Charlie Parr | Brickyard Pottery & Folk House

Bring your lawn chairs! We could not be more excited to welcome back the great Charlie Parr!  Join us for a rare chance to see Charlie at a small venue in the north woods of Wisconsin! This is a rain-or-shine event. The first 55 people to purchase tickets will be guaranteed a spot inside the folk house if it rains. All others will receive a refund.

Brickyard Pottery & Folk House is located at W9008 Brickyard Rd, Shell Lake WI. Although we have a Shell Lake address, we are actually about 10 minutes south of the town of Shell Lake, just 1 mile north of the town of Barronett, 200 yards west off of HWY 63 on Brick Yard Rd. Please read below for more details and email brickayardgallery@gmail.com with any questions.

**ABOUT THE MUSICIAN**

Click this link to watch Charlie's 2023 Brooklyn Folk Festival performance.

https://youtu.be/5khsukCwxN8?si=nk2-V6GiECnAp-8U

“They don’t make them like Parr anymore — the sponge-like folk troubadour that imparts all he’s absorbed, beckoning us closer to sit cross-legged at his feet and listen, and to find crumbs of our own stories within his”— No Depression

In the music of Charlie Parr, there is a sincere conviction and earnest drive to create. The Minnesota-born guitarist, songwriter, and interpreter of traditional music has released 19 albums over two decades and has been known to perform up to 275 shows a year. Parr is a folk troubadour in the truest sense: taking to the road between shows, writing and rewriting songs as he plays, fueled by a belief that music is eternal and cannot be claimed or adequately explained. The bluesman poet pulls closely from the sights and sounds around him, his lyrical craftsmanship built by his influences. The sounds from his working-class upbringing—including Folkways legends such as Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie—imbue Parr’s music with stylistic echoes of blues and folk icons of decades past. Parr sees himself merely as a continuer of a folk tradition: “I feel like I stand on a lot of big shoulders,” he said in an interview. “I hope that I’ve brought a little bit of myself to the music.”

With a discography simultaneously transcendental in nature and grounded in roots music, Charlie Parr is the humble master of the 21st century folk tradition. Parr started recording in Duluth in 2002, where he lives today. Life in the port town on Lake Superior has a way of bleeding into his work the same way his childhood in Austin, Minnesota does. Parr self-released his debut album, Criminals and Sinners, and did the same for his sophomore album 1922 (2002). With growing popularity abroad, Parr signed with Red House Records in 2015, where he recorded break-out albums Stumpjumper (2015) and Dog (2017). Parr’s music has an overwhelming sense of being present and mindful, and his sound is timeless.

Parr’s mastery of his craft is only more apparent when contextualized within the history of folk tradition of which Parr has dedicated his practice The land and lives around and intersecting with Parr have always influenced him, from the hills and valleys of Hollandale, Minnesota to the Depression-era stories from his father. Parr strives to listen to everything: “I don’t see that I’d ever be capable of creating anything if it weren’t for these inspirations and influences, books and music as well as the weather and random interactions with strangers and animals. So, the well never runs dry as long as my eyes and ears are open,” Parr said in a 2020 interview. Before he was even 10 years old Parr was rummaging through his father’s record collection—sometimes drawing dinosaurs on the vinyl sleeves—and listening to country, folk, and blues legends, many of whom are staples in the Folkways catalog. When Parr sings and plays his resonator or 12-string, you can hear influences like Mance Lipscomb, Charley Patton, Spinder John Koerner, Rev. Gary Davis, and Dock Boggs. This is especially true in his playing, when, after a diagnosis of focal dystonia, Parr turned to greats like Davis, Doc Watson, and Booker White for two-finger picking inspiration. Gifted a 1965 Gibson B-45 12-string by his father, Parr has never had a formal lesson and learned by to listening records and watching musicians he admired.

Parr’s first album with Smithsonian Folkways, Last of Better Days Head (2021), foregrounded his lyrical craftsmanship and sophisticated bluesman confidence, with spare production highlighting Parr’s mastery of guitar and elevating his poetry. Last of Better Days Ahead is a portrait of how Parr saw the world in that moment, reflecting on time and memories that have past while holding an enduring desire to be present. In his 2024 release, Little Sun, Parr weaves together stories celebrating music, community, and communing with nature. Putting forth an ambitious and raw album that exemplifies the best of Parr's sound: a blend of the blues and folk traditions he continues to carry with him and the steadfast originality of a poet.

**ABOUT THE VENUE**

Nestled in the north woods of Wisconsin, Brickyard Pottery & Folk House is a unique space that combines a pottery studio, an art gallery featuring over thirty local artists, a live music venue, and a home, all housed in a charming former two-room schoolhouse built in 1921. While most of our concerts will be held outside with room for 150 music lovers, occasionally we will be indoors in the folk house, which makes for the perfect space to consume live music. With a focus on original music performed by seasoned musicians, this intimate listening room has a capacity of just fifty-five seats, allowing for a close and personal experience for music lovers.

BRING YOUR LAWN CHAIRS! Outdoor Show / Indoors in the folk house if it rains. The first 55 to purchase tickets are guaranteed a spot in the folk house if it rains. All others will have their tickets refunded.

- Food will be available with a suggested donation beginning at 6 pm. Beer and N/A beverages will be available separately for purchase.

- Please use the porta-potty rather than the indoor public bathroom. Our old plumbing system thanks you!

- Showtime is at 7:00 PM - Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online at Humanitx.com, through brickyardpottery.com, in-person at Brickyard Pottery & Folk House in Shell Lake WI or via WILL CALL at 715-468-7341. Refunds are accepted up to 7 days before the show.

****This concert is expected to sell out. All seats and lawn chairs in the main seating area require paid tickets. Young children are allowed to enter free of charge and may share a seat with an adult.****

****IF THE SHOW IS MOVED INDOORS DUE TO WEATHER and your children have paid tickets, they are welcome to attend as long as they can sit through a concert quietly and respectfully. However, it is advisable to arrange childcare for small children at these intimate indoor performances. To be clear, the audience has paid to listen to the music, not to be distracted by children. If you believe your small children can behave as attentive listeners, they are welcome to sit on your lap without a ticket. However, due to the limited size of the venue, we cannot offer free seats. Thank you for your understanding.****

-Camping tickets can be purchased at the same time you purchase the concert tickets and are available for $15 per vehicle, with access to a public porta-potty (please note: no showers available). While we are not a full campground, our two acres of land accommodate both RVs and tent camping. It is a large yard next to a cornfield (not actual campsites).  Be aware that you may have close camping neighbors and will likely share a campfire, providing a great opportunity to meet other music fans and have some fun!

For any questions, feel free to email brickyardgallery@gmail.com