Have fun and raise money for one of River Valley's most impactful organizations, River Valley ARTS. Over the years River Valley ARTS has granted well over $200,000 to local organizations, schools, and artists, providing funding for countless concerts, art exhibitions, classes, and other performances throughout our community.

On March 9th, the Slowpoke Lounge and Cabaret in Spring Green will host a trivia fundraiser for River Valley ARTS. The event, featuring Trivia Mistress Kyle Adams, will be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy an evening with your friends and neighbors while raising money for arts and culture programs in the River Valley area. 

Details: Teams can be up to 4 people and  the entry fee is $15 per person. Registration/check-in starts at 5:30pm with the first question at 6:00pm. Grand prize is $50 and there will be a raffle with prizes generously donated by local artists and businesses.

For more information email contact@rivervalleyarts.org. 

What a treat to welcome our very own young jazz artists for a night at the club. River Valley High School Jazz Band and Vocal/Jazz Chamber Ensemble perform a night of jazz at the coolest jazz club in town. No question, they’re ready for the big stage. Are you ready for them? These cats may be just getting started, but they’ve got the goods. Come on down to see for yourself.

All ticket proceeds benefit River Valley High School Music Department.

Tickets $10 in advance/$15 at the door

Join us for this special Shitty Barn show to Kickoff their season.

Six albums into their lauded career, the Claudettes (of Chicago) continue to put a fascinating new spin on American roots music. Blues and R&B are laced with punk spirit and film-noir moods to create the band’s singular “garage cabaret” sound. The Claudettes have earned worldwide acclaim with their recordings and concerts that are equal parts heart, musicianship and theatrical flair. Force-of-nature vocalist Rachel Williams (who dominates the stage like a glam-rock rebirth of Annie Lennox and renowned pianist/songwriter Johnny Iguana join the positively heroic rhythm section of Zach Verdoorn (bass, guitar, vocals) and Michael Caskey (drums). Outside the Claudettes, Iguana has toured with Junior Wells and Otis Rush, played on many Grammy-nominated albums and recorded with Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Derek Trucks, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Johnny Winter and more. Johnny is also composer of the score for the Emmy-winning smash FX/Hulu series “The Bear.”

Tickets $20

Rural Musicians’s Forum is presenting this special free-will donation event with Pro Arte Quartet.

The classical music Quatuor Pro Arte was once the court quartet to the Queen of Belgium.

But thanks to the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea and a moment of triumph over a dark time in world history, the world-renowned ensemble of violin, viola, and violoncello now known as the Pro Arte Quartet has made its home at the University of Wisconsin for more than 75 years.

In its history, the quartet’s members have changed just 19 times, with the current ensemble together since 1995: violinists David Perry and Suzanne Beia; violist Sally Chisholm; and cellist Parry Karp MM 1977, the longest-serving member in Pro Arte’s history.

Join us for a night of your Classic Rock favorites with Psycherelic, a band of with a playful stage energy and tremendous intensity, performing everything.

Suggested donation of $5 - $10 at the door for the band.

Join us once a month on Sundays (and occasional Mondays) as we screen a movie selected by the River Valley Film Club. Movie titles remain under wraps until showtime, so follow RVFC on Facebook for details.

For more information, come down to Slowpoke Lounge & Cabaret, and we might just let you in on our secret.

Come 30 minutes before showtime to grab a drink and meet fellow movie-lovers. Bring your own popcorn (or dinner).    

The River Valley Film Club was founded in 2023 by Spring Green residents David Eisenberg and Sam Van Hallgren to promote and program film screenings in the River Valley Area of Southwest WI and to create a network of River Valley film lovers.

The Driftless Revelers formed in the second spring of the first global pandemic of the 21st century, with one ear turned toward the shellac platters and Victrola virtuosos of the early to mid 20th century, and the other ear glued to the soundscapes of the 1960's & 1970's American freak-folk scene.

Featuring the original songwriting of Ben Nelson, Matthew R. Sayles, and Jerod Kaszynski, the Driftless Revelers will pleasure a crowd with plectral banjo tones, the mournful wailing of resophonic steel guitars, and the up-right bass bellows of an era that can't quite be defined, but revels in the timeless ephemera of weird old-time American music.

​With influences as varied and eccentric as a proper musty smelling thrift store record collection, the band grooves merrily through early roots blues and jazz music, to hillbilly and string band howlers, all the way into the not-quite folk but not-quite psychedelic realms of their own creation.

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A Driftless Revelers show will lure you in with their joy--keep you dancing with their search for the cosmic groove in the confines of stringed instruments--and will send you on your way with flashbacks of the Driftless Revelry found only in the essence of the intangible reaches of notes once played-- that then fall silent.

Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door

Spirit lifting, soul searching songs from the Driftless, The Iowans are a pair of first cousins who have been creating and inspiring each other since childhood. Transplanted from the fertile soil of rural Northeastern Iowa, now hailing from the musical vortex of Viroqua, Katie and Christina weave together whimsical, nostalgic and moving sounds with their clawhammer banjo, guitar and organic vocal harmonies.

Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door

Syrian Heart. Midwest Soul.

Echoing Stevie Wonder’s rhythm and blues, Jamiroquai’s social justice centered lyricism over jazz-infused funk, and Steely Dan’s seamless amalgam of American music, Bassel & The Supernaturals evoke joy and thoughtfulness in diverse audiences throughout hundreds of cities across North America.

In the band's national television debut, PBS selected Bassel & The Supernaturals to represent Chicago in the season finale of The Express Way with Dulé Hill (May 2024).

In 2022, Bassel & The Supernaturals, three times finalists for American Music Abroad, collaborated with American English, American Voices, and the U.S. State Department to create an educational package through their program, Wordplay, The Lyrics Project.

Bassel & The Supernaturals has performed in over 400 concerts and advocacy events between 2016-2024 on stages including SXSW, John F. Kennedy Center, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Summerfest, and Millennium Park, and supported internationally touring artists such as Youssou N'Dour, Aesop Rock, Emancipator, Brother Ali, The Dandy Warhols, Sinkane, and many others.

Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door

Join us once a month on Sundays (and occasional Mondays) as we screen a movie selected by the River Valley Film Club. Movie titles remain under wraps until showtime, so follow RVFC on Facebook for details.

For more information, come down to Slowpoke Lounge & Cabaret, and we might just let you in on our secret.

Come 30 minutes before showtime to grab a drink and meet fellow movie-lovers. Bring your own popcorn (or dinner).    

The River Valley Film Club was founded in 2023 by Spring Green residents David Eisenberg and Sam Van Hallgren to promote and program film screenings in the River Valley Area of Southwest WI and to create a network of River Valley film lovers.

A Chicago-based band rooted in the city’s native Jazz and Blues Tradition and formed in response to the challenges posed for live performers in the wake of the 2020 pandemic. Led by legendary bass player and songwriter Dennis Carroll, DC & The Love brings together a group of premier musicians who began playing spontaneously on porches and public venues around the city, immediately embraced by audiences for their musicianship and originality. Since those early days, DC & The Love has evolved into one of the most exciting and cutting-edge bands in the country, playing some of Chicago’s best clubs and recording their first highly acclaimed EP titled “Go Up.” The leader, Dennis Carroll, a sideman for decades to many of the great jazz players is now leading his own group. Lee Rothenberg plays guitar, Joey Skoch plays keys, and Neil Hemphill plays drums.

Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door

Ben Mulwana is a Ugandan-born and raised artist residing in Wisconsin. With songs about love, loss and everything in between, Ben’s band project “Ben Mulwana and the Village” is made of a groovy, rock and soulful sound from a group of amazing musicians.

Ben released his debut album, "Mr Mulwana", on May 1st; and is available on all streaming platforms. The album “Mr. Mulwana” is about growth, in music, mind and soul. I built the studio I recorded in from scratch with the goal of recording all the songs in it. I thought of giving up several times, and several times I got back up and kept going. This album is the musical representation of this process, all the ups and downs, the struggle and the joy of it all.

We’ll start our evening off with Violet Wilder. College best friends Kimberly, Melissa, & Jayna formed Violet Wilder amid a tumultuous timeline filled with friendship, heartbreak, highs & lows. Violet Wilder processes the world around them sonically, expressing themselves through lyric & melody in a fashion of alternative indie, rock & roll, and folk, and mesmerizes audiences with their sumptuous 3-part harmony and cute outfits.

Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door

Join us for BRETT NEWSKI & the Bad Inventions with special guest: Fine & True

A revival of 90’s alternative, Wisconsin's lo-fi alt rock outfit BRETT NEWSKI & the Bad Inventionsenlists a friend/musical influence on every track for their forthcoming LP. From veterans like Matthew Caws (Nada Surf), Brian Vander Ark (the Verve Pipe), Ryan Miller (Guster), Miles Nielsen, and Scott Terry (Red Wanting Blue) to overseas acts like H Burns (France), The Secret Beach (Canada) and The Shabs (South Africa), BRETT NEWSKI & the Bad Inventions compile an internationally collaborative album from his own tiny house in Wisconsin.

The durable three-piece will hit American, European and South African highways for a 100 date touring year behind the new LP. Featuring Steve "Mr Bicep" Vorass on drums, Sean "Tubs" Anderson on 4-string & Brett Newski on guitars and vocals.

NEWSKI has played with Pixies, Violent Femmes, Courtney Barnett, Gin Blossoms, Manchester Orchestra, Better than Ezra, Barenaked Ladies, & Nada Surf and has been featured in Rolling Stone, NPR, American Songwriter, SiriusXM, Boston Globe, NBC, Billboard and SPIN.

And starting off our evening, Violet Palms combines early 2000s nostalgia and modern influences to create tight, direct rock music that is honest, occasionally goofy, and - because they can't help themselves - funky.

Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door

The Soul Impressions are an organ trio that performs and honors the vibrant and colorful African American pop/soul music from the 60s & 70s. The group performs original arrangements and reimaginings of recognizable classics by artists like Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye. Our mission is to provide a highly interactive artistic experience in the context of accessible, feel-good music that is consistently rooted in the groove. The Soul Impressions are comprised of heavyweights of the local Madison jazz scene. Dave Stohler’s organ playing brings an innate fire and reflects deep reverence for the vast and colorful jazz tradition. Jim Huwe’s insistent groove and mastery of funk styles provides the backbone for the band. The group is led by Austin Cebulske, saxophonist and educator hailing from the culturally vibrant musical scene of St. Louis, MO whose passion lies in the jazz and pop realms of Black American Music from the 60s & 70s. The Soul Impressions offer an eclectic mix of Motown classics, Rhythm & Blues ballads, jazz standards, and up-tempo funk songs that provides the audience with a diverse and engaging musical experience not to be forgotten.

Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door

Ween-influenced genre hoppers, Cribshitter is Madison, Wisconsin's premier fog machine-forward soft rock act. No one in their right state of mind could’ve possibly seen the first iteration of Madison’s most unapologetically unhinged band and predicted they’d be one of the most enduring acts the city would have throughout the 2000s, 2010s, and into the 2020s.

What started out as a near-parody of pop bands has turned into a seriously ambitious musical effort spiked with loads of obscure cultural references that will make you laugh. Cribshitter could well be Madison’s Flight of the Conchords.

Steve Albini once called them “Einstein-level geniuses.” And in 2024 the Mayor of Madison officially declared June 14th “Cribshitter Day” and gave them a key to the city (which they misguidedly cut in half thinking it was a ribbon cutting ceremony).

“It’s a rare band that can have a tuba-driven track called “Whippin’ Shitties” and simultaneously play most other bands off the stage.” -Tone Madison

And we’ll start our evening off with Free Dirt.

Free Dirt writes sturdy, dependable, sometimes funny songs that ring familiar while also feeling a bit tough to pin down. On stage they take those songs, pull them apart and use the bricks to fashion a wobbling Tower of Babel. Come see how close they get to heaven before it all tumbles back down to earth.

Pal “Young Earth” Jones: Baritone Guitar
Durt Russell: Drums

Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door

Madison, Wisconsin based funk band, RARE ELEMENT has developed a strong reputation for its high-intensity, live shows.  The band's highly talented 7-piece roster, including 3-piece horn section, bring massive energy to the stage at each performance.  The band is influenced by classic funk artists such as Fred Wesley, The Meters, Clyde Stubblefield, and Herbie Hancock.  See for yourself why Maximum Ink Magazine dubbed Rare Element as "Madison's Newest Super Group"!  

Chad Whittinghill (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Bryan Husk (tenor, baritone sax) first met in 2003 as members of the urban neo-soul band, VIBE SYNDICATE.  Unbeknownst to them, they would spend the next 19 years playing side by side with some of Wisconsin’s finest funk and blues bands.  For years, they honed their skilled working together with CLYDE STUBBLEFIELD's weekly Funky Monday shows.  Later, the two would team up with Hammond B-3 ace Jimmy Voegeli and his blues powerhouse, THE JIMMYS.  Over the years,  they shared a common goal to create  a band where this horn section could be pushed to it's limit.   Finally, in 2018, a roster of highly skilled musicians was assembled and Rare Element was created.  

Completing the horn section is Nat McIntosh (trombone).  Nat is a long-time member and composer for the phenomenal YOUNGBLOOD BRASS BAND.  Nat continues to record and tour internationally with Youngblood.  

The band also includes MAMA Award Winner Todd Phipps (keyboards, B3 organ) of  THE BLUE OLIVES (and many other bands).  Todd was recently honored with his addition to the roster of Hammond Organs endorsed artists! Longtime Madison talent, Joe Niesen brings his super funky guitar playing to the band.  Joe has a long history of performing with many of Madison's finest bands.  Rounding out the rhythm section is the bass/ drums combo of Rob Garza and Mark Marsh.  Rob is a longtime member of the Purple Veins Prince Tribute Band while Mark has a long history of success with the band SMOKIN' WITH SUPERMAN.  In 2016, Mark was honored as the WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) Award Winning Drummer of the Year.  Rob and Mark bring relentless energy and deep groves to every performance.  ark brings relentless energy and deep groves to every performance.  

Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door

We’re thrilled to welcome back Drew Peterson to Slowpoke with DellWood. Drew has a brand new album coming this spring, and a fresh vinyl pressing of his first album with Forty Watt Bulb, in honor of the 20th Anniversary. This is going to be a special show from one of our favorite performers.

Drew Peterson is an independent Americana singer-songwriter who has captivated fans across the Midwest for over 20 years. Since fronting the Minnesota-based group Forty Watt Bulb, Peterson has spawned two other successful Roots projects; the twangy, upbeat Dead Pigeons and bluegrass-influenced Boxstore Bird.

Opening our evening will be special guest, DellWood.

DellWood is a duo of young musicians with enough skill and talent to entertain for hours and a repertoire that's bound to capture the hearts of music lovers of all ages. 
They have an energetic and diverse stage presence with songs ranging from originals and Americana to their spin on an assortment of your favorite songs.

$15 in advance, $20 at the door

Regular artists at House of Blues- Chicago, The Blue Olives (based out of Madison, WI) have performed over 3500 shows nationally. Once described as "tight enough to be professional. yet loose enough to be really fun..." we feature a hornline, killer vocal harmonies, searing guitar and funky  rhythm section.  Known as one of the fiercest jam bands around with a huge repertoire, we easily go from playing formal corporate events to large venue rock concert atmospheres.

Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door

Join us for Zach Pietrini and his band.

Voted Best Live Act in Milwaukee (Milwaukee Magazine), it’s been 4 years since Zach Pietrini showed up on the Milwaukee music scene. Despite being a Chicago transplant, The Zach Pietrini Band has become a recognized name around town playing featured spots at SXSW, Summerfest, and Mile of Music. At the forefront of the Americana resurgence in the north country, Pietrini quickly distinguished himself with his fearless vulnerability, prolific writing, and dynamic live show. “Pietrini’s skill is crafting the kind of Americana that gets right into you with a beguiling friendliness” (88Nine Radio Milwaukee).

Zach and the Band push onwards.  Serving as direct support for Huey Lewis and the News, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Walker Hayes and Miles Nielson & the Rusted Hearts, the band has proven it is here to stay.  

Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door

The Moon Gypsies officially became a band in 1998 when Robert J. Conaway (known by most as Robert J) joined forces with bassist/vocalist, Mary Gaines, and multi-instrumentalist, Chris Wagoner at the end of their almost decade-long run with partner, Asa Miura, in The Common Faces.  Drummer, Mauro Magellan (of Georgia Satellites fame) rounded out the original lineup of the Moon Gypsies. The Moon Gypsies released three recordings from ’98 until 2008.  Their first release, “The Moon Gypsies” featured Mary singing Robert J’s song, “A Million Miles Away” which won 1st place in the Billboard Magazine Songwriting Contest followed by “jumping in the band van” and hitting the road—playing venues all over the country and opening for a long list of top bills including Taj Mahal, The Subdudes, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Delbert McClinton, Keb Mo, Dr. John and others.   

Veteran Midwest musicians, Robert J, Chris Wagoner and Mary Gaines are all Music Notes Lifetime Achievement award winners along with multiple WAMI’s (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) and MAMA’s (Madison Area Music Awards).  Reunited after years of other projects (Robert J’s “Rowdy Prairie Dogs” and Chris & Mary’s various groups—Bob Westfall Band, Graminy, The Stellanovas), the original lineup of the The Moon Gypsies is back at it with Mauro Magellan on the drums, bringing a full blown bluesy Americana vibe to all their shows!

Tickets $15 in advance/$20 at the door

The Stop and Listen bring old-time music to the modern era with grit, drive, and radiant harmonies. Four musicians with independent roots in string band music found each other in 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin, and immediately began pulling tunes from the 1920s and30s through a century of blues, jazz, and bluegrass to create a sound that feels both current and classic.The Stop and Listen’s sound is carried by unique instrumentation—fiddle and cello played alongside harmonica, firmly planted in clawhammer banjo, guitar, tenor banjo, and an upright bass with a chip on its shoulder. Accomplished musicians Daniel Plane and Calvin Woodring trade off vocals and extraordinary improvisation. Harmonies are added by bassist and sparkling guitarist Adam Helt-Baldwin. Mike Tiboris adds banjo texture and drive in a wide range of playing styles. Together they play hot-old time fiddle tunes, jug band blues songs, and the occasional early country song or bluegrass standard.Known for their contemporary take music by classic string bands like the Mississippi Sheiks (where they got their name), the Skillet Lickers, and Gus Cannon’s Jug Stompers, The Stop and Listen brings their high energy to the low fidelity. Stop, listen, and let‘er rip! 

We’ll begin our evening with The Firesides.

The Firesides have spent the better part of the last 10 years playing barn dances throughout the beautiful Driftless Area of rural Southwestern Wisconsin! The Firesides, perform a variety of Appalachian & Midwestern instrumentals, cowboy songs, blues, traditional song-gems, and their own originals. Meghan and Daniel, who play fiddle and guitar moved to Southwestern Wisconsin from the Twin Cities where they played separately in the bands, The Floorbirds and The Ditchlilies. Meghan is currently the fiddle player in the group Point Five.   

Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door

Slowpoke is excited to welcome Rianna Marie and her band. Rianna is based in Madison, WI. Throughout her years of writing she’s been inspired by artists like James Taylor, Lori Mckenna, Norah Jones, Carole King, and Tyler Childers. Fiddle crying & banjo picking accompany her strong sense of lyricism. With folk roots and western branches, she creates a forest of songs and stories.

We'll start our evening off with the Spine Stealers. The Spine Stealers are a two-gal duo making “spooky folk” influenced by the north-wood Wisconsin pines, 24/7 truck stop diners, heartbreak and dark lakes.

Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door

Founded in 2014, the Bill Roberts Combo brings a tight, nuanced, and rhythmically powerful presentation to blues-jazz unlike anything you've heard before. Bill Roberts has been voted best electric guitarist in the Madison area, and his award-winning album Blues Rides Shotgun has received critical claim as best blues album of the year. Backing Bill is a band of veteran players who have performed nationally and internationally in such places as France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, and elsewhere. BRC delivers grace, subtlety, power and passion in their unique and mesmerizing take on the jazz-blues tradition every time they take the stage.

Roscoe Foster is an American blues and blues rock singer from Minneapolis whose deep melodies and thrilling intensity transcend boundaries and enthrall audiences. In the music business, Foster has made a name for himself with his distinctive fusion of modern rock and traditional blues.

$12 in advance/$15 at the door

Christo Ruppenthal is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist whose professional music career started in 2003.  He presents a unique mixture of Jazz / Vaudeville era novelty infused hot steel guitar and ukulele playing from the 1920s and 30s "Hawaiian Craze" as well as the swinging sounds of Django Reinhardt’s 1930s and 40s guitar-driven Hot Club jazz. Think “Hot Hawaiian guitar meets Jazz à la Django!” Christo is an avid recording artist and performer with thousands of gigs both across the U.S. and internationally to his credit.

Much of his Novelty Combo's repertoire comes from Christo's “Antique Aloha” series of solo recordings and his all original "Café Alongé" release. They also showcase a wide variety of exciting guitar and steel guitar centered jazz standards. They present that repertoire in high-energy eclectic shows. 

During concert performances Christo peppers in historical information about the vintage music presented and its huge impact on American and European popular music at the time to give it context.

Christo's groups have had extensive performance experience in many settings. These include including large music festivals, outdoor concert series, nightclub gigs, and various private events. His Novelty Combo is equally as comfortable on the main stage as it is in an intimate living room house concert. Their unique and energetic sound is always met with rave reviews!

Tickets $12 in advance/$15 at the door

Slapdash Bluegrass is an old time, country, and bluegrass band that weaves melodic picking with tight vocal harmony. The band plays original music, traditional old time and bluegrass tunes, and folk and country covers. From festival stages to dive bars to fellowship halls, Slapdash Bluegrass draws a crowd with foot-stomping, finger-blazing barn burners, and keeps a crowd with nuanced writing and charm.

$12 in advance / $15 at the door

The Honey Pies is an exciting collaboration of Madison-based music veterans. Jodi Jean Amble made a major splash in the Chicago scene fronting her eponymous band—nominally jazz, but equally at home with, pop, country, and more—and as a member of the highly eclectic ensemble Jenny Dragon. Tom Waselchuk leads the MAMA Award-winning Americana band The Dang-Its and has performed for more than twenty years in a free-swinging guitar duo with multi-instrumentalist Doug Brown. Doug has long been among the most in-demand freelance sidemen on the Madison music scene in a variety of genres, as well as being a band-leader, composer, and arranger. Matt Rodgers is among southern Wisconsin’s busiest bass players, equally at home in most any style of music. 

Tickets $12 in advance, $15 at the door

Jambidextrous is a 5 piece jazz group of recent vintage, but comprised of 5 veteran musicians from the Spring Green area.  A history of jazz is presented from the original masters of Count Basie, Miles, Monk, Coltrane... through the progressive jazz, funk, and rock  era of Herbie Hancock, Traffic and Santana.  The group is led by keyboardist, Ted Frank, a 45 year jazz-rock performer and alumnus of the 1978 UW Madison jazz ensemble led by Richard Davis, with Rob Steffen-drums, Aaron Simays-tenor sax, Dave Saperstein-Bass, and Patrick Michels - percussion.   

No cover, but tips for the performers are welcome and encouraged

After living on opposite ends of the country for more than 10 years, brothers Jason (bass) and Adam Braatz (keys) reunited in Milwaukee to bring their dream band to life.Combining their vast experience as professional touring musicians with a love of boundary-pushing progressive rock and an eclectic style that pays homage to the video game-centric sounds of their childhood, the brothers assembled a virtuosic team of performers — featuring Rae Prettyman (vocals) and Ben Piette (drums) — to share their unique, original music with the world. The result: Pretendacle.

Pretendacle is...

Rae Prettyman - vocals
Adam Braatz - keys / vocals
Jason Braatz - bass
Ben Piette - drums
Olivia Dobbs - saxophone / flute
Al Piela - trumpet

$12 in advance / $15 at the door