This past weekend, Josh and Alex from SWT attended the Blue Ox Music Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Below are some parting thoughts on what we thought of our experience:
Josh: After attending my sixth Blue Ox Music Festival at The Pines Campground in Eau Claire, WI, it’s safe to say that the festival hasn’t lost an ounce of the magic that engulfed and enriched me while attending my first in 2017. Blue Ox is a truly special event for me, with its alluring woodland backdrop, friendly community of musicians and music fans, an intimate festival, and an annual rich offering of music. I’ve been lucky to share four of my Blue Ox experiences with Alex and two with my mom. It’s a place I’ve discovered artists that are now among my favorites, including Billy Strings and Them Coulee Boys. And a place where I’ve witnessed incredible performances by some of my favorite artists.
You can read my more in-depth analysis of the festival and many of the acts here.
Alex: Blue Ox is a festival I look forward to attending, where I can see spectacular bands in a great woodland setting. And listen to bands I hadn’t heard of before the festival, but soon grew to appreciate. This was my fourth year attending, and after a six-year absence (2019 was my last Blue Ox due to scheduling conflicts), I enjoyed returning. This year was our first festival as members of the media. I love seeing familiar faces everywhere, from the crowd to the lines, while walking around, and on stage. This year, it was great to interact with those who are familiar with our work at SWT. We’re humbled and grateful for the support! Thank you again to everyone who enhanced our experience.
Below are some photos of the festival. All photo credit to Joshua M. Miller.
Check out the rest of our coverage via our socials when we were at the festival:
Rising Appalachia:
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Cole Chaney:
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Sam Bush Band:
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Mountain Grass Unit with Sam Bush:
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Charlie Parr:
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Clare Doyle:
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St Paul & The Broken Bones:
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The Last Revel:
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Molly Tuttle:
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Margo Price:
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Warren Haynes Band:
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Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
