While Upper Midwest music festivals have come and gone over the past decade — mostly gone! — Eau Claire’s Blue Ox Music Festival has gradually picked up steam and sold out for the first time last year.
This year, Blue Ox will celebrate its 10th year with a lineup that includes Band of Horses, Sierra Ferrell, Watchhouse and regulars Leftover Salmon and the Sam Bush Band. The 2024 roster for the woodsy Western Wisconsin roots-music campout — scheduled June 27-29 — was announced Thursday as tickets went on sale, starting at $229 for a two-day pass or $239 for all three via blueoxmusicfestival.com.
Band of Horses and Ferrell are both good gets for the festival. The former hasn’t been to Minnesota since 2016 despite frontman Ben Bridwell marrying a Twin Cities native. West Virginian picker Ferrell, meanwhile, enjoyed a breakout year in 2023 and is a hot ticket this year, as evidenced by her first First Ave headlining set on April 26 and an upcoming two-night at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Other notable young names on the roster include: California string ace Molly Tuttle, who went over big with the fans not stuck in traffic trying to get into Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival last June at the congested Somerset Amphitheater; Nashville upstarts Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, whose Amsterdam Bar & Hall gig in October earned raves; and Kassi Valazza, who’s become a favorite of the Portland, Ore., music scene.
Blue Ox regulars already know a lot of the other acts on the schedule, including Watchhouse — the folk duo formerly known as Mandolin Orange. Other repeats on the lineup include the Del McCoury Band, Horseshoses & Hand Grenades, Them Coulee Boys, Pistol Whippin’ Party Penguins, Superior Siren and, of course, Pert Near Sandstone.
Fresh off issuing its latest album, “Waiting Days,” the Pert Near crew will once again serve as hosts and play two days at the fest. In the interim, the bluegrass revelers will host their Winter String Band Gathering at the Turf Club on Feb. 23 and 24.
