Driftless Music Festival

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Josh Hoyer

press release: The sound of great music will once again reverberate across downtown Viroqua when the Driftless Music Festival (DMF) celebrates its 8th anniversary on Saturday, July 13.

Come at noon for lunch—provided by an amazing selection of food vendors—and then stay for the fabulous music starting at 1 pm in family-friendly Eckhart Park, adjacent to the Vernon County Courthouse on Decker St.

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 local favorite The Yellowbellied Sapsuckers, who bring a brand-new take on old-time country. Their music recalls classic hillbilly music, while delivering a distinctly modern and lively touch to that storied piece of Americana.

At approximately 2:30 pm Honky-Tonk Jump takes the stage with swingin' Texas dance hall music in the tradition of Bob Wills, Milton Brown, Ernest Tubb and Spade Cooley, spiced up with a sprinkling of Hank Williams and other early honky-tonk legends.

The acclaimed Wisconsin-based Orquesta-MAS (Madison All Stars) fills the stage at 4:30 pm with 12 salsa-inspired musicians who swing with silky-smooth infectious Latin Rhythms. Be sure to bring your dancing shoes!

This year’s featured band at 6:30 pm hails from Lincoln, Nebraska. Serious R&B experts have this to say this about Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal: "If James Brown and Otis Redding had a love child, it would be Josh Hoyer. This soul shouter, and his band of merry soulsters 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."

At 8:30 pm, as the sun goes down and the lights come on, the Festival closes with Kentucky-based gospel group The Brotherhood Singers, a jubilee-style, a cappella, sacred (and secular) quartet that puts the final inspiring touches on a thrilling musical day.

More information about the Festival is available at driftlessmusicfestival.com or by email to driftlessmusicfestival@gmail.com.

Over 100 sponsors and donors underwrite the cost of the Driftless Music Festival so that these musical offerings can be heard for free. You can donate by sending a check to DMF at 314 Minshall Ave. Viroqua, WI 54665 or by clicking the Paypal donate button on the website.