The Blue Ox Music Festival in Eau Claire, Wisconsin was founded in 2015 with the vision of an intimate Bluegrass and Americana music experience. Both the festival and campgrounds are family owned and operated by a team with over 30 years of music festival experience. It is our goal to provide a fan-centric festival experience that is welcoming and approachable for people of all ages. Blue Ox features over 35 artists spread across 3 days on three stages and on-site camping.
Performers this year include Them Coulee Boys, Band of Horses, Sierra Ferrell, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Leftover Salmon, Watchhouse, and many, many more!
Tune into Converge Radio every Sunday at 3pm, starting April 7th and going until June 23rd- the week of the festival.
Ahead of tonight’s kickoff of three consecutive nights of local music celebrating the 43rd year of beloved Eau Claire festival Decadent Cabaret, Converge got a chance to talk with Decadent Cabaret committee member Andrew Liss. Andrew sheds light on what keeps the DC team excited, what’s new with the fest this year, and more…
How does Decadent Cabaret come together each year?
“There are a multitude of people that make Decadent Cabaret work. It wouldn’t be possible to pull off such a large event without the help of family, friends and the vibrant local music community, but at the very core of the festival, there are four individuals who do most of the planning and coordinating.”
What keeps you all motivated to take on the work of it?
“Honestly? The people. The excitement we see every year as we get closer to that first weekend of March. The buzz, the chatter, the electricity when people talk about it with their friends. People who have moved away make sure this event is circled on their calendar and they travel back for it, some hundreds of miles. The fierce loyalty from musicians and concert goers alike demand our very best and that keeps us coming back for more.”
What about DC #43 has you most excited?
“We are constantly looking for ways to better the listening and viewing experience. This year we’ve added Thursday night back into the mix after a few years of running just Friday & Saturday. That has allowed us to add more bands to the bill, this year topping out at 38 groups. We have shirts available for sale for the first time. We’ve also added a five minute grace period between performances to allow the crowd to shift from upstairs to downstairs and vice versa.”
Anything else you’d like to let area music fans know about Decadent Cabaret?
“This festival features some of the very best musicians in the Chippewa Valley and the vibrance they bring to Decadent Cabaret is unmistakable. Their passion and drive is on full display every show they perform, and we invite everyone to seek these groups out well after Decadent Cabaret.”
Full DC #43’s full lineup and daily schedule click here!
The Grammy-winning pianist Geoffrey Keezer is celebrated internationally for his highly regarded discography, unique compositions, and acclaimed performances in a variety of configurations. Keezer has been a major figure in NYC’s jazz piano scene since 1989, when he became the last pianist with the legendary Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Keezer has toured and recorded with Ray Brown, Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, Diana Krall, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Barbara Hendricks, Wayne Shorter, Dianne Reeves, David Sanborn, Chris Botti, Sting, Joe Locke and Christian McBride.
Time Magazine wrote, “Geoffrey has more than enough virtuosity and sheer musical wit and intelligence to weave all of his apparently disparate strands of influence into an original and compelling whole”, and pop icon Sting said “In the universe of piano players that I have been exposed to over the years, Geoffrey has proved himself to be not only a superb technician and improviser, but also above and beyond this, a composer and conceptualist who can maintain the overall line and the DNA of the song in everything he plays.
A musician’s musician.” Gillian Margot is a singer with a rare gift that makes people sit up and listen. She possesses an exquisite voice, a disarmingly wide range and a style that eschews jazz singer clichés in favour of an original, interpretive delivery grounded in a song’s lyrical and emotional content. A student of a generation of jazz legends including Oscar Peterson, Freddy Cole, Carol Welsman and Norman Simmons, she has since been invited to perform in major venues worldwide with top- tier talent, including rock icon Sting, jazz trumpeters Chris Botti and Jeremy Pelt, pianist Robert Glasper, famed soprano Kathleen Battle, conductors Wayne Marshall (London Philharmonic) and Jukka-Pekka Saraste (Toronto Symphony Orchestra).
Equally at home in the musical worlds of jazz, R&B, chamber, and pop, her voice and music can be also heard in commercials, feature films, and television programs including Jane Goodall’s Wild Chimpanzees (IMAX 2002), New Year (Doublesee 2010), Lethal Weapon (FOX 2016), The Young and The Restless (2016-2019), and One Good Reason (Alone.Calm 2020). In 2018, Margot collaborated with pianist Geoffrey Keezer on his latest album, On My Way to You (MarKeez). With Margot featured on five of ten tracks, Ted Panken writes that the vocalist and pianist “achieve an uncanny mind-meld on the co-composed ‘You Stay With Me’ — Margot projects her magnificent contralto to equally compelling effect both when conveying her tender, sensuous lyric and then improvising in dialogue with the piano during the latter section. They also co-wrote the percolating ‘Guanajuato’ (named for the Central Mexican city where they performed a duo concert), on which the protagonists engage in a protracted, intuitive musical conversation.” Her 2016 album, titled Black Butterfly (Hipnotic) is an artfully crafted set that showcases her multifaceted musicality and speaks to the singer’s passion for diversity. The album blends Great American Songbook standards, intriguing jazz originals, gutbucket blues, contemporary hip-hop flavours and uniquely personal covers of songs by Curtis Mayfield, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, and 80’s English rockers Simply Red.
Margot’s new album, Power Flower was released on vinyl in March 2021 (CD released October 2020) on Ropeadope Records. Keezer and Margot have been touring, writing and recording together for several years, including their 2018 album “On My Way to You” (MarKeez). They bring their unique vision of the vocal and piano duet to the Midwest in March 2024, performing familiar jazz standards, beloved pop songs and vibrant original compositions, in a varied and intimate set. Don’t miss these two world-class artists in concert together!
Blue Note Records is celebrating 85 years- that’s 85 years of bringing us some the world’s best music. Converge Radio will proudly showcase tunes from the iconic record label in lead up to the Pablo Center’s show on February 18th, featuring the Blue Note Quintet. Enjoy our four part series streaming on this website, on the TuneIn app, or on radio at 101.9FM in Eau Claire
Blue Note Records is celebrating their 85th Anniversary with a US Tour starring “The Blue Note Quintet” – A group brought together to honor the label’s rich history and pave the way for the eclectic artists of today’s roster. 6 Time Grammy Award nominee Gerald Clayton leads the band as Musical Director and Pianist; “Gerald Clayton is one of the most accomplished, distinctive and innovative pianists performing today” says Don Was, the label’s President since 2012. Rounding out the group is vibraphonist Joel Ross, Saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, Drummer Kendrick Scott, and Bassist Matt Brewer.
Blue Note Records is celebrating their 85th Anniversary with a US Tour starring “The Blue Note Quintet” – A group brought together to honor the label’s rich history and pave the way for the eclectic artists of today’s roster. 6 Time Grammy Award nominee Gerald Clayton leads the band as Musical Director and Pianist; “Gerald Clayton is one of the most accomplished, distinctive and innovative pianists performing today” says Don Was, the label’s President since 2012. Rounding out the group is vibraphonist Joel Ross, Saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, Drummer Kendrick Scott, and Bassist Matt Brewer
Live at The RCU Theater in downtown Eau Claire, February 18th
We gave it a trial run last week- now it’s official! Every Tuesday on Converge Radio, you’ll hear brand new music, all released within the last two weeks, from the hours of 8am to 4pm. Listen every Tuesday to hear some of the coolest new music! Thanks for listening, friends!
Your friends at Converge Radio are proud to announce a new community partner- Maxwell Strozzi! Every Wednesday, he will be hosting Bangers Only! – a celebration of pop-punk, emo, hardcore, and other rippin’ tunes!
Maxwell moved to Eau Claire at the tail end of the pandemic, and has already made their mark here as a musician and performer. As the lead songwriter and vocalist for the band Harbor Place, he toured the West Coast with Warped Tour in his early 20’s. Dude has been around these tunes and knows his stuff.
So tune in every Wednesday at 5pm Central for Bangers Only! with Max Strozzi!