A unique singer/songwriter from Appleton, Chris Jourdan picked up a guitar at age 18, fell in love and began to harness the power of music. Formerly the frontman for Wisconsin jam band The Wandering Foolz, as a solo artist, Chris puts on high-energy acoustic performances. Described by some as John Mayer meets Pearl Jam with incredibly busy but not invasive guitar playing. 

Here’s Jourdan’s “Downtown (Scratch the Surface)” https://youtu.be/rIe-pCfLZYc
Booking: chrisjourdanbooking@gmail.com
Website: www.facebook.com/chrisjourdanmusic

“I've always followed my ears whilst finding my way through this wonderful musical landscape that is before me. With a little help of my friends as well, I've found a vast variety of music sustains my interests. After all, I'm a mere human with a set of emotions...and the music I decide to put into my ears tends to follow. But, if I must whittle it down, here are my two favorite bands that you might not know about. I picked these bands due to my emotional attachment to them. In the darkest times in my life we've shared moments. Also in the funnest and brightest times too. Though we are not in the same room very often, their music has journeyed my soul and I am thankful. 

Avenue Programming Director

It’s Rob’s job to listen to music, and he listens to a lot of it. He’s been busy adding a lot of new music to the Avenue’s playlist recently. What’s caught his attention? Well, you can tell by tuning in to The Avenue, but here are some recent stand outs.

“I continue to be blown away by how much new and original music comes from this community. Several local artists have released new albums over the summer. Kurt Gunn’s Long Drive to Nowhere is fantastic from beginning to end. On first play, I remarked that most of the songs were hits, or should be. You’ll hear several cuts right here on The Avenue.

“Nicholas Raymond recently stopped in Avenue studios and gave live performances of a couple cuts off of his newly released solo effort, Summer Shoes. Raymond’s vocal range is really impressive and enjoyed his observations about the creative process. Local audiences know him as part of Traveling Suitcase. Check out  “Lights and Sounds and Colors Collide,” “Fang,” and “Ms. Conception.” Listen here: https://nicholasraymond.bandcamp.com/album/summer-shoes

“I’m loving the latest releases from Dead Horses’ My Mother the Moon, Kyle Megna and The Monsoons’ The Great Divide, Listening’s Party Less is More, Feed The Dog’s Tenderloin, and Adriel Denae’s self titled solo debut. All of these local favorites have had a place on The Avenue playlist and it’s great to be able to go deeper with them. And speaking of local favorites – I’m also very excited to add new tracks from J-Council including “Careful” and “Never” which showcase Jon Wheelock’s signature soulful groove.

“As for Mile of Music artists, I’ve enjoyed spending more time listening to Smooth Hound Smith, the new Bascom Hill release West Wind Girl, and discovering more music from Girl Blue.

Smooth Hound Smith “California Sway” https://youtu.be/krW2jT_tsCI

“As for national acts, I keep coming back to the latest releases from Randy Newman, Brandi Carlisle, Ray Lamontagne and John Prine. You may notice Mary Black showing up on The Avenue’s playlist. I’ve been a fan of hers for some time and as big as she is in Ireland, she should be more well known here. She’s timeless – if you haven’t heard her before check her out. I had the opportunity to meet her a while ago and found her to be as authentic as her music.

Mary Black “Carolina Rua” https://youtu.be/UOS_DxyBPRQ

“And of course, as a long time fan of the Cowboy Junkies I eagerly dug into their new album All That Reckoning and it doesn’t disappoint… it’s understated and haunting as always.

Cowboy Junkies “All That Reckoning Pt. 1” https://youtu.be/bLUVYVkAyOE

If you’ve attended last year’s Christmas on The Avenue concert or Uncovered Too in June, you’ve seen and heard her perform with her father, Steve March-Tormé. And just like her father, she has plenty of opinions on music! To mark back-to-school week, we thought we’d check in with a school-aged member of The Avenue family, Miss Ruby March-Tormé, and find out what music has caught her attention.

“Aw, sweet!! I’ve got my own Listening Room! Being the youngest here, my music choices tend to be newer songs, though I do love a lot of older music too, thanks to my dad. It’s also stuff you don’t usually hear on the radio. Almost all of the stuff that I listen to is musical theater, simply because it’s one of my biggest passions. I love how the songs really tell a story and you can tell the actors are feeling what they’re singing. I think that’s one of the greatest things about the genre."