From local bands to international acts, here's a look at what to expect from the 10th Mile of Music
APPLETON - Mile of Music, Appleton's largest original festival, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with more than 200 acts, including some international artists, giving free performances packed into four days along College Avenue.
The tradition first began in 2013, and besides missing one year in 2020, has been a reoccurring event for the city.
This year, the festival runs from Thursday, Aug. 3 to Sunday, Aug. 6.
"Mile of Music was created to bring original artisan music experiences to Appleton that are affordable and accessible for all," its website states. "It’s also about creating an incredible vibe that our community can be proud of, about inspiring a unique feeling that only comes with bringing people together to enjoy music and celebrate the creativity of artists."
With such a stacked list of performers, it might feel a little overwhelming to decide which artist you'd like to see first. Here are some highlights to help get you started.
Who's new to Mile of Music?
HAPPY LANDING is an indie folk band coming out of Oxford, Mississippi. It dropped its debut EP, "She's Got Brooklyn", in 2020 and since then, its popularity has grown to over 118,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. This year will be its first time performing at the local festival.
Matthew Hendley, the band's lead singer and songwriter, spent a semester in New York studying at The King's College and interning at CBS with "60 Minutes."
Shortly after, friends Jacob Christensen, Keegan Lyle, Wilson Moyer and Andrew Gardner joined Hendley in forming HAPPY LANDING.
Its music is self-described as the first-ever "skate folk" band, with influences from alternative rock, bluegrass, pop punk and more throughout their songs.
The band just released its newest EP, "Ole Magnolia," July 14 following a successful year of touring with notable bands like The Head and The Heart and The 502’s.
HAPPY LANDING will perform:
9:00 to 9:50 p.m. Aug. 3 at Appleton Beer Factory, 603 W. College Ave.
9:50 to 10:40 p.m. Aug. 4 at Hilton Paper Valley Ballroom Main Stage, 333 W. College Ave.
10:20 to 11:10 p.m. Aug. 5 at Gibson Community Music Hall, 211 W. College Ave.
2:45 to 3:35 p.m. Aug. 6 at Houdini Plaza Main Stage, 100 W. Lawrence St.
May Erlewine is another new performer this year, known for her emotional and passionate songwriting.
Her music is influenced by folk, Americana, old-timey country, soul, rock, pop and more. She has more than150,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, with eight full-length albums. The newest one, "The Real Thing," was released in February.
As a teenager, Erlewin hitchhiked across the country, performing her music and collecting stories and experiences that she incorporates into her songwriting.
Her music is lyrically rooted in wisdom, heartbreak, joy and sorrow and stories from her own experiences and has been spotlighted by Rolling Stone and has been performed by a finalist and the winner of season eight of The Voice.
Erlewine will perform:
4:30 to 5:20 p.m. Aug. 4 at The 513 Bose Listening Lounge, 513 W. College Ave.
7:00 to 7:20 p.m. Aug. 4 at Mile of Music Bus, 400 W. College Ave.
8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at Hilton Paper Valley Empire Listening Room, 333 W. College Ave.
1:20 to 2:10 p.m. Aug. 5 at Hilton Paper Valley Empire Listening Room, 333 W. College Ave.
7:35 to 8:25 p.m. Aug. 5 at Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 510 E. College Ave.
12:30 to 1:20 p.m. Aug 6 at Lawrence University Harper Hall Listening Room, 420 E. College Ave.
Who is a secret staple of Mile of Music?
Christopher Gold has attended Mile of Music every year since Mile One in 2013. Gold was born in Kentucky and is best known for carrying on the tradition of folk music, a blend of storytelling and humor in song.
He also performs country and rock and roll songs.
Gold has nearly 200 monthly Spotify listeners and has shared the stage with artists such as Rodney Crowell, Justin Townes Earle, Chuck Ragan, Jamestown Revival and more.
"I played in garage bands and punk bands and metal bands and I love all of those things still, but folk, country, bluegrass has always dominated the largest part of my musical heart," Gold wrote on his website.
In 2015, Gold won two awards from the Wisconsin Area Music Industry for singer/songwriter of the year and for the folk/Celtic genre.
Gold will perform:
12:15 to 1:05 p.m. Aug. 3 at McGuinness Irish Pub Listening Room, 201 S. Walnut St.
2:50 to 3:40 p.m. Aug. 4 at Lawrence University Harper Hall Listening Room, 420 E. College Ave.
2:55 to 3:45 p.m. Aug. 5 at Hilton Paper Valley Evergreen Listening Room, 333 W. College Ave.
7:00 to 7:20 p.m. Aug. 5 at Mile of Music Bus, 400 W. College Ave.
12:30 to 1:20 p.m. Aug. 6 at The 513 Bose Listening Lounge, 513 W. College Ave.
What act is quickly gaining popularity?
Originally from Brighton, United Kingdom, the overseas band The Heavy Heavy has amassed a large fan base with their nostalgic, rock and roll influenced music.
The band, made up of musicians Will Turner and Georgie Fuller, makes music that is self-described as psychedelic blues, acid rock and sunshine pop. It averages more than 411,000 monthly Spotify listeners.
It released its first album, "Life and Life Only," in June 2022, and has dropped a few singles since.
Turner said they got inspiration from Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones and the Hollies, among many others, for their first album.
The band has been praised by The Guardian and listed as an "essential emerging artist for 2023" by NME magazine.
In just over a year's time, it has toured the United States and Europe and made appearances on "CBS Saturday Morning," "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert."
The Heavy Heavy will perform:
3:50 to 4:40 p.m. Aug. 4 at Lawrence Lawn Main Stage, 401 E. College Ave.
8:15 to 9:05 p.m. Aug 4 at Jones Park Main Stage, 301 W. Lawrence St.
Who's giving a unique performance?
BLKBOK, born Charles Wilson III, is an artist from Detroit, who, from an early age, displayed his musical talents in many ways. By the time he was 8, he was an acclaimed piano prodigy and had won many statewide accolades and college-level competitions.
While his peers turned to pursuing rap careers, BLKBOK took a different direction with his musical talents, hinting at his preferred genre with his stage name, a play off the famous 1600s composed and musician Johann Sebastian Bach.
His high-energy songs and performances have earned him more than 3,000 monthly Spotify listeners, and his music can best be described as neo-classical.
In June 2021, BLKBOK released his first album, "Black Book," which became highly celebrated and was a founding cornerstone at the very first Juneteenth Foundation’s Freedom Concert in Washington, D.C. In April 2022, his song "Stars (Ad Astra)" was performed as the first-ever piano duet from space in April 2022.
BLKBOK will perform:
2:00 to 2:50 p.m. Aug. 4 at Riverview Gardens, 1101 S. Oneida St.
1:30 to 2:20 p.m. Aug. 5 at Lawrence University Harper Hall Listening Room, 420 E. College Ave.
7:20 to 8:10 p.m. Aug 5 at Hilton Paper Valley Empire Listening Room, 333 W. College Ave.
2:55 to 3:45 p.m. Aug 6 at Lawrence Memorial Chapel, 510 E. College Ave.
Who's performing not too far from home?
Local band The Astronomers began their musical journey in their hometown, Oshkosh. Made up of frontman Michael Stensland and producer Ben Baker, the indie-pop duo formed in 2019 and have since been independently writing, producing, mixing and mastering their tracks from their home studio.
In 2020, the duo released their single "Overthinking," which received attention from top 40 radio station 101.1 WIXX, earning them the No. 1 spot on the station on Christmas Eve.
They have more than 760,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and have performed alongside well-known acts such as American Authors, LIT, Neon Trees and more.
Their debut album, "The Occasion," is a perfect example of their blend of pop, rock and electronic music.
This year, the two kicked off their first headlining tour across the Midwest in support of their debut album, and in June began their West Coast tour.
It'll be their second time performing at Mile of Music.
The Astronomers will perform:
10:10 to 11:00 p.m. Aug. 3 at Hilton Paper Valley Hotel Courtyard, 333 W. College Ave.
7:10 to 8:00 p.m. Aug. 4 at Hilton Paper Valley Ballroom Main Stage, 333 W. College Ave.
8:45 tp 9:35 p.m. Aug. 5 at Houdini Plaza Main Stage, 111 W. College Ave.
For a full list of artists and their performance times, visit https://mileofmusic.com/schedule.
Reach Jelissa Burns at 920-453-5107 or jburns1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @burns_jelissa or on Instagram at burns_jelissa.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Artists to watch at the 10th Mile of Music in Appleton
