The Year in Music 2023

Summer Music Preview

We’ve got music in Door County. If anyone doubts this, they could spend a couple weeks in our office as we’re putting together the weekly paper and its variety of musical offerings. Week in, week out there’s plenty of music to catch, even during the “off-season” winter months.

This year was no exception. Venues across the peninsula went all out to provide a rockin’ summer, with over 900+ live-music performances. We gathered it all together in our Summer Music Preview, the first issue in June, the second in August. The special section contained performance highlights, venue listings, weekly music offerings, all the details for our resident orchestra groups, festival information and a pull-out calendar of all the live music.

Hans Christian Nominated for a Grammy

Sturgeon Bay musician and producer Hans Christian’s latest CD release, Ocean Dreaming Ocean, was nominated for a Grammy in the category New Age/Ambient/Chant in November. His CD, which was based on raw tracks from the late cellist and composer David Darling, was chosen alongside four other nominees from a pool of over 175 entries.

pat mAcdonald Records Live Album

Sturgeon Bay musician pat mAcdonald recorded a live album, titled In the Tambourine Lounge, during a series of public recording sessions this April. The live sessions, during which mAcdonald played a combination of new songs and revised versions of originals dating back to the ‘80s, were also fundraisers for the nonprofit Steel Bridge Creative Foundation.

Zenshin Daiko Performs Around the Door

Zenshin Daiko, a 10-piece children’s Taiko group from Maui, Hawaii, played shows at the Alpine Resort, the Birch Creek Music Performance Center and the Peg Egan Performing Arts Center this June. The group’s 13- to 15-year-old 10 performers played handcrafted drums in the revered style of Taiko, a rhythmic flow of percussion and dance.

Sierra Ferrell with Special Guest Cat Clyde Cancels Sold-Out Show

Roots singer Sierra Ferrell sold-out her shows at DCA in July. Then, in early July, the bad news came that she was missing the next six days on her touring schedule – including the one she was scheduled for in Fish Creek on July 10. “We’ve been working really hard for you all and have loved every minute of it, but I need to slow down for a bit,” Ferrell said in a statement. “I know you’re disappointed, and so am I, but I also know that some rest will do me good. I’ll be back on stage soon and can’t wait to see you then.” 

Righteous Babes Play Peg Egan on First Headline Tour

Alternative-indie powerhouse the Righteous Babes stopped at Egg Harbor’s Peg Egan Performing Arts Center during their first headline tour this August.

Eric Lewis and Friends Celebrate 25 Years at Fishstock 

This September, bluegrass group Eric Lewis and Friends closed out the Fishstock Concert Series and rang in their 25th year playing at the yearly Fish Creek event. 

Muse Breaks Ground

Muse, a new Sturgeon Bay music venue and school, broke ground in September. The building, which will house the music venue on the first floor and studio apartments on the second floor, is scheduled to be completed in May 2024.

Dorothy Scott and the Peacekeepers Fundraise for DOOR CANcer

Dorothy Scott and The Peacekeepers, a local band that highlights the best of pop, alternative, folk and blues, played a fundraiser show at Sturgeon Bay’s Door County Fire Company this February. The money received benefited DOOR CANcer, a non-profit that helps Door County residents receiving cancer treatment pay for non-medical bills.