Intimate at The Englert

This concert is an Intimate On-Stage Seating event. Intimate events at The Englert (approx. 50 audience members) bring both the audience and the performers onstage together. The connection between artist and audience is direct and electrifying. If you need any accessibility assistance at the event, please reach out to our Box Office prior to the show!

Acoustic adventurers Stillhouse Junkies explore the worlds between roots, bluegrass, Texas swing, blues, and rock. Their free-flowing musical interplay and improvisation make every show unique as they weave their way through high-energy, intricately composed original songs, never taking the same path twice. Formed in 2017, the band consists of Fred Kosak (guitar, mandolin), Alissa Wolf (fiddle), Eric Lee (mandolin, fiddle, guitar), and Matt Thomas (bass).

Ben Schmidt

Singer Songwriter Ben Schmidt hails from Chicago, Il, but has planted roots firmly in the Iowa soil. His songs are steeped in the poetry of the Iowa landscape, drawing imagery from the everyday routines, struggles, and miracles of the human experience. With musical styles from Folk to Blues to Country and Soul, Schmidt has developed a rich texture of sound inside of which his characters can dance, pray, celebrate, and mourn. Schmidt has released three CD’s of original music and has been performing since the turn of the century. He has composed the soundtrack for Emmy nominated documentary film “Driftless”, and has written a concept record based on Lisa Schlesinger’s play “In the Wake of the Grabow Riots.” Schmidt performs solo and in various ensemble configurations with veteran musicians from the eastern Iowa music scene. His music has been featured on Iowa Public Radio’s “Live From Studio One”, “Java Blend”, and “The Folk Tree”, as well as WFMT Chicago’s “Midnight Special” folk showcase. Schmidt is the owner and engineer at Rescued Rabbit Studio – a small recording space where he helps to record and produce the work of independent artists and bands.