Arts-Music

There’s no sweeter time than August to explore some good old fashioned American roots music.

Christopher Swann wanted to be a writer since age 13 and claims he’s “late to the writer game.

I love the movies – popcorn, candy, dark, air-conditioned theater.

Art lovers can now take a virtual tour through the past 90 years of the Museum of Modern Art.

Streaming services have kept us entertained while social distancing, with an abundance of content showcasing STEM culture.

Many die-hard Dylan fans don’t know that the legendary folk singer briefly lived in Wisconsin. Inspired by his time here, in 1961 he drafted an ode to the dairy state. Conserved on a torn sheet of paper for 56 years, the unpublished lyrics sold at auction for $24,000 in 2017. One verse reads:

It’s easy to write off prison as a faceless holding pen for the convicted. San Francisco-based artist and photographer Nigel Poor challenges us to see prison in a new light.

With the number of bands, festivals and related academic programs in our state, Wisconsin has lots to offer on the music front. For some of us of a certain vintage, growing up here meant believing that music can not only entertain, but also change your life.

The 75 acres of Henry Maier Festival Park have served Milwaukee in a variety of ways. Most recently, the park helped Milwaukee earn the moniker City of Festivals, hosting Summerfest, “The World’s Largest Music Festival,” and 28 other cultural festivals and events.

Country USA prepares to host its 23rd annual festival with an expansive lineup and attendance reaching nearly 130,000. This one-of-a-kind event draws the biggest country stars, thanks to huge crowds that turn out, affordable ticket prices and an expansive, convenient campground situated next to the concert stages.

Over 100 sponsors, 230 artists and thousands of music lovers are gearing up for the sixth annual Mile of Music in Appleton from Aug. 2-5. This handcrafted music festival is known for its novelty and no-cost nature: 1,000+ original live performances packed in 70+ venues over four days in 1 mile of Appleton’s downtown area, mostly without charge.

For the music lover seeking a festival offering on-site wedding ceremonies and tattoos, look no further: Cadott, in northern Chippewa County, hosts its 25th annual Rock Fest July 12-14.

“Summerfest is a festival for the people,” Scott Ziel, associate booking director, Summerfest, says about the iconic event.

Denny Rauen knows a thing or two about music in Wisconsin.

Imagine watching The White Stripes perform in a 200-person capacity tavern, so intimate you can see the sweat rolling down Jack White’s face.

Sofar Sounds is changing the way you listen to music by curating live shows in unique spaces. The catch? The show’s location and artists are kept secret until the day before.

After just one performance during a school talent show at West Middleton Elementary, third-grader Skylar Stecker knew she wanted to be a professional singer. Six months later, Skylar and her family relocated to Los Angeles so she could pursue her dream. At 13, Skylar released her first album “This Is Me.”

Following the departure of African World Festival in 2013, Milwaukee is being reintroduced to a revived version – Black Arts Fest MKE. Although not affiliated, it will still honor and celebrate African and African-American culture by highlighting different forms of artistic expression through music, dance, educational activities, art and food.

Gigging is great fun for Mistrial, a five-piece band from the Fox Cities, but members have no plans to quit their day jobs. Not with impressive titles like corporate CEO and circuit court judge.

In 2015, Eau Claire saw an estimated economic impact of $35.6 million from five major music festivals, one of those being Eaux Claires, a two-day music and arts festival started by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Aaron Dessner of The National.

How do you put 25 years of stories into words? Sometimes, you can’t. That’s how Giving Gallery: Community in Process, a first-of-its-kind art exhibit, came to be.