418 South Illinois Avenue, Carbondale, Illinois 62901, United States
LIVE MUSIC
Musicians United in the Big Room
Bluegrass concert: Grammy-winning Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
The McDaniel Band, Tawl Paul, Snowbird Street Band
Friday, May 2
Varsity Bar and Doors at 9
Show at 10
All Ages
$5 (see link)
Need a break from finals prep? Come rock out on Friday, May 2, in the Big Room at the Varsity with Musicians United in their biggest show of the year.
MU is a student-led and funded organization of talented musicians who will perform a variety of rock, alternative and metal, including songs by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Breaking Benjamin, Alice in Chains, Jimmy Eat World, Fall Out Boy and more.
If you’ve seen MU perform at Hangar 9, you know to expect a night of awesome music and energy; if you’ve never seen MU before, don’t miss the chance to find out.
The concert is May 2. The Varsity Bar and Doors open at 9 p.m., with the concert starting at 10.
Tickets are $5 are available in advance at Eventbrite (see link) and at the door on the night of the show when doors open.
The McDaniel Band, Tawl Paul, Snowbird Street Band
Bluegrass concert: Grammy-winning Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
The McDaniel Band, Tawl Paul, Snowbird Street Band
Saturday, May 3
Varsity Bar and Doors at 6 p.m.
Show at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $12 (see link)
We’re all in for a treat when these musicians take the Balcony stage on Saturday, May 3.
Join us for a concert featuring the The McDaniel Band, Tawl Paul, and the Snowbird Street Band.
This concert is made possible in part through a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
The McDaniel Band plays blues, rockabilly, swing, country and jazz – often all in one song. They play Kent’s originals as well as covers. In addition to Kent on guitar, band members include Dorothy McDaniel on bass and flute, Richard "Dr. Ted" Stallwitz on bass and guitar, Charlie Morrill on kit drums and Stick Gilbert on hand drums. They all sing, adding the vocal harmonies integral to their sound. Their shows are high-energy fun, without fail. Every one of these folks can flat tear it up and love doing it – and it shows.
Blues singer Tawl Paul is the king of the Carbondale music scene, commanding the crowd in his signature bandana while delivering his low, velvety growl. Paul, a Chicago boy, moved to Carbondale in the early ‘70s, joined and band and stayed.
Betsy Brink and Cody Dawkins are the Snowbird Street Band, featuring Betsy on acoustic guitar, and Cody on banjo, and both on vocals. The two met in Alaska, and soon migrated to Key West, where they played non-stop, everywhere from clubs and coffee houses to seaside streetcorners. A couple of years ago, they moved to Southern Illinois, Cody's home, and quickly became one of the region's most popular acts. Their sound is described as folk-rock meets bluegrass.
The Varsity Bar and doors open at 6; the show starts at 7. Tickets are $12 in advance at Eventbrite (see link) and at the door on the night of the show.
Bluegrass concert: Grammy-winning Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Bluegrass concert: Grammy-winning Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
6 p.m. Doors and Varsity Bar
7 p.m. Mark Stoffel & the Kitchen Table Crew
8 p.m. Bronwyn’s Show
$15 adv at Eventbrite (bit.ly/4jtFaVY) and $17 at the door night of show)
Grammy Award nominee (2025) and winner (2024) Bronwyn Keith-Hynes will be bringing bluegrass to the Varsity’s Big Room on Thursday, May 15.
Mark Stoffel & the Kitchen Table Crew will open this phenomenal show. The "Crew" consists of Stoffel, John Reimbold, Nathan Graham, Mila Maring and Kyle Triplett.
Keith-Hynes has long been renowned as a prolific instrumentalist, earning two IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year awards as well as a Grammy for her work with Molly Tuttle Golden Highway and a 2025 Grammy nomination for her latest album. But on that latest album, “I Built a World,” the Charlottesville, Virginia, native unlocks an impressive new sound: her voice.
“I Built a World” is her first vocal album, but Bronwyn has been a musician since before she can remember. As a child, music lessons gradually transitioned into public performances, with a particular emphasis on Irish music after her family relocated to Charlottesville. And her lifelong musical education continues to shape her work today.
An on-stage collaboration with fellow Charlottesville native Dave Matthews taught her how a crowd could feed a performer’s energy. And attending Berklee College of Music during the early years of its American Roots Music program offered inspiration from classmates like Sierra Hull and Alex Hargreaves, as well as an introduction to Tuttle and most of Bronwyn’s Golden Highway bandmates.
"My favorite bluegrass musicians today are the ones who are rooted in traditional music, but don't really see any boundaries," she says. "It's as if they draw from a traditional bluegrass vocabulary, but use it to say what they want to say."
A background in dance also makes her a captivating and energetic live performer.
Taylor Swift Dance Party and Live show by Tribute Artist Charity Dean
Saturday, May 24
6 p.m. Doors and Kickoff Party
$10 advance / $15 day of show
Swifties unite!
Join us in the big room at the Varsity for an unofficial Taylor Swift Dance Party. Dance and sing along to all the hits from every “Era.” Plus, Taylor Swift tribute artist Charity Dean (of “Lover: An Eras Tour Experience) will be performing live.
All ages are welcome.
Tickets are $10 in advance at Eventbrite (see link). They also will be available for $15 at the doors on the evening of the show.
This event is not affiliated with Taylor Swift / T.A.S. Rights Management.
Woodbox Gang releases new album; concert June 13
Woodbox Gang releases new album; concert June 13
Friday, June 13
6 Bar and Doors
7 Show
Opening Act: Chicago Farmer
$20 advance / $25 night of show
Inspired by annual shows at Little Grassy Getdown, an eclipse show at the Varsity in 2024, as well as current events, The Woodbox Gang committed to recording their first album in 12 years. On June 13, 2025, they will perform songs from the new album, “Brown Cane Toad,” and beloved favorites at the Varsity in Carbondale, Illinois.
Band members are Hugh DeNeal, Alex Kirt, Dan Goett, Nate Graham and Max Senteney.
The Woodbox Gang have spent a quarter of a century creating vibrant and timeless music, combining the traditional sounds of American roots music with a raw and ragged sensibility. From the rickety stage floors of a church in downtown Makanda to the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., The Woodbox Gang has excited audiences of all kinds over the years. Recently, the band played only a handful of shows, often digging into the vault for tunes written more than 20 years earlier.
Chicago Farmer will open the show with his sharp wit and amazing storytelling in his music. Chicago Farmer has dazzled audiences back and forth across the lands, leaving tears of laughter and catharsis.
This incredible concert will take place Friday, June 13, in the Big Room at the Varsity, which now has new state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems and a new cutting-edge heating and cooling system.
Tickets are $20 in advance at Eventbrite (see link) and $25 at the venue on the night of the show when the Varsity Bar and doors open at 6.