Saturday night’s Amble Down 2-Year Anniversary Show at the Grand Little Theatre demonstrated all that is good about the Chippewa Valley’s music scene these days. The energy was palpable. The bands were great. And the robust crowd of roughly 250 people, aged 15 to 50, just seemed happy to be there. It had an all too rare aesthetic that I’d love to see more of. The Cloud Hymn and We Are the Willows kicked off the night with reportedly great sets. I wasn’t able to make it until the start of the third band, The Gentle Guest. Despite some national touring these guys have been pretty stingy with their stage time in the Valley over the last six months, but last night came out with a full range of eclectic instrumentation – from banjo and violin to horns and upright bass – and really impressed the crowd. Hot on their heels was the rocking Meridene, leading the venue through massive sing-a-longs and pop tunes. And closing out the night was The Daredevil Christopher Wright with their always-amazing harmonies and self-deconstruction/rebuilding of old favorites. The full Amble Down catalog saw some action in sales at the event, and they gave away a killer 9-song sampler to boot. This show sets the stage for this week’s Decadent Cabaret two-night event, and for the much-anticipated release of the new Laarks record on March 13 and 14.

Listen to tracks from most the the bands in Volume One's audio gallery.