The Redbirds - $6

Art in the cafe...

Members of Red Pine


"Permutations of Red Pine"


September 2026



A Red Pine tree was planted at the corner of 212 Merry Street in the late 60s that evolved over the decades into a cooperative household. We are making it a place for comity and creativity; Clarity and the imagination; we change detritus of early 21st century late stage capitalism into art, shrine, paintings, music, sculptures, urban Permaculture and homesteading experiments. We appreciate the used, the worn out, ever crumbling and reassembling; as we all are all the time.
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Friday, July 3, 2009

The Redbirds were formed in 2004 as a side project for John Fabke and Paul Kienitz from their award winning bluegrass band, The Nob Hill Boys. As members of the Nob Hill Boys, John and Paul have toured throughout the upper Midwest playing traditional bluegrass at many fine festivals and venues including Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion." The smaller duet format of the Redbirds gives John and Paul an opportunity to venture a little deeper into the well of American roots music.

The Redbirds' Paul Kienitz is one of the best traditional bluegrass fiddlers in the upper Midwest. He has performed and recorded with a number of fine bands. He also was the featured fiddler in a special "Blue Grass Boys Reunion" at the 2008 Sugar Maple festival where he performed with bluegrass legends Mike Compton, Bob Black, Tom Ewing and Mark Hembree in a celebration of the music of Bill Monroe.

John Fabke (fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin and vocals) has been a mainstay in the Madison area traditional music scene for 15 years. John plays bluegrass, acoustic blues, old-time country and Cajun music (with Swallow recording artists, The Cajun Strangers) with friends, neighbors and even folk/roots legends such as Mike and Pete Seeger. Fabke has also hosts the popular weekly folk music show "Pastures of Plenty" on WORT 89.9FM in Madison, WI.

Music