Love live music in a little while

Chelsea Z. returns to the Stump tonight.

Tonight (Friday the 13th) at 7:00

Chelsea Z. & Becky Markvardt sharing the rug at Stumpjack.

Becky Markvardt joins the party.

Kim put some mixed drinks on the board for tonight...come on down and lift a glass with us.

Saturday night music and pizza

The Stumpjack acoustic queen with the angelic voice:

Becky Markvart

Saturday night at 7pm

Becky is always fun. There's a reason we have her come back so often to the Stump, and it ain't because of her sweet personality (well, that might be part of the reason). She's becoming one of the real reliable crowd-pleasers everywhere and every time she performs.

Come on out, listen to some tunes and try one of our new super-delish specialty pizzas...have a beer or glass of wine too.

PS: no live music scheduled for Friday night.

A whole bunch of images

Flickr image sets from the last couple weeks:

Eric Nassau

Eric Nassau from 9/13/08 - What a totally enjoyable performance and nice guy Eric is...I think this was the third midday show we've hosted, and it has me thinking about doing it more regularly. Eric will be back on Saturday, December 6th.

Barb & Brian raise their glasses during Nick's gig

Nick Weiland from 9/20/08 - Nick's "Whiskey Jars & Scandals" partner, Brian, couldn't make it but Nick was fantastic all by his lonesome and we got a great recording of him. He was so good we asked him to play at our anniversary party (below).

Julie (and hubby Chad) loved Matt's performance

Matt & Steph Davies and Becky 9/27/08 - In just a short time Matt and Steph have become some of our most favorite people. These guys are so darn nice and so talented. Steph is funny...soon as she's done singing she's off doodling in her journal while Matt plays. Matt is the most uber-talented folk singer I think I've heard...right out of the Woodie Guthrie/early Dylan mold...great voice, awesome songwriter, and solid-as-a-rock guitar player. Becky rounded this night out quite nicely...what a fun trio these guys made. She performed her just-written Stumpjack Song and it darn near had me tearing up...AWESOME! And then the coolest thing...Matt, Steph and Bec did a few tunes together, including the old folk song, "This Land is Your Land," and everyone in the house sang the chorus! How great is that! Check it out on this YouTube vid below.



Anniversary Party from 9/28/08 - What a blast! We have the greatest friends and customers and supporters ever! Everyone had fun, the wine and tapas bar got off to a great start, took some casually fun video (on our YouTube page now), and Nick Weiland was the absolute perfect musical accompaniment to the party (a number of people used that very word about Nick and his music, "perfect"). I'll have to write a little bit more about the event in a follow-up post tomorrow and go through a few pictures with you, but for now here's the image set.

Friends at the Anniversary party

Music and more tonight & tomorrow

Tonight (Friday): the smooth and comfy acoustic stylings of Mr. Lloyd Rohr. 8:00pm. Come on down and unwind after a long week (it was long for me anyway).

Lloyd Rohr

Tomorrow (Saturday): Matt & Steph Davies in from Chicago. 8:00pm. Really wonderful folk music. Steph is an artist who will have an exhibition here on Nov. 7, and her hubby Matt is a heckuva fine guitar player and songwriter, and the two of them make a very fine combo. BUT WAIT, there's more! Our own Becky Markvart will be sitting in a bit with Matt and Steph too. Now that should be fun and I'm anxious to see and hear them perform together (Becky also told me that she has written a special "Stumpjack song" that she'll be unveiling Saturday night...gonna be a fun evening).

We've been working hard on trying to pull things together for the wine and tapas bar thingy (my excuse for the lack of posting this past few days). Have a few sets of images to put on from the last week or so as well...today I promise, maybe within the hour.

The knee is packed in ice and I am thinking that I may have to go see a witchdoctor after all (the "rub some dirt on it" remedy was only moderately successful).

Tina, Becky and Nick...and "The Three Curly's"

Tina at her persimmons opening.

Just a few Flickr pics from Becky's gig last Friday. What a trooper...not feeling good and she still played a spirited set that was enjoyed by everyone. Have a few pics from Tina Kugler's Persimmons art opening a couple weeks ago mixed in with Bec's. Click here for the set.

Pat, Chad, David...I've been waiting for the three of us to all be in the house at the same time...

...just so I could take this picture!

Click here for way too many pics from Nick Venturella's gig on Saturday. What a blast...too dang hot in the Stump but dang fun regardless. Nick will be back in a few short months...if you missed this show don't be a chump and miss him again.

Nick in his signature pose

Becky's new CD

I have been remiss in posting a notice about Becky Markvart's most beautiful and fun new CD "Shine Down On Me." It was just released a few weeks ago and features 13 songs penned and performed by Becky that are, frankly, just wonderful. It's a real feel-good recording, with Becky's mellow and smooth guitar playing and her always angelic vocals making for the kind of CD you put on when you need to relax after a long, hard day. She's got some backing instrumentation that very nicely complements and further fleshes out her songs. It's just a darn good CD...I've purchased several to give as gifts to friends. The cover art is pretty cool too...done by some goofy friend of hers I guess...

Becky will be performing again at Stumpjack on Friday, August 29th. She is also one half of the duo Six Degrees, with her friend Bill Martell, and the two of them were recently voted "Best Local Musical Group in Manitowoc County" in the Herald Times Reporter 2008 Reader's Choice Awards.

You can get copies of Becky's CD here at Stumpjack or directly from her via her myspace. They're a very affordable $12 apiece...a steal for some dang good original music from a very talented lady.

Awesome blues and pre-vacay loose ends

I'm going to be out of town for a few days this week, so I'm trying to get several things in with this one post. Kim and the girls will be running the Stump without me, which some of you are likely grateful for as I am being "forced" to take a brief sabbatical by the boss (Kim) to mellow me out (she sounds like Struther Martin, "Ya gotta git yer mind right, boy"). I've been putting in almost 24/7 weeks for a few weeks now and I guess it's starting to show as I'm getting a little owly, impatient and irritable (GET YER OWN DAMN COFFEE!)...at least more than normal anyway.

If you weren't here last Saturday night you missed one of the best live music performance that Stumpjack has had to date. Brian Sanchez and Nick Weiland of Whiskey Jars & Scandals put on one of the smoothest, tightest, free-feelin' improv, groovenest and bluesenest shows ever. I'm kicking myself that we didn't get this down on tape...it would have made one of the coolest small venue live blues recordings ever. We didn't have a big crowd...only around 15 people not counting us, but the applause and vocal appreciation from those who were here made it sound like a full house. We're picking a date to have Brian and Nick back in September and will have the wires set to record. You gotta come down to see these guys and be a part of the recording...if they put it out like they did Saturday night you will be very glad you did, guaranteed. Check out Brian Powell's comment about the evening in the post below this one...thanks Brian.

Click here for the Flickr set of pics.

This coming Saturday at 8pm the always angelic acoustic sounds of one Becky Markvart will again grace the carpet at Stumpjack. Becky's new CD (3 or 4 weeks old now I think), "Shine Down On Me," has been selling like Leinie's in the Moccasin Bar on a Friday night (you musky fishermen will get that reference). Come on down for a gelato, good music and conversation.

The results have been officially published now, and we can announce that Stumpjack Coffee won "Best of Manitowoc County" in the following categories:

• Best Coffee Shop
• Best Atmosphere
• Best Lunch

So thank you everyone who voted for us. We are grateful, gratified and groovin' on the high that comes from having good people appreciate what's happening at Stumpjack Coffee. Thanks so very, very much. While they didn't announce 2nd or 3rd place finishes in the voting categories I heard that David Smith received an unofficial 3rd place finish in the "Best OB/GYN" category...congratulations to him.

Wednesdays, July 2 and 16 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. the Urban Gardening Gang (UGG) will meet at Stumpjack. Come one, come all. Help spread the word about urban gardening. Here's there website link: http://www.urbangardengathering.blogspot.com/.

Finally, we just got an Indian Monsooned Blend in, around an hour ago as I write this. People have been asking for it since last week's "Spill the Beans" coffee column came out in the Herald Times Reporter. This is not pure Indian Monsooned but is a blend of Indian, Sumatra Mandheling and Mexican. Not quite as pungent or spicy as pure Indian Monsooned, but definitely carries the monsooned fingerprint and very fine nonetheless.

You all have a beautiful and joyous week...I promise I won't be thinking of any of you.

Double-Trouble

I've got a ton of stuff to get done today before tonight's little beer and chocolate tasting, so I only have a few spare minutes right now but I wanted to give a huge shout out to JoAnn and Jeannie (Riedl and Mayotte) for their performance last night at the Stump. Musically, personally and professionally those two are just the cat's meow...the bee's knees...the dog's biscuit...lizard's gizzard...any particular critter metaphor you can come up with. Seriously, they're both uber-talented and just lovely people. It's just plain cool when you get to see and hear someone who's really good kicking it out with just a six-string and their voice. If you missed them last night you will get another chance to redeem yourself because they're coming back to kick the crap out of any and all bad attitudes on Saturday, May 24th.

I'll put last night's images up later, maybe tomorrow if time allows. FYI: JoAnn's band, The Barrettes, are schedules to play Summerfest on July 3rd at the Cascio Garage Groove Stage, next to the Marcus Amphitheater.

Now then, tonight we're doing the beer and chocolate tasting I mentioned above, during which we'll be treated yet again to some more lovely music from the lovely Becky Markvart. "Beer, BonBons and Becky"...that's what I should've called this tasting!

Musical chairs for tonight.

Here's an extreme close-up of Becky doin' her thing.

Unfortunately John Will Balsley has had to cancel his gig at Stumpjack due to the snowstorm they’re getting to the south of us today. But we are most fortunate to have Becky Markvart close by and she has kindly agreed to take on the night. You all know what a beautiful performance Becky always does so some on out and join us in what should be old man winter’s last hurrah for this year.

Here's an even more extreme close-up of Becky...she smells like yummy raspberries.
This is a notation added after the initial posting: If you look at this picture of Becky for, say, 20 or 30 seconds straight, she begins to take on the aura of someone who might have gone over the edge...is that a big ax in your hands Becky!?

Becky’s almost done recording her new CD and she’ll be playing a number of tunes from that project tonight. Great drinks, great music, great friends…will be a lot of fun. 7:30 start time tonight.

Here's some friends from Becky's last gig intoxicated by her beautiful music and raspberry aroma.

Live Music Double Header!

This weekend is a double header for music at Stumpjack...both Friday and Saturday nights. Friday Feb 29th at 7:00pm: Kelly Underwood comes back for her second gig with us...she packed the house the last time and it was a blast.

Saturday March 1st at 7:00pm: 6 Degrees - Becky Markvart & Bill Martell - these two have a great sound together...beautiful vocals and great acoustic guitar work.

No cover charge other than the usual...a coffee, beer or glass of wine.

Tonight Live Musica!

Tonight (Saturday) Becky Markvart will be performing...7:00 pm. You may have seen the very nice article and photos of Becky in last week's Weekend Edition of the Herald Times Reporter. Becky's always a fun gig.

Also, in case you didn't know, the 3-person play "Art" is scheduled to be performed at the Two River Community House for three succeeding weekends in February. Tonight sometime during Becky's gig the cast is going perform a scene from the play here at Stumpjack, which should be a blast.

The opening last night for Nate's photography exhibit was great...nice crowd and a lot of compliments on his photographs. We'll put some pictures up from last night as well as some from tonight, in the next day or two. Scroll down and answer the contest questions...the future of the free world is at stake...along with a pound of fine Guatemalan.

Valentine's Day

Join Us For A Romantic Evening of
soft music, candlelight, flowers,
fine wine & chocolate
at the first annual

Stumpjack Coffee
Valentine Evening

Thursday, February 14th
7pm - 9:30pm

Sample 6 different wines with chocolate pairings.
Includes a bottle of von Stiehl Valentine Wine.
Music by Becky Markvart.
$30.00 per couple

Limited to 8 couples.
Reserve, in advance, your private table now!