Flannel Fest
Flannel Fest
Ft. The Record Company, The Mascot Theory, Beth Kille Band, American Scarecrows
November 21 @ 6:00 pm
Friday, November 21
Flannel Fest
VIP Entry: 4:45 PM | GA Doors: 5 PM | Show: 6 PM
Tickets on sale June 24 @ 10 AM
Flannel Fest has become an annual celebration of Americana music, with all proceeds supporting the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund. Bust out your favorite flannel attire and join the fall-inspired party! Featuring The Record Company, with support from The Mascot Theory, Beth Kille Band, and American Scarecrows.
We are proud to once again partner with the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund, the non-profit beneficiary of Flannel Fest. The Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund (KWW/CF) is a statewide non-profit initiative dedicated to providing essential heating and cooling services to thousands of elderly, disabled individuals, veterans, and working families with young children in crisis. Through the generous support of the public, private sectors, businesses, and individuals, KWW/CF offers preventative services and financial assistance to prevent energy-related emergencies. The fund serves as a crucial safety net, ensuring that those most in need can remain safely in their homes. Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, matching grants, and dedicated attendees, Flannel Fest has raised over $169,000 for KWW/CF.
The Record Company:
The rock/roots trio of Chris Vos (guitar, lead vocals, harmonica), Alex Stiff (bass, guitar, vocals) and Marc Cazorla (drums, piano, vocals) has already been hailed by LA Weekly for “making bluesy music that would sound more at home in a sweaty, backwoods Mississippi juke joint,” while Time Out Los Angeles has described their sound as “reminiscent of some of the best acts of the ’50s and ’60s—like if John Lee Hooker and the Stooges had a well-behaved love child.” The comparisons are apt.“We have been influenced by early electric blues, so some of that influence certainly shows,” acknowledges Vos. “But we’re just as influenced by bands like the Stones and The Stooges as we are by blues legends like Hooker, Muddy Waters and Jimmy Reed.” On The 4th Album, the band uses the same microphones that have been dropped at bar gigs a few too many times, and the same tarnished 2008 computer with recording software mostly laughed at by today’s standards. The album cover shows a hand-cut metal sign given to the band by a fan at a 2021 show in St Louis, Missouri. For the live show, the band is performing as a trio again, purposely scaling back bigger lineups they’ve used in the past. “We keep going back to a less-is-more philosophy with the new songs, and that translates to the show as well. The space between us is the 4th member,” says singer Chris Vos.
The Mascot Theory:
The Mascot Theory leans heavily into folk and classic rock influences; Eagles/America harmonies, a bit of Rolling Stones guitar swagger and ZZ Top blues rock, a dash of the Pink Floyd mood, but never straying far from the core of the Tom Petty/Beatle-esque importance of solid melody and lyrics. Famed producer Terry Manning (Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Lenny Kravitz) and the band assembled at Sonic Ranch Studios in TX to record songs for their full-length “Every Sign Of Life” album, released in early 2024. Along with a WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) win for Best Male Vocalist (Erik Kjelland) and a nomination for Best Americana/folk artist, The Mascot Theory has won over 30 MAMA (Madison Area Music Association) awards including back-to-back 2016 and 2017 Artist of the Year awards. They have played major festivals throughout Wisconsin including Summerfest, Freak Fest, and Mile of Music Festival, and have shared the stage with BoDeans, America, Don McLean, The Jayhawks, Old 97’s, Vance Joy, Frank Turner, Chase Rice, Kaleo, The Wild Feathers, Guster, Blitzen Trapper, Cory Chisel, Andy Frasco and the UN, Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts, American Aquarium, and Lillie Mae.
Beth Kille Band:
At first glance, you may not know what to make of them. The farm boy, the intellectual, the ex-Marine, all backing up a wild-haired, acrobat. But then, the show begins, and you know you’re about to be wrapped in the arms of a cohesive unit, bonded in the kinship of music. The four members of the Beth Kille Band – Michael Mood (bass, backing vocals), Tony Kille (drums), Michael Tully (guitar, backing vocals) and Kille herself (guitar, mandolin, vocals) – have amassed some impressive accolades. In addition to the numerous songwriting recognitions, Kille grabbed one of her 30 Madison Area Music Association (MAMA) Awards when she was named “Artist of the Year” in 2010 and Tully snagged the highly-competitive “Guitarist of the Year” Award in 2014. Their style can best be described as Americana-Rock but these dynamic performers can play everything from folk to funk to in-your-face rock.
American Scarecrows:
Listening to American Scarecrows’ music feels like late nights spent with your friends in hopeful revels, reflective pangs, and vulnerable heart-to-hearts. The Minneapolis trio-singer-songwriter Seth Davin on guitar backed by the rhythm section of Allen Maier on drums and Matthew Broadbent providing the low end – matches their storytelling with an indie-pop sensibility, rounded out with tastes of folk-rock, country, and Americana. Their straightforward pieces greet listeners with evolved emotions and earnest solidarity. Bassist Broadbent spent years touring with Somerset (Epitaph/Punknews Records), while Davin and Maier logged many miles touring across each of the lower 48 as half of Dropping Daylight (Sony/Octone). This group only makes considered moves and refuses to compromise their craft to fit general one-size-fits-all models or modes. In a CityPages interview ahead of their last album release, Davin simply stated “You can only be the artist that you are” and this refreshing honesty and authenticity resound through their albums, Keep Your Devils Around (2011) and Yesteryear (2014). The band is back with their third LP entitled Drawing Little Pictures (2022). Fans of The Wallflowers, Band of Horses, and The Jayhawks will definitely find a place on their playlists for American Scarecrows.