Mile of Music

Mile of Music
Genre	Americana, Blues, Folk, Indie, Indie rock, Jam Band, Singer/Songwriter
Location(s)	Appleton, Wisconsin
Years active	2013-Present
Founded by	Cory Chisel; Dave Willems
Attendance	35,000 - 50,000
Website
http://mileofmusic.com/

Mile of Music (also known as MoM or The Mile) is an annual Americana music festival located in downtown Appleton, WI. Started in 2013, the four-day festival runs Thursday through Sunday and is a collaborative event that was co-founded by Appleton marketing executive Dave Willems and Nashville-based national recording artist Cory Chisel, with support from nearly 100 community organizations and sponsors as well as more than 200 volunteers.

The festival features original, handcrafted Americana music of varying styles – folk and indie rock to soul and country – with on average 200+ performers and 600+ performances. It includes up-and-coming performers from the surrounding area to well-known artists who travel from all over the world to appear.^[1] The festival is a 'cover-free' zone, meaning no cover songs and no cover charges. Almost every show at the festival is free to the public.

The festival's success over the years has benefited the local community, including local youth music and other scholarships.^[2] Profits from the Mile of Music Festival support two funds: The Mile of Music Education Fund, within the Appleton Education Foundation, funds more music opportunities within the Appleton public schools.^[3]

Mile by Mile

The festival changes with each year, as it introduces more venues, and adds more charity raising events. The event is modeled after other music festivals, most notably South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.^[4]

Mile 1

• Date: August 8–11, 2013
• Attendance: ~15,000 to 20,000^[5]

The inaugural year of the festival had over 200 performances in almost 40 venues.^[6] Musical acts included Norah Jones, Cory Chisel, Justin Townes Earle, Hillary Reynolds Band, Rodney Crowell, Nicole Atkins, and The Candles.

Mile 2

• Date: August 7–10, 2014
• Attendance: ~35,000^[7]

The Mile of Music's sophomore year had more than 60 venues, had more than 200 performers,^[1][8] and had 625 live performances. There were three 'main' stages for the festival, Lawrence University’s Memorial Chapel, and outdoor stages at Houdini Plaza and Jones Park. The festival generated nearly $2 million in economic development for the community. The four-day event featured Americana music.^[7]

Musical acts included performances by event co-founder and Appleton home-towner, Cory Chisel, The Autumn Defense, Sturgill Simpson, The Baseball Project and Butch Vig playing with The Emperors of Wyoming. Richie Ramone made a special guest appearance. Brooklyn-based Swear and Shake also returned for a surprise Mystery Music Stage performance at Lawrence University’s Stansbury Theatre. The Milk Carton Kids were scheduled to headline but cancelled. They were replaced by an outlaw-themed show including Cory Chisel, Langhorne Slim and Ruby Amanfu.^[9]

New events included the Mile of Music Bus, which festival goers could board to hear live music from performers and pop-up performances along the mile-long stretch of Downtown Appleton. An expanded family-friendly music education series was also featured with over 30 events and workshops that offered different interactive experiences including bucket drumming and Balinese Gamelan. These events also included educators from Appleton Public Schools and Lawrence University.

This was the first year that the Mile of Music app was released for smart phones.

Mile 3

• Date: August 6–9, 2015
• Attendance: ~50,000

The festival officially began on Thursday Aug. 6th, but a 'First Songs' concert was held the night before at the Performing Arts Center. The festival ended with a special concert called "Songs Before You Go", which was held at the Lawrence Memorial Chapel.

Musicians who partook in 2015 included The Milk Carton Kids,^[10] Roadkill Ghost Choir, Tim Barry, Swear and Shake, Wild Adriatic, Cory Chisel, The Suitcase Junket, The Crane Wives, Water Liars and Motherfolk.

As in the previous year, main stages were situated in the Memorial Chapel on Lawrence University's campus, and outdoor stages at the downtown Houdini Plaza and Jones Park. Some outdoor shows had to be moved indoors due to rain.^[11][12]

More than 200 artists participated in over 700 performances. Live music sets were held in more than 60 venues on or near College Avenue and along the riverfront.^[13]

Mile 4

• August 4–7, 2016

Other Notes

• The festival has spawned its own beer, the Americana Pale Ale by Stone Arch Brew House, a local brewery in the area.^[14]

References

External links

• http://mileofmusic.com/