Viroqua will again be alive with the sound of great music when the Driftless Music Festival (DMF) celebrates its 8th anniversary on Saturday, July 13. Join us at noon for lunch provided by our amazing selection of food vendors then stay for the music starting at 1pm in Eckhart Park adjacent to the Vernon County Courthouse on Decker Street.
Dedicated to the proposition that great cities have great music festivals, the DMF will, as usual, feature a diverse array of musical genres, all by some of the finest talent across the Midwest region and beyond and it’s FREE.
The music starts at 1pm with The Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers bringing a brand-new take on old-time country. Their music recalls classic hillbilly music, while bringing a distinctly modern and lively touch to the Americana genre.
At approximately 2:30 Honky-Tonk Jump takes the stage playing swingin’ Texas dance hall music in the tradition of Bob Wills, Milton Brown, Ernest Tubb and Spade Cooley with a sprinkling of Hank Williams and other early honky-tonk legends.
Following Honky-Tonk Jump, Orquesta MAS fills the stage with 12 musicians that know what they’re doing when it comes to Latin Rhythms. It will definitely be time to put your dancing shoes on.
Our featured band this years comes from Lincoln, Nebraska. R&B experts say this about Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal: “If James Brown and Otis Redding had a love child, it would be Josh Hoyer. The Lincoln, Nebraska, soul shouter, and his band of merry soulsters, Soul Colossal, deliver a sound so big, so funky, so wring-the-sweat-out-of-you energetic that it reaches through the speakers and shakes you until you start moving to its groove.”
As the sun goes down and the lights come on, we close the festival with gospel group The Brotherhood Singers, a jubilee-style, a cappella, sacred gospel quartet from Kentucky. This will be an incredible end to a thrilling day.
More than 100 sponsors and donors underwrite the cost of the Driftless Music Festival so that these musical offerings can be heard for free. More information about the Festival, or about becoming a donor to support the event, is available at driftlessmusicfestival.com