Every year for the past decade, Appleton, WI, has hosted a (nearly) free musical festival featuring over two hundred musicians across forty venues along a mile of downtown over the course of four days. The twist on the festival is that all songs must be original (no covers) from emerging artists from all over the U.S.
The coolest part (aside from the chance to listen to cool new musicians all day long)? The Artist Care Program, which provides services that an artist just starting out may not be able to afford – dental care, preventative hearing screenings, lodging, and more provided from fifteen local businesses.
Because the sheer number of artists can be overwhelming, my plan of attack is always to pick a venue and just sit and listen to whoever shows up on stage. It’s an opportunity to get to know singers I might not ever come across otherwise.
Because I’m me, my venue of is a coffee shop – Copper Rock (the downtown Appleton location – 210 W. College Ave). Because of other plans already scheduled, I opted to Saturday, Aug 3. On this day, three artists were scheduled to perform while I was able to be there (I had plans back in GB at four).
Lawrence Chamber Music Festival, 10:30-11:20 a.m.
The Lawrence Chamber Music Festival (associated with Lawrence University in Appleton) pairs “Lawrence students and faculty, international touring guest artists, and pre-professional music students from around the world for a two-week chamber music program…prepar[ing] young artists for rich entrepreneurial careers in the arts.” This year, they are also taking the opportunity to pair with a singer-songwriter from the Mile of Music Festival, Ben Mulwana. The group played a song with Mulwanna (his original piece), then several classical pieces on their own, before inviting Mulwana to play a final song with them.
Ben Mulwana, Indie Rock (Ugandan-born and raised artist residing in Wisconsin)
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(The ensemble was great, though I’ll be honest and say I wish I could have heard Mulwana solo. This is not a comment on the ensemble at all, more so on the venue – lots of musicians in a small space, so when they played together, it got distorted. The smaller ensemble pieces they played worked much better for the space.)
Anthony D’Amato, Folk Rock, 12:30-1:20 p.m.
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(He was an absolute delight – lots of great anecdotes and jokes between songs. Would absolutely seek him out again.)
Robby Hecht, folk, 1:50-2:40 p.m.
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For updates on future festivals, you can follow Mile of Music on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The festival is typically the first weekend of August – definitely put it on your schedule for next year if you live in the area!
Ami Maxine 