BREAKING: Rebecca and the Grey Notes has received a nomination in the category of Bluegrass/Americana Artist of the Year as part of this year’s WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) awards. This year, WAMI has expanded the award nomination process so that anyone can nominate any band or individual musician for an award. The three-step process began Jan. 17 with the opening of nominations, which will close Feb. 17. The first round of voting begins Friday, Feb. 24, and runs through Tuesday, March 21. The final voting round begins Tuesday, March 28, and ends Tuesday, April 1. We’ll provide more information as it becomes available, including how to vote, but right now Rebecca and her fellow Grey Notes band members are just thrilled to be nominated. What a great way to celebrate our 10th year as a band.

That’s a wrap. 2022 is in the books, and what a year it was. Thanks to the many venues who booked us, we were able to perform multiple times at the Studio Winery + Geneva Lake Distilling in Lake Geneva, a wonderful indoor live venue; twice at the baaree, an equally wonderful outdoor venue and one of the best in the Milwaukee area; Polish Fest in Milwaukee, where we were the Sunday headliners on the Main Stage; The Hive, with great outdoor and indoor stages; Summerfest, where we performed on the Us Cellular Connection Stage for the fifth consecutive year; the Wisconsin State Fair, where we have been performing at the Major Goolsby’s Heartland Stage since 2014; WGTD-FM in Kenosha County, which played our original music multiple times; and a handful of private parties in Milwaukee and the surrounding area. We are so thankful to have venues who appreciate our performances and a growing number of fans who like what they hear. Next year will be our 10th year of performing as a band, so we hope to put together a special event. We began our run at Tallys Tap & Eatery in Waukesha in April 2013 as a trio and added drummer Jeff Franks in 2014 when larger venues began calling. We added drummer Tom Spolar earlier this year when Jeff moved to Tennessee. Our two CDs of original music have been played on five Milwaukee-area radio stations, and we hope to record more original tunes. Thanks to John Ertl, Jesse at the baaree, Doug at Studio Winery, Jessica at Tally’s and the many other promoters and venue owners who took a chance on us. And thanks to our fans for supporting us and live music.

All this week, songs from our second album, “Volume Two,” are being played by WGTD-FM in Kenosha County. The station has a segment called “Noon Tunes” in which a song recorded by a band from southeastern Wisconsin is played, usually around 12:21 p.m. or so. Go to https://www.wgtd.org and click on the Listen Live button in the top right corner of the homepage to hear our original music. If you are lucky, you might hear our song “Picture of You,” which the station manager has called the best song recorded by a local band and played on this station. WGTD-FM is one of five Milwaukee-area radio stations that have featured our music. Enjoy!

We had a big crowd and a great time Aug. 27 at the Studio Winery + Geneva Lake Distillery in Lake Geneva. The next day we played at a private party in northern Illinois celebrating an engagement. We have two more private parties coming up–one Sept. 10 and the other Oct. 1. Yes, we do perform at private engagements. Our fee depends on how many people will be there, how far away it is from our home base and other factors. If you’re interested in playing host to a private party and want a live band, contact us. Meanwhile, our next scheduled public appearance isn’t until mid-November, so until then we will be in rehearsals learning new material.

The band will be returning to Studio Winery + Great Lakes Distilling on Saturday, Aug. 27, for a show that will begin at 5 p.m. and end at 9 p.m. Sample some fine wines and spirits and then listen as we play three sets at the best live-music venue in Lake Geneva.

A big thank-you to the Wisconsin State Fair and the Major Goolsby’s Heartland Stage for playing host to us Aug. 6-7. Despite the hot and humid weather Saturday and a threat of storms Sunday that never materialized, we drew big crowds. Thanks to all our fans for supporting live music!

The band was informed this week that Jeff Zmania, who was the Grey Notes’ official photographer for many years, passed away in his sleep July 29. We are heartbroken over this loss. Jeff was not only a great photographer and graphics artist, but he also was great friend to the band. His incredible photos graced the covers and insides of our two CDs. He would have been at the Major Goolsby’s Heartland Stage at the Wisconsin State Fair on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 6-7, shooting photos of the band. It’s difficult to put into words how big of a loss this is for us. We’ll let you know more details as they become available. Meanwhile, say a prayer for his sister and mother who lost a brother and son too early.

What a week! Thanks to Summerfest and to the baaree beer garden in Thiensville for allowing us to perform. We had our largest crowd at Summerfest and our largest crowd at the baaree, with lots of new fans joining our special regulars. Next up: performances beginning at noon Aug. 6-7 at the Wisconsin State Fair.