First-Timers of Blue Ox Music Festival, Part Two
We checked back in with five acts after the iconic Wisconsin festival to hear about their first Blue Ox experience.
The Wildmans at Blue Ox. Photo credit: Tom Smouse, 2025.
Back in mid-June, we talked to five acts gearing up to play for the first time at Blue Ox Music Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. We attended the festival, experienced a whirlwind of music and adventures, and caught up with our (former) first-timers again after their experience!
Molly Brandt
Molly Brandt & band. Photo credit: Tom Smouse, 2025.
Thursday, the first day of the festival started on a rainy note and, when lightning was reported in the area, the music had to stop. As musicians and fans alike sheltered hopefully near the stage, first-timer Molly Brandt and singer Andrea Leonard, who was prepared with backup vocals, harmonized on a few lines from Annie (“The sun’ll come out tomorrow …) in the tent behind the Saloon Stage where they were meant to be playing.
Tragically, the Minnesota artist’s set had to be cut completely from the lineup due to the delays. She shared her disappointment as the band loaded their van, but did mention the kindness of the organizers. Although they drove back after their canceled set, they’d gotten a taste of Blue Ox culture in their short time there. Eric Julio Carranza, Molly’s guitarist, said. “When we pulled in, we saw a camper already making a martini at his campsite. I looked over at Molly like, ‘Oh, it's one of those kinds of festivals—martinis in the afternoon!’”
We took a picture of their rain-soaked setlist still taped to the stage. Looking at the list of songs—full of familiar favorites from Brandt’s catalog—was enough to make us misty-eyed about the fierce, fun and joyful set she and her band had prepared. Suffice it to say they’d’ve lit the Saloon Stage on fire. “Man, we were excited to play,” Carranza said as he shut the van door. We told him that we saw the set list and he nodded. “Oh yeah, it was full of bangers.”
One bright spot: Blue Ox organizers joined the chorus of regrets on social media and added, “We have extended an invitation to Molly Brandt to return to Blue Ox in 2026.” We’ll hang our hats on that, because the festival deserves to hear this fiery rising alt-country star!
Cole Chaney
Cole Chaney at Blue Ox. Photo credit: Tom Smouse, 2025.
As we waited out the storms on the festival grounds, we received periodic messages from a rep of our next first-time act, Cole Chaney. The Kentucky artist was facing even more dramatic weather, white-knuckling their way along the roads until they received reports of tornadoes touching down on the route in front of them, forcing them to pull over until the storm had passed.
Luck was on our side this time; the Eau Claire weather improved and Chaney arrived in the nick of time for his set. You wouldn’t know any of that from their commanding performance, which wove expertly through a range of sounds from more modern country to rootsy and bluegrass flourishes to strains of 90s alt rock, all anchored by Chaney’s powerful vocals and intriguing lyricism.
When we checked in with him later, he was matter-of-fact about the difficulties that nearly made him late. “We knew we were gonna be there on time to line-check at least. It's not the first time I've plugged and played. You just have to be able to snap into it when it's time to go. My band is pretty badass. They're ready wherever, whenever.”
We asked about the inspiration behind his eclectic setlist, which included an incendiary rendition of Stone Temple Pilots’ “Big Empty.” “That's just the type of stuff I play,” he said. “I’ve always written what I listen to, and my music taste has always been all over the place. I didn't know how well the STP cover would go over with a string band crowd, but I saw a noticeable change in the crowd during and after we played that song. It was cool.”
The crowd’s appreciation was one of his festival highlights, he said: “My favorite moment of the set was playing ‘Ill Will Creek’ and seeing all the wooks dancing around. I like when people give us physical feedback. It makes you want to give them that much more of yourself on stage.”
Chaney’s summation of his first experience with Blue Ox: “I immediately felt right at home. 10/10 would recommend. Hope to be back asap. Caught a bullfrog over by the pond and named him Pete. That was cool too.”
Clare Doyle
Clare Doyle at Blue Ox. Photo credit: Tom Smouse, 2025.
Friday morning in Eau Claire dawned blessedly clear. Our next first-timer was a magnetic Twin Cities artist who’s been making waves on the Minnesota scene for a couple years: Clare Doyle. She always blows audiences away with her unique and expressive voice and provocative lyrics, but she brought some extra heat to this set. She put aside her guitar for a song and just sang and worked the stage, demonstrating a new level of showmanship. It was an early afternoon set, but the festival crowd was swiftly captivated.
When we checked in after her set, she was exhilarated. “Anytime I have a really strong memory of a show, it's because the band just like fucking locked in and it was just like we were on a different planet together. It doesn't happen every show, but we had that feeling during the songs “Showing Up” and “Playing With Fire.” She shared that it was her first time performing a song without her guitar. “I’m glad it worked. With some songs it helps to be able to play, but I loved going deeper and just focusing on singing and on the crowd and the feeling. It was really a diva moment. Definitely going to do that more.”
Doyle mentioned that she too had faced challenges before her set, having just gotten over an illness. “I had a hard voice week, but it kind of snapped in when I started and I just was like, OK, I think we're good. Let's have fun.”
Her advice to future first-timers: “Slow down. Throughout the set, I tried to remind myself, get out of your head, take it in, connect with people,. And I got to enjoy it. There’s certain crowds you can read more than others, and this was definitely one of those expressive crowds. Slow down and take in the whole energy, because this is such a special spot and a cool place.”
The Cody Sisters
The Cody Sisters at Blue Ox. Photo credit: Tom Smouse, 2025.
Our fourth featured act, The Cody Sisters, had also battled rain on the way in the day before, but they got to enjoy beautiful sunny weather for their later afternoon Saloon Stage set on Friday. This rootsy trio from Colorado boasted sizzling fast mandolin and guitar picking. Sisters Megan and Maddie Cody’s voices twined together to produce dreamy blood harmonies as they played, and their bandmate Will Pavilonis held it down with beautiful upright bass (sometimes played with a bow, always a delight).
Talking about their experience after the set, the seasoned festival veterans (despite their youth) had nothing but praise for the organizers and staff. “Everyone here is just so friendly and so helpful,” Maddie said. “We’ve been driven around in golf carts everywhere, and somehow there's always someone waiting near us when we need them. The sound crew was amazing and already prepared for us when we got to the stage.” The trio also took advantage of one of Blue Ox’s quirkier artist perks: handmade flower crowns, this year supplied by local Wisconsin artisan Lily Beez. “The flower tent backstage is something I was not expecting,” Megan said. Maddie added, “I think it’s a new uniform for all three of us.”
The somewhat unique festival format was another feature they loved; sets alternate on the main stage and Saloon Stage at opposite ends of the field area. As one act finishes, the emcees announce the next, and the huge crowd moves toward the other stage. “It was super interesting, seeing the crowd all at the main stage, and then all the claps and faces turning towards you,” Maddie recalls. It also took some pressure off: “A lot of times at festivals, it’s such a quick turnover. With the two stages, you’re able to tear down a little slower. I usually rush off worried that I’m getting in the way of someone else, but we were able to linger on stage and talk to people. It was awesome to get to meet everyone.”
Will shared that his favorite moments were about the crowd too: “Just seeing everybody dance was great. I loved that when Maddie played some of her solos, everyone would go crazy.” Maddie agrees: “I was looking down at my fretboard and kind of forgot where I was for a second, then woke up again and everyone’s really listening and the whole crowd’s looking at all of us. That was a cool moment. It was a really attentive crowd.”
Megan loved the crowd too: “Some of the covers we do are pretty niche, not ones I’d think a lot of people would really know, and I saw maybe the most people ever singing along out of any festival we’ve been to.”
The Wildmans
Nikki Lemire. Photo credit: Tom Smouse.
In the afternoon on Saturday, the last day of Blue Ox, our fifth first-time act took to the stage. Originally from Floyd in southwestern Virginia, The Wildmans, fronted by sibling duo Eli and Aila Wildman, are steeped in the roots music of that region. But they’ve also recently graduated from Berklee School of Music in Boston, an experience they describe as “having our musical perspective blown up.” Their set, one of the most unique and varied of the festival, featured several fiddle tunes, but they also brought electric instruments, drums and moody indie rock vibes into the mix, as well as some distinctly non-bluegrassy covers (including one by Little Feat).
Talking to them afterward, they explained that even in their most modern-sounding songs, they always feel they’re coming from the perspective of the acoustic string sound they grew up with. “It's at the core of our music,” Aila says.”That’s where I’m coming from, so I apply that to anything else I do.” Like the other acts we spoke with, they were taken with the festivalgoers. “It was so fun. A lot of people recognized the covers we did, and we really connected with them. The crowd was awesome!”
Despite having just played in the blazing sun, the duo said they found it easy to relax at Blue Ox, thanks to the organizers. “They’re just so chill. They were like ‘go down wherever you want, park next to the stage’; so cool. It’s always great when people are so welcoming, especially at festivals.”
Bonus: A Tenth-Timer’s Perspective
On Friday night we happened to run into a familiar figure at Blue Ox: Soren Staff of Them Coulee Boys. He told us it was his band’s 10th appearance at the festival. We explained our article and asked if he had any advice from first-timers from his perspective as someone who’s been asked back many times, after having debuted in a late-night set on the tiny, somewhat hidden Backwoods Stage. “Just go for it,” he said. “Bring your best stuff because you never know if you’re gonna be back, so you just want to make the biggest impression you can. Take advantage of the opportunity and go all out!”
Photo Gallery: First-Timers of Blue Ox 2025 (all photos by Tom Smouse)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & PHOTOGRAPHER
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.
