lovers to shows hosted in civic halls, churches, and for several years the Nisswa Community Center.
Now hosted at Journey Church's Live Well Nightclub and Coffee Bar in Nisswa, the non-profit series holds the line on the price of admission thanks to grant support from the Five Wings Arts Council, a regional authority periodically using tax revenue approved by Minnesota voters.
"Artists love our series, love the acoustic venue, appreciate not playing in a bar, and love that people are listening," said Dawn Stattine, artistic director, who books the performers.
Audience members have driven from as far as Saskatchewan, Canada, and routinely attend from the Twin Cities and most consistently from a radius of about 60 miles.
Among the treasured relationships with everyone involved is that with Journey Church, which provides a comfortable setting more like a living room than a sanctuary, complete with locally roasted Stonehouse Coffee and baked goodies. The concert series helps Journey maintain the comfortable setting and at every concert accepts food shelf donations that are shared across the area.
Other ancillary benefits that result from the series include the Friday night bump in business to Nisswa, from pizza to pub. Nisswa Motel discounts lodging for Grassroots artists.
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CLICK TO HEAR "WORD OF MOUTH" Story by Chris Julin
Artists
A New Home in 2009
Origin and Support
More than 200 musicians since 1988 have graced the Grassroots stage, including several who return when asked. Many don't ordinarily play concerts in communities with a population under 1,000. For this series, they will take a detour.
They often perform alone, with instrumentation perfected in countless gigs across the globe. Individual artist styles have included Celtic, Bluegrass, South African, New Age, and Blues. There's even been Canadian step-dancing (April Verch).
They have commanded larger fees and attracted thousands in a single show (Leo Kottke, the late Richie Havens, Greg Brown), but know the special energy and love to be shared among 150 to 200 seriously interested fans on these special Friday nights.
A complete list of past performers and the dates they played our series is on the Previous Artists page of this website.
"I love to hear a good story, and folk musicians all have that in their songwriting," says Janice Bradshaw, one of the concert series originators. "They tell the stories of their lives, of the people they meet and the places they've been."
"When Tom Paxton's wife said our sound system ran as well as the best, that said a lot," recalls Ron Miles, former artistic director. "Artists value the listening venue. Occasionally, one is moved to debut a song. Paxton did." ("There Was No Time to Say Good-Bye")
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Music Links:
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Homestead Pickin' Parlor
KAXE Radio
A New Home in 2009
A New Home in 2009
A New Home in 2009
The lakes area live music scene is packed with variety for fans of rock, country, punkabilly and hip-hop for the bar crowd. And there's plenty of faith-based and old-fashioned gospel sound around.
For thousands of folks, the last two decades include cherished hours listening to scores of artists bonding with an alternative concert family. For them, Grassroots Concerts is the Friday night option.
Since 1988, a corps of music lovers has offered intimate, interactive musical refuge. Concert patrons from near and far relish a couple hours of seat time absent the big screen or alcoholic beverage. They are happy to have a refreshing change.
It all began in the day of house concerts, which filled living rooms in Little Falls and Baxter, in which musicians shared mostly their original songs. From homes, the venue moved to a town hall, the after-hours medical center lobby, the Congregational Church, the Odd Fellows Hall and Nisswa Community Center.
In the Spring of 2009, with the series facing its own economic crisis, a new commitment emerged to sustain the loyal following and keep the door open for newcomers.
Now hosted at the Live Well Nightclub and Coffee Bar in Nisswa's Journey Church, the concerts are offered at a rolled-back admission price of $10 per adult. Although the spring 2009 season was pared to three events (on the last Friday of February, March and April), the new concert home has proven to be a perfect fit.
Now, as musicians book this area into their tour schedules, the likelihood of more well-attended showcases seems as promising as the performances by popular folk musicians. The list of candidates for return engagements includes such favorites as John Gorka and James Keelaghan for the fall.
Those are two of many to have graced the Grassroots Concerts stage more than once. They are drawn back in a mutual admiration for the venue that is now able to comfortably accommodate 200 guests in soft seats and cozy couches amid relaxed lighting and the bonus of fresh-brewed Stonehouse coffee, baked goods and cold soft drinks at the Live Well.
The first concert of the 2009 season paired internationally known Twin Cities talents Peter Ostroushko and Dan Chouinard. The March 27 outing brought the gifted Cam Waters from Rochester and the April 24 show introduced the April Verch Band, a Carolina-based quartet.
When musicians decide to play for this series they often do so as informed performers. They look at the long list of fellow artists who have preceded them in Nisswa. They understand that a gig good enough for Tom Paxton, Leo Kottke, Eliza Gilkyson and Greg Brown is going to be just right for them.
Steve Waller, is a volunteer for the nonprofit Grassroots Concerts.
Volunteers
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