Luke Callen & Simon Cropp

Name: Luke Callen & Simon Cropp
Start: 2025-03-08T19:00:00-06:00
Location: 11332 Main St, Trempealeau, WI

Schedule

Sat, 08 Mar, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

11332 Main St, Trempealeau, WI | Trempealeau, WI

Join us on the banks of the Mississippi River at the Historic Trempealeau Hotel for an evening of song and dance featuring the driftless' own Luke Callen and Simon Cropp - plainspoken songwriters and singers who lug around a couple dreadnaught guitars pickin' on stories of love - loss - laughter and the funny places they take us in-between.
Luke Callen
In an age of quick fixes, flashing screens, and pop ‘songs’ that are more formula than art, an album that takes its sweet time is a radical act. “Also Going Nowhere”, Luke Callen’s third full-length effort is just that – a collection of songs that spread out through time and space, dripping with honest Midwest charm and a mischievous glint. It’s music that you can relax into, paired with lyrics you’ll want to chew on and savor, that ask something of their listener. These songs are proof and reminder: you don’t actually have to go anywhere at all to, you know, get somewhere.
That’s not to say the subject matters within this work are by any means easy or expected. Clementine follows a gun-totting mother up near the Taconite mines of Northern Minnesota. Deals go horribly wrong on the street corner in Lake Street Hustle. The cosmic, primordial soup mixes with wildflower seeds in Some Reason. These epic tales swirl alongside summertime swimming holes, interstate drives, fishing trips with Dad, and unlikely marriage proposals. All of it, grounded and cohesive in the hands of a locked-in rhythm section (Chris Grey on drums and Lauren Anderson on bass) playful lead guitar (producer Erik Koskinen) the warm hum of an organ (Frankie Moscow), and of course, Luke Callen’s confident finger-picking and weathered vocal delivery.
This no-frills arrangement style is like a drink of water for those of us who crave something real and honest to listen to. The sonic palette pays homage to a whole plethora of elements endemic to the American music tradition without feeling derivative or landing too hard on any one side of the genre question. Sure, fans of John Prine, The Band, or Randy Newman will undoubtedly hear traces of Callen’s biggest influences, but there’s a modern assessment within the music that is the distinct voice of an artist coming into his own and sharing stages with fellow pickers and balladeers like Charlie Parr and Margo Cilker.

Simon Cropp
Simon Cropp is a flatpick guitarist and country and bluegrass songwriter. His performance style is equal parts dive bar bravado and fireside introspection. Simon’s songwriting style is plainspoken storytelling, channeling classic country themes of love, heartbreak, and the landscapes he travels through.
Both as a solo act and with his band Slapdash Bluegrass, Simon has had the chance to share the stage with songwriting inspirations in The Last Revel, Possessed by Paul James, Margo Cilker, Clay Street Unit, and Joseph Huber. With a dreadnought guitar in hand, Simon’s flatpicking style blends country-inspired crosspicking with melodic sensibility to produce a sound that is as comfortable on a front porch as it is on a festival stage.
The hat will be passed. We ask for a minimum $6 cover per adult listener. All money collected goes to the artists. Thank you for your support of live music!