From folk to swing and lots in between! This perfectly describes Common Chord, who will be performing at the historic District #1 Schoolhouse, on Saturday April 7. The event is cosponsored by SWWAP and The Farley Center for Peace, Justice and Sustainability.

Common Chord was formed originally as a duo in 2015 by singer/songwriters Michael Bryant and Tracy Jane Comer, and has now grown to five regular performers, with the addition of Bruce Buttel (songwriter, guitar and vocals), Delores Jenison (backing vocals), and Faye Bruggink (clarinet and bass). Add in the instrumental skills of group founders Michael (guitar, bass, mandolin) and Tracy (guitar, viola/violin, cello, bass, hammered dulcimer, keys) plus their talents in arranging and composition, and you get uniquely rich, textured, and tasteful arrangements.
This concert will include a special guest, Gary Rebholz, singer-songwriter from Mt. Horeb.

Common Chord’s repertoire includes originals from each of three writers in the group (Michael, Tracy, and Bruce) plus unique covers from the likes of Tom Waits, the Beatles, Robert Johnson, Cheryl Wheeler, and more, with flavors of folk, blues, swing, country, pop, and jazz. At a Common Chord show you’ll hear lead vocals traded around plus lots of full harmonies, backed by guitars, viola, clarinet, mandolin, bass, and sometimes hammered dulcimer and/or cello. Their music has appeal to audiences of all ages. Their debut CD (self-titled) was released in January 2017.

Group leaders Michael and Tracy were members of the former Madison-area trio Sticky Fingers from the early to mid-2000s, and they have worked as a duo on occasion during the years since.