The Oak Street Ramblers

Though their influences hail from much further south, the Oak Street Ramblers call home the East Side of Madison, WI. A bluegrass band in the tradition of Flatt and Scruggs, Jimmy Martin, and Hazel Dickens, the Oak Street Ramblers specialize in bluegrass stompers, classic country weepers, and originals that, lyrical content aside, wouldn’t sound out of place at a barn dance circa 1954. Tight vocal harmonies figure prominently into the Oak Street Ramblers’ sound, and the group features no less than five singers ready to take the microphone at any given time. The band is comprised of Ian Alderman on guitar, dobro, and vocals, Annie Emmenegger on guitar and vocals, Willie Jones on mandolin and vocals, Jeff Kunkle on bass, Mark Schlutt on banjo and vocals, and Tina Thompson on fiddle. The Ramblers started playing out at the legendary Wonder’s Pub in 2004, and they currently have a monthly residency at the Harmony Bar and Grill. They have acquired a solid fan base, sold thousands of copies of their two albums, and have been voted a favorite Madison-area folk/bluegrass/Americana band on multiple occasions. This event is intended for UW-Madison students, faculty, staff, Wisconsin Union members and their guests. Anyone can become a Wisconsin Union member at union.wisc.edu/membership .