Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, USAJuly 27-29, 2023 |
The Prairie Dog is one of the most laid-back blues festivals out there! It is held every year on historic St. Feriole Island in a beautiful city park, right on the Mississippi River and nestled between jagged cliffs and green hills untouched by the Ice Age! Once you get that cold drink in your hand, great tunes in your ear and good, friendly people all around, you’ll realize you’re at one of the most beautiful venues anywhere and will soon be calling yourself a Prairie Dogger!  This year’s festival features: Grammy nominated artists John Primer and Victor Wainwright & The Train as well as High Mileage, Kris Lager Band, Tullie Brae, Orphan Jon & The Abandoned, Kyle Renfro, Duwayne Burnside, Reverend Raven & the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys (Featuring Westside Andy), Nick Schnebelen, and Jane Lee Hooker. Tickets and camping are available online after May 15 at www.prairiedogblues.com. Information on accommodations can be found at www.prairieduchien.orgor by calling 800-732-1673. Like our Facebook page and watch to win free tickets to the Fest!  There are some hard choices to be made at The Prairie Dog! You can either get up out of your chair, stretch and walk a few yards to the beer tent or you can have one of these lovely ladies bring your drink to you! Decisions, decisions! Camp right on site with your friends and meet new friends! Typical walk from your site to the gate of the festival is 200-300 yards. Food & drink as well as campfires, singing, playing music and telling stories is strongly encouraged. It is a 1 block walk off The Island and you are downtown surrounded by family owned pubs, restaurants and small retail stores. Most of the downtown pubs this year will have bands as well. If staying in a motel is more your style, blues fest shuttles will get you to the fest in a 5 minute drive or less! |
| Lodging: If you’re thinking about a motel, you need to book now and tell them that you are coming in for the blues fest, just in case we are blocking a room that they are not telling you about. You can even camp right at the fest grounds! Complete area lodging and camping information is available on our website. We hope to see you at the Fest! Tickets: You can order tickets online on May 15 or over the phone after June 15 at 1-608-326-0085. The handling and processing cost is lower through our online shopping cart vs. by telephone. Tickets are $40 for one day and $75 for both days. Advance ticket pricing good through July 15. Orders placed July 16-22 will not be mailed, and will be waiting at the Will Call gate. No online or phone ordering after July 22. Tickets will be available at the gate.Venue and Directions: The Festival is held on historic St. Feriole Island, right on the Mississippi River. Click here for detailed information on how to get to the Prairie Dog Blues Festival via automobile.Information: For additional information about accommodations or about the city of Prairie du Chien call 1-800-732-1673 or visit prairieduchien.org | Thursday, July 27th, 2023 – FREE KICK-OFF PARTY2 Bands – 6 hours of free live music! High Mileage & Kris Lager Band Free Thursday night Kick-Off Party! The party will start at 5:00pm and run until midnight featuring High Mileage & The Kris Lager Band on alternating stages, so music all-night long and its free! Did I mention this is a free night, no ticket required! If you are camping, you can still camp for free Thursday night! We are advertising our camping now as a 3-day campsite, but if someone just wants to come for Thursday and try out the fest, they can still camp for free. Now if they choose to leave, we’re guessing they’re either cheap or just crazy! Neither one is a crime, so all good! Shuttle service will be running to all hotels in Prairie du Chien & Marquette/McGregor, IA. Absolutely no carry-ins of food or drink. All food vendors and non-food vendors will be set-up and open for business at 5pm. Plenty of beer, pop, water, alligator, barbeque, etc. so you shouldn’t leave hungry!High Mileage has dedicated itself to reproducing rock from the 1980’s, 1990’s, and 2000’s (…throwing in some country and modern pop) as well as thrilling audiences all over the midwest with the best songs built around strong vocal harmonies, instantly recognizable melodies, and irresistible dance songs. High Mileage takes their cues from artists like Bon Jovi, Journey, Bryan Adams to Queen, Luke Bryan and AC/DC (to name a few). A High Mileage show is always a guaranteed good time, filled with high energy, crowd-pleasing performances that get everyone up on their feet and dancing! Kris Lager has become an underground cult hero of sorts. An uncompromising musician and charismatic performer who has cultivated a grassroots following and a career spanning over two decades. He has developed a unique ‘Celebrate Life’ message and mantra that emanates with every performance. A message that creates a congregation of dancing, singing, and clapping people with smiles on their faces everywhere he goes. He has fused together his passion for blues, soul, funk, zydeco, country, and almost every other ‘American Roots Music’ into a contemporary and refreshing musical gumbo full of soul and spiritually uplifting rhythms and melodies. Many people are calling him one of the finest songwriters, performers, and guitarists of his generation and for good reason too. Kris Lager’s gravely voice and stirring lyrics combine the realness and authenticity of the blues with a keen sense of the human condition. A Lincoln native based out of Omaha, Nebraska, Kris and his band have built a reputation as a hardworking Independent band refusing to play by industry rules or pander for awards and accolades. They just hit the road and the stage with an intense purpose of expressing themselves through uplifting music while engaging and respecting their audiences. Friday, July 28th, 2023Tullie Brae 5:30pm  The soulful blues singer and multi-instrumentalist credits her musical gift to Gospel music like so many great soul singers before her. Tullie’s musical journey started when she began singing in church where her Daddy was a preacher near the cotton fields and wetlands of the Blues . She played piano, drums, bass & guitar and early on assumed the role of choir director. Her artistic reputation grew within the Gospel community which led to touring professionally with Gospel groups.Not only are Tullie’s influences steeped in Gospel music, while traveling and performing she was introduced to the many sounds and forms of different genres of music. Her Gospel roots naturally segued her into the Blues where you can still hear and feel the hints of Soul along with her grit of Rock. Tullie’s self-penned original material ranges from Delta Blues to Rock infused Contemporary Blues music that tells the stories of love, happiness, heartbreak, pain and life experiences. She has powerful vocals, impeccable stage presence and engages with her audience from the time she steps on stage until the last note is played. John Primer 7:30pm  Born in MS on sharecropper land, John Primer migrated to Chicago in 1963 with a dream of performing with Muddy Waters.He got his start at Maxwell Street playing for tips with Pat Rushing’s band, then getting hired at the famous Theresa’s Lounge as a lead guitarist for the great Junior Wells and Sammy Lawhorn. He was taught here by all the legendary bluesmen. From here he was noticed by Willie Dixon. After going on tour with Willie, Muddy Waters noticed him and took John as his bandleader fulfilling his lifelong dream! After Muddy’s untimely death John went to work with Magic Slim as a Teardrop for the next 13 years. John was signed by Atlantic Records in 1995 and went out independently with his own Real Deal Blues Band. He has his own Blues House Productions record label and tours all over the world. He is truly one of the very last real deal, traditional, bluesmen alive today! John Primer is a Blues Hall of Fame Artist with 2 Grammy Award Nominations. He won numerous awards including 2 Lifetime Achievement Awards, 3 Blues Music Awards and a Jus Blues Award for being a Blues Icon. Victor Wainwright & The Train 9:30pm  Born into a musical family in Savannah, Georgia, the formative influence of his father’s vocals and grandfather’s rolling boogie-woogie piano compelled Victor into a life of music. By 2005, he’d announced his talent with solo debut, Piana’ From Savannah, while his central role in Southern Hospitality and partnership with Stephen Dees in WildRoots has seen him ignite stages and stereos for over a decade.Among his numerous accolades: Wainwright has won six total Blues Music Awards, charted #1 on the Top 10 in the U.S. Billboard and was Nominated for a 2019 GRAMMY. A man of many talents, Wainwright is a composer, producer, vocalist, piano player and award-winning entertainer. A long-standing leader of the boogie-woogie pack, he could refer you to his BMA and long list of Blues Blast trophies, or a catalog that has repeatedly hijacked the Billboard Top 10. But rather than dine out on past glories, this questing artist would rather you joined him for the ride ahead. “Of course, I still play and write songs that are just about kicking ass and taking names,” he laughs. “But if you listen, what I’m really saying is, we got to get on the train and move forward with our love of roots music, together.” Though his career began over a decade ago with genuine rock n’ roll honky-tonk, Wainwright has broadened his artistic scope over the years to include music representing virtually every corner of the roots music world. His insatiable interest in music discovery, sheer love for entertaining and curiosity have led him all around the world, and the resulting perspective is a reflection of his passion for entertaining and creating progressive roots music in an effort to move the art-form forward. Victor Wainwright is a raucous high-octane, dynamic performer and crowd pleaser with soul to spare. Wainwright is a charging locomotive – surging forward, crashing through boundaries of genre, sweeping up fresh sounds and clattering headlong past the doubters. On this white-knuckle ride, only The Train could keep the music on the tracks. “I ended up with a hit-squad of downright amazing musicians that shared my curiosity for all corners of the roots genre. We wanted to capture how we feel performing, right smack-dab on the records we make, and I believe we’ve done that. Now I just try to keep up.” Kris Lager Band Under the Tent  Kris Lager has become an underground cult hero of sorts. An uncompromising musician and charismatic performer who has cultivated a grassroots following and a career spanning over two decades. He has developed a unique ‘Celebrate Life’ message and mantra that emanates with every performance. A message that creates a congregation of dancing, singing, and clapping people with smiles on their faces everywhere he goes.He has fused together his passion for blues, soul, funk, zydeco, country, and almost every other ‘American Roots Music’ into a contemporary and refreshing musical gumbo full of soul and spiritually uplifting rhythms and melodies. Many people are calling him one of the finest songwriters, performers, and guitarists of his generation and for good reason too. Kris Lager’s gravely voice and stirring lyrics combine the realness and authenticity of the blues with a keen sense of the human condition. A Lincoln native based out of Omaha, Nebraska, Kris and his band have built a reputation as a hardworking Independent band refusing to play by industry rules or pander for awards and accolades. They just hit the road and the stage with an intense purpose of expressing themselves through uplifting music while engaging and respecting their audiences. Saturday, July 29th, 2023Kyle Renfro 1:00pm  Up and coming blues artist Kyle Renfro brings a high energy blues rock guitar show. His setlist is a mix of high energy originals, and classic blues rock covers. Based in La Crosse, WI, Kyle is expanding out as far as he can reach with his newly revamped trio, featuring local powerhouse players Dave Orr (Drums) and Tim Powers (Bass).Duwayne Burnside3:10pm  Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Duwayne Burnside is one of 14 children born to legendary North Mississippi musician R.L. Burnside and his wife, Alice. He has been a frequent performer with the North Mississippi Allstars since the early 1990s, when that group, fronted by Luther and Cody Dickinson, formed. The young Burnside learned his first few guitar licks and chords from his father, but proved a quick study and soon began playing with local club owner Junior Kimbrough and the Soul Blues Boys. Growing up in Holly Springs, he was close to Memphis and soon had the chance to sit in with Little Jimmy King, Albert King, B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and others.Duwayne also began playing in his Dad’s band, Sound Machine Groove, where he further honed his skills as a guitarist and showman. He recorded for Hightone and Fat Possum Records with his father’s group before moving to Memphis, where he opened his own club, Burnside Kitchen and Grill, near Highway 61. He booked the music, cooked the food, sold the beer, and had his own band perform there on a weekly basis. In 1998, Duwayne traveled to Los Angeles to record his first album, Live at the Mint, as Duwayne Burnside & the Mississippi Mafia. After returning to Memphis, he decided to take a break from the bar business and settled back home in Holly Springs. In 2001, he joined the North Mississippi Allstars on-stage for the first time in Birmingham, Alabama, and that led to incessant touring with the band. He recorded with them on their third album, Polaris, and is featured on two of the group’s EP’s. In 2004, he opened another version of the Burnside Blues Cafe in Holly Springs and formed a new band that fused soul blues with hill country blues. His albums under his own name include Live at the Mint (1998) and Under Pressure (2005), both for B.C. Records. Burnside continues to tour, helping to keep the North County, Mississippi hill-style blues flourishing. Reverend Raven & The Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys (Featuring Westside Andy) 5:20pm  A favorite far and wide for two decades, Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin’ Altar Boys featuring Westside Andy Linderman play traditional blues, straight up with a big dose of passion. Smoking grooves, hot harmonica and smooth, stinging guitar pepper their original songs with nods to Slim Harpo, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and the Three Kings.Nick Schnebelen 7:30pm  Multiple Blues Music Award Winner From 2018 to 2022, Nick Schnebelen and his band have toured North America as the opening act for George Thorogood and the Destroyers. Nick clearly has the blues-rock power to fill that slot with regular standing ovations. When not supporting Thorogood, Nick headlines his own tours in USA and Europe. Nick got his introduction to the worldwide Blues community in 2008, along with siblings Danielle and Kris, as a founding member of the Kansas City band Trampled Under Foot. They overwhelmed the competition to win that year’s International Blues Challenge, with Nick claiming the Albert King Award for “Best Guitarist”. The band later won the “Contemporary Blues Album” Blues Music Award. Nick left the band in 2014 and proceeded to release three original albums under his own name. Nick and his band along with some special guests have recently completed his next in studio recording, “What Key Is Trouble In?, soon TBA for March 10, 2023 release. This new music is the follow up to Nick’s critically acclaimed 2019 release, “Crazy All By Myself.” on Vizztone.Jane Lee Hooker9:30pm  Jane Lee Hooker exploded out of New York City in 2015, and won instant acclaim in the US and abroad with their debut album of revved-up blues covers No B! The band was signed to legendary German blues/rock label Ruf Records, and returned in 2017 with a set of originals titled Spiritus. The five members of Jane Lee Hooker have decades of playing experience, punching the clock in bands including Nashville Pussy, Bad Wizard, Helldorado, Lez Zeppelin, punk rockers The Wives (managed by CBGB’s owner Hilly Kristal) and Plasmatics offshoot New Hope. Jane Lee Hooker toured extensively behind No B! and Spiritus, and played to packed houses across the U.S. and Europe, including Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and the Czech Republic. The band returned to Europe in May/June of 2022 for a run of dates in Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Belgium. Jane Lee Hooker has shared stages with acts including Train, Sturgill Simpson, Samantha Fish, the Allman Betts Band, Jenny Lewis, Umphrey’s McGee and Portugal. The Man. In a world full of manufactured bands, and live shows backed up by hard-drives, Jane Lee Hooker play rock ‘n’ roll the way it’s meant to be played – loud and with passion. JLH’s fiery live performances have made them a must-see live act.Orphan Jon & The Abandoned Under the Tent  Orphan Jon (Jon English) is an American Roots and Blues artist originally from Bakersfield, California. Overcoming an abusive and unstructured childhood, he has found his direction through music leading to the formation of Orphan Jon and the Abandoned in 2015. Since forming, OJATA has steadily grown in popularity due in part to its high energy and musical passion they display while performing. Roots and Blues is their lifeblood, and it shows in their eclectic originals and selective interpreted covers. Orphan Jon is a unique artist, and along with The Abandoned, has an energy and style that not only captures the traditional fans of the blues, but also has them steadily gaining a younger audience as well. Orphan Jon and The Abandoned is a band that totally captures the essence of what American Music is all about; hard work, rough life, grinding days, moving souls, touching hearts and heartfelt love, day to day, and all the time.——————————————————————————— |
| Questions? Call Todd at 608-326-0085 or email us at info@prairiedogblues.com Copyright (C) 2023 Prairie Dog Blues Fest. All rights reserved. LONG LIVE THE BLUES! | |
