Photos by Steve Mack

While too many independent music festivals in the Midwest have either taken a pause or called it quits, The Blue Ox Music Festival celebrated 11 years the last weekend of June. The family-owned Pines Music Park is a beautiful campground/venue nestled in the tall pines and rolling hills of Eau Claire, WI., a perfect location for the family-friendly festival.

Typical of upper midwest summer weather, we experienced 90 degree heat followed by storms (and cooler weather) followed by bright sunshine. That sunshine and the diligent efforts of the festival owners was key in ensuring campers were able to enter and exist the park with minimal effort … really nice for the RV’s that typically struggle in muddy conditions. As Adam Greuel of Horseshoes & Hand Grenades says, “it’s a good thing we’re a hearty bunch of folks up here” … rain be damned, the show goes on and that it did!

Blue Ox is known for booking incredible acts, some of which included: the Sam Bush Band, Margo Price, Molly Tuttle, Greensky Bluegrass, The Sam Grisman Project w Peter Rowan (what a treat), St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Two Runner, Big Richard, Chaparelle and Charlie Parr to name a few… but it’s more than just great music on the stages. Each morning started with music workshops at the Potluck Pickin camp … Ben Suchy, Charlie Parr, Tony Polecastro, The Cody Sisters, Shauncey Ali and Anthony Ihrig, hikes through the woods where there were numerous art installations then late night/early morning picking throughout the campgrounds.

Weekend highlights … Margo Price, what an entertainer, never fails. The Sam Bush Band, Blue Ox regulars for a reason, they’re so damned good! Molly Tuttle with a new band, yep, it’s different with drums and electric guitar but great. Greensky Bluegrass, always a solid set and Andrew Lincoln lights up the entire park (he’s a magician) and then there was was St. Paul & The Broken Bones … pretty impressive to see a sea of 5,000 people dancing and then, he brings a step ladder to the middle of the bowl and takes everyone to church. The Sam Grisman Project w Peter Rowan (w Kyle Tuttle and the Leslie brothers!) with a sit in from Margo Price … one for the ages, it was a literal sing along. Standing next to Peter side stage before the set you could hear The Wildman’s finishing their set from the Saloon Stage, he turned to me and said “damn, who are those guys?!”, when I told him they were a young brother/sister band from Virginia he smiled, remarked about how good they were, then with a big smile, offered up his answer to when people ask him what he thinks of the younger artists … “just get the hell out of their way”.

So many talented artists, most known, some not so much … the new to me that really put a smile on my face … the aforementioned The Wildman’s and Birmingham Alabama’s Mountain Grass Unit, remember the names, Luke Black, Josiah Nelson, Sam Wilson and Drury Anderson, talent plus … and finally, Rising Appalachia … doing what they were meant to do, a stunning set on Thursday afternoon.

Thanks Blue Ox, another great year.