For more than a decade, the Cork ?n? Bottle String Band has been Madison?s resident bluegrass ambassadors, introducing to all within earshot a form of music largely ignored by the greater populous. Rising from humble roots on East Johnson Street, Cork ?n? Bottle have been turning people on to traditional bluegrass from their storied performances at the now torn-down Ken?s Bar to their current weekly gig Thursday nights at the Memorial Union?s Rathskeller. Through it all, the troupe has proven themselves to be not only one of the best local bands around but also one of the most entertaining.

Formed on New Year?s Eve in 1995, the Cork ?n? Bottle String Band was the brainchild of a loose assortment of friends and bluegrass enthusiasts who, though full of ambition, had never picked up a bluegrass instrument before.

?J.P. was the only one of us that had any bluegrass credentials at all,? explains mandolinist Greg Dierks, referring to banjo player John Purnell. Borrowing their name from the Cork & Bottle liquor store located on 855 E. Johnson St., where the majority of the band either worked or shopped, the friends began playing weekly shows at Ken?s Bar in May 1996.

By the band?s own admission, they were light on the talent side in their early years, but within only a few weeks Cork ?n? Bottle?s shows were a full-blown hit. What the band lacked in musical prowess they more than made up for with their captivating stage presence.

Fast-forward 12 years and the band?s level of talent has more than caught up with their ability to entertain, as is evident every Thursday night from 6 until 8 p.m. in the Rathskeller.

Cork ?n? Bottle is made up of the aforementioned Dierks and Purnell alongside guitarist Dave Landau, fiddle player Bruce Brusoe, bassist Pat Logterman and dobro player Kurt Kellesvig. Each plays an assortment of songs pulled from what they describe as the golden years of bluegrass ? 1946 to 1970. With their musical roots coming from the likes of Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, and the Osborne Brothers, the band?s two studio albums and live CD consist of original songs, as well as traditional numbers played for a new generation of bluegrass fans.

The word ?bluegrass? today is often associated with acts like Yonder Mountain String Band, and Cork ?n? Bottle is quick to express their disdain for the rising jam-based bluegrass movement.

?We don?t like it,? quips Dierks, who also dismisses the trend of reinventing rock ?n? roll songs in a bluegrass fashion. In fact, of all the contemporary bluegrass artists today, one of the few the band endorses is fiddler Tim O?Brien, whose latest album won a Grammy in 2005 for best traditional folk album.

Although the band?s original music makes up the core of their identity, oftentimes it takes a backseat to their phenomenal ability to entertain a crowd. Whether it?s poking fun at each other on stage, Logterman?s frighteningly realistic giraffe and praying mantis impressions or riffing on the drug-induced, depraved life of a local bluegrass band, Cork ?n? Bottle?s antics can pique the interest of even the most apathetic listener. Their latest stunt was passing out candy and adult-themed valentines to the crowd on Valentine?s Day. One said, ?I think of you when I see high school boys wrestle.?

Another attractive aspect of Cork ?n? Bottle is the revolving door of local musicians who could show up on any given Thursday and sit in for a set or two. For instance, last Thursday they were joined by former Cork ?n? Bottle guitarist Andy Moore and Lonesome Rogues mandolinist Evan Murdock, filling in for an absent Dierks, who the band said was in Texas campaigning for ?Cheney in ?08.? The prospect of a guest musician adds another layer to the band?s already expansive repertoire. For example, last week?s collaboration with Murdock yielded a superb rendition of Hank Williams? ?Your Cheatin? Heart.?

Although workingmen by day, Cork ?n? Bottle?s members still devote ample time to band-related endeavors. The band convenes every Sunday, except during football season, for weekly practice sessions where they work out new songs. No matter how half-cocked the attempt, the band will play any work-in-progress tune for an audience. The songs they feel don?t work are quickly left aside while the ones that do become a staple of their set list.

Cork ?n? Bottle?s latest project was a documentary co-directed by Dierks titled ?Cork ?n? Bottle String Band: The Ken?s Bar Story,? which premiered at last year?s Wisconsin Film Festival to rave reviews.

By guitarist Dave Landau?s own admission, the band doesn?t write songs as often as they used to. Next up on the docket is recording another album here in Madison, hopefully sometime before the year?s end. Until then, band members can be seen in a bevy of other side projects.

?I have a job,? mused Purnell, when asked about his projects outside the band. Landau is perhaps the city?s most recognizable children?s musician, recording kid?s albums and making appearances at schools all over Madison, while Dierks plays in the country act Rogers and Clark with Sausage Creek. Additionally, Logterman and Kellesvig?s honky-tonk group the Dirty Shirts are quickly becoming a mainstay on Tuesdays at the High Noon Saloon.

Although their crowded, smoke-filled shows at Ken?s Bar are sadly now just a memory, Cork ?n? Bottle are very comfortable with their current gig at the Union, which has been their home since 2004.

?We like it here,? says Landau. ?It?s less smoky.? The band also appreciates the transient crowd that wanders in from week to week. Whether the audience is made up of Thursday night regulars or people losing their Cork ?n? Bottle virginity, it?s a safe bet that the Cork ?n? Bottle String Band has been the first exposure to traditional bluegrass for most of the people watching them.

?The more you drink, the better we sound,? is a phrase typically uttered by the band during their shows. Indeed, Cork ?n? Bottle?s summer performances on the Terrace can provide the backdrop for a perfect summer evening coupled with some good friends and a few pitchers of beer. One would be surprised how raucous a gospel tune like Lewis Family?s ?Hallelujah Turnpike? can sound after four cups of Edmund Fitzgerald.

When it comes down to it, the Cork ?n? Bottle String Band are a true musical gem which should not be passed up by anyone wishing to broaden their aural horizons. In fact, Cork ?n? Bottle regulars, whether from Ken?s Bar or the Union, all unanimously agree that they?re in on something special that the rest of the world is missing out on.

?We have no goals other than free beer,? proclaims Landau on the band?s future. With such sensible aspirations in place, the Cork ?n? Bottle String Band will continue to be the conduit through which students and Union patrons alike are introduced to the glorious world of traditional bluegrass. The fuel behind this lively ensemble continues to be just a group of friends getting together and playing songs, not for notoriety or profit but for a simple love of the music. What more could one ask from a band?