White Oak Festival 2025
Lineup
SONS OF THE NEVER WRONG
SONS OF THE NEVER WRONG is a turbo-charged Altfolk trio from Chicago that delivers witty, whimsical songs with their signature soaring vocal harmonies and gorgeous arrangements. In case you are wondering, they’re two gals and a fella: Bruce Roper, Sue Demel, & Deborah Lader. Their odd ball humor and spontaneous stories ignite their live shows and have earned them a cult-like international following for over 30 years. Combining influences of folk, jazz, pop, and rock, their sound is wildly original, their energy is contagious and their banter is hilarious. However, no bio can outdo what others have to say about the Sons…
“One song and you’re a fan for life.” Hemmens Theater/Millennium Park
“One of the best folk bands of our time out pushing the envelope once again with some of the most literate, provocative lyrics around.” Midwest Record
“The Sons have revolutionized the world of folk.” UniverCity Magazine
“Folk Music Reinvented: Sons keep pushing the genre forward.” Southwestern Observer
Kabillo Music
Kabillo Music is a dynamic ensemble led by brothers Mamadu and Abdu, dedicated to preserving and sharing the rich musical heritage of West Africa, Senegal. As a master drummer and griot storyteller, Mamadu brings the heartbeat of Africa to life through powerful rhythms and interactive performances. Abdu, a skilled kora player, weaves enchanting melodies that transport listeners to the heart of Senegal’s griot traditions.
Carisa
Carisa’s music is best categorized as bedroom cafe. It hints at some of her influences, primarily bossa nova, folk, and jazz. Her lyrics are often straight from the pages of her journal and are always autobiographical in some way. She primarily performs music with her guitar but has also been seen caressing a keyboard. She had been quietly exploring songwriting as a means of catharsis, but it wasn’t until she started playing for other people that she considered sharing her music on a larger scale. She began playing on RPAN (Reddit’s live streamed music sessions) and then, after relocating to Wisconsin, began performing live whenever and wherever she had the time and opportunity to. Some of the spaces and events Carisa has had the delight of performing in are the Stoughton Opera House, Cafe Carpe, the Marquette Waterfront Festival, Cafe Coda, Saint Kate’s – the Art Hotel, the Brady Street Festival, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, the Duluth Masonic Temple for Minnesota Public Radio and the Current, and other places throughout Wisconsin and the United States.
Jonas Friddle
Jonas Friddle is a singer, songwriter and Old-Time banjo player whose songs have received The John Lennon Songwriting Award, First Place in the Great American Song Contest and a nomination for Album of the Year in the Independent Music Awards. His tunes bear the marks of a musician who has done his time in pub sessions and square dance halls, and his writing is full of imagery, honesty and humor.
“[Friddle] deftly explores just about every nook and cranny of modern folk, from revivalist antique appropriation to protest songs to modern love songs. The immaculate arrangements would sell it, if his lithe voice hadn’t already given it away. Amazing stuff.” - Independent Clauses
Gemma Laurence
Gemma Laurence is a Brooklyn-based indie folk singer-songwriter from the coast of Maine. Categorizing herself as “Sapphic folk,” Laurence has been named an “up-and-comer” in the queer music scene by NPR Music and starred on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Having grown up on the coast of Maine and the hills of Oxfordshire, Laurence’s time on both sides of the Atlantic influenced her unique sound: a fusion of foot-stomping Americana with a hint of English folk. Crafting a lush soundscape of rich acoustic textures, dreamy harmonies, and found sounds, Laurence’s timeless tracks call her listeners home to the people and places left behind for new beginnings. Her album Lavender is out now on Better Company Records and her next album, We Were Bodies Underwater, is due out July 2025. The lead single “Bloodlines” is out now.
Marian Runk
Dallas-born Marian Runk has taken an unconventional path for a Texas musician. The now Chicago-based songwriter is a dancer, birdwatcher, visual artist, political activist, writer, and musician. The breadth of this creativity is felt in every aspect of her music, from the instrumentation to the lyrics to the album art she creates. Two Wires and a Spark, Runk’s sophomore album, is filled with the powerful imagery you expect from someone with such a diverse artistic background. Often compared to Karen Dalton and Gillian Welch, Runk writes lyrics that cover an expanse of themes, including loneliness, (mis)communication, living alongside addiction, dealing with grief, and road trips through the Rust Belt.
Deep Fried Pickle Project
"These cats play everything AND the kitchen sink!"- Art Observer
From outhouse to henhouse to waffle house to public house both hither and yon the Pickles have caused a rafter-shaking ruckus wherever they roll, dreaming a hobo's knapsack of stories and songs along the way. These Pickle fellers have wobbled their magical musical gypsy medicine wagon from one end of this here country to t'other, with stops including LOLLAPALOOZA, WAKARUSA and TELLURIDE along the way. Armed with a Frankenststonian array of homemade monster instruments, their musical recipe is flavored with Jug Band, Hokum and Honkeytonk spices. You'll relish the Pickles!
Dodie Whitaker
Dodie Whitaker, a seasoned singer, composer, and conductor, channels over 40 years of musical expertise into her work, shaped by her professional singing career and diverse teaching experiences. As a racial justice facilitator with Holistic Resistance and co-author of "Who is Community Sing For?", Dodie's international acclaim as a song leader reflects her unique blend of influences from her biracial Jewish background. To learn more about Dodie and her latest initiative, Voices Rising Song
The Goldenrods
St. Louis, Missouri’s The Goldenrods can be best described as “Country and Midwestern”. They perform charming original material as well as regional classics from across middle America. They play two steps, waltzes and polkas; songs both happy and sad, silly and serious, often sung in harmony.
The Goldenrods are fronted by Ryan Koenig (ex Pokey LaFarge) singing and playing fiddle, octave mandolin, and guitar. The band is completed with Jess Adkins (So Grand Polka Band) singing and playing accordion and guitar, as well as Kellie Everett (The Hooten Hallers) singing and playing upright bass.
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exXckyK9ApE
Chirps Smith
Lynn “Chirps” Smith was born and raised in downstate Illinois. As a young man, he played with the Indian Creek Delta Boys and learned fiddle tunes directly from old-timers, including Harvey “Pappy” Taylor and Noah Beavers. Chirps became a regular player at Chicago Barn Dance Company’s dances after moving to Chicago in 1978. Since 1985, he has played lead fiddle in the Volo Bogtrotters string band and currently plays in the New Bad Habits.
Hey, Okra!
Hey, Okra! is the delicious stew made up of Qi Yang and Meghan and Jacob Parker. Their fiber-rich, crunchy, and heart-healthy music has captivated dancers across the nation. Pickled, fried, or boiled, Hey, Okra!'s flavorful rhythms, energizing harmonies, and joyful melodies are sure to bring spice and zest to your barn dance experience.
Paul Kaye
Paul is a very respected soloist and sideman in the professional Blues community. He has put in the time and he has paid his dues. Whether it be a night of solo acoustic blues that will bring the room to an appreciative hush, or a Honeyboy-to-Hendrix electric night with the Legendary Blues Cartel Trio that will bring the house down, Paul Kaye consistently delivers.
He has appeared on stage at House of Blues (Chicago), Buddy Guy's Legends (Chicago), The Hideout (Chicago), Inwood Ballroom (Spillville, IA), Checkerboard Lounge (Chicago), Harmony Bar (Madison, WI), Aragon Ballroom (Chicago) and Mercury Lounge (New York City) and hundreds of other venues throughout the country. He has also played many Midwest and Blues and Folk festivals such as Chicago Blues Fest, Kalamazoo Michigan Blues Festival, Paramount Music Festival, Crossroads Blues Festival and Simply the Blues Festival (Iowa).
Andy Miller and the 145's
Chicago-based bluegrass band. Original songs. Traditional flavor. We embrace rhythmic drive, tight arrangements, ripping breaks, and great harmony singing.
Andy Miller, mandolin
John Huber, guitar
Laird Patten, banjo
Elizabeth Loring, bass
Barb Silverman
"Folk festival in a box" Barbara Silverman, early on dubbed a stunning vocalist by the Old Time Herald, ever displays her engaging stage presence, bluesy vocals, moving originals, solid swing guitar, spirited piano back-up, bones and washboard pyrotechnics – rendering her a master teacher of music and dance.
Mark Dvorak
“Very few in the United States, embody the folk music tradition more than Mark Dvorak. Anyone who has interacted with him is transported to the core of what this music is ultimately about: Community.”
Mark Guarino, author “Country & Midwestern"