In some circles, music festivals happen on the coasts, the desert, or in big cities. Think Coachella, Burning Man and Lollapalooza. But there’s another big music event with world renowned artists in Wisconsin — and it’s not Summerfest. It’s 250 miles away in the small city of Eau Claire in northwest Wisconsin.
On July 24-25, this is where the Eaux Claires festival made its return after eight years. It's also the first time the festival took place at Carson Park, where stages alternated between the park's football and baseball fields.
It's the brainchild of Eau Claire native Justin Vernon, frontman for indie-folk group Bon Iver. Festival organizers aimed to curate an arts and culture experience for guests that extends beyond music.
There are art installations throughout the venue, entertainment acts including a magic show and a literary festival featuring one-on-one readings and books for sale.
On the first day of the two-day fest, Bon Iver covered Bob Dylan songs under the moniker "Bon Dylan" and UK artist Fred again.. collaborated with the lead singer of The National, Aaron Dessner.
Music lovers and WUWM reporters Eddie Morales and Maayan Silver headed out to Eaux Claires for the first time this year. Here's their account of the festival. (Editor's note: we recommend listening to the audio of this story.)
Wisconsin ties
As we approached the venue, we heard the opening sounds of a mash-up between pianist, guitarist and banjoist Phil Cook with a gospel group called The Union. Cook is an interesting guy. He grew up in the Chippewa Valley, where Eau Claire is, but he calls North Carolina home now.
His latest solo project is a piano album called "Appalachia Borealis." It blends the sounds of the places he calls home: Wisconsin and Appalachia.
We caught up with Cook after his gig and asked him what makes Eaux Claires special.
"They're trying to take the actual region, and the history of the region, and then they amplify all these parts of that," Cook said.
Cook said there’s so much to Eau Claire and Wisconsin. He mentioned the lumberjacks, literature and art. He said there’s a lot of intention behind the music lineup.
"All these bands that have ties to the Chippewa Valley that have gone on to do great things in the world and have something to share and come home," said Cook. "It's not just booking all these bands that are just like, 'oh, let's get the biggest headliner from this summer's hottest thing.' It's very intentional. It's like bringing home the culture of what we've seen in the world and bringing it back home and watering the garden."
The festival's future
Justin Vernon was repeatedly credited for bringing a lot of this “musical ju-ju” to Eau Claire. On a rest break to seek out popsicles and shade, we ran into Bon Iver fans Jared Brinkman and Kerik Stubbe. Stubbe described what's special about the Grammy Award-winning band.
"The allure of Bon Iver is the way that he expresses his emotions," he said. "It's in a way that's very accessible, at least to me. I think to others as well."
We'd say that this year’s Eaux Claires was a big hit, but if you’re trying to go again next year — just know the return of the festival this year doesn’t necessarily mean it’s happening again.
Former Bon Iver manager Adam Voith curated the festival's lineup. Voith said he's unsure when — or if — Eaux Claires will return, "but it’s only going to be when something moves us and it feels like the right time again."
So, maybe that’s part of what makes Eaux Claires distinct. It isn’t just another summer festival; it’s a creative outlet. It's a respite from the stress and discord of modern life, and a place to celebrate this specific part of Wisconsin.
For now, Eaux Claires will only return when there is something new to create, something unexpected to share and an audience ready to experience it.
