LIVE MUSIC: Jack Norton
Travel back in time with Emmy Award winning songwriter Jack Norton, for a concert of vaudeville blues, old-time country, and vintage Americana folk music.
Singer/songwriter Jack Norton says he was born somewhere in rural Georgia during the summer of 1879 to a family of itinerant workers. He spent his childhood in the Deep South, drifting from town to town, eventually learning how to play the guitar from legendary blues musician Blind Lemon Jefferson.
When he was 12, he ran away from home to join the circus and later worked as a banjo player, vocal contortionist, and comedian in a traveling medicine show.
He eventually resurfaced in New Orleans, playing acoustic guitar in Jelly Roll Morton’s band. It was here that Norton tried his hand at songwriting, crafting songs which were stolen by Buddy Bolden.
Never one to settle down, Norton moved to New York City and quickly found himself in the heart of Tin Pan Alley, penning hit songs for Al Jolson, Rudy Vallee, and a young Bing Crosby.
Norton recorded his first records for Okeh in Asheville, North Carolina, in the summer of 1925. It was here that he influenced Jimmie Rodgers and Emmett Miller. He has been recording and touring ever since. Throughout the 1930s, Norton drifted from town to town, riding the rails and singing for his supper. During the folk boom of the early 1960s, Norton would influence artists such as Dave Van Ronk and Bob Dylan.
Today, Jack Norton is celebrating over 100 years as a recording artist. He continues to perform live, touring the world, playing his unique blend of vintage blues, ragtime jazz, and hokum folk.
Photo Credit: Aaron Schye
LIVE MUSIC: The Gilmore Family Band
A romance depicted through the Art of Music
In 2000, Shannon and Jason Gilmore embarked on their musical journey, sharing the stage with The Old Dog Band in Colorado Springs. Their friendship was forged through Shannon’s vocals and Jason’s mastery of the guitar and mandolin. Despite Shannon relocating to California in 2005, their connection endured, while Jason continued to explore his musical path, contributing to various bands in the Colorado Springs area. By 2016, Shannon returned, engaging in the local music scene and taking ownership of a significant music venue. More than a decade later, Shannon and Jason rekindled their musical partnership, spanning multiple genres and evolving their friendship into something deeper. This evolution led to the birth of The Gilmore Family Band in 2019. After a brief stint in Boulder, CO, the Gilmore’s ventured north to Wisconsin’s driftless plains in October of 2023, embracing a new musical chapter and unveiling their debut album, MESS THAT WE MADE. Marking another exciting turn in their ongoing adventures.
PATIO SESSIONS with Emily Watkins
An Eau Claire native, Emily has been an active member of the Chippewa Valley music scene for over ten years. For four semesters, she played guitar in the Grammy-nominated University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Jazz Ensemble I under the direction of Professor Robert Baca. During her time in the band, UWEC’s Jazz I was awarded the prestigious Downbeat Award for Best Undergraduate College Big Band. Since 2012, she has been the guitar player for the Chippewa Valley Jazz Orchestra. In 2019, Emily also had the opportunity to attend the week-long New York Voices Vocal Jazz Camp in Kalamazoo, MI. During her time there, she was given one-on-one coaching by members of the Grammy-award winning vocal ensemble The New York Voices.
Though she is an experienced jazz musician, Emily is well-versed in a variety of styles of guitar playing, including funk, country/folk, classical, blues, and many varieties of rock music. Since 2018, she has been the guitarist, booking manager, and co-arranger for Uncommon Denominator, an 8-piece variety band that has been voted Best Cover Band in the Chippewa Valley in the Volume One Reader’s Poll for the last five consecutive years. As a lover of theatre, Emily has also played in pit orchestras for almost thirty different musicals, playing guitar primarily and doubling on banjo, mandolin. Most recently, she held the guitar chair for the storied Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre based in Grand Lake, CO in the summer of 2021.
Emily also has a passion for music education, with almost ten years of private teaching experience. Currently, she maintains a private guitar studio on the north side of Eau Claire, welcoming students of all ages, abilities, and experience levels. Emily is able to teach a variety of styles, ranging from beginner technique and basic note reading to jazz comping and advanced music theory. She also teaches ukulele and beginner bass guitar.
LIVE MUSIC: Tim Davis Trio with Hannah Durham
A fixture in the Chippewa Valley’s entertainment scene, and known for his inventive arrangements, collaborative spirit, and commitment to nurturing local talent, Davis blends traditional swing with modern harmonic language, drawing influence from artists like Bill Evans, Keith Jarret and Ryo Fukui. In 2022, Davis founded Artem Entertainment, an Eau Claire–based organization dedicated to supporting live performance, artistic collaboration, and community-based production. Under his direction, Artem has curated events ranging from intimate jazz nights to large-scale showcases, bringing together musicians across genres and generations. Davis continues to perform regularly while composing original work, directing ensembles, and mentoring young artists. His efforts reflect a deep belief in the transformative power of music and its role in building sustainable creative culture in smaller communities.
