The Hollands! CD Release Concert and “Dreamtime Down Under” at TAP

Musician Jana Holland and her husband Craig blend styles from opposite ends of the musical spectrum and the result is original, imaginative and, at times, ethereal. When Jana’s delicate lyrics are wrapped in Craig’s brawny rhythms, their music takes traditional folk in a marvelous new direction. The couple will perform at Third Avenue Playhouse on Saturday, June 20 at 7:30 pm.

Before moving from Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay, Jana Holland performed frequently throughout Door County. Her storytelling style incorporates everything from folk and gospel to old Dutch hymns and techno. Craig, a native of Australia, began his music career playing punk and hardcore music. The blending of styles has been a musical awakening for the couple.

The Hollands! released their first CD, entitled To Holland With Love, this spring. The songs have Jana’s signature soul and sound, adding banjo and mandolin to the mix, while Craig demonstrates his penchant for the power of slides and riffs on a well-played guitar.

Local singer/songwriter Adam Mackintosh also will make a special guest appearance.

Ticket prices for The Hollands! are $15/adults and $12/seniors and students. Tickets are on sale at the TAP box office, located at 239 N. Third Avenue, Sturgeon Bay, or by calling the box office at 920.743.1760. Box-office hours are 10 am – 3pm, Monday through Friday and one hour prior to performances. Tickets are also available at Dancing Bear, 13 N. Third Avenue and online at http://www.ThirdAvenuePlayhouse.com.

New Monologue From Roger Kuhns at TAP

Australia’s Outback is a vast environment rich in unique trees and wildlife, underpinned by ancient volcanoes and ocean beds, and infused with mystic beliefs and precious minerals. It was into this land that geologist/writer Dr. Roger Kuhns ventured at the behest of Oliver, his friend and mentor. Kuhns’s new monologue, Dreamtime Down Under, pays homage to his mentor and to the cultural contrasts he discovered there. Two performances are scheduled at Third Avenue Playhouse on June 13 and 14. The Saturday show is scheduled for 7:30 pm, the Sunday show at 2 pm.

For Kuhns, the quest to Australia was two-pronged – to search for minerals in the earth and purpose in his soul. He and Oliver traveled together, sometimes with comical field geologists, sometimes alone through Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Kuhns walked with a farmer through his title-disputed paddock, and sat around an Aboriginal campfire listening to stories of their dreaming.

In this dreamtime realm, he met many people who grappled with their place in a continent turned upside down by colonialism and modern business. He saw how the mines and stations (farms and ranches) pushed an Aboriginal culture to the brink of catastrophe. By contrast, the sight of a man on his way home to prepare dinner from the kangaroo tail slung over his shoulder never failed to make him smile.

Kuhns finds the resilience of the human spirit in the Australian people, and his stories will warm your heart and tickle your funny bone.

Ticket prices for Dreamtime Down Under are $15/adults and $12 for seniors and students. Tickets are on sale by calling 920.743.1760, or by visiting the TAP box office at 239 N. Third Avenue in Sturgeon Bay. Box-office hours are 10 am – 3 pm, Monday through Friday and one hour prior to performances. Tickets are also available at Dancing Bear, 13 N. Third Avenue. For more information, visit http://www.thirdavenueplayhouse.com.