Blue Ox celebrates a decade of putting the spotlight on Americana
EAU CLAIRE — The Blue Ox Music Festival has become a fixture in the extensive Eau Claire summer music festival calendar.
But, as Mark Bischel, operations and marketing manager for the festival explained, the first year was slightly bumpy for Blue Ox.
“I think initially there may have been a little confusion as to what we were doing,” recalled Bischel of the first year. He admitted it may not help that his family has a history with music and festivals in the area, with his father Jim Bischel being a key figure in founding Country Jam as well. But, with time, the event has grown and expanded, much to the younger Bischel’s joy.
“It’s great to see it. The growing support in the Chippewa Valley is wonderful. The community has really started to embrace the festival over the years,” he said.
Each year since its inception in 2015, the three-day festival has put the spotlight on singers and bands from around the country performing in the Americana and bluegrass genres. This year’s featured acts include the Del McCoury Band, The Mama Said String Band, The Jon Sullivan Band, Frogleg, Saltydog, The Debutants and Andrew Wakefield.
One band to consistently appear at Blue Ox is the Minneapolis-based Midwestern roots music band Pert Near Sandstone. In fact, the members co-curate the event, with bass player Justin Bruhn being one of its emcees.
“The owners of the festival, Mark and and Jim (Bischel), saw us play with the Travelin’ McCourys,” recalled Bruhn. “They approached us and said, ‘Hey, we want to add a bluegrass kind of Americana stage to our Country Jam.”
After seeing the concert property, they came to an agreement to do a separate show in Pine Music Park, leading to the band members being an integral part of the show coming to fruition, something that still amazes Bruhn.
“I never would have thought that I would end up being such a big part of this festival. And to watch it grow and to hear feedback and and talk to people about Blue Ox — it’s super uplifting. It’s definitely gratifying and reassuring, and it lets us know that we’ve got to be doing something right,” he said.
Nate Sipe, song-writer and fiddle/mandolin player for the band, agreed wholeheartedly.
“It’s gotten to the point where (the event’s) gotten a life of its own in a way. It really has a community of loyal fans and patrons that come every year. That’s what we could have hoped for setting off to produce this festival from the beginning,” said Sipe.
MORE THAN JUST MUSIC
Bischel pointed out that there were plenty of other activities that were available for those attending the campgrounds for Blue Ox outside of the three stages of music available.
“We have art installations — 18 different ones, mostly from the local area,” he said. “Artists are putting their projects in and incorporating them into the campground as a whole.”
Beaver Creek Reserve is also partnering with Blue Ox for entertainment on the new Family Stage. Children 13 and under are free with a paid admission to Blue Ox, allowing for families to experience entertainment aimed at the whole family to enjoy.
In addition, there is the Soul Sanctuary (a wellness tent offering yoga, sound meditation and more), guided off-site tours with Eau Claire Outdoors, various vendors selling food, drinks and crafts, and more.
One of the highlights during the event is a full schedule of music workshops. While Sipe is performing as part of Pert Near Sandstone, he also does double duty as the musical director of the festival’s workshops.
“With our vision of a festival — even before we were involved with Blue Ox — we had envisioned having some kind of event that would pull in bands that we had been with, touring on the road or met out on the road, and create an event for the local community,” he said. “It’s a way to build confidence towards maybe becoming the next band that hits the Saloon Stage in a few years. One of the bands, Armchair Boogie, started out there just picking in the campground at Blue Ox, and now they’re one of our favorite bands to go on the road and tour with.”
BIGGER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER
When something has gotten popular, surely the next step is expansion, right? Not so, said Bischel.
“I think there are certain number of people that can really appreciate that,” he said. “There are a lot of mega festivals out there, and they don’t necessarily cater to all of your individual music tastes. I don’t know if ‘boutique’ is a good word for it, but, it’s a specialized festival.”
Bruhn agreed, saying that staying the size Blue Ox is now allows the organizers to “keep it that cozy sort of intimate size.”
Sipe felt the same way; what they had kept bringing people back, and it allowed Blue Ox to stand up among the great music events in the nation.
“I also talked to a lot of people at the festival and we just have something special going on. I don’t know what it is, but we’ve curated a really great vibe there,” he said. “If you’ve been to some of the best festivals around the country, we like to call it our ‘Midwest Telluride.’ I think it stands up with some of the best festivals around without being too many people, without it being overwhelming.”
