Asleep at the Wheel is coming to Wittenberg

Americana legends play Dec. 5 at Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School
By: 
Luke Reimer
Reporter

Get ready for live music in Wittenberg.

Asleep at the Wheel, a Western swing band that started in West Virginia and has been entertaining audiences for more than 50 years, is coming to Wittenberg early next month.

“This is a part of their series of shows,” said Rob Wyman, who is a concert promoter for Rubber Soul Productions LLC.

The concert will be held in the auditorium at the Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School starting at 4 p.m. Dec. 5.

“This is an opportunity for the auditorium to be used,” said Wyman. “The auditorium is underused, so hosting a concert here made sense for us.”

He said that Wittenberg was a good destination for the band to play because they are playing in Stoughton the night before. He also said that the American roots style that Asleep at the Wheel plays may be popular in central Wisconsin.

“I think that they will play well to the community,” said Wyman.

Tickets for the event are $45 and all seats are reserved. Wyman said that some proceeds of this concert will go back to the school.

“We have high school groups help to set up the concert and take it down,” said Wyman. “They also run the concessions. Some proceeds will be a donation to them.”

Founded by guitar player Roy Benson in 1970, Asleep at the Wheel has released more than 30 albums and landed nearly two dozen singles on the country charts. Their latest album, “Half A Hundred Years,” was released in August.

Wyman said that this concert originally was planned for May 2020 before the pandemic intervened.

“We have had to reschedule this concert twice,” said Wyman. “It is odd to host a concert in December, because I am used to earlier months.”

In his past experiences with booking concerts in Wittenberg, Wyman noticed that the majority of attendees come from out of town. As he has received calls about people interested in tickets, Wyman said that he has talked to people from surrounding states.

“One concert that we hosted in the past, there was someone who came all the way from Connecticut. People are passionate about the live music that they like,” said Wyman. “For this concert, I am fielding calls from people in Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan — mostly our neighboring states.”

Wyman estimates a solid crowd of people will attend this concert.

“In the past, we have had concerts that have sold out and some that have not done very well,” said Wyman. “I anticipate there to be around 400 to 450 people at this one.”

Wyman said that hosting this concert is a positive for the community.

“This helps Wittenberg,” said Wyman. “This brings people from outside the area to Wittenberg. It helps all of the local businesses.”

He added that this concert gives people the opportunity to see a national live music act.

According to Wyman, the initial response from people he has talked to is that they are excited to hear that this band is coming to Wittenberg.

“I have been taking calls about the venue and some details about the concert,” said Wyman. “I do think that they have had a positive response.”

Wyman said that after the COVID-19 pandemic, Rubber Soul Productions has been trying to rebuild its brand.

“We are building momentum to building that brand,” said Wyman. “We are slowly getting back.”

Wyman anticipates that tickets will be available at the door, but he encourages people interested in buying tickets to call 715-584-4203 to be sure that they reserve their spot.

“This concert is inclusive for anyone,” said Wyman. “If prior arraignments are needed, I can take calls.”


lreimer@newmedia-wi.com