LA-based multi-faceted performer, Kim Manning has quickly become one of Door County’s favorite returning artists. First brought to Sturgeon Bay in 2007 by way of an invitation to participate in Steel Bridge SongFest (SBSF), Kim has since become a dedicated performer at both SBSF and its offshoot the ‘Dark Songs’ week-long, Halloween songwriting and concert weekend – both of which are hosted by The Holiday Music Motel.

Kim’s irresistible talent, her down-to-earth affable personality, engaging stage presence and unique fashion sense have crowned her as a sensual icon, a favorite on the scene both as a performer and as a creative artist whose presence helps enrich and inspire everyone she encounters within the Sturgeon Bay music scene.

On Wednesday December 21 at 7 pm, she will perform in a special house concert at the Holiday Music Motel featuring songs from her upcoming release ‘Good People’ and fresh material just written and recorded at the motel studio.

Tickets for the show are $10 each and can be purchased online at www.holidaymusicmotel.com/tickets or by calling 920.743.5571. A pre-concert reception  begins in the lobby at 6:30 pm. Guests are invited to settle in and enjoy complimentary coffee, tea, cider and snacks (beer and malt beverages are also available for purchase). Concert begins promptly at 7 pm.

Sturgeon Bay's Holiday Music Motel

Many music-lovers are familiar with the Steel Bridge Songfest legacy of songwriting that takes place each year at Sturgeon Bay’s Holiday Music Motel. This early-1950s boutique motel is a retro-chic, little charmer with an unusual twist. It’s owned by a group of musicians and music-enthusiasts. Each week, the Holiday features an open mic, hosts regular house concerts and a variety of other annual songwriters’ sessions.

With a professional recording studio on-site, manned by two Grammy nominees (full-time sound engineer Billy Triplett and producer pat mAcdonald), the Holiday is a hotbed of creation that engages artists from across the globe. In addition to the main studio, the guestrooms are all wired for sound and capable of functioning as remote studios.

Constantly seeking new ways to inspire the creation of art, the Holiday is holding its first-ever contest.

“The most skilled and accomplished songwriters are selected for exclusive songwriting weeks at the Holiday and all of the incredible music they write becomes a part of our history. We wanted to open up a similar opportunity to the community – and those who follow the Holiday from farther away – the community beyond,” says Jillian Nelson, a manager at the Holiday. “A lot of practicing artists will turn up their noses at the fact that it’s a contest, but we’re hoping to call out the artist in the everyman.”

The winner of the Holiday Music Motel Postcard Contest will have their design printed and available for guest purchase at the Holiday. The winner will also receive…

• a free two-night stay in the King Suite at the Holiday Music Motel (subject to availability),
• a feature article on the home page of HolidayMusicMotel.com and recognition on the Holiday’s Facebook page,
• your design on display at the Holiday and
• 10 free postcards featuring your design.

“We want to appeal to people who might not otherwise get involved.  So we’ll be publishing all of the submissions on our web site, and even if you aren’t up to the challenge of submitting an entry, you can still vote and be a part of it. At the end, the winner will end up with a prize and the Holiday will end up with a great new unexpected, original postcard.  Win, win!” Nelson explains.

Contest details are posted online and beginning March 1, anyone can visit the same Web address to see all of the submissions and vote daily for your favorite. The public vote will narrow the pool to three finalists and on March 7, the winner will be announced, prizes will be awarded and the creative heritage of the Holiday will have a new chapter.

As in Steel Bridge Songfest’s Construction Zone, the songwriters who participate in the annual Dark Songs for Halloween are challenged to gather for a week at Sturgeon Bay’s unique Holiday Music Motel & Recording Studio to write around a theme. Dark Songs, consists of a commitment to collaborative work with other artists in songwriting, recording and performances during several days leading up to  Halloween. Over twenty musicians have accepted the challenge to write a variety of macabre works that they will debut in live performances on Friday and Saturday of Halloween weekend.

A mixture of local and worldwide talent is fueling this event, including Door County’s Purgatory Hill, Abnormal Cattle, Dirty Deuce, Corey Carlson and Jeanne Kuhns, along with imports James Hall, Geri X, Kim Manning and Johnny Lowebow, to name just a few.

The participating musicians will make up teams that collaboratively write new songs at the Motel during Dark Songs week. The songs will be recorded in the motel’s in-house sound studio by world-class engineers Billy Triplett (Prince, James Brown, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc.) and Steve Hamilton, to produce the second CD in a series, Dark Songs For Halloween, Vol.2. The new music debuts in two performances.

Members of the community are also invited to contribute their talent to the event. Anyone interested in sharing a few songs or a performance art piece is encouraged to do so. Contact pat mAcdonald or melaniejane by email: pr@holidaymusicmotel.com.

The Holiday Motel was Door County first, built in 1952. In 2007 it underwent complete restorative renovation and became the historic Holiday Music Motel, under new ownership that now includes famed songwriter Jackson Browne and local Grammy nominee pat mAcdonald. The motel also took on a mission, to serve as both a hospitality rest stop and a fully-operational year-round recording studio intended to serve as a professional center for Sturgeon Bay’s burgeoning music and arts scene.

The Holiday Music Motel & Recording Studio is located at 30 N 1st Ave in downtown Sturgeon Bay at the foot of the historic Michigan Street Bridge. For information or reservations, please call 920.743.5571 or visit www.HolidayMusicMotel.com. Details and breaking updates pertaining to Dark Songs may be found at www.EdgarAllanPolka.com.