Tom Hanson w/ Merle Outlaw - $6

Art in the cafe...

Ruth Comfort


"The Metaphysical Affect"


January 2026



A diverse collection of mixed mediums, extensively encapsulating my heart and soul concerning the dreams of the human condition. ARTISAN RUTH COMFORT My given name is Ruth Comfort. Named after the amazing artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. I hail from a very long line of artisans and musicians. Even dating back to the great German philosopher...
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Tamara Lea Kaufman


"pretty ~ ugly"


February 2026



Artist Statement Tamara Lea Kaufman’s personal artwork ranges from serious to quirky, dark, adult-themed humor. She creates multimedia assemblage, collage, and dioramas made from HO-scale railroad hobby miniatures, preserved insects, paint, embroidery, found objects, and typically discarded materials such as candy wrappers and the overlooked debris of everyday life. Her work explores topics of consumption, waste, desire, relationships, psychology, politics, societal pressures and the levity of humor needed to survive it all. It gives her joy to repurpose materials into something new, useful, or...
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Friday, November 13, 2009

"From the very first bar to the very last, Everything Takes Forever mesmerizes its audience like catnip, never once letting go long enough for the listener to catch his breath. Take a little Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen but make them write dream pop, blend in Nick Drake but turn the dial towards lush atmospheric backdrops, plug in Cat Stevens-type vocal warmth and resonance then lift your eyes to a darker psych folk landscape ... Simply put, if you only buy one folk or rock album this month, this should be it."

from CD Baby-s "Top Editor-s Pick" review of Tom Hanson's Everything Takes Forever (2007)

Tom Hanson, recently dubbed Madison's "secret songwriter' by Isthmus, will play songs from his two self-released CDs-2001's Wake of the Moon and the recent Everything Takes Forever-as well as tunes from an upcoming new release. During the last year, in addition to receiving numerous critical accolades, Tom's dreamy acoustic music has been heard on two national TV shows (One Tree Hill, Ghost Whisperer).

Tom will be joined on stage this evening by longtime friend, guitar guru (and fellow Gomers-founder) Gordon Ranney.

Merle Outlaw - is two girls and a boy playing experimental roots/pop,
prominently featuring three part vocal harmony. Instrumentation includes
various combinations of guitar, bajo sexto, electric mbira, piano,
electronic loops and distorted keyboards.

Music