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 with some of Wisconsin's most talented and decorated Wisco-Americana artists as well as artists from across the country. Flannel Fest 2024 will be held on Friday, November 15 at Tanner’s Grill & Bar in Kimberly, WI and Saturday, November 16 at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison, WI. The lineup for both events will be co-headliners* Old 97’s and Blitzen Trapper, as well as The Mascot Theory and Beth Kille Band.  *Old 97's will headline the 11/15 Kimberly, WI event and Blitzen Trapper will headline the 11/16 Madison, WI event.

 

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. Over the past decade, Flannel Fest has raised over $137,000 for the KWW/CF, thanks to the generosity of sponsors, matching grants, and dedicated attendees. https://kwwf.org/

 

LINEUP:

Old 97's

Formed in Dallas, Texas, Old 97’s first emerged in the early ’90s with an adrenaline pumping blend of rock and roll swagger, punk snarl, and old-school twang that quickly brought them into the national spotlight. Conventional wisdom places the band at the forefront of a musical movement that would come to be known as “alternative country,” but, as the New York Times so succinctly put it, their sound always “leaned more toward the Clash than the Carter Family.” Fueled by breakneck tempos, distorted guitars, and wry storytelling, the foursome built a reputation for high-energy albums and even higher energy shows, earning themselves performances everywhere from Conan and Letterman to Bonnaroo and Lollaplooza alongside countless rave reviews. NPR lauded the group as a “pioneering force,” while Rolling Stone hailed their music’s “whiskey-wrecked nihilism and slow-burn heartbreak,” and The New Yorker praised their songwriting as “blistered, blasted, and brilliant.”

 

Blitzen Trapper

Oregon's Blitzen Trapper make music that combines elements of country, folk, Southern rock, and progressive Americana. The band elicited critical acclaim in 2007 for their independently released third album Wild Mountain Nation, which landed them a deal with Sub Pop. They hit a creative peak with 2008's Furr, a collection of 13 songs that boiled down their many influences into a cohesive, unique Americana sound, and continued to flex their creative muscle and garner accolades on subsequent efforts like American Goldwing (2011), All Across This Land (2015), and 100's of 1000's, Millions of Billions (2024). The foursome inked a deal with Yep Roc for their tenth full-length, 2020's Holy Smokes Future Jokes, returning in 2024 with 100's of 1000's, Millions of Billions, a ruminative set inspired by frontman Eric Earley's interest in Buddhist texts and meditation.

 

The Mascot Theory

The Mascot Theory leans heavily into 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 Petty/Beatles/Poco-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.

 

Beth Kille Band

At first glance, you may not know what to make of them. The farm boy, the quiet intellectual, the ex-Marine, all backing up a wild-haired, shoot-from-the-hip, spirited woman. 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. 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. Their 3rd studio album, "This Open Road," was released May 26th, 2023.