Show your support for the McMillan Concert Series by collecting our new buttons! Buttons for the whole '25 series are available at each of our self-checks. We'll also have buttons for each artist available only at that concert, so come to each show to collect the entire series!
Thursday, August 28, 2025 - 7pm -- John Gorka Folk musician John Gorka has won a national following through his many albums dating back to the late 1980's as well as his countless performances. Rolling Stone magazine has dubbed him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of the New Folk Movement." The New York Times has written that “[l]istening to John Gorka sing, one can get goose bumps all over. There are many reasons: fresh lyrics, a stunning emotional baritone, and his twisted humor.” This concert is sponsored by Ron and Deborah McCabe.
Thursday, September 4, 2025 - 7pm -- Ponyfolk was formed in 2014 by Clifton Nesseth (vocals, strings, guitar, synth/keys) and Paul Sauey (vocals, strings, guitar, bass). Over the last few years, the band has expanded to include Aaron Hays (drums), Alex Nelson (keyboards), Mikey Marget (cello), and Lewis Franti (percussion). Ponyfolk's music always keeps a foot planted firmly in the ethos of Americana and Nordic folk traditions while stepping forward into new sounds and musical terrains. Their sound has been described as “the dark side of Simon & Garfunkel” and “early Pink Floyd mixed with the Lord of the Rings soundtrack.”
Friday, September 26, 2025 - 7pm -- Lily Henley On her new album Oras Dezaoradas (out on Lior Éditions Records), Lily Henley highlights the Ladino language, a threatened tongue that fuses old Spanish with Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, and Persian elements, spoken by less than 100,000 people in the world today. The album is not a reinterpretation project— Henley’s newly-penned songs are a reclamation and contribution, a living line between her roots in American and Celtic music traditions and the rich history and culture of her Sephardi ancestors. Known for her expressive songwriting, gifted fiddling, and bell-like vocals, Henley brings new life to these songs and the independent female characters in them. With a repertoire encompassing both her Sephardi musical lineage and a broad expanse of influences from across the folk world, Henley weaves ancient and modern languages, cultures and styles to reveal their interconnectedness, and ours.
Thursday, October 2, 2025 - 7pm -- Medusa would slay at a Hobbit family wedding. Wielding a sound that would turn classical music scholars to stone, these four folk musicians are reimagining the Western string quartet. By inviting back voices previously regarded as too ugly for “polite society,” Medusa tempts us to redefine what is beautiful. Their dynamic arrangement style cross-pollinates the sounds of Middle Eastern, Scandinavian, Celtic, Appalachian, and Eastern European music, as well as original tunes, to create something previously unheard. With their music, the band connects audiences across dividing lines of culture and identity to reveal the common threads beneath.
Thursday, November 13, 2025 - 7pm -- Brian Drow is best described as a pop/folk artist, with a large dose of blues, rock & country influences. He generally performs solo, playing acoustic guitar featuring plenty of blues harmonica but he’ll be bringing along a friend for his show at McMillan. In addition to his own music, his vast repertoire also includes covers from artists such as Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Buddy Holly, pop one-hit wonders, traditional folk tunes, and much more.