This past weekend in Tilmon, Texas, not too far from Austin, legends, up-and-comers, and local artists alike gathered for the Old Settler’s Music Festival, a celebration of roots music of all stripes that’s been happening since 1987. The Del McCoury Band, Flaco Jimenez, Peter Rowan, and other greats were joined by the likes of Sierra Hull, The Suffers, Brennen Leigh, American Aquarium, and so many others. Take a look at our photo recap below.
All photos by Daniel Jackson
Artist: The Sweet Lillies
Hometown: Boulder, Colorado
Song: “My Brother’s Hill”
Album: Common Ground
Release Date: June 4, 2021
Label: Americana Vibes
In Their Words: “We selected ‘My Brother’s Hill’ because we were deeply inspired by the composition’s stunning vocal harmonies, beautiful and meaningful lyrics, and old-timey structure, especially the cross tuning of the violin. We felt with our instrumentation and devotion to harmony singing that it would be a fun challenge to recreate the song. We started performing the song in 2019. Our version was truly well-received, at which point we began to consider recording it. As luck would have it we ran into the song’s composer Oliver Bates Craven at Folk Alliance in 2020 and were able to ask his permission to record the song. Oliver was enthusiastic at the prospect of hearing his song recorded by us. This gave us the encouragement we needed to go ahead and show it to our producer Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth. Tim immediately and resoundingly said, ‘Yes, let’s do it!’ Having the approval from the songwriter and our producer, as well as the enthusiasm of the band, the decision was made to record ‘My Brother’s Hill.'” — Julie Gussaroff, The Sweet Lillies
Photo credit: Michael Weintrob
The Blue Ox Festival is bringing the good stuff to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, on June 13-15, with headliners like the Infamous Stringdusters, Trampled by Turtles, and Railroad Earth. Nearly all of the bands on the three-day lineup share a strong acoustic music influence. And while more than a few of these bands are stretching the boundaries of bluegrass, they’re also picking up thousands of new fans along the way.
Here are some highlights from this year’s lineup:
THURSDAY: The Infamous Stringdusters (pictured above) are back with Rise Sun, their first album since winning a Grammy. They’ll top off the night on Thursday, taking the stage at 10:30 pm and playing until midnight. Earlier in the night, fans can catch local favorites Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, approaching a decade together after meeting in college in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The Lil Smokies and The Lowest Pair will also perform on the Main Stage, while Old Salt Union and Grassfed play the Side Stage. After midnight, Black River Revue and Chicken Wire Empire take on the Backwoods Stage.
FRIDAY: Trampled by Turtles, the pride of the upper Midwest music scene, are making their first-ever appearance at Blue Ox this year, just after a set from their friends in Pert Near Sandstone. The exceptional lineup also boasts the Travelin’ McCourys, who will play a set dedicated to Sam Bush (who bowed out of the festival to recover from a recent surgery), along with their own material. The roster also features Fruition, the Del McCoury Band, and Jeff Austin Band, as well as Americana favorites Sarah Shook & the Disarmers and Pokey LaFarge. Check out the Side Stage for sets by the Larry Keel Experience, Cascade Crescendo, Barbaro, and David Huckfelt. Once again, night owls can swoop down to the Backwoods Stage for more music — this time from Horseshoes & Hand Grenades and Jeff Austin Band.
SATURDAY: One of the most entertaining bands on the festival trail, Railroad Earth effortlessly connect fans of quality songwriting, awesome jamming, and exceptional musicianship. They’ll follow Pert Near Sandstone on the main stage – but this is not the day to arrive late. The inspired afternoon lineup features the innovation of Billy Strings, the undeniable power of The Dead South, cool insight from acoustic blues artist Charlie Parr, and the straightforward bluegrass sounds of The Earls of Leicester featuring Jerry Douglas. Grab some lunch and check out Peter Rowan’s Carter Stanley’s Eyes as well as Them Coulee Boys as the festival grounds start to fill up.
The Side Stage offers a compelling roster as well, with sets by the People Brothers Band, The Wooks, Feeding Leroy, and Dusty Heart. After midnight, Armchair Boogie settles into the Backwoods Stage, along with the Blue Ox Superjam.
Even if you can’t make it to the festival, you can watch key sets from the weekend on The Bluegrass Situation via JamgrassTV!
Photo of Infamous Stringdusters: Aaron Farrington
Photo of Trampled by Turtles: David McClister
Photo of Railroad Earth: Jason Siegel
The Bluegrass Situation is thrilled to announce a partnership with Blue Ox and JamGrass TV for live-streaming from the main stage at this year’s Blue Ox Music Festival, to be held June 13-15 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. BGS will be on hand throughout the weekend to give followers an exclusive behind the scenes glimpse of the fest’s impressive lineup of regional and national artists in bluegrass, roots, and Americana music.
Fans will be able to watch live performances at the Blue Ox Festival from the BGS homepage, in addition to seeing extensive coverage on BGS social media during each day of the festival. Camping is available on site.
In addition to multiple performances by Pert Near Sandstone, this year’s music lineup includes: Trampled by Turtles, Railroad Earth, Sam Bush Band, Del McCoury Band, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Dead South, The Earls of Leicester featuring Jerry Douglas, Billy Strings, Peter Rowan’s Carter Stanley’s Eyes, Charlie Parr, Pokey LaFarge (solo), Sarah Shook & the Disarmers, and many others.
Stay tuned to the BGS homepage June 13 to 15 for live stream updates, or check it out for yourself in person — get your tickets at www.blueoxmusicfestival.com
WinterWonderGrass believes that festival season should be experienced year-round. With an impressive lineup of talent, the outdoor music series comes to Stratton, Vermont, on December 14-16, with bands like Railroad Earth, The Infamous Stringdusters, and Keller and the Keels, to name a few. (Early 2019 events are scheduled for Colorado and California as well.) Festival marketing director Ariel Rosemberg fielded a few questions by email.
Putting a festival like this together is definitely a team effort. How would you describe the group of individuals who work behind the scenes at WinterWonderGrass?
Our team is second to none where everyone truly makes contributions at the highest level. We have experts dedicated to sustainability who ensure we’re properly and most effectively managing waste, experts dedicated to curating an ultimate winter fan experience, experts at each of our resort partners and so on. For me being relatively new to the core team, it’s truly a breath of fresh air to be a part of the wheel that is WinterWonderGrass.
WinterWonderGrass will take place in three destinations in the months ahead. As you plan and execute these events, how would you describe your commitment to the community?
The manifestation of community is one of the principles that keeps the WWG ship at sea. Our potential energy immediately transitions into kinetic at the mere rumble of discussion and stoke within our host resort communities. Additionally, since inception, the festival has contributed upwards of $100k to our local/regional non-profit partners and it’s our intent to continue on that path.
Environmentalism is an important aspect of this festival. What steps are taken to ensure this festival is environmentally responsible?
We work very closely on a national level with an organization out of Burlington, Vermont, called Waste-Free Earth. With their help we’re able to confidently promote that we’ve held a diversion rate of 80-90 percent for each festival in California and Colorado. Our intent is to bring that same model to Vermont, by the way. Every bag of trash, recycling, compost, etc., is sorted through on site with the help of volunteers. And the festival has committed to using only reusable or compostable product wherever possible (since ’15) and has eliminated all single-use plastic (since ’16).
A couple quick stats from 2018 alone: WWG diverted +23K lbs of waste from landfills due to composting, recycling or donation programs. It’s estimated that WWG saved +68K single-use compostable cups from being produced thanks to a partnership with Klean Kanteen (all three-day ticket holders receive a Klean Kanteen reusable cup). It’s estimated that WWG saved +76K single-use plastic water bottles from being used thanks to our single-use plastic ban and our free filtered water stations.
Summer festivals are plentiful, of course. Why did the concept of a winter festival appeal to you?
I love this question and we get it a lot. For me in short, there’s nothing better than huddling up with your closest friends (old AND new), listening to your favorite band, sipping a delicious craft beer or whiskey in the dumping snow at the base of the most iconic ski resorts in the country. The idea of being “cold” to a certain degree (no pun intended) can be easily masked by experience. Cold is a state of mind, it’s an opportunity to just let go of all the BS that surrounds us on the daily and just be absorbed by the moment. Plus, there’s no way to ski fresh powder after a humid, rainy, muddy summer festival night!
Passes are still available for all three WWG weekends. Buy your tickets and discover more at winterwondergrass.com
