Blue Ox Music Festival was the first of its kind where generations of bluegrass, folk, and Americana came together for an unprecedented three-night extravaganza taking place June 11th – 13th in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The past decade has experienced a revival in bluegrass music and it’s about time there was a picking fest of this magnitude, especially in the Midwest. Though it rained much of the weekend, many festival-goers braved the elements (and the mud) in order to witness history in the making.
After hours of heavy rain fall on Thursday, emerging bluegrass-Americana heavyweights Horseshoes and Hand Grenades accepted the challenge Mother Nature threw at them as if it were part of this band’s story. Everyone at Blue Ox quickly got used to the mud that accumulated in front of the main stage, which set a laid back tone for the rest of the weekend. By Friday hay was laid down over the mud and rain boots became a wardrobe staple for the rest of the weekend.
The camping area for this festival surrounded the venue and had designated areas for family camping, RV camping, or just traditional tent camping. Where most camping festivals have drum circles that fill the air with music, picking circles were more common at Blue Ox. Throughout the weekend it wasn’t unusual for a picking party to be going down at any hour of the day or night.
Inside the venue there were two stages set-up close by each other so when a set finished at one stage, the music was just getting started at the other. Picnic tables, vending, and food trucks were set up along the perimeter of the venue area and festival goers also played games of “beers-bie” and bags to pass the time throughout the weekend as they listened along to Blue Ox’s unfolding lineup.
The evening show schedule on Saturday and Sunday of Blue Ox Music Festival was the stuff bluegrass dreams are made of. There was something for everyone with veterans like Sam Bush as well as The Del McCoury Band playing the same stage as new age pickers like Greensky Bluegrass and Yonder Mountain String Band. Minnesota’s Pert Near Sandstone bridged the gap as official hosts of Blue Ox Washboards, clogging, and dance-offs were all part of this band’s performance and the crowd went crazy for their high-energy showmanship. Their sets also included sit-ins from Anders Beck of Greensky on Friday and Allie Kral of Yonder Mountain String Band on Saturday evening.
Each undercard act on the Blue Ox lineup had their own flavor to add to the mix. Burbillies put a bluegrass spin on the hairband rock hits from the 80’s, while the Hackensaw Boys gave a punk rock feel to their twangy style. Justin Townes Earle, son of country great Steve Earle, provided a killer stripped down performance that left his audience in awe. Don’t let this guy’s tattoo style fool you, his songwriting may be a bit dark, but it touches the sweet spot in human nature.
One of the best performances of the festival came early in the weekend when The Jeff Austin Band took to the main stage for an explosive set of high-energy bluegrass. This was probably Austin’s biggest solo show since departing from Yonder Mountain String Band a year and a half ago. The mandolin player was actually moved to tears by the time his set came to an end. Having both him and Yonder on the same bill was bitter sweet for many fans, but Jeff Austin’s new project proved that this musician is still doing what he was born to do. For that, bluegrass fans are beyond grateful.
The inaugural Blue Ox Music Festival was definitely one for the books. The first go-round for any music festival is bound to have some hang ups, and rain has always brought challenges when planning any outdoor event. Even so, only a few sets of music had to be postponed or canceled but the music never really stopped.
Many of these acts call the Midwest home and Blue Ox has finally giving them a festival all their own. Overall, Blue Ox was a success that will most likely become an annual gathering for bluegrass fans around the country.