Mountain View
Great River Folk
Great River Folk Fest is back for 2021
Barbaro, Danny Schmidt, Annie Mack, Chicago FarmerGRFF. Last summer the Great River Folk Festival, entertaining the La Crosse area since 1976, didn’t happen due to the pandemic. This year, the fest is back at Riverside Park on the mighty Mississippi the weekend before Labor Day, August 27-29. 2021 promises string band music from Barbaro and Kickapoo Joy Juice, blues from Annie Mack and Jake La Botz, thought-provoking songwriting from Danny Schmidt and Tim Fast, guitar picking from Greg Gilbertson, Django jazz from Gentlemen’s Anti Temperance League, experimental folk from Humbird, and funny from Shanna in a Dress, Chicago Farmer, and Saturday night’s emcee, the one and only Mary Mack.
Folk Fest goes digital
greatriverfolkfestival.bandcamp.comGRFF/Dave Schipper. 2021 has seen the 45-year-old La Crosse Great River Folk Fest become a digital music supplier with a move of THREE offerings on Bandcamp, the streaming & digital music offering that brags that fans have paid $766 million on their platform and $14.4 million in the last 30 days. It truly sounds like a oxymoron saying digital folk music, but the fest was looking at being out of stock of their 25th anniversary CD “Music From the Heartland.” It was such a gem of live cuts from the fest recorded by Wisconsin Public Radio and they knew another CD printing was not viable. Bandcamp was quickly chosen over the more popular Spotify because it offers an easy purchase of a download AND free 3 streams of complete songs, rather than a ultra-small streaming return. The CD has such a rich local history including Brett Huus of Soundstrations baking the tapes that WPR had almost discarded, and truly took a community to obtain all the licenses and prepare liner art. You can listen right here too:
Siena Christie - a closeted Disney princess a finalist
Self described as a “Closeted Disney Princess” Siena Christie saw her lose one of her glass slippers as the pandemic hit and quickly the dreams of touring with a new CD evaporated. Teaching music and writing in Vancouver WA (sister city to Portland OR) was solace and if you believe her “Desert Island Companion” song she coped and survived with her significant other without killing each other. Wasn’t that somewhat of many of our tales in 2020? 2021 came along and she was gently pushed by some friends to submit a song to the Great River Folk Fest Songwriting contest , and maybe the return of the second glass slipper.
Kerrville TX meets LaCrosse WI
Little Kerrville TX an hour away from San Antonio and 2 hours from Austin, has been running a folk festival since 1972, while LaCrosse WI has hosted the Great River Folk Fest since 1976. Both have flourished and survived the ups and downs of interests in "folk" music. Kerrville has a much bigger name, but the GRFF has made a mark and truly has welcomed and raised children right in the community for long time love of craft and Americana music.
Chaislyn named Songwriter Finalist
The Great River Folk Fest in La Crosse WI recently named Chaislyn from Baton Rouge LA as one of the 12 finalists in their 2021 Songwriter Contest. At 20 years old she is the youngest and adds this honor to an impressive list of recognitions including being a Kerrville New Folk Finalist in 2021 as well. Her voice talent is where her recognition started being a recipient of the Golden Ticket in the ABC’s American Idol back in 2018, but she has dedicated herself since to refine her songwriting skills.
Catie Jo Pidel named folksinger finalist
Vincent Zurkinden, Catie Jo Pidel, Stefan BehlerCaludo. When the band Caludo first submitted the song Arrival to the Great River Folk Fest Songwriting contests, the judges immediately said, “Love their sound” and “Very well polished stringband.” Only to find that this trio was from Zurich Switzerland, calling their music "Swissicana." Ok one of the prizes would be a booking to the fest, not airline costs so they bounced a quick note back and they said, don’t worry our fiddle player is from Minnesota so we’ll figure out a US tour. Just this week, Caludo was named as part of the 12 finalists. Interesting, that fiddle player turned out to be Catie Jo Pidle a Mounds View native who has a rich history in bluegrass music in the MN/WI region. From a young age of 13 when she played a grandstand show at the Minnesota State Fair, she was talented scouted to play on Prairie Home Companion. FIVE times she had an opportunity to play on the show culminating in her playing her own composition “Sweet” and sit in with as a member of the Shoe Band.
12 Finalists named
Since the Great River Folk Fest Songwriting contest went on line during the pandemic, it has turned the little La Crosse WI fest into a magnet of incredible music, Don't think for a moment that these artist won't venture to our little corner of God's County. Many artist found their way through a huge folk fest in Texas called "Kerrville Folk Fest" or many other connected music sites in social media that were formed to help each each other during the pandemic. One is called "Viral Music - Because Kindness is Contagious" Kindness was at the core of keeping the submissions "FREE" and guess what so many more people are asking and thinking about coming to the beautiful part of Wisconsin we call home.
Great River Folksinger Factoids
With the online songwriting contest, the festival started an interview tradition last year to meet all the finalists that we're quarantined at home in 2020. This year Dave Schipper decided to do it again, but have a little more fun. Stephen Cobert started up new ultimate list of interview list called the Cobert Questionert, so the Great River Folksinger Factoids survey was created. With six finalists chosen at the beginning of the month, Dave has six recorded and released.
Last week of Songwriter Submissions
The Great River Folk Fest has over a decade long tradition of hosting a songwriter contest at the fest the Sunday of the three day festival. In 2020 with the covid cancelling the fest, they took the songwriter contest on-line with a boon in submission regionally, nationally, and even globally from Germany, Spain, and South Africa. To show compassion to the artists, the fest waived any fees for submissions.
Theocles featured in Songwriter highlights
Theocles who made his way into the 2020 Great River Folk Fest Songwriting finals with a beautiful a cappella song "Where the Clovers Grow", he's now mastering looping and becoming his own one man band. The song "For You My Love" layers a guitar percussion, vocals, and riffs for Theocles to use within a song written as an ode to his true love. Yes, I'm sure your own true love would love you to work so hard to them a song; many times trying this looping leaves a musician looking like a monkey trying to install a modern child car seat. Theocles has it down and since December has left his temporary Rochester MN home, and focus on music touring, and teaching in his home state of Virginia. During his time at Rochester he found many friends within the strong Rochester Songwriting Group. If you have a desire to write songs, you should look up this group. A strong and supportive group to help you on your journey. https://www.facebook.com/groups/rochsongwriters.
Kerosene Kites to play the Great River Folk Fest
Sunday at the Great River Folk Fest in LaCrosse has always been the culmination of the Songwriter contest, but because it's online this year it affords them the chance to bring current and past songwriter winners and finalists to the fest. Erik Kjelland was a finalist in 2020 and quickly made an impression in the 2021 contest with a submission from the duo Kerosene Kites with Beth Kille. Week One highlights of the contest that open submissions runs through Jun 30th featured their video. These prolific songwriters and co-founders of Flannel Fest began co-writing in the fall of 2013 after both were members of the Nashville Songwriters Association - Madison Chapter. Shared experiences of life on the road and supportive families at home allowed for a common lyrical bond and a basis for their holiday-themed North Star Sessions album released in December 2014. Another Christmas cd was released in 2016 and a non-holiday "Float Away" in 2017.
Jack Ringhand Featured
Jack Ringhand & Lara Robertson of Tall FolkLara Vlietstra. Jack Ringhand, a 2011 Onalaska High graduate has taken a musical journey in life and now has found himself in beautiful New Zealand and highlighted on a recent Great River Folk Fest songwriting feature. Dave Schipper one of the first-round judges had to do a double take when he saw the gorgeous setting for the video and the new duo. Many might know Jack from his local gigs at Elmaro Vineyard or The Red Pines, but Dave remembered him for taking the stage during a break of a Rose River wedding gigs. The tall lanky high school kid played impromptu and was a hit for his sister’s wedding audience.
Folk Fest names first six finalists
Last year's contest put such pressure on our first round judges, they had to pick a finalist EACH week. While it built excitement the pressure was huge, and they watched artist they would have pick in week two still not picked in week 11, so we changed it up this year. The contest is shorter to give us time to actually put on a fest this year, and we went with two announcements in the 8 week first round. Well we still find ourselves with enough great submissions we could pick all 12, but we're starting with this awesome six pack of finalists. Our contest is about the song, yet we are also driving to picking a performer to play the fest. We would love any one of these people at the fest. Plus we know our friend Brett Huus will love to host them in his Grammy winning Soundstration Studios in LaCrosse WI.
Great River Folk
33+
Posts
40K+
Views
Bringing acoustic, folk Americana musicians and news to the LaCrosse WI area. A year round lover & promoter of musicians that have played the festival the weekend before Labor Day.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.