Unless otherwise noted, all shows start at 7:30 pm and take place at The 7th Street Loft

Buy tickets online!
You can purchase tickets for main stage concerts on-line with your credit card via PayPal. Tickets will be available at the door the night of the show, but get your tickets early because we sometimes sell out and have to turn people away.

Standard* Ticket Prices
Member - $13
Non-member - $17
Student with ID - $10
Children under 12 - $1

The lineup of LAFTA Main Stage concerts for the upcoming 2013-2014 concert season will be announced in July 2013. Please check back then for our concert schedule. Below is the list of shows for our recently-concluded 2012-2013 season.

LAFTA 2012-13 Main Stage Concert Season

Friday, September 21, 2012 - Sandy Creek Bluegrass
7th Street Loft, 7:30 PM
Sandy Creek Bluegrass have been a linchpin of Bluegrass in the Lincoln area for 35 years. Comprised of Mike, John, and Gary Paul, Dave Blakeslee, and Winfield contest veterans John and Jason Shaw, they can be counted on to serve up hard-driving, traditionally-rooted Bluegrass at every show. LAFTA is proud to kick off the 2012-13 Main Stage season with these accomplished local musicians.

Friday, October 19, 2012 - The Steel Wheels
7th Street Loft, 7:30 PM
The Steel Wheels, a quartet based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, draw forth a trove of original and traditional songs from roots that stretch deep into the subsoil of American music: Clawhammer-driven dark mountain ballads, a cappella Negro spirituals, and old-time fiddle tunes. At the same time, their performances incorporate folk songwriting elements and instrumental improvisation associated with more modern musical styles. Don’t miss this chance to see an ascendant, tradition-expanding young band in the intimate listening environment of the 7th Street Loft.

Friday, November 9, 2012 - Finnders and Youngberg
7th Street Loft, 7:30 PM
This Americana quintet from Ft. Collins, Colorado performs an emotionally-charged selection of original story songs, blue country ballads, light-hearted swing ditties, and hard driving bluegrass, all seamlessly woven together by some of the finest musicianship Colorado has to offer. Lincoln native Aaron Youngberg's pedal steel guitar playing adds a unique country sound on many numbers. The band’s 2011 release, “FY5,” was the #1 played Bluegrass CD on Colorado radio in 2011 and received the 2nd most “spins” overall.

Saturday, January 19, 2013 - Diana Jones
7th Street Loft, 7:30 PM
Diana Jones has reclaimed her Appalachian mountain heritage in crafting three acclaimed collections of original songs that have made her one of the essential folk-rooted songwriters of the last decade. Her songs have themes of love, loss, and redemption. While seemingly simple and plainspoken, they are in fact skillfully drawn pieces that weave together timeless melodies and deeply stirring lyrics. From the mournful lament of a dance hall girl to the stomping melodic rant of a young woman’s burial instructions, each of her songs draws life from old-time country blues and mountain music.

Friday, March 15, 2013 - Tracy Grammer
7th Street Loft, 7:30 PM
Tracy Grammer vaulted into the folk spotlight in the late 1990s soon after meeting and joining forces with singer/songwriter Dave Carter in Portland, Oregon. Since Dave’s passing in 2002, Tracy has continued walking a musical path as the primary exponent of the music they made together, as well as recording songs drawn from diverse areas of folk and pop music past and present. 2012 saw the release of Little Blue Egg, a compilation of previously-unreleased Dave and Tracy recordings. Tracy combines her sublime voice with a solid command of violin, guitar and mandolin; her return to the LAFTA main stage promises to be a memorable celebration of "postmodern mythic American music."   

Friday, April 19, 2013 - Matt & Shannon Heaton
7th Street Loft, 7:30 PM
Guitarist/singer Matt Heaton and Irish flute player/singer Shannon Heaton have been making music together since their first meeting in 1992. Their shows mix traditional Irish tunes and songs with their own compositions that draw from both Irish and American roots. Their playing is masterful and inventive, their arrangements city-smart and spacious. Still, they never forget that Irish music is, at its heart, a neighborly form meant for sharing rather than showing off.

Saturday, May 4 - Mountain Smoke
7th Street Loft, 7:30 PM
Forty years of music, spanning four decades, and the sound is as fresh now as when they began. Mountain Smoke is original, unpredictable, and their audiences are as varied as the music they will encounter. Built with elements of rock and folk, the power of newgrass, and the sweet flow of mountain ballads, the music is timeless. As songwriters and musicians, they remain on the leading edge of acoustic music. Mountain Smoke has been twice selected "Oklahoma's Favorite Band" by the reader's poll in the Daily Oklahoman, and "Oklahoma's Best Country Band" by the Oklahoma Gazette Music Awards. Playing a mixture of their original songs, and music they have adapted to their unique style, Mountain Smoke will take you on a musical journey.   Tickets

Saturday, May 11 - The Rain Dogs (rescheduled from February)
7th Street Loft, 7:30 PM
The Rain Dogs are four talented Kansas City musicians who have come together to share a love of American roots music. Creating a timeless sound all their own, they pay tribute to the old southern string bands and classic blues masters. Playing songs that have weathered the generations, the Rain Dogs perform music ranging in style from old time jug band blues & boogie-woogie up thru the driving rhythms of early rock & roll. Working within a framework of acoustic & resophonic guitars, washboard, bass, mandolin, piano & harmonica, the band covers material from artists such as Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Mississippi Sheiks, Muddy Waters, Bonnie Raitt & Bo Carter, along with originals.   Tickets

================ Previous Seasons ================

2011-12
September 2011 - Winfield Winners
October 2011 - Eliza Gilkyson
November 2011 - The Greencards
December 2011 - Monroe Crossing
January 2012 - The Toasted Ponies
February 2012 - Neal & Leandra
March 2012 - Joe Crookston
April 2012 - Garnet Rogers
May 2012 - Prairie Dog Social

2010-11
September 2010 - Bluegrass Crusade
October 2010 - Tommy Sands
November 2010 - Marley's Ghost
January 2011 - Jalan Crossland
February 2011 - New Riverside Ramblers
March 2011 - Jeff Black
April 2011 - Catie Curtis

2009-10
September 2009 - Prairie Dog Social
October 2009 - Matt & Shannon Heaton
December 2009 - The Bobs
January 2010 - Lonesome Traveler
February 2010 - Driftwood Fire
March 2010 - Paddywhack with Dan Newton
April 2010 - Chris Smither

2008-09
September 2008 - Café Accordion Orchestra
October 2008 - Darden Smith
November 2008 - Monroe Crossing Band
January 2009 - Garnet Rogers
February 2009 - Neal and Leandra
March 2009 - Jalan Crossland Band
April 2009 - The Shaw Brothers with Steve Hanson

2007-08
September 2007 - Kusi Taki
October 2007 - Mike & Amy Finders
November 2007 - Marley's Ghost
December 2008 - Laurie McClain
January 2008 - Jeff Black Band
February 2008 - Jackie Tice
March 2008 - Diana Jones
March 2008 - Prairie Dog CD Release Party
April 2008 - Robin & Linda Williams

2006-07
September 2006 - Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart
October 2006 - Tracy Grammer
November 2006 - Bill Staines
January 2007 - Greg Brown
February 2007 - The Stringtown Castenets
March 2007 - Bluegrass Crusade
April 2007  - John McCutcheon

2005-06 (flyer)
September 2005 - Eliza Gilkyson
October 2005 - Bluegrass Patriots
November 2005 - The Waybacks
January 2006 - Jeff Black
February 2006 - Neal and Leandra
March 2006 - Paddywhack Reunion
April 2006 - Cliff Eberhardt
May 2006 - The Shaw Brothers

2004-05 (flyer)
September 2004 - Vance Gilbert
October 2004 - Richard Thompson
November 2004 - Catie Curtis
January 2005 - Greg Brown
February 2005 - Café Accordion Orchestra
March 2005 - Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum
April 2005 - Tom Russell with Andrew Hardin
May 2005 - Tennessee HeartStrings Band

2003-04 (flyer)
September 2003 - Doc Watson (Collaboration with the Lied Center)
October 2003 - Laura Love Duo
November 2003 - Joel Mabus
January 2004 - Neal and Leandra
February 2004 - GrooveLily
March 2004 - Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group
April 2004 - Cheryl Wheeler
May 2004 - Dave Moore

2002-03
September 2002 - Cosy Sheridan
October 2002 - John Hammond
November 2002 - Laura Love Duo
January 2003 - Ray Bonneville
February 2003 - Bluegrass Crusade
March 2003 - Cliff Eberhardt
April 2003 - Garnet Rogers
May 2003 - Kate Campbell

2001-02
September 2001 - John Prine and Iris DeMent (Collaboration with the Lied Center)
October 2001 - Colcannon
November 2001 - Dana Robinson
January 2002 - Neal and Leandra
February 2002 - Songwriter's Sweatshop
February 2002 - Children's Concert 
March 2002 - Daddy Squeeze and the Doctor
April 2002 - Robin and Linda Williams
May 2002 - Buffalo Gals