Just what is "Sundilla music?" (click here)

"ALL music is folk music; I never did see no horse could play an instrument." -- Louis Armstrong

Somewhere, there is probably someone who lived in England in 1960 who turned down a chance to go to The Cavern Club because he had never heard of the band.

"The band" in question was, of course, The Beatles. They went on to have a bit of success in the music business; enough success that the guy who didn't want to go see them play because he had never heard of them is still kicking himself black-and-blue 40 years later.

So when you're trying to decide whether or not you want to drag yourself out to see some unknown play at Sundilla, just remind yourself that every musician was once an unknown, and that every musician who sells out arenas for hundreds of dollars per ticket once played somewhere for under ten bucks. And someone who paid hundreds of dollars to sit in the last row of an arena once turned down the chance to sit on the first row of a small venue for next to nothing. Don't be this person!

UPCOMING CONCERTS and LATEST NEWS

Friday, August 22 Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart 7:30 PM    $10/ Students with ID just $8 (Word-of-mouth is still our best form of advertisement; help us out by downloading a flyer and displaying it prominently!) 

We can get the obvious question out of the way early: yes, Stacey Earle IS the sister of the legendary Steve Earle. But don't think for a moment that she's riding her brother's coattails, and getting by on his name. Stacey and her husband Mark have plenty of what it takes to be successful in their own right. Having a brother in the business doesn't hurt, though; the first time Stacey performed was at an arena in Sydney, Australia, as part of her brother's band The Dukes. She would tour with the band for 18 months, then go back to Nashville to launch a career as a country-folk singer-songwriter. Meanwhile, Mark was doing the only thing he ever considered in his life: making music. By age 15 he was playing in his dad's band, and within two years he had a band of his own. He spent plenty of time on the road touring with acts such as Neil Young, Freddy Fender and-- yes-- Steve Earle.

Stacey and Mark met in 1991, and married in 1992 . Stacey had two children form a previous marriage, and they became an instant family. While Stacey waited tables and Mark played in and around their Nashville home, they managed to raise the kids and get their own individual music careers off the ground. Those careers received a big boost in 1998, when Stacey and Mark formed their own Indie record label, Gearle Records. In the next few years, Stacey would release the classic "Simple Gearle" and "Dancing With Them That Brung Me", while Mark released "Songs Form a Corner Stage." The real--life couple became an on-stage couple in 2001, when they released Must Be Live.

Over the years, Stacey and Mark have learned a great deal from life, and each other. They have been inseparable from the beginning, and it is their music that binds them. Their songs are their diaries, stories of times both good and bad; getting by day to day is their burden, and they share it with the world through their songs. Though they live just west of Nashville, they now call the road their home; as Stacey puts it "Our children are all grown so we left home for the past three years." They've learned that's it's always better together that alone, so their solo careers have now been merged; as a duo they have released three CDs: "Must Be Live", "Never Gonna Let You Go" and "S&M Communion Bread."

They tour year-round, and have stood on stages of al sizes, from the main stage at festivals to living rooms for house concerts. They have shared the stage with some of the best in the business: Joan Baez, Steve Earle, Willie Nelson, Ralph Stanley, Richard Thompson, Greg Brown and Iris Dement, just to name a few.

With modern country stars shilling glitz and patriotism, Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart create the kind of smart, intimate, lived-in version of Americana that's an endangered pleasure these days.

Here is a small selection of music from Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart; as always, nothing compares to a live performance:  

There is still a place in the world for independent music, despite what the corporate bigwigs would like to think. Support Sundilla, support the Quality Music Revolution, support the community, and have a great time while you're at it. Come see Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart at Sundilla, because good music needs to be heard. Showtime is 7:30, admission is just $10, students get in for $8 and kids 12 and under get in free. Speaking of "free," that's what the coffee, tea, water and food are as well, though as always you are welcome to bring whatever food or beverage you prefer. 

"Both talented songwriters and performers... imagination and emotion, along with humor, are key elements of their songs..."    --Dirty Linen

Here is the 2008 schedule.  Talks have begun for 2009, and the names include old friends like Eric Taylor, Greg Greenway, Pierce Pettis and David Olney, and exciting newcomers like Junie Lewis and James Lee Stanley. And that's just the beginning...

                                                                   2008

As always, things happen, so check this site often for new additions and the occasional (and regrettable) change. 

Although Sundilla is not affiliated with any church or religion, it is deeply indebted to the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, without whose support it would not be possible. The Fellowship Hall is one of the finest listening rooms you will ever experience, and we would be lucky to be able to use it, even if the use was not donated, free of charge, by the AUUF.