The 2024 Sessions at McPike Park
August 8,9,10,11
Mokoomba
The Great Lake Swimmers
Bernard Allison
Christian and Modesto Nieves-Maldonado
John Primer
Los Tangueros del Oeste
Sidi Wacho
The Sessions Spotify Playlist
Mokoomba
Mokoomba, an explosively talented six-man crew from the Victoria Fall, has been hailed as one of the most exciting band from Africa in the 21st century! With over 40 countries and prestigious international festivals under their belt, they performed at the world’s biggest festivals and venues, Sziget, Roskilde, North Sea Jazz, New York’s Apollo Theater, New Orleans Jazz and many more.
THURSDAY AUGUST 8TH
Great Lake Swimmers
Featuring a blend of acoustic instruments, rural soundscapes, and wistful vocals, Great Lake Swimmers are a critically acclaimed indie-folk group led by songwriter/vocalist Tony Dekker. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the group emerged in the early 2000s with a succession of heavily atmospheric albums recorded in old silos and rural country churches. The music developed in that pastoral warmth, performed and recorded in acoustically unique and historical locales with a revolving cast of personnel. They are renowned for their homespun folk and lush, intimate Americana in their live set.
Great Lake Swimmers celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2023 with “Uncertain Country,” an album where doubts are followed by discovery, demos end up as finished tracks, and themes of new beginnings, rear-view reflections, and ruminations on the fluidity of time form the basis of the eleven new songs.
It follows a prolonged period of collective anxiety. Recorded in different locales—and with a variety of musicians—a theme of questioning runs throughout. Even before the world turned upside down, Dekker felt mired in uncertainty: from the climate crisis to the ever-changing political landscape. The “uncertain country” chosen as the album’s theme is not a specific place. Rather, it’s a territory we, as humans, inhabit in the 21st century — a world that, more often than not, is confusing, unfamiliar and unsettling.
“Moonlight, Stay Above” epitomizes what Great Lake Swimmers represents. A 10-voice strong women’s choir (Niagara’s Minuscule) lifts the lonely-sounding and wistful song up. As with that addition, the band on each album is fluid and always evolving.
Great Lake Swimmers were shortlisted for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize and nominated twice for Canada’s Juno Awards, with the CBC calling them “a national treasure.”
Rosie Flores
It’s telling that Rosie Flores’ e-mail handle begins “chickwpick…” In a long and eclectic career of singing, songwriting and performing, no phrase has ever described the San Antonio native better or more concisely.
In a career that spans more than four decades, Flores has proven to be a musical chameleon. She’s jumped feet first into punk rock (with her ’70-era band, the Screaming Sirens), country of both the Bakersfield and Nashville varieties, the Texas singer/songwriter scene, alt-country, straight-up rock and rockabilly. So much so the latter that her onstage moniker for years was “The Rockabilly Filly.” But always and throughout, she has been the Chick with the Pick.
Over the years, Flores has been profiled in Guitar World, Premiere Guitar and Guitar Player magazines. Venuszine cited Flores as one of the “Top 75 Greatest Female Guitarists of All Time” by Venuszine magazine. She performed at a tribute to Chuck Berry at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. She has worked with, and helped propel back in to the spotlight, pioneer female rockabilly artists Wanda Jackson and Janis Martin. In 2007, she won a Peabody Award for her narration of the rockabilly documentary, Whole Lotta Shakin’. She worked with Martin in producing the latter’s 2012 album, The Blanco Sessions, which would prove to be Martin’s last recording.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9TH
Bernard Allison
World class contemporary bluesman Bernard Allison is a virtuosic, blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. The son of Blues Hall of Famer Luther Allison, Bernard grew up with many of the blues greats who influenced his style, among them his father, Edgar Winter, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Hound Dog Taylor and Bobby Rush. Having taught himself to play guitar at the age of ten, Johnny Winter taught Bernard how to play slide guitar and Stevie Ray Vaughan coached him about life on the road. Blues legend Bobby Rush is his godfather. - By Martine Ehrenclou
SATURDAY AUGUST 10
John Primer
As the bandleader and lead guitarist for Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Magic Slim & The Teardrops, John Primer's virtuosity as a blues musician was forged by legends.
John started playing on Maxwell Street, the birthplace of Chicago blues and soon became the house bandleader at the infamous Theresa's Lounge for seven years alongside Sammy Lawhorn, Junior Wells, James Cotton and others.
Having played or recorded with a who's who of blues greats including Gary Clark Jr., Derek Trucks, Johnny Winter, and Buddy Guy to name a few, John Primer's personal accolades, including Lifetime Achievement Awards, reflect his countless contributions to the history of the blues.
There are very few blues fans, critics or musicians who will deny the fact that John Primer is the real deal.
You can’t paint the blues without a Primer!
SATURDAY AUGUST 10
Sidi Wacho
The volcanic combo from France and Chili set everywhere they go alight with their cumbia and Manu Chao-like festive spirit. Sidi Wacho erupts with Balkan brass madness, accordion waltzes and two crazy MCs. After three albums, Libre (2016), Bordeliko (2018) and Elegancia Popular (2020), these guys have more than proved that the street and freedom are like royalty in this nutty world! So, grab a bottle and jump aboard their caravan for an unforgettable ride. Sidi Wacho was born when two guys, Saïdou, iconic French rapper, and Juanito Ayala, the voice of Chilean cumbia, crossed paths. There was an instantaneous recognition for two artists hungry for social justice and righting human and systemic wrongs: Down with imperialism and racism, with our mics, we’ll catch you out on the world stage!
“Sidi” is the Arabic equivalent of the English “Mr.” while “wacho” is what Chileans would call a street kid. The perfect symbiotic relationship to expel chaos. An urbane hip-hop unleashed in the name of those heroes who have fought for social justice, and everyone is invited. Sung in French, English, Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese, Sidi Wacho’s music rolls out at a frantic pace because, for fiery souls, life and fun wait for no one. The breathy spasms of Jeoffrey Arnone’s accordion, the trumpets in Balkan fury and percussions by “El Pulpo”, it’s a real trip for senses. Their recent album, Calle Sound System, has received global recognition, including the hit “Lejos de Casa” which acts like a switch for the whole body. Another gem of a poetico-political message with a powerful effect. On stage, the explosive effect is multiplied tenfold. Craving musical road trip to Valparaíso? Get your dancing shoes ready because Sidi Wacho will transport you there in a flash!
Pursuit of Happiness June 14,15,16
Chuck Prophet
If the best parts of your classic British Invasion, 50s country, 60s pop, and pure rock ’n’ roll records could be transformed into a person, they might look and sound a lot like Chuck Prophet. For almost 30 years, this Bay Area songwriter has reliably delivered albums so pleasingly familiar that, had he started a few decades earlier, it’d be easy to imagine him outshining the likes of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen. Prophet (who also plays FitzGerald’s on October 26) has the charisma of an arena star, and thanks to his catchy guitar riffs, powerful choruses, and seductively casual vocal style, which could trick you into thinking he’s talking straight into your ear, his live shows always sound larger than the clubs where he plays. - by Mark Guarino
FRIDAY, JUNE 14
Alea
With a welcoming sound that embraces cumbia, vallenato, rancheras, pop and jazz, the singer-songwriter Alea moves her audiences with messages of the spirit, calls for social change and free-flowing love.
Originally from La Guajira, Colombia, Alea’s performance encompasses an entire generation of ethno-futuristic and folkloric music accentuated by buttery vocals, deep-rooted grooves and uplifting guitar.
Alea’s in-person performances are powerful encounters of the spirit, passionate travelogues that link downtown New York to a tropical Colombian cantina.
SATURDAY JUNE 15
Buffalo Nichols
Born in Houston, raised in Milwaukee and now based in Austin, Carl “Buffalo” Nichols is the first solo blues act signed to Mississippi’s Fat Possum Records in more than two decades. His eight-song debut shows why — the album is a testament to acoustic blues, showcasing Nichols’ deft fingerpicking and slide work, and an ability to stop you in your tracks with a single line.
SUNDAY, JUNE 16TH
Shamarr Allen
Shamarr Allen is the definition of New Orleans! Hailing from the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, Allen has influences in jazz, hip-hop, rock, funk rhythms, blues and country. He is the lead vocalist and trumpeter of his band “Shamarr Allen & The Underdawgs.” In addition to performing with his band, Allen has collaborated with many renowned artists around the world such as Willie Nelson, Patti LaBelle, Galatic, Harrick Connick Jr, and Lenny Kravitz, to name a few. He is a sought after artist for festivals and venues around the world. In addition to displaying his skills on the front-line as a lead performer, Allen is also a music composer, writer, and producer. With a scintillating and unique sound, look, and exemplary talents, Shamarr Allen transcends musical boundaries. He is the True Orleans experience!
FRIDAY, JUNE 14
The Stooges Brass Band
The Stooges Brass Band has earned their rank as one of the elite brass bands in New Orleans. The band consistently provides a welcome blast of true New Orleans spirit engaging audiences with their innovative blend of traditional New Orleans brass sounds, contemporary jazz and hip-hop beats.
Emerging onto the scene in 1996, the Stooges Brass Band has gained notoriety as a full-blown musical party immersing the crowd in a cut-loose vibe that is contemporary yet deeply rooted in the culturally rich musical legacy of New Orleans.
SUNDAY, JUNE 16TH
Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound
Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound are the latest in Fresh Venerable. Benefitting from years of unassuming and understated hipness, they bring forth a funky, lyrically charged racket that sits comfortably with soulful sounds the world over.
Intricate but free-swinging, explosive yet intimate, fresh and green as grass.
Taking cues from the dance bands of western Louisiana (and his native Midwest,), the streets (and 45’s) of New Orleans, touring African and Caribbean combos and the soul, funk & blues of his youth coupled with early , teeth-cutting experience in the verbal hotbeds of the coffeehouse scene, Cebar is a masterful synthesist of rhythmic culture
Tomorrow Sound are an elite crew of offhand adepts who bring plenty of their own wood to the fire. Drummer Reggie Bordeaux, casts his nets with a mystifying subtlety bringing his own fleet-footed refinement and grease. Multi-instrumentalist Bob Jennings, lends his bandleader the luxury of implying a much larger ensemble with his multi-hued contributions on keys and reeds. Bassist Mike Fredrickson (a distinguished singer-songwriter in his own right) anchors and prods with the best of them.
SATURDAY JUNE 15
Christian Javier Nieves Maldonado
He was born at the Hospital del Maestro in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on February 16, 1981. He is the first-born of three children born to Modesto Nieves and Beatriz Maldonado, in the Cedro Abajo neighborhood in Naranjito. His mother, a housewife, very attentive to home care, taught him school responsibilities. His father, known as “Zurdo de Naranjito”, a tireless musician and cuatrista, taught him to love typical and popular music, and its culture with passion. He married Zoila Rodríguez Repollet from Cial in 2013, and in 2014 he became a father by creating a beautiful daughter, Stella Maris Nieves Rodríguez.
There are those who search for their passion all their lives, but that is not the case of Christian Nieves Maldonado. Her mother, Beatriz Maldonado, tells us that from the womb she kicked when she heard the notes of four. Her father, the renowned musician Modesto Nieves, freed them to perform boleros and dances in the spaces of his house, on the green slopes of the Cedro Abajo neighborhood in Naranjito, Puerto Rico.
Being just a baby, his face transformed with smiling gestures every time the sound appeared in the air. Already at the age of three he remembers that his curious fingers were trying to scratch a mystery of the cuatro instrument when a gift from his father Modesto Nieves and his grandfather Felix Maldonado added the complicity of the strings naturally.
The world met him alongside Ricky Martin, Tommy Torres and La Mary de Chambao, in the live recording of Ricky Martin "Unplugged" in Miami. With the essence of the jíbaro bonus in the song "Tu Recurdo" and adorning the songs of "Pegate" and "La Bomba" with the sound of the cuatro.
The cuatrista was selected from a group of artists from the patio who participated in the "reality" Q'VIVA by Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lópoes and Simon Fuller.
He recently recorded with DRACO Rosa the joy, nostalgia and poetry of the roots in the sound of the Puerto Rican cuatro.
Modesto Nieves "El Zurdo de Naranjito"
Born on April 8, 1951 in Naranjito, Puerto Rico, product of the union of Modesto Nieves Rosado and Marcela Fuentes Santiago.
His family emigrated to New Jersey in 1960 when Modesto was only 8 years old. The closest cuatrista model he had was his uncle Juan Nieves and at thirteen years old she followed in his footsteps. Being his right uncle, she learns to play the cuatro with the strings inverted.
He returned to Puerto Rico in 1970, participating in several competitions at the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, in which he obtained a scholarship from Francisco Lopez Cruz, and it was there that maestro Lopez Cruz urged him to play with the strings in his favor, left-handed. In 1973 he joined the Ballet Folklorico Nacional, Areyto de Puerto Rico, with which he has traveled the entire world exhibiting the art of the Puerto Rican cuatro in Israel, China, Japan, Italy, Spain, France, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Panama, Cuba, Dominican Republic, among others.
In 1990 he created the group Herencia Musical together with his children, Mónika, Natalia and Christian, and his brothers-in-law Edgardo and Raúl Maldonado. Herencia Musical has achieved an important place in the arts, representing Puerto Rico in each of its presentations. It is a musical delight to enjoy the muse and talent of this family of virtuosos.
Thank you!
Through your contributions we are able to support our wonderful non-profit partners who work so tirelessly with limited resources to create change and opportunities in our community:
Centro Hispano
Community Immigration Law Clinic
The Native Food Network.
The Friends of Ukraine- Madison
Urban League
WORT-FM
Please contact us to get involved and help us further our general pursuit of happiness and community building! If you or your organization would like to join our efforts please reach out.
The Sessions are free & volunteer run
The Sessions at McPike Park are free events that benefit 7 non-profits in the community. They each have a day to promote their programs. We funnel funds to these organizations through our raffle, auction, and profit-sharing plan.
local Food & product Vendors
The Sessions features a fine array of local food and product vendors to nourish and delight. This event is family-friendly.
Where is mcpike park?
202 S Ingersoll St, Madison, WI 53703
Located in the heart of the isthmus in Madison, WI, this nearly six-acre park, formerly known at Central Park, was officially renamed in April 2018 at a dedication ceremony honoring longtime East High School principal, Milton McPike.
Get involved!
The Sessions is entirely volunteer-run by a talented Board and volunteers from our non-profit partners and the community. Contact us if you would like to participate!
