Mixing up an unlikely concoction of vintage rock & roll and outlaw country, Cole Diamond is, depending on when you ask, either the stage name for singer/songwriter Ryan Otte or the collective handle for Otte and his Band. For years Otte spent most weekends behind a drum kit playing with too many bands to list. The idea for Cole Diamond came about as a way for Otte to step out from behind the drums and try his hand at the front of the stage. In the years since “Cole Diamond” was conceived he has released two EPS, a string of singles, received airplay on 89.3 The Current, and opened for national acts such as Jenny Don't & The Spurs, Corb Lund and The Wilder Blue. Drawing on influences that range from Waylon and Willie to Brooks & Dunn, Cole Diamond delivers a modern take on a classic sound.
"It is old school outlaw music of the 1980s – think Waylon Jennings or Leon Russell. I loved it."
- Ann Treacy, Mostly MN
"I Challenge you to find a purer strain on Honky Tonk in the Twin Cities"
- Carol Roth, Adventures in Americana
Cole Diamond is a Minneapolis treasure and his latest EP is a shining example of good writing, good taste, and down-home good vibes".
- Bill Stoneberg, The Sound 89.5 FM KQAL Winona, MN
The Driftless Revelers formed in the second spring of the first global pandemic of the 21st century, with one ear turned toward the shellac platters and Victrola virtuosos of the early to mid 20th century, and the other ear glued to the soundscapes of the 1960's & 1970's American freak-folk scene.
Since their debut tour in 2021, the band has billed with Grammy winning bluegrass legends like Tim O'Brien & the Gibson Brothers, toured extensively throughout the Upper Midwest performing with other amazing artists like Big Richard, Willy Tea Taylor, Davey Allen & the Midnights, and had breakout performances at several festivals and events (Sol Grass Music Festival, Mile of Music in Appleton, WI. featured in Rolling Stone Magazine).
These Eau Claire, Wisconsin based weirdos have earned a cult following of devoted fans from Minnesota to Michigan who appreciate their irreverent, highly original, and sometimes slightly psychedelic interpretation of American roots music with a Midwest twist. Their live show banter and thoroughly entertaining sets have earned them comparisons to Ween, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, They Might be Giants, Tenacious D, Cheech & Chong, and the Holy Modal Rounders. Their debut record, American Fork Standards (2022), was well received by their family members, and a few other people who said nice things about it. Their most recent record, Live at the Slowpoke Lounge & Cabaret (2024) captures the band's deadpan comedy and musical chops in a lounge environment that demands a proper listen in a leisure suit with a scotch & Pall Mall.
Featuring the original songwriting of Ben Nelson, Matthew R. Sayles, and Jerod Kaszynski, the Driftless Revelers will pleasure a crowd with plectral wah pedal banjo tones, the mournful wailing of resophonic steel guitars, and the up-right bass bellows of an era that can't quite be defined, but revels in the timeless ephemera of weird old-time American music.
With influences as varied and eccentric as a proper musty smelling thrift store record collection, the band grooves merrily through early roots blues and jazz music, to hillbilly and string band howlers, all the way into the not-quite folk but not-quite psychedelic realms of their own creation.
A Driftless Revelers show will lure you in with their joy--keep you dancing with their search for the cosmic groove in the confines of stringed instruments--and will send you on your way with flashbacks of the Driftless Revelry found only in the essence of the intangible reaches of notes once played-- that then fall silent.
All advanced tickets are will-call, e-ticket, or print-at-home. No physical tickets will be delivered for the performance. When you buy in advance, your name will appear on a list at the door to assure your entry.
The Plus is a full service bar & restaurant. The bar is in a separate room from the performance space. Drinks and food can be brought into the performance space. The Plus is fully accessible to people using wheelchairs or other ambulatory devices.
Online sales close at 6pm the day of the show. If you missed the window for online sales, just arrive to pay at the door.
