WXPR Concerts
WXPR Concert Series at Nicolet College
The annual WXPR Concert Series continues to be a favorite event and with good reason - stacked with amazing talent, every concert is a must-see! Hot up-and-comers, current stars, absolute legends - the artists that take the Nicolet College Theatre stage are some of the finest in the world and deliver performances packed with diverse musical styles and sounds!
Tickets will be held at the box office unless specified. Tickets that are ordered online can be printed as an e-ticket. Please contact WXPR if you have any questions. 715-362-6000.
The Nicolet College Theatre is wheelchair accessible. Please order by phone and let us know that you require wheelchair access.
2023 Series
Buffalo Nichols
Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 7:30 P.M.
Since his earliest infatuations with guitar, Buffalo Nichols has asked himself the same question: How can I bring the blues of the past into the future? After cutting his teeth between a Baptist church and bars in Milwaukee, it was a globetrotting trip through West Africa and Europe during a creative down period that began to reveal the answer.
“Part of my intent, making myself more comfortable with this release, is putting more Black stories into the genres of folk and blues,” guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Carl “Buffalo” Nichols explains. “Listening to this record, I want more Black people to hear themselves in this music that is truly theirs.” That desire is embodied in his self-titled debut album—Fat Possum’s first solo blues signing in nearly 20 years—composed largely of demos and studio sessions recorded between Wisconsin and Texas.
While acknowledging the joy, exuberance and triumph contained in the blues, Nichols looks intently at the genre’s origins, which harken back to complicated and dire circumstances for Black Americans. With this in mind, Nichols says there is a missing link, which he’s often used as a compass: Black stories aren’t being told responsibly in the genre anymore. To begin changing that, Buffalo Nichols gets the chance to tell his own story in the right way.
Learn more at buffalo-nichols.com.
Mae Simpson
Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 7:30 P.M.
Mae Simpson shook up the Twin Cities' scene in 2019, winning Battle of the Bands and City Pages Reader’s Choice “Best New Band,” along with being named a nominee for “Best Live Concert”. Mae and her seven-piece band includes a horn section and blurs the lines between a wide range of influences, from the depth and energy of funk and rock, down to the melodic edge of R&B and folk. Led by Mae Simpson, who's '...voice is larger than life — but not as large as her uncontainable energy that radiates from the stage." Helen Teague - Minnesota Public Radio.
Known for their intense and exciting live shows, the band has an immediate impact that favors the human connection between the musicians and the audience. Opening up for acts like Dermot Kennedy, Karl Denson, Rubblebucket, Robert Clay, Langhorn Slim, Pert Near Sandstone and playing many notable stages across the Midwest like First Ave. Main Room, The Fillmore MPLS, Basilica Block Party, and Blue Ox. If you are a fan of artists such as Alabama Shakes, Lake Street Dive and Bruce Springsteen, Mae Simpson is right up your alley.
Learn more at maesimpsonmusic.com