By most accounts, last year’s inaugural Mile Of Music was an encouraging, if not successful, festival that brought 100 acts to downtown Appleton. The sleepy northeast Wisconsin hub that was largely devoid of establishments to showcase live music was temporarily a host site for dozens of bars and restaurants that were suddenly transformed into makeshift music venues. Acts ranging in scope from celebrated Fox Cities locals, all the way to to Norah Jones convened on and around Appleton’s fabled College Avenue for a weekend of live music. In hopes of eclipsing last year’s solid foundation, “Mile 2” (as it’s being billed) has pulled in 200-some acts—such as national draws Nikki Lane, Langhorne Slim, Sturgill Simpson, The Baseball Project, and fest-founder Cory Chisel And The Wandering Sons—to play in even more venues, which now stretch beyond the titular mile radius, between August 7 and August 10.
So why the fuck are we writing about a young “handcrafted artisan festival” when its musical mile is approximately 100 miles from Milwaukee? What does Milwaukee have to do with an Appleton event? Well, when a total of 39 Milwaukee artists are scheduled to play a combined 88 shows over four days, it might be somewhat relevant to our city, and a possible explanation why there looks to be significantly fewer local shows taking place in town this weekend. For a frame of reference, that’s more truly local bands than the shitty KNE Music Stage booked for the duration of Summerfest this year, and more Milwaukee bands playing shows than did at last weekend’s impressive Breadfest undertaking. Among the in-town talent heading north on Highway 41 are Midnight Reruns, Midwestern Charm, The Fatty Acids, Hugh Bob And The Hustle, Twin Brother, GGOOLLDD, Ugly Brothers, Nick Stuart (who reattached “Ziemann” to his nomenclature, likely with hopes of attracting some Number One Fan…fans from his days in the FoxValley), Sugar Stems, Buffalo Gospel, Christopher Porterfield, Surgeons In Heat—and in representation of Milwaukee’s true scene—a cachet of concerts by Myles Coyne and Vic And Gab.
Most shows are free of charge (though many adhere to a strange VIP priority that could prove problematic on Friday and Saturday). If, like us, you plan to make the somewhat irritating trek on a brutally boring stretch of highway to the underrated city of Appleton and take in beloved Brew City bands in an unfamiliar setting, let Milwaukee Record’s comprehensive Mile Of Music guide help you enjoy your time in Appleton considerably more than Willem Dafoe did.
THURSDAY
– Jordin Baas / Spats / 1:50-2:40
– Ricky Ganiere / Spats / 2:55-3:45
– Conner La Mue / City Center Plaza / 3:05-3:55
– Thriftones / The Bar (VIP) / 9:10-10:00
– Great Lake Drifters / Mill Creek (VIP) / 9:25-10:15
– Midwestern Charm / Skyline Comedy Club (VIP) / 9:30-10:20
– Jordin Baas / Deja Vu (VIP) / 9:40-10:30
– Shoot Down The Moon / X-TRA 920 (VIP) / 9:40-10:30
– Midnight Reruns / Mill Creek (VIP) / 10:35-11:25
– Nathan Dengel / Skyline Comedy Club/ 10:40-11:30
FRIDAY
– Hayward Williams / Houdini Plaza / 12:00-12:50
– Myles Coyne/ Radisson Courtyard / 12:10-1:00
– Sean Raasch / City Center Courtyard / 12:40-1:30
– Thriftones / Skyline Comedy Club (VIP) / 1:10-2:00
– Midnight Reruns / X-TRA 920 (VIP) / 1:40-2:30
– Jordin Baas / CU Saloon (VIP) / 2:10-3:00
– Shoot Down The Moon / Emmett’s (VIP) /2:10-300
– The Delta Routine / X-TRA 920 (VIP) / 2:50-3:40
– Ricky Ganiere / Appleton Beer Factory (VIP) /3:00-3:50
– Hayward Williams / Dr. Jekyll’s / 3:30-4:20
– Sleepwalkers / The Bar / 3:55-4:45
– The Form / Luna / 4:30-5:20
– Sugar Ransom / Durty Leprechaun (VIP) / 4:40-5:30
– The Quiet Time / Deja Vu (VIP) / 4:45-5:45
– Midnight Reruns / Mill Creek (VIP) / 5:00-5:50
– Thriftones / X-TRA 920 (VIP) / 5:10-6:00
– Nathan Dengel / Jim’s Place / 5:10-6:00
– Bright Kind / Luna Lounge (VIP) / 5:40-6:30
– Midwestern Charm / Chadwick’s (VIP) / 5:40-6:30
– Myles Coyne / Olde Town Tavern / 5:55-6:45
– The Delta Routine / The Bar (VIP) / 6:00-6:50
– The Fatty Acids / X-TRA 920 (VIP) / 6:20-7:10
– Hugh Bob And The Hustle / Houdini Plaza / 6:25-7:15
– Sugar Ransom / Fratello’s Waterfront Bar / 6:30-7:20
– Ricky Ganiere / McGuinness Irish Pub / 7:00-7:50
– Vic And Gab / Deju Vu (VIP) / 7:05-7:55
– Nathan Dengel / Union Jack’s / 8:10-9:00
– Kane Place Record Club / Luna (VIP) / 8:40-9:30
– Sleepwalkers / Emmett’s (VIP) / 9:00-9:50
– Hugh Bob And The Hustle / XTRA 920 (VIP) / 9:15-10:05
– Semi-Twang / Mill Creek (VIP) / 9:15-10:05
– Christopher Porterfield / Lawrence Chapel (VIP) / 9:20-10:05
– Hayward Williams / Jim’s Place / 10:00-10:50
– Great Lake Drifters / Emmett’s (VIP) / 11:20-12:10
SATURDAY
– Myles Coyne / Atlas Coffee Mill /11:30-12:20
– I’m Not A Pilot / Anduzzi’s Patio (VIP) / 12:00-12:50
– The Quiet Time / Copper Rock / 12:00-12:50
– Midwestern Charm / Mill Creek (VIP) / 12:15-1:05
– Twin Brother / Skyline Comedy Club (VIP) / 12:30-1:20
– Sugar Ransom / Atlas Coffee Mill / 12:35-1:25
– Nathan Dengel / Jim’s Place / 1:00-1:50
– Ugly Brothers / Emmett’s (VIP) / 1:10-2:00
– Nick Stuart Ziemann / Beer Factory (VIP) / 2:10-3:00
– Vic And Gab / Anduzzi’s Patio (VIP) / 2:20-3:10
– Animals In Human Attire / Emmett’s (VIP) / 2:20-3:10
– Brett Newski / X-TRA 920 (VIP) / 2:20-3:10
– Twin Brother / The Bar (VIP) / 3:00-3:50
– Matthew Davies / Radisson Lobby / Matthew Davies
– Sugar Stems / Fox River House (VIP) / 3:40-4:30
– Christopher Porterfield / Bazil’s Patio / 4:00-4:50
– Myles Coyne / Harmony Café / 4:00-4:50
– Ross Catterton / Frank’s Pizza Palace /4:00-4:50
– Sugar Ransom / CU Saloon (VIP) / 4:00-4:50
– Jordin Baas / Stone Cellar Brewpub / 4:40-5:30
– Midwestern Charm / Luna (VIP) / 4:45-5:35
– Matthew Davies / Dr. Jekyll’s / 6:00-6:50
– Buffalo Gospel with Christopher Porterfield / Deja Vu (VIP) / 6:30-7:20
– Hayward Williams / Copper Rock / 6:50-7:40
– Vic And Gab / Skyline Comedy Club (VIP) / 7:00-7:50
– Ricky Ganiere / Durty Leprechaun / 7:30-8:20
– Nathan Dengel / University Shot Bar / 7:45-8:35
– Hugh Robert Masterson / CU Saloon (VIP) / 8:10-9:00
– Sugar Ransom / Stone Cellar Brewpub / 8:10-9:00
– Matthew Davies / Jack’s Apple Pub / 8:10-9:00
– Brett Newski / Mill Creek (VIP) / 8:40-9:30
– GGOOLLDD / Chadwick’s (VIP) / 9:00-9:50
– Sugar Stems / X-TRA 920 (VIP) / 9:00-9:50
– Hayward Williams / CU Saloon (VIP) / 10:00-10:50
– Hugh Bob And The Hustle / The Bar (VIP) / 11:20-12:10
SUNDAY
– Conner La Mue / Stone Cellar Brewpub / 12:30-1:20
– Matthew Davies / Appleton Beer Factory (VIP) / 12:45-1:35
– Myles Coyne / Jim’s Place / 1:00-1:50
– Brett Newski / Stone Cellar / 1:40-2:30
– Twin Brother / Deja Vu (VIP) / 1:45-2:35
– Jordin Baas / Jim’s Place / 2:10-3:00
– Ross Catterton / McGuinness Irish Pub / 2:30-3:10
– Sugar Ransom / CU Saloon (VIP) / 2:30-3:20
– Surgeons In Heat / Anduzzi’s (VIP) / 2:40-3:30