Wisconsin Music Festival

It’s summer music festival season in Wisconsin. With dozens of festivals across the state, there should be something to please everyone.

The Foodie Music Festival

The festival will have 14 bands performing on two stages and will include performances from Devon Allman, Marcia Ball and Eric Gales.

Hemming said that if the music isn’t enough to bring attendees, the food definitely is.

"We actually have an international chef that prepares all of our food. So, it’s not the typical festival food. There is trout almandine and grilled shrimp tacos. As our chef would say, 'Come for the food, stay for the music, '" said Hemming.

The Northwoods Blues Festival takes place June 26-27 in Spooner.

The Eclectic World Music Festival

The Driftless Music Festival, located in the western Wisconsin community of Viroqua, features a variety of music from around the globe. The one-day festival’s line-up ranges from Tex-Mex, to Cajun, to Afrobeat music.

Charlie Knower, co-founder of the Driftless Music Festival said, "It’s so eclectic."

One of Knower’s favorite bands performing at the festival is a Chicago band called Bumpus.

"Bumpus is a 10-to-12-piece band that is best described as funk. It really takes James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone and puts them together. They’ve got a nice horn section and back-up singers, and it’s going to really make people get up and dance, " said Knower.

The Driftless Music Festival takes place July 18 in Viroqua.

The Indie Festival

Eau Claire native Justin Vernon (of the band Bon Iver) and Cincinnati's Aaron Dessner (of The National) have teamed up to produce a two-day festival highlighting some of the Midwest’s most interesting musical acts.

"It’s all centered around music, but will also hopefully be an artistic experience, " said Perry. "That said, we approach it with humility. It’s the first time and we’re working hard on it and really looking forward to people showing up."

As narrator, Perry’s role is to write about the bands attending and contextualize the event’s location.

"We’ve been releasing bios for the bands over a period of time and I’ve been writing those and also trying to weave in some history of the place where the festival will take place. A lot of the narration has been intentionally oblique and abstract and a little enigmatic, " said Perry.

Perry explained that the Eaux Claires is a realization of Vernon’s dream.

"Justin has always spoken about the fact that he’s a Wisconsin guy through and through — specifically, (from) the Chippewa Valley here, which has been so good to so many of us, " said Perry. "This is where Justin grew up and played his first music. He always had a dream of bringing a large music festival back to this area and this is his attempt to do that."

The Eaux Claires music festival takes place July 17-18 in Eau Claire.

The Traditionalist Festival

The annual Summerfest already opened in Milwaukee on June 24 with a highly anticipated Rolling Stones performance. The festival is expected to draw 850, 000 attendees to its 11 stages.

John Boler, chief marketing officer for Summerfest, said the festival has made improvements to the venue in the last decade.

"Henry Meyer Festival Park is 75 acres along the shoreline on Milwaukee’s lakefront on Lake Michigan. Over the past 10 years, we’ve been working diligently to redevelop a good portion of that site, " said Boler. "The venue is really a world class setting … It’s just something that’s definitely worth coming back to check out, because I think you’d be very delighted with it."

Summerfest takes place from June 24-28 in Milwaukee.

The Small Town Festival

Bill Brehm, the co-founder of the Catfish River Music Festival, said the name of the event came from the original name for the Yahara River, which runs through Stoughton. The three-day festival will have regional Americana bands.

"Americana is an interesting word (for) a genre that It’s a really a catchall, a genre for so many types of music. There are people who think that Americana music is all country music or bluegrass music, but it’s really a catchall for roots music, blues music, even jazz music, bluegrass music, and country music, " said Brehm.

He said that downtown Stoughton is walkable and offers small-town charm.

"The festival actually takes place in a park that’s next door to the opera house. We close off some streets and have vendors, and big tents all the trappings of a classic small town festival, " said Brehm