It started back in 2008, when Liz Wilkinson moved to Minneapolis from North Carolina and met up with local singer-songwriter AJ Scheiber. They found out quickly that their voices and musical interests blended and began performing together as Wilkinson James. An early fan described their music as “the bastard offspring of Townes Van Zandt and June Carter Cash.”

In 2014 Wilkinson James released a well-received eponymous first record, backed by the cream of the Twin Cities’ session players. In the process of promoting the album, the duo evolved into a not-so-little band that included saxophone, fiddle, and pedal steel in addition to Liz and AJ’s ever-present harmony singing and lead trade-offs. A second record, Abandon (2016) featured core members of the regular performing band, and extended their repertoire of original tunes into moody jazz, swing, and American Songbook styles.

Wilkinson James Official Website

It started as a jam session in 1995 in a now burn-tout St. Paul hole-in-the-wall bar. Over 20 years later, the Urban Hillbilly Quartet has grown into an award-winning Twin Cities-based ensemble that delivered an eclectic mix of musical styles, blending electric guitar, piano, accordion, bass and drums. On stage, the Hillbillies perform mainly original material—most of which can be found on their nine albums. Their most recent recording South of Dark was released in 2018.

Their music has been influenced by: Midwest powerhouses The Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo; UK’s The Waterboys; Canada’s Bruce Cockburn; and folk/jazz star David Grisman. UHQ has been compared to R.E.M., The grateful Dead, and 16 Horsepower.

The core of the band is Erik Brandt (guitar, accordion, piano, lead vocals); Jeremy Szopinski (electric guitar); Dave Strahan (electric guitar), Mike Schultz (bass) and Jim Orvis (drums), who have been performing together in the UHQ all over the United States and Overseas.

Urban Hillbilly Quartet Official Website

Music 9-11pm

Make a reservation at AsterCafe.com to reserve your seat for the show.
$10 cover charge will be added to your tab.