The Band
From Milwaukee clubs to festival main stages
Chicken Wire Empire started out as a traditional four-piece bluegrass band in Milwaukee before growing into today’s quintet, folding in players with roots in the city’s jamband scene along the way. That mix of old-school picking and high-energy improvisation has carried the group from neighborhood clubs to festival main stages across the country and overseas.
Their sixth studio album, Growing Pains, arrived this summer and features guest turns from dobro great Jerry Douglas and banjo player Kyle Tuttle — the latest names on a list of collaborators that includes Sam Bush, Peter Rowan, Vince Herman, and Keller Williams.
They bring that same live-wire chemistry to the intimate confines of The Bend Theater for one night only — a two-set show built for a room where every fiddle run and harmony carries.