Jim Craig, Mark Dvorak, C.T. Thieme

media release: JIM CRAIG, Chicago folk troubadour MARK DVORAK and C.T. THIEME-  together for a special in-the-round remembrance of folk legend Art Thieme titled “A Handful of Songs.” Great to have them all back for a fantastic evening of music and camaraderie.

Art Thieme, who passed away in 2015, would have been eighty-one on July 9. “Of the hundreds and hundreds of songs in my dad’s repertorie,” said C.T. Thieme, son of Art, ‘A Handful of Songs’ was about his favorite.”The elder Thieme learned “A Handful of Songs” from friend, songwriter and Janesville native Jerry Rasmussen.

For nearly four decades Chicagoan Art Thieme took his intimate style of singing, storytelling and humor across the country, earning a reputation as a master of the American folk balled. He made regular visits to Wisconsin venues in Milwaukee, Madison and Ft. Atkinson. “Dad could take an entire auditorium of people and make them feel like they were in his living room,” said C.T. Thieme. “He was a great person, a great man.”

C.T. THIEME  continues to perform a handful of songs from his father’s repertoire.

JIM  CRAIG came of age during the folk boom, “listening to Pete Seeger and Dave Van Ronk, but also more obscure musicians like Dock Boggs and Pink Anderson, folks who were off the map but were rediscovered in the early ’60s.” He was a regular at the Green Dragon Inn,  where we came to know and love him for his understated warm grace. Jim has guitar chops and a beautiful baritone voice, and an interesting repertoire of songs.

He taught guitar at the Old Town School of Folk Music, jammed with figures in the Chicago folk scene such as Eddie Holstein and Steve Goodman. He is the owner of Hogeye Music in Evanston. He is a gentleman.

MARK DVORAK is a modern day troubadour who has never stopped performing, writing and recording. He has been called “a folk singer’s folk singer” with “an encyclopedic knowledge of traditional songs.” His original songs are described as “wondrous” and “profound.” Though Mark often appears in theaters and on festival stages, he is also at home in a more intimate setting. His concerts are a mix of the familiar and the new, traditional folk and standards from the American songbook. He plays authentic country blues guitar and picks great old-time banjo.

Mark enjoys involving his audiences in sing-along songs, just like The Weavers used to do, and mixes in his own well-crafted and infectious originals. Mark has a refreshing, down-to-earth stage presence, and is a very engaging performer. He sings with a clear, signature voice, and he likes to joke around with the folks who attend his shows. Throughout the program he’ll interject personal anecdotes and add a touch of history or social context to the performance.

“Masterful” Chicago Tribune

“The real deal. His show is funny, passionate, intimate & unforgettable” Old Town School of Folk Music

“One of a vanishing breed. Although all of us benefit from the tradition, Dvorak is one of the few who keep it alive.” Utah Phillips