Midsummer Bluegrass Festival

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Scott Simontacchi

Tim O'Brien Band in the outdoors.

Tim O'Brien Band (from left): Shad Cobb Brown, Jan Fabricius, Tim O’Brien, Mike Bub.

media release: Set among the towering pine trees and lake-dotted landscape in Manitowish Waters comes some of the sweetest bluegrass music you will ever hear. The 34th annual Midsummer Bluegrass Music Festival on Thursday-Sunday, July 27-30, 2023 will feature music by artists and bands from all over the nation. Hosted by the Cozy Cove Tavern & Restaurant, this year’s outdoor event (Wisconsin’s longest running bluegrass festival) features three headline bands/artists: The Tim O’Brien Band, Seth Mulder & Midnight Run, and The Mark Hembree Band.

Band leader, Tim O’Brien, is a Grammy Award Winning, Singer/Songwriter and Multi-instrumentalist who became a leading figure in the world of contemporary or progressive bluegrass—most notably in the quartet, Hot Rize, based in Boulder Colorado, which toured nationally over its 40-year tenure. In the mid-'90s, O'Brien decamped to Nashville, where he became a first-call mandolin, guitar, fiddle and banjo player on Music City sessions, and collaborated with artists like Steve Earle, Sturgill Simpson and Dan Auerbach. Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks and the Dixie Chicks cut his compositions, and in 2015 he won a Grammy as a member of the bluegrass supergroup the Earls of Leicester, a nice companion for O'Brien's 2005 Best Traditional Folk Grammy regarding his album “Fiddler’s Green”. Words are not enough to describe the quality of Tim O’Brien’s vocals, musicianship and showmanship as it is a great honor for the MidSummer Bluegrass Festival to allow you to listen, enjoy and experience it.

Hailing from the Gateway of the Great Smoky Mountains, Seth Mulder & Midnight Run present a high-energy show filled with nostalgic entertainment, tight harmonies, and skillful musicianship, all built around their curated set list of original material and lost covers. When not taking their high-energy to festivals across the United States, Canada and multiple European tours, they perform as the house band for the Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Favorites among bluegrass enthusiasts and non-bluegrass audiences alike, they keep the energy high and the audience on their feet. The band knows when they are on stage, it is not only about the music, it is about connecting with the audience and leaving them with a memory that will last a lifetime.

As leader of The Mark Hembree Band, Mr. Hembree’s credentials include being a co-founder of the Nashville Bluegrass Band and author of the book: “On The Bus With Bill Monroe.“ His 5 year tenure as a Bluegrass Boy with Bill Monroe gives this year’s Festival an extra stamp of Bluegrass authenticity.

For an extra measure of pizzazz, Driftless Revelers, Soggy Prairie, 12OZ Squirrels, Down From The Hills, and Feed The Dog Trio Featuring Tyler Shea will also be sharing the Cozy Cove stage. For these artists' bios, pictures and set times, go to Lineup/Schedule on the menu of www.MidSummerBluegrass.com.

Daily and weekend passes (includes walk-in tent camping onsite) are among the ticket options. RV or trailer camping is also available; all campsites are rustic. Cozy Cove is located on 5786 U.S. Highway 51. Bring a blanket or lawn chair for the musical performances. For more information, call 715-543- 2166 or e-mail at info@MidSummerBluegrass.com. Visit MidSummerBluegrass.com to see the full schedule and detailed ticket information.