By “…despite some differences in their life paths, both musicians feel the same way, that music is what they do because they don’t have a choice. If they are not making music, life is not full and they can become cranky and depressed. “I can’t quit,” Spitzer said, “It’s like heroin to me.” …”
Blue Edge of the Prairie may not play your typical dance music, they may not play covers, but they offer music that is polished, unique and quite worth the attention they are starting to get! All the music is original scores and songs written by Spitzer. Though sometimes they have a hard time selling themselves to businesses since they don’t do covers, people who have hired them call them passionate and have seen the benefits of bringing them in.
Recently they played at a 1st Friday in Racine and had a really uplifting experience – the kind that keeps them wanting to do what they love. They were hired to play for two hours for a photography studio on 6th Ave, which doesn’t usually get as many people as Main Street. People were coming from everywhere, clapping along and asking them to play more. Before they knew it they’d been playing for three and a half hours and the business was thrilled, claiming the biggest increase in foot traffic they’d ever had.
Kerry Spitzer is a spirited man, gifted in music and mostly self-taught. When he was a child he asked his piano playing sister to show him a C cord and from there he taught himself to play piano – as well as banjo, guitar, harmonica and more. Janice Swartz is a classically trained violinist who performs with the Kenosha Symphony Orchestra. Interestingly, as a child Janice picked up the violin during Kenosha Unified School District’s summer violin program around age nine. From those lessons she began a lifetime addiction to the violin and is currently pursuing a degree from UWParkside in Performance. She also teaches private lessons and both musicians fill in with other groups quite often, taking on gigs together and apart as they become available.
When asked to describe the kind of music they play, Spitzer quotes Bobby Tanzilo from Milwaukee who called them “acoustic Americana”. There is bluegrass, jazz, rock and classical overtones. They found each other through an online music site where they were looking for gigs. At first, Janice admits, it was a little scary going to meet a man you’ve only talked to online, but they immediately, despite age and life differences, found a rapport that often leaves audiences believing they are a married couple. (Spitzer is married and has three grown children; Swartz recently got engaged and has a teenage son.) Their sense of humor matched, their musical interests matched, and they created Blue Edge of the Prairie.
Swartz was born in England and moved to Kenosha around age seven. She worked on violin throughout childhood and adulthood, playing for various venues and increasing her skill. Meanwhile Spitzer’s path was a little more unconventional. Returning from Vietnam to Kenosha in the early 1970s, he found an active folk scene in town – people came from Milwaukee and Chicago to hear folk music and Spitzer found himself in the center of it all. Later he was on the road for two years in a popular Chicago band called Five Blind Mice. He then moved to Ohio where he spent ten years doing live performances with a nine piece band, Blues Confidential. After moving back to Kenosha and then retiring, Spitzer writes music, plays with Blue Edge of the Prairie, does recordings, falls in with pickup sessions with other bands when needed, and plays every venue that’s offered. Despite some differences in their life paths, both musicians feel the same way, that music is what they do because they don’t have a choice. If they are not making music, life is not full and they can become cranky and depressed. “I can’t quit,” Spitzer said, “It’s like heroin to me.”
You can learn more about Blue Edge of the Prairie by visiting their MySpace page or listening to demos on their Face Book page. You can also contact either one of them for more information through FB or by emailing:
Kerry Spitzer (262) 358-1918
Janice Swartz (262) 496-6035
There are several upcoming opportunities to hear them play:
- Taste of Wisconsin – on August 1st they will be on the Snap On stage
- Kenosha 2nd Saturday– on August 14th they will perform outside Scoops
- Poerio Pond Folk Festival – on August 15th
- BeExposed! – on August 20th they will perform at the BeExposed! performance series at Carolyn’s Coffee Connection
Kenosha HarborMarket – both in September and October they will perform during the open air market – check FB for more information
Carolyn’s Coffee Connection
Jill Plaisted began performing as a dancer at a young age, taking tap, jazz, and ballet lessons with Guy Singer and SASS productions. Starting piano lessons at age seven, she wrote lyrics and songs for her mother, Gail, to sing on the television show “Star Search“. At age ten, Jill picked up the viola and started to play in the orchestra. In later years, she auditioned for the band The Sand Carvers, was hired, and played Nemo Music Showcase and Conference with them in 1997, sharing the bill with bands like Aerosmith and Big Wreck . She then taught herself to play guitar and continued writing songs, catching the attention of drummer/ producer Victor Delorenzo of the Violent Femmes. Jill performed on a three song demo with Delorenzo, Noel Crowder and the Danglers, a project that she is very proud of. Also playing locally at open jams, she started to collaborate with other local talents like Ash Can School, Terry Marcinni, and Cy Costobile, and has shared the bill with artists such as Willie Porter, The Guffs, Paul Cebar, Evan Priday Band, Jason Kent and Miss Fun. Jill recently gained some clout in the commercial industry with the help of friends Steve Comeau and Ralph Brunner on a Christian video called “your voice matters.“ In 2008, she was hired to sing on three Steinhaffel’s commercials. Jill feels blessed and very fortunate to be an artist and belong to a supportive music community like Kenosha, Wisconsin. She wants to encourage every parent to give their children the gift of music and art and help win the fight to keep arts alive in schools. “What is a world without beautiful art and music?” 
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