Humbird | Brickyard Pottery & Folk House

Bring your lawn chairs! Join us in welcoming back Humbird to Brickyard Pottery & Folk House! This is a rain-or-shine event.

This is a PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN event. The suggested donation is $25 per ticket, but if you’re in a position to contribute more, we would surely be grateful! If you’re low on cash at the moment, no worries, every little bit helps! Just come out and enjoy the music! Please note: The amount you enter is for each ticket, not the total. All ticket sales are final except when an outdoor show gets rained out and moved inside. In that case, refunds are available to those who did not purchase one of the first 55 tickets. The first 55 people to reserve tickets will be guaranteed a spot inside the folk house if it rains. All others can receive a refund of their donation if they so desire.

ABOUT THE MUSICIAN

It feels good to be right. We crave the satisfaction, the ease. But what about when you’re not so sure? When you’re unsteady, angry, swayable, and doing your damned best anyway?

There’s something refreshingly humane about that uncertainty; about having the guts to try, even if you might be wrong. This is the central tenant of Humbird’s third full-length album, Right On, a radical ethos in this soap-box age, and an effort worth turning up the amps for, resulting in the project’s most electric, playful, mettled record yet.

Siri Undlin (the songwriter behind the moniker) and her collaborators tracked live and to tape over the course of two muggy weeks in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. For a collection of songs unafraid of ambiguity, it’s music that bares its teeth. Anger and dismay sizzle in response to current events. Heartbreak feels like sandpaper, while wildflowers bob and sway in an ever-expanding universe.

Produced by Shane Leonard and featuring regular contributors Pat Keen (bass, synth, percussion) and Pete Quirsfeld (drums and percussion), the majority of the songs showcase the locked-in rock trio, a progression from the contemplative folk musings of Undlin’s previous releases. Even so, Right On incorporates friendly winks to the more whimsical, soundscape-y improvisations that audiences have come to expect from a Humbird performance - electrified, gritty, Midwest Americana with a little magic fairy dust thrown in.

“Right On,” the title track and first song of the album, opens the record with a tone of resigned tenacity. ‘I’m not mad, but I should be / since true love proved unlucky / I cast the dye, I stained my hands / on wrongful judgments and half-baked plans.’ As the song moves through time and space, “being wrong” feels less and less like a failure, and instead transforms into guiding wisdom. The warm tremolo of the guitar maps along the grooves of the rhythm section, creating an atmosphere of inviting imperfection, a clever catalyst for the chorus’ simple melody to launch and land right in the tender part of your sternum.

Other notable tracks include “Child Of Violence,” complete with psych-rock phaser pedals, which explores the legacy and impact of white supremacy in middle America; “Cornfields and Roadkill” focuses in on land stolen for profit, and old-growth forests traded for mono-crops in a sonic landscape reminiscent of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. “Song For The Seeds” is a slow-burning synth number, imploring the listener to tear up their lawn. It wields a refrain that will germinate in your mind - a proper earworm.

Through observation and deft questioning, the lyrics land less like a political agenda and more like a hard conversation with a friend. All the while, you can hear the summertime pace where the recording took place, and the steady confidence of songs that have already traveled many miles on the road.

And those miles - they’re hard-earned. For Undlin, growing up steeped in church choirs and traditional Irish ensembles eventually led to conducting extensive folklore and musical research around the world as a Watson Fellow. That work inspired years of DIY touring around North America, including performing around the twin cities one backyard at a time during the pandemic. Undlin continues to expand and experiment as a writer and bandleader in a way that is fluid with each season, and oddly suited for this particular moment. Following the surprise success of the self-released debut album Pharmakon and the pensive reflections of 2021’s Still Life, Right On is the next iteration in her process of witnessing the world in all its complexity and responding with candid consideration.

For loyal fans and new listeners alike, Right On is a mischievously kind offering: a whole heap of songs that are unafraid to bask in the perfectly ordinary and also excruciating possibility that sometimes we’re right, often we’re wrong, but no matter what, music can meet us where we’re at and keep us company along the way.

Kind words about Right On

“An achingly tender ballad with a fire burning deep inside, Humbird’s “Right On” is a softly stirring eruption of vulnerability and raw humanity: A gentle song about lost love and lessons learned, taken off the Midwestern singer/songwriter’s upcoming third album.'“ - Atwood Magazine

"Step into the raw and real sonic wonderland of Humbird’s new single, 'Cornfields and Roadkill.' The singer-songwriter shines in her element, seeped in unique and introspective lyrical whimsey and crunchy guitar explosiveness. A gifted artist, whose strength of vocals shines as do her lyrical quips, Humbird is a singular voice who over and over again impresses with her creative web-spinning of sonic euphoria.” - Glide

"Humbird emerges once again with her third full-length album, Right On, showcasing a bold departure from her previous folk musings into electrified, gritty Americana...This album opener sets the tone for a collection that blends the crystalline chill of her northern roots with a newfound warmth and electric playfulness." - Where The Music Meets

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!

- Food will be available with a suggested donation beginning at 6:30 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 pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $25 and can be purchased online at brickyardpottery.com/events, in-person at Brickyard Pottery & Folk House in Shell Lake WI or via WILL CALL at 715-468-7341.

Camping tickets can be purchased at the same time you purchase the concert tickets and are available for a suggested donation of $15 per vehicle, with access to a public porta-potty OR our public indoor bathroom (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