Appleton Mile of Music- August 8, 2015

photo by Charles Mayhew IV

Appleton's third annual Mile of Music festival featured over 200 bands performing over 800 shows over a four day period in downtown Appleton, in what is dubbed a "hand crafted, artisan festival."  Early estimations, as of Monday, August 10th, project that over 50,000 people descended onto Appleton for the festival-- a record attendance!  There was literally music everywhere from bands performing on the city buses, to acts packing local establishments for indoor and outdoor shows, and even playing shows in alleys and surrounding parks.  Musicians from Lawrence University, a local liberal arts college, provided clinics on music education as well, a standard that separates Mile of Music from many other festivals.

Attending the event for the first time, it was clear from the start that the city of Appleton takes great pride in hosting bands from around the country and welcoming visitors from near and far.  First off, everything was either free, or very reasonably priced. Parking in the ramp lot closest the the "main drag" cost all of $2 for instance.  One bar, the Fox River House even had the #AppletonPartyGorilla manning the Patti-O! The sentiment of community was palpable from the servers in the establishments, to volunteers scattered throughout the Mile of Music, to even the civic leaders of Appleton attending Cory Chisel's set.  Appleton built what is essentially becoming a Midwest South-by-Southwest festival to showcase up-and-coming artists, and fans are coming by the droves to take part in the event.

Downtown Appleton was hopping on Saturday, and the eclectic music fans of all ages got a chance to see a myriad of different performances throughout the day.  With so many acts to choose from, it was hard deciding what to see and when.  Below is a recap of my day at Mile of Music. 

1:40 p.m.- The Ghost Wolves: 

Hailing from Austin, Texas, this two piece band featured drummer (Jonny Wolf) and guitarist (Carley Wolf).  As with other notable duos with similar instrumentation (The Black Keys and White Stripes) I am often amazed with how much sound two people can produce.  With ruckus raw energy, which featured Carley frequently jumping into the packed area around the stage for their early afternoon set at Emmett's Bar, and a sound that is a mixture of punk, garage rock and Americana, the Ghost Wolves set the bar high for day, and were one of my favorite acts of the day.

photo by Will Pper

2:50 p.m.- Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons

Current Nashville resident and Appleton native, Cory Chisel, certainly received a hero's greeting at Jones Park.  Chisel is the driving force behind the Mile of Music event, and Appleton's favorite son drew the largest crowd of the day, filling Jones Park to the max.  Appleton's Mayor Timothy Hanna even introduced and thanked Chisel for his contributions to the city. Chisel focused his afternoon set on his more well-known material and the park eagerly sang along with Cory and the Wandering Sons.

photo by Dan Powers, Post/Crescent Media

4:20 p.m. Fort Frances
Performing for the third straight year as part of Mile of Music, Chicago's Fort Frances has developed quite the following in Appleton, filling the Fox River House Patti-O to capacity.  Playing a high-energy, upbeat and enthusiastic set,  Fort Frances's performance featured a lot of their most recent songs which showcases the evolution of the band as they continue to cultivate their craft.

photo by Will Piper

5:40 p.m.- Stone Cold Fox
The Brooklyn, New York indie rock quintet proved to be perhaps the biggest surprise of the day-- literally.  Knowing nothing about the band, my friend and I went to The Bar to take a load off, since we'd been standing the majority of the day, and stumbled on a great indie rock outfit.  With a sound that fits somewhere in the realm of The Shins and Built to Spill, Stone Cold Fox exudes energy and a joy for playing music.  Their spacier soundscapes and jams were a welcome treat.

photo by Will Piper

6:50 p.m.- Water Liars
As I wrote about recently, Water Liars are, in my opinion, the best band you've never heard of.  Playing at Jones Park, Water Liars delivered an even more riveting performance than they did two nights prior at the Cactus Club.  The trio gave the audience, which was heavily populated by musicians from other bands, as you could tell by their black performer badges, a full-throttle performance, even going over their allotted time for an encore.

photo by Will Piper

8:20 p.m.- Patrick Sweany
A self-proclaimed musical omnivore, Patrick Sweany delivered a great set that highlighted blues, soul and good ol' rock 'n roll.  A prolific axe man, Sweany's blues style and staccato riffs allowed him to jump genres, showcasing his skills.  No wonder he's had gigs opening for The Black Keys (which feature his longtime friend, Dan Auerbach) and The Tedeski Trucks Band.  

photo by Will Piper