Tommy Bentz, singer-songwriter from the Tommy Bentz Band, has been performing for over 25 years and jams in the style of “Allman Brothers meets Van Morrison.” He performs songs from 6 original albums, a live DVD and CD, and unique covers from Cream/Clapton, The Band, SRV, Beatles/George Harrison, and more. His latest album “1000 Reasons” was released in May of 2021, with a new release scheduled for 2025. Tommy and TBB tours regionally, has toured overseas for 15+ years and competed in the International Blues Challenge (IBC) with artists from around the world in Memphis, TN in January, 2020, representing the State of Wisconsin. When not performing Tommy owns and operates Brickhouse Music in River Falls, recently celebrating 30+ years in business.

Jon Loomis is Professor Emeritus of creative writing at UWEC, and a founding member of the Flaming Doublewides, the Chippewa Valley’s popular blues, classic rock, R&B, rockabilly, lounge, retro country, alt-everything band—rocking the scene since 2016.  Jon is a widely published, award-winning poet and novelist who started playing guitar at twelve and fronting bands at fifteen.  He’s also an accomplished songwriter, whose original songs have been covered by numerous performers—his song “Heartbreak City,” recorded by Ohio-based bluegrass band the Rarely Herd, made it to number seven on the national bluegrass charts back in 1994.  Jon’s currently working on a fourth novel, and an album project produced by rock n’ roll legend Eric Ambel at Cowboy Technical Services Recording Rig in Brooklyn, NYC.

Lakely Limited is a series of live performances and special engagements at The Lakely, carefully chosen to create distinct nights of music, atmosphere, and connection. When you see this special designation, expect an experience that’s designed to be savored, and an event that’s worth planning for.

The first album from Mantis is a continuation of Scott Burton’s explorations of the intersections between composition and improvisation. The trio of Burton with Sean Carey on drums and Jeremy Boettcher on bass navigate sparse melodic frameworks filling them with life and bringing three individual voices to each tune. ‘If I Could See Heaven Without Dying’ was co-written by Burton and expat hiphop artist Jneiro Jarel and is based on a fingerstyle technique Burton stumbled on that emphasizes movement in the lower strings while leaving the higher ones open as a drone. The song was originally used to open Jarel’s ’After a Thousand Years’ album on Far Out Recordings, and here Carey and Boettcher bring groove and awareness of how to keep the song faithful while still adding their own touches. ‘GTO’ was written originally for Burton’s Richmond, Virginia based group ‘Glows in the Dark’ and was inspired by Warren Oates’ character in Monte Hellman’s film ‘Two Lane Blacktop’. ‘View’ first appeared as a simple guitar and synth recording on Burton’s bandcamp page, here rearranged as an open duration melody that leads to some of the more emotional highs on the album. Boettcher on bowed bass navigates the melody as Burton uses pedals to sample and build drama within the looped melody and Carey’s brushwork pushes the song higher and higher. The tunes ‘Fei Fei’ and ‘The Skyhawk’ were inspired by kung fu films and explore the idea of two independent time feels, with bass and drums locked in a groove and form and guitar in a different time and form floating on top. The title track ‘You Get Lost’ bookends the album with a further exploration of the low string fingerstyle technique and references the minimalism of Reich as the trio explores a repeated figure slowly breaking apart before gradually reforming.

Lakely Limited is a series of live performances and special engagements at The Lakely, carefully chosen to create distinct nights of music, atmosphere, and connection. When you see this special designation, expect an experience that’s designed to be savored, and an event that’s worth planning for.

Anicat is the duo of Annie Jackson and Keith Wojciechowski, blending soulful vocals with masterful guitar. Together, they create a musical experience that is both innovative and deeply rooted in tradition. Their seamless blend of vocals and guitar showcases their individual talents while highlighting their remarkable collaboration.

Vocalist Kat Sherman has been on the Eau Claire music scene for more than two decades, performing in a wide variety of styles and venues, and maintaining an active teaching studio in piano and voice.