Kilbourn City Live

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press release: When an inaugural music event goes as well as the block party-style Kilbourn City Live music and arts festival did last fall in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., there’s only one thing to do and that’s bring it back with more headliners, more art vendors, and more food and drink.

This year’s event, set for Sept. 28-29 and staged on the festival grounds at the corner of Broadway and La Crosse Street in the downtown district, features top-name performers including Shooter Jennings on Friday and American Authors on Saturday. There will also be a by-invitation arts marketplace on Saturday, artisan food trucks and local craft beers, and even a graffiti-style muralist creating a piece of art in real time during the festival.

General admission tickets are being capped at 4,000 and may be purchased online at www.KilbournCityLIve.com. The cost is $30 in advance of Aug. 15, $40 after that, and $50 day of, and includes both days of performances. A total of 200 VIP tickets are available, and those include access to an elevated viewing area, private club space and specialty food and beverages for $125 for both days. Kilbourn City Live Music & Arts Festival is presented by the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau and Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells.

Here’s the full line-up:

Friday, Sept. 28: Gates open at 5 p.m.

7 p.m. - Lolo

9 p.m. – Headliner Shooter Jennings

Saturday, Sept. 29: Gates open at noon

3 p.m. - Jake’O McCluskey

5 p.m. - Marcus King Band

7 p.m. - Robert Randolph and The Family Band

9 p.m. – Headliner American Authors

The setting in the heart of downtown Wisconsin Dells brings together new and old, with headliners and soon-to-be headliners filling the city’s historic district dotted with classic bars and restaurants with contemporary sounds of country, rock, soul, funk and R&B. 

New this year is an arts marketplace where festival attendees can meet the artists and purchase hand-crafted jewelry, textiles, photography and more. Marketplace hours are noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday. Over the course of the two-day event, a graffiti muralist will be creating a large art installation within view of the festival-goers too.

Classic festival food trucks, including local favorite Authentic Jose’s Taco Trailer, and other food carts will be parked on the grounds. There will also be a beer garden where thirsty fans can try local craft brews.

Wisconsin Dells offers a full range of lodging options, including downtown motels within walking distance of the festival grounds, hotels and resorts on the Wisconsin River, cabins and villas on Lake Delton and, of course, the world-famous waterpark resorts. For festival packages and deals, visit www.WisDells.com and click on the Deals tab at the top.

The Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau will be giving away lodging packages too. Watch their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/wisdells/, to learn more. Attendees can post photos using the hashtag #KilbournCityLive.

Kilbourn City Live is supported with a marketing grant from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism. The name of the festival has historical significance, as Wisconsin Dells was founded in 1857 as Kilbourn City.  

Traveller: This country-rock-folk trio of Robert Ellis, Cory Chisel and Jonny Fritz originally formed on a lark to play Newport Folk Festival and reunited a year later in Chisel’s hometown of Appleton, Wis. to create an album, “Western Movies.” This collection of songs is an entente between three big musical personalities who stopped razzing each other just long enough to make a work of art.

Shooter Jennings: For nearly two decades, Shooter Jennings has defied expectation while constantly expanding the parameters of country, rock ‘n’ roll and beyond. His newest album, “Shooter,” comes out Aug. 10. Produced at the renowned RCA Studio A on Nashville’s Music Row, this album sees Jennings staking out a fairly straightforward goal: to simply make a great country record. With “Shooter,” Jennings puts his own mark on country music, living up to his extraordinary birthright (he’s Waylon Jennings' son) with passion, experience and heart.

Jake’O McCluskey: He’s a twenty-something soul with the spirit of an aged blues man and talent of a seasoned rocker. He consistently amazes audiences with this modern-retro originals and eclectic arrangements of blues, rock ‘n’ roll and R&B. This Wisconsin native’s debut album is “The Hollow Years.”

Marcus King Band: At only 20 years of age, Marcus King’s dazzling musical ability is evident throughout “The Marcus King Band,” his second full-length LP and first for Fantasy Records. Operating within the fiery brand of American roots music that King calls "soul-influenced psychedelic southern rock," the album highlights King’s rough-hewn vocals, soaring guitar work and heartfelt songwriting all amidst a group of masterful musicians who, together, are quickly becoming one of the country’s most sought after live acts.

Robert Randolph: Renowned pedal steel guitarist, vocalist and songwriter whose sound is a fusion of rock, funk, soul, jazz, and the jam band scene, was named one of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” by Rolling Stone. He led a cloistered childhood, hearing no secular music growing up. If it wasn’t being played at the House of God Church in Orange, New Jersey - quite often by Robert and members of his family - Randolph didn’t know it existed. Which makes it all the more remarkable that the leader of Robert Randolph and The Family Band is today an inspiration to the likes of Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and Derek Trucks, all of whom have played with him and studied his technique. American Authors: Since releasing their debut album “Oh, What a Life” in 2014, New York-based pop-rock outfit American Authors has watched their music climb to the top of the charts, and seen singles go multi-platinum. They've hit the stages of legendary venues all over the world and toured with One Republic. They've heard their anthemic hit single "Best Day of My Life" in movie trailers, on TV shows, and as a theme song for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite these accolades, lead singer Zac Barnett asserts the best day of their lives is yet to come.