Fri, Apr 3 - 8pm - $10

 With Chicago roots and Texas ties, Daphne Willis brings both musicality and grit to the songs she writes and plays. Born in San Antonio to a classically trained vocalist and audio engineer, Daphne began singing at an early age and found her way to the guitar in high school. Since then, she’s developed the confidence, melodic mastery and vocal range that have won her admirers from here to Beijing. Daphne didn’t plan a career in music. But as a student at DePaul University in Chicago, she found herself performing at open mic nights, which led to regular Chicago gigs and, eventually, a decision to leave school and hit the road. So she assembled a band and began playing 200 shows a year across the United States. Daphne released her independent EP Matter of Time in September 2007; in a twist of fate, Vanguard Records head Kevin Welk heard a track on an American Airlines flight. This led to a record deal in 2008 and the release of her second EP, Exhibit A.To record her first full-length album, Daphne headed to the hills of Tennessee. She released What to Say in 2010, which was co-produced by Tim Lauer and Grammy winner Gary Paczosa. Album number two, Because I Can, came out in 2011 and reached the number two spot on iTunes’ Top 40 Singer/Songwriter Chart. On her latest EP, Inside Outright, Daphne co-wrote songs with Hunter Davis, Chris Faulk, Angela Lauer, John Oates of Hall & Oates, Keri Barnes and Tim Lauer.Daphne currently calls Nashville home, where she crafts her distinct brand of pop and is poised to expand her fan base world wide. Her most recent EP, 2015’s Get It, features the single “Done With Bein’ Done,” co-written with Grammy Award winner Meghan Trainor. 

 It's a pop song, chopped up with some soul, thrown over a bed of soft guitar chords, and sang raw.  At 24, Gina Venier stylishly combines her soulful blues roots with pop influences to create an original sound that defies fitting into a genre.  Raised in the small town of Dixon, IL, Gina pulls from her family roots to find inspiration behind songwriting, style, and stage presence.  At the age of 6, Venier took after her dad’s musical background as a blues musician, and started singing and playing the drums. At 13, she picked up the guitar and has been playing live ever since. She credits her dad for infusing a passion for music in her at an early age, and he frequently shares the stage with her today.  Now focused on developing her craft as a “young Chicago-based original artist,” she uses her percussive background to heighten her rhythmic movements on guitar, and showcases an expressively raw and raspy vocal tone during live shows, creating an unparalleled live performance of natural soul.  She won Chicago’s largest singing competition “Bar 1 Big Break,” in August of 2012, after showing the judges and audience her versatility, creativity, and inimitable artistry through performances a capella, on the drums, guitar, and keyboard. After making it to the final 2, Venier performed an original song and took home the top prize in the competition.  After winning the competition, Venier is continuing to capitalize on her success and is currently creating quite the buzz around the Chicago-land music scene.  Since then, Venier has been spreading her ‘hybrid genre’ of blue-eyed soul singer/songwriter meets R&B pop musician, performing in staple Chicago-land venues in front of anxious and enthusiastic crowds. Chicago- has been exploiting her distinctive vibe whether it’s an intimate acoustic showcase, or fronting her band, Gina Venier & the Gentlemen, each performance carries a unique dynamic, and not one show is the same as the last.  After receiving her degree in Broadcasting, Gina found more passion from being in front of a microphone on stage, than in front of the camera.  Currently, Gina is performing, writing, and accumulating original works, working toward her first album release. Her theme challenges fitting into a definitive form of music by blending the art of a singer/songwriter who collides with radio-worthy blue-eyed soulful pop music. Music has become her exclusive project and this extraordinary talent holds all the characteristics of a true artist on the rise.

Guitarist, Singer/Songwriter based in Nashville TN. Rock n' Soul music. Songs rich in melody and virtuosity.

 Langston & Co. is the result of a life lived on the road, in upheaval, struggling to reach a destination that may not even exist.Jay, a seasoned songwriter/ guitar player/ performer, began writing for Langston & Co. in 2010, after his previous national band of 8 years, split. "This endeavor was, and is necessary for me as a man, and a songwriter to move forward. I want the music to reflect the good and bad things in life that we all experience. Without all the fluff and shine, I hope the songs will speak for me."Langston & Co. will cling to its southern roots maintaining a minimalist approach. "I want this to be about good songs, and not a lot of noise." Ready to release the first LCO studio EP, the time is now to set out on the journey!