First-Timers of Blue Ox Music Festival, Part One
Five acts who’ll play their first Blue Ox talk to us about their upcoming appearance at the Wisconsin roots music festival.
Blue Ox Music Festival.
Blue Ox Music Festival in The Pines Music Park near Eau Claire, Wisconsin, is an immersive experience of community, music, camping, art, and more. We’ve explored it from many perspectives, so this year, we were interested to hear from first-time performers.
Photojournalist Tom Smouse checked in with five regional or national touring acts in the days leading up to the 2025 festival, which will be held June 26–28, to see what experiences and expectations they’re bringing with them to their first Blue Ox. (We’ll also connect with them after their sets to find out how it went for them, so stay tuned for another article soon!)
Smouse talked to Minnesota artists Clare Doyle and Molly Brandt, Colorado trio The Cody Sisters, Kentucky-based Cole Chaney, and The Wildmans from Floyd, Virginia.
Cole Chaney. Photo credit: Anthony Simpkins.
Tom Smouse: This will be your first time playing at Blue Ox. Have you been to it or heard of it before now?
Cole Chaney: I've never been to Blue Ox before, or … Eau Claire, right? That's how you pronounce it? I’m really looking forward to being there and getting to see it. I’ve spent some time in Wisconsin and I enjoy that state a lot. And as far as I can tell, they certainly like their bluegrass!
Elisha Wildman (The Wildmans): Growing up in the string acoustic music world, I’ve seen several artists just really break through at Blue Ox specifically, including Lindsay Lou with the Flatbellys. Their bass player PJ George has done some stuff with us, and he’s always said really great things about the festival. We’ve only heard good things about Blue Ox and I’d say that’s rare in the music festival world.
Megan Cody (The Cody Sisters): We’ve known about Blue Ox for a really long time. That’s one of the big festivals we think of when we think about summer bluegrass festivals. A lot of our heroes play there, and a lot of people we’ve been listening to our whole lives are on the lineup for this year too, which is really cool.
Maddie Cody (The Cody Sisters): The past few years we’ve played at a festival called Sól Grass in Wisconsin, and a lot of bands that play there usually go to Blue Ox after. So we’ve been really looking forward to the chance when we get to come, and this year it’s happening! We’re really excited.
Molly Brandt: I see Blue Ox as very much a Midwest but also an elite, premier festival. They bring in national acts, but it’s regional as well—a lot of great Americana and roots artists. It’s always looked like something I would love to attend. So for me, it’s an aspirational festival to play.
Will Pavilonis (The Cody Sisters): There’s some festivals out here in Colorado like Telluride and RockyGrass that are super heavy in the camping and really community-based, and I feel like that’s kind of the Blue Ox vibes. Everyone’s having fun and camping the whole time, and there’s a lot of fun things going on, not necessarily just on stage, but outside of it too.
Clare Doyle: I went last year for the first time and camped! I love camping, and festival camping is a whole different category of things. My friend and I set up right next to the Backwoods stage, so at 2 a.m. we’re in our tents just like, oh my God.
Clare Doyle. Photo credit: Connor Johnson.
Tom Smouse: Clare, I know you worked at music festivals for years as part of your old job, so you have a little different, behind-the-scenes perspective. Do you remember your impression of Blue Ox as a former festival producer?
Clare Doyle: It’s really well managed and it’s so fun. Everybody’s so happy; people blowing bubbles and children dancing … And I just loved the homemade, homey feel of it, people’s artwork everywhere and the art installations in the woods, the way folks are gathered around in their little camp sites. The feeling of it was certainly unique.
I also think it’s cool from a logistical perspective and very impressive from a sound perspective to have the stages positioned the way they do, the Saloon stage and the Main stage—the flow works so well. You see a show go down, and you turn around and walk right back over to the other one. It was a beautiful space and just good energy. People were really pumped to be there.
The Wildmans. Photo courtesy of the artists.
Tom Smouse: What are your plans for attending Blue Ox—will you get to hang out there outside your set? What are your expectations?
Aila Wildman: This is going to be our first time there, so I guess we’re yet to find that out. I’m excited to see what it’s like!
Elisha Wildman: Since we’ll be coming from our hotel in Madison, we’ll be able to have a nice rest the night before and come in for a full festival day. Oftentimes, the festival is just so much fun, you don’t want to leave. We’re going down to the Fox Den Motel the next day though, so we might have to get on the road a little bit that evening.
Megan Cody: We’re expecting it to be really fun. We’re expecting the drive to be 20 hours and we’re expecting to eat a lot of cheese curds! We have kind of a tour planned around it, so we’ll be there the first two days and then we're headed off to some other Midwest shows.
Cole Chaney: We’ll be hitting the road after we play. I hope to catch a couple other sets if we possibly can, but then it’s on to the next show. So unfortunately we won’t be able to stay for any longer than our day, but that’s the way it goes when you’re touring all the time.
Clare Doyle: I’ll be staying at home in St. Paul the night before, and then we’ll see. Camping maybe? TBD. I was so overwhelmed last year I didn’t even notice the music workshops—that sounds really cool. I would love to do some yoga. That’d probably feel great. I think the biggest thing last year was like, how to fit everything in?
Molly Brandt: We’re going to be there for a few days. One of my band members is camping, but Eric [guitarist and partner Eric Julio Carranza] and I got an Airbnb because I’m just not equipped to do that. But I’ll be hanging out. I’ll be chilling. The yoga and meditation sessions look really cool, and those workshops. Sounds like it’s a whole thing that’s not just about the music but the get-together with everybody. I’m excited to just explore.
Maddie Cody: We’re looking forward to jamming with all the other bands and the people in the campgrounds too. I think that’s going to be really fun. Every time there’s a festival that has that, we always stay up all night and hang out.
Molly Brandt. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Tom Smouse: As performers, how does your mindset (or set list) change from playing a festival over a venue or a club? What can we expect to see?
Molly Brandt: I have a set list prepared for this already. I chose more of my songs that are a little more upbeat and energetic. So what are my bangers? Which songs are crowd pleasers and have a summer vibe? I really want to put my best foot forward and give the highest-quality show that I can.
Megan Cody: We’re always excited to bring some new material for events like this, really trying to keep it fun and fresh.
Will Pavilonis: Yeah, definitely just make all the songs super danceable and things that everyone will really have fun with.
Maddie Cody: Having gone to lots of festivals before, we know the kinds of sets we like, which are fun and upbeat. But we’ll also add in a few of our classic swaying numbers instead of just stomping the whole time. I think a mix of all of that will be so fun.
Clare Doyle: The band and I have been talking a lot about this. I tweak my set list based on whether I’m playing a dive bar, a listening room or whatever. But this is sort of that on steroids—it’s a huge platform and lots of people who don’t know you. It’s a cool opportunity to experiment with performance value and showmanship. I want to grab people right off the bat because they’re all wandering around looking for the bathroom or whatever. You have to sell it a little bit. And then once they’re in, take ’em on a ride. Make it a really powerful experience.
Cole Chaney: I try to keep it as fast-paced and intense as we can for that hour. When we do a headline show for 90 minutes to two hours, that gives me some room to really stretch my legs and kind of BS on the mic a little bit. But whenever we’re playing less than that, I’m straight to business about it; people aren’t there to hear me talk, so I try to just kind of burn through the songs as much as I can.
Aila Wildman: Festivals are the most fun, making things feel a little bit more free and exciting. And if you get to play a big stage, that’s always fun too. I like to connect with the audience and be intentional about the experience I want to create for them.
Elisha Wildman: The unique vibe that the festival brings is something special, and we definitely have a specific intention in that environment with all these other bands and artists there. It lends itself to a really inclusive and exciting experience all around.
The Cody Sisters. Photo credit: Justin Hein.
Tom Smouse: Megan and Maddie, bluegrass has historically been a very male-dominated scene. Growing up in that environment, what kind of challenges or eye-opening moments have you faced as young women, and how did those experiences influence the way you approach music today?
Maddie Cody: One of the main things that used to happen a lot growing up was we would get skipped in jam sessions; we’d be perfectly prepared to take a solo, having worked on something for so long, and then kind of got left out of some things. I think it helped us learn to be more present and try to take up more space. That’s a good lesson I learned, because it’s easy to sit there and be shy and let it happen to you. And that’s really helped us as performers too, because if we don’t take up space, then why are we on a stage?
Megan Cody: We had a lot of great female role models growing up, so I try to make sure I talk to and encourage younger audience members, all the little kids and specifically girls that come to our shows, and let them know that they can do anything they want and that it’s going to work out for them.
Tom Smouse: You two are doing workshops in the mornings some days, right? Is that a new experience for you?
Megan Cody: We have a lot of teaching experience, but we haven’t been the official guitar and mandolin workshop people before, so that’s going to be cool. So many people at festivals are aspiring musicians themselves, so it’s really fun to connect with them that way.
Tom Smouse: What do you hope people walk away feeling after they catch your set? And what would make your first Blue Ox experience top notch and unforgettable for you?
Aila Wildman: I’d love people to walk away feeling like they had a great time, that they wanted to move and dance. What’s going to make it unforgettable is just going out and playing a good set and hopefully getting a good audience and having fun.
Elisha Wildman: Yeah, I think just people feeling really connected to the music and coming away with a piece of that. And when we get a really energetic audience, we’re all sharing something unique that we get to take and remember and look back on, and that gets us excited for the next time. Last time we were in Wisconsin, the people there were really appreciative and really into music in a cool way. So I’m looking forward to getting a little closer experience with people in the region and their connection to the music.
Will Pavilonis: I like seeing smiles in the audience. I hope to see people having fun and dancing to our songs, and I hope to be back. Even though we haven’t been yet, it seems like an awesome festival and I want to be there all the time.
Maddie Cody: Because I write a lot of the lyrics for the band, I always hope those resonate with someone out there, and it’s my favorite thing when they come up to us after the show like, oh my gosh, that’s exactly what I was thinking. So hopefully there’s one of those, but also, yeah, I hope they have a great time and want to hear us again,
Megan Cody: I hope when people leave our set, they want to hear more. And I hope people learn things in our instrument workshops! That would be cool.
Cole Chaney: I hope people feel like they saw something entirely original that nobody else has done before. That’s what we’re setting out to do. I hope they feel like they’re getting in on the ground floor of something unique. If a few people walk away from our set feeling like that, then I’ve certainly done my job.
Clare Doyle: I hope something connects with them, whatever it is. And for me, there are certain shows we’ve played where, for whatever reason, things just really locked in and it’s kind of otherworldly—you’re in space for a minute. Not every show can be like that, and that’s okay. But I do hope we have some moments of that, where it’s just pure joy and magic.
Molly Brandt: Hopefully I’ll meet some cool people and make some new fans. I want them to walk away with a really good impression of the quality and the entertainment value. I hope they want to go listen to our songs some more and stay up to date with what I’m doing in the future, so when I release music down the road, they’re excited to listen. And I hope my songs make people think, but also just have a good time.
A lot of gigs lead to other opportunities too. Somebody in the audience sees it, and then they ask you to play another show, and it sort of leads to other things. It’s like a little popup community for a few days. And the artist-to-artist relationships seem like a really cool opportunity. I love meeting new musicians and artists and talk shop or ask their advice, tell each other about our woes and trials and tribulations. It’s nice to hear from other artists about their experiences.
Tom Smouse: Last question: As music fans, are there any acts you’re stoked to see while you’re at Blue Ox?
Cole Chaney: Yeah, Sam Bush is playing right after us on the Main stage and Mountain Grass Unit is playing after us on the Saloon stage, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing both of those bands. I’ll be trying to get my stuff ripped down as quick as possible so I can go watch Sam tear it up and watch Mountain Grass tear it up, and then I’ll feel fulfilled and be able to go on to the next show with no regrets.
Clare Doyle: I’m a huge fan of Willie Carlisle and Hurray for the Riff Raff, so those are two acts that are really special to me, and I’m really excited to try and see them.
Molly Brandt: I’m a super fangirl of Margo Price. I saw her at the First Avenue mainroom and years ago at Hinterland a few times. Great songs, great band. I’ve been wanting to meet her forever. I don’t know if that's going to happen, but it would be nice because she’s one of my number one inspirations, and I feel like we have a lot of similarities in our writing and lyrical content style, and she just seems cool.
Megan Cody: We always love seeing Molly Tuttle, and we just saw her post some new band members, so excited to see what that's all about. Also, Kyle Tuttle is playing!
Will Pavilonis: Also Two Runner.
Megan Cody: Oh, we love them! And Rising Appalachia. I've never heard them live.
Maddie Cody: And there’s some Colorado people that we’re pretty good friends with. It’s always fun how Colorado bands kind of end up traveling side by side in the summer. There’s Big Richard and also The Fretliners; it’ll be fun to all meet out there and catch up.
Aila Wildman: We played some gigs a year or so ago with Charlie Parr, so it’ll be cool to see him again.
Elisha Wildman: One in particular: Warren Haynes is going to be there the same day we are, and our bass player actually shares a birthday with him on that day! He’s always been a big fan, so he’s really excited about the opportunity to potentially wish him a happy birthday. So that’s something we’re stoked about.
About the Artists
Molly Brandt (Thursday 4:30–5:30pm, Saloon Stage)
Named 2023 Americana Artist of the Year at the Midwest Country Music Awards, Molly Brandt is making waves in the independent music scene. Drawing inspiration from songwriting legends, her songs weave tales of heartache, resilience and triumph, delving into blue-collar struggles, dive bar revelries, long car rides, and cold-blooded revenge. Brandt captivates audiences with her fiery delivery, memorable attire and evocative lyrics as she showcases powerful vocals, compelling storytelling, and unforgettable performances. Her 2023 debut album, Surrender to the Night, blends honky-tonk, countrypolitan and alt-rock influences. She explores an even broader range of roots music on her 2024 followup, American Saga, a collection of distinctly American stories, containing larger-than-life characters, place-based narratives, hard truths, and poignant messages. Exploring topics of addiction, misogyny, capitalism, death, abuse, and climate change, Brandt approaches the stylistic edges of Americana, creating something entirely new and unmistakably unique.
Cole Chaney (Thursday 8:15–9:15pm, Saloon Stage)
Hailing from Catlettsburg, KY, Cole Chaney has emerged as a dynamic force in the world of country music. His journey began at the age of 20, fueled by his deep-rooted love for his Kentucky roots and the raw passion of rock and roll. “Where I grew up, your ability to tell a story and make people laugh and sit around a campfire and entertain folks is like a currency among people,” Chaney says. “But we just put out a new song and it’s really different. It’s a much more introspective and existential type of song, not a linear story song. A couple years ago I moved back to my hometown, right on the Ohio River where Ohio and West Virginia meet. That’s helped me stay in my roots while evolving the sound of the band and pursuing a new style of writing. I still want it to sound like a Chaney record, but to me, if you’re not changing things up every now and then and at least experimenting with some stuff, then it gets kind of boring to me as a listener. I want to hear my favorite artists not just stick to a formula and recreate songs that they know did well, but to try to do different stuff. That’s what excites me, so that’s what I try to do.”
Clare Doyle (Friday 1–1:45pm, Saloon Stage)
With the release of her debut singles in 2023, Americana artist-to-watch Clare Doyle garnered immediate attention for her modern blend of soulful country and rootsy rock, alongside the bold lyricism that Music in Minnesota calls “a fresh perspective in emotional storytelling.” Originally from Saint Paul, Doyle had settled in New Orleans until the pandemic forced a move back to her hometown, where she began to rediscover the musical identity she’d neglected for years. Armed with a decade of heartache, adventure, addiction, and life on the road, she began to alchemize raw emotions into a collection of songs that run the gamut from clever and rollicking, to gritty and gut-wrenching. She draws on a range of influences to write candidly about loving, losing, hurting, and making a hot mess of things. Doyle was named one of First Avenue’s Best New Bands of 2023, Music in Minnesota’s Emerging Artists of 2024, and has been tapped to support acts like The Cactus Blossoms, Them Coulee Boys, and Turn Turn Turn.
The Cody Sisters (Friday 2:45–3:30pm, Saloon Stage)
The Cody Sisters band is the very heart of contemporary acoustic folk and bluegrass music in Colorado, the United States and the UK. Their propulsive instrumental solos and warm harmonies combine to grip the listener. Along with their bass player Will Pavilonis, sisters Megan (guitar, mandolin, vocals) and Maddie (guitar, banjo, vocals) have forged a new sound that has no equivalent in the acoustic world today. The Cody Sisters released their self-titled EP in 2023, marking a new beginning for the band, portraying a sense of maturity and musical understanding. Named one of Colorado’s top 25 bluegrass bands in 2025 by Westword, The Cody Sisters’ upward trajectory continues as the trio take their new album on the road. All the Quiet People shows off the group’s songwriting and playing expertise. They set out to explore new sounds and styles while still holding true to their bluegrass roots. This new music is an invitation to connect, to feel, and to journey together through original lyrics and captivating instrumental arrangements.
The Wildmans (Saturday 2:45–3:45pm, Saloon Stage)
Led by brother and sister Elisha and Aila Wildman, this group creates eclectic, energetic and upbeat music intertwined with make-you-cry songs reminiscent of the likes of Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. The Wildmans grew up immersed in American roots music in rural Appalachia. The culture and music hold a special place to them, and they translate and share that with their audiences through songs and fiddle tunes that pull deep from those roots. “We’ve gotten to take part in the oral tradition of the region where we live and grew up,” Aila says. “I’m really proud of that aspect of what we do.” Elisha adds, “The local Appalachian acoustic sound has a special rhythm that has almost a drum beat. I think people really connect to that and feel that in a unique way.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & INTERVIEWER
Carol Roth. Photo credit: Dan Lee.
Adventures in Americana co-founder Carol Roth is a novelist who publishes both under her name and the pseudonym T.A. Berkeley in a range of genres, from horror to thriller to YA. She loves to play guitar and sing and occasionally write songs. Her wide-ranging passions also include vegan cooking, personal finance, watching queer romance TV/movies and learning to speak Thai. By day she’s a marketing writer/brand strategist.
Tom Smouse. Photo credit: Chris Taylor.
Tom Smouse is an innovative collaborator with 20 years of experience in the Minnesota music industry. As a professional photographer, podcaster, and music journalist, sharing stories from the community remains his core passion. When not at a show you can find him at a record store.
