Clouds Rolling In: JT & the Clouds Perform in Door County

JT & the Clouds return to Camp David’s Fishstock Concert Series Sunday night. Photo by Dan Eggert.

Cloud-cover is on the way, and for Door County music fans it’s never more welcome.

JT & the Clouds will be back on the peninsula this month for their two annual return shows in Door County, first hitting Camp David’s Fishstock concert series Aug. 12, then heading back to their roots on Washington Island Aug. 17.

The Chicago-based roots rockers put on a show drenched in soul, a smooth party that evolves from a mellow soundtrack perfect for soaking in a hot summer night into a southern-style sweat as the party gets rolling.

They’ll be joined by lead singer JT Nero’s new collaborator, Allison Russell of Po’ Girl. The duo, who perform as Birds of Chicago with the Clouds family and other musicians, have earned wide acclaim this year after funding the recording of their new album with a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign in February.

They had hoped to raise $15,000 for the project but blew past that target, raising $22,153 from 427 loyal backers earned through years of constant touring with their respective bands.

Nero, reached by phone as he and Russell waited to cross into Canada for the July 28 Hillside Fold Festival in Ontario, said the Kickstarter response was overwhelming.

“I was skeptical and didn’t know much about it,” he said. “We had some last-second pleas from folks in our camp who tried to talk us down on our goal number. Now we get to make fun of them.”

JT Nero and Allison Russell funded the recording of their new album through a Kickstarter campaign that netted over $22,000. The duo, who perform as “Birds of Chicago,” will perform with the Clouds in Door County this month.

Nero and Russell have performed and recorded together for years, including Nero’s 2011 solo record, Mountains/Forests, but this album is the first they’ve recorded as Birds. The album earned strong press in both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times this year and is slated for an October release.

Their Camp David show will feature one set strong on Birds material and one of the Clouds, while their fans at their island appearance can expect a classic Clouds rock show as the crew rekindles summers past.

Nero and several band mates spent their summers on the island, where his parents had a home and now live. Later it was where they’d find their first summer jobs, Nero working at Jay’s, now Karly’s Bar.

“My parents were teachers, and as soon as the school year ended we were on our way to the island,” Nero remembered. “We have some long-standing family and friends up there. It’s in our blood.”

JT & the Clouds with Birds of Chicago will perform Aug. 12 at Camp David near Fish Creek beginning at 7 pm; they will perform Aug. 17 at Nelsen’s Hall on Washington Island beginning at 10pm.

For more information visit http://www.jtandtheclouds.com.