Blue Ox Music Festival announces 2023 lineup

Dec. 7—EAU CLAIRE — Blue Ox Music Festival is coming back for its ninth year with a lineup stacked with bluegrass, Americana, roots and folk artists.

The festival will take place June 22 to 24 at The Pines Music Park, 5024 Crescent Ave., which is just outside of Eau Claire in the town of Union.

Featuring three days of music across three stages, Blue Ox is welcoming new faces to the stage and many returning acts.

The festival will once again be hosted by Pert Near Sandstone, who will also be taking the stage for two nights. Headliners of next year's festival include The Avett Brothers, Sam Bush Band, Mike Gordon and Charley Crockett.

In addition, even more acts will take the stage including: The Infamous Stringdusters, Sierra Hull, Charlie Parr, Kitchen Dwellers, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country, The Lowest Pair, Yasmin Williams, Joshua Ray Walker, Them Coulee Boys, Kyle Tuttle, Rainbow Girls, Henhouse Prowlers, Big Richard, The Last Revel, Pixie and The Partygrass Boys, Barbaro, Sicard Hollow, Feed the Dog, Stillhouse Junkies, Mama Said String Band, Wild Goose Chase Cloggers, Jason Dea West, Buffalo Galaxy, The Foxgloves and Black River Revue with more to be announced.

"This event is unique for the Eau Claire area bringing people from across the Upper Midwest and beyond to take part in great music and camping experience with a strong sense of community," Mark Bischel of the Bischel Family, founders of Blue Ox, told the Leader-Telegram in January.

Like previous years, Blue Ox will again be celebrating with both traditional bluegrass and roots music legends, as well as progressive stars in the making. A couple of acts will be making their Blue Ox debut, including headliner The Avett Brothers.

Three-time Grammy Award nominees and North Carolina Music Hall of Fame inductees, The Avett Brothers, first made waves in 2009 with their major label debut "I And Love And You." Ten albums later, Their newest album released in 2020, "The Third Gleam," debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Americana/Folk Albums chart, No. 1 on the Rock Albums chart and No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart. The album single "Victory" also hit No. 1 on the Americana Radio Singles chart.

Sam Bush Band is coming back to Blue Ox again and have performed at the festival since its founding. One of the most celebrated pioneers of progressive bluegrass, Sam Bush has been making music since the 1960s. His performances are annual highlights of the festival circuit, with Bush's joyous perennial appearances at the Colorado town's famed bluegrass fest earning him the appellation "King of Telluride."

Performing for the first time at Blue Ox in 2023 is Mike Gordon, founding member of the band Phish. Gordon founded the jam-band group in 1983, Gordon has gone on to receive kudos for his innovative songwriting for the band, as well as his finely tuned bass playing. He has also released a range of solo works.

Multi-genre musician Charley Crockett will also take the stage this summer. With country, soul, jazz and blues influences, Crockett's tunes include his interpretations of classic-to-obscure blues songs and his highly focused original tunes. He has released 11 albums over the past 10 years.

"Blue Ox looks forward to Charley Crockett performing on the main stage this June," the lineup announcement stated.

The three-day music and camping event taking place on 155 landscaped acres, among the tall trees and rolling hills will be hosted by Pert Near Sandstone, who will also be performing twice over the weekend. Pert Near's strong song craft melds with old-time sensibilities in a unique brand of modern string band music they deliver to fans around the world.

The band have been involved with Blue Ox since co-founding the festival with the Bischel Family in 2015, assisting in the planning and execution with booking, catering and everything else.

"What we love about it (Blue Ox) is that it gives us a chance to put on a premier Americana festival in the Upper Midwest," Justin Bruhn of Pert Near Sandstone said.

According to a news release, The Blue Ox Music Festival "creates and fosters an inclusive sense of artistic community and has become a cornerstone of the cultural renaissance movement in the Eau Claire area."

Started in 2015, the festival is more than just a schedule of concerts. It is about a culture, it's a learning experience about music and songwriting. Blue Ox is a family oriented festival where people strive to be respectful of one another.

In addition to a premier lineup of live music, the 2023 event will also offer an array of cultural events throughout the festival grounds, including music workshops, morning yoga and meditation, eclectic arts and craft vendors, kids activity stages and a disc golf course.

"It's always such a positive vibe, and everybody takes care of each other. It's just a big family. It's always so uplifting and heartwarming," he said. "It's just great vibes," Bruhn said.

Two- and three-day general admission tickets are on sale now. Attendance will be limited to 5,000 tickets to preserve the intimacy and magic that the festival was built upon. All ages are welcome. For tickets and all the festival details visit Blue Ox's website at BlueOxMusicFestival.com.