Spotlight: Sue Orfield Band

Gelly’s Pub & Eatery in Stockholm, Wis., welcomes the high-energy music of the Sue Orfield Band with special guest singer/guitarist Ellen Whyte on Sunday June 17.

Orfield and Whyte have a long history of making music. The two met at the 1998 Kettle Full of Blues Festival in Washington. Both were fronting their own bands at the time, but the chemistry between them ignited a lifetime friendship that has been at the forefront of their musical endeavors, they said.

Orfield lived in Seattle for years and Whyte invited her to perform many times with her band in Portland, Ore. In 2000, Whyte had Orfield as the featured artist on her release “Standing at the Sunrise.”

Seven years ago, Orfield moved back to her roots in Eau Claire, Wis. Every summer since 2005, Whyte has traveled to the Midwest to perform with the Sue Orfield Band.

The band features Mike Schlenker on guitar and vocals, Randy Sinz on bass and vocals, Dave Schrader on drums and vocals, and Orfield on sax. The band has one album out, “BONK!,” released in 2009, and is working on a second.

When: 2 p.m. Sunday June 17

Where: Gelly's Pub & Eatery, Stockholm, Wis.

More info: 715-442-202 or www.whyteorfieldband.com

Tags: arts and entertainment, wisconsin, entertainment, lifestyle