Mile 12’s First 50 Artists!

MILE OF MUSIC ORGANIZERS ANNOUNCE 12th FESTIVAL; FIRST 50 ARTISTS, AND NON-PROFIT FUNDRAISING INFORMATION 

APPLETON, WIS. (May 1, 2025) – Mile of Music organizers announced the return of its 12th festival July 31-August 3 in Downtown Appleton. Organizers of the acclaimed original music celebration also revealed the “First 50” artists set to perform over its four days, with another 150 acts and music educators ready to be announced in small groups in the immediate weeks ahead. The First 50 is brought to you in partnership with Fox Communities Credit Union, who has been a community partner with Mile of Music since the very first festival in 2013.  

The event’s creator and producer, Willems Marketing & Events, discussed The Mile Team’s plans and preparations for the festival which will feature 200-plus musical acts, 40 host venues and stages, and an estimated 650 live music sets and additional pop-up performances.  

“We are excited to announce the twelfth Mile of Music Festival,” said Dave Willems, experience curator for Mile of Music. “We’re looking forward to even more original music in Downtown Appleton this summer and we’re so grateful to our partners and supporters for helping to make the music happen.” 

Throughout the next 90 days, Mile of Music will continue to announce artist lineups, pop-up showcases, volunteer opportunities and more. 

Mile of Music has earned an international reputation with original music artists, their agents and original music aficionados, and remains a free and fully accessible event with a true community flavor and spirit. In total, more than 1,100 musical acts and nearly 100 music educators have performed or presented in Downtown Appleton at Mile of Music since 2013.  

The festival layout itself will again stretch between the Lawrence Memorial Chapel on the east end to the Emmett’s and Spats outdoor stages on the west end, plus several music spaces off The Avenue at Rookie’s to the north and two stages to the south in The Flats – Riverside Bar & Grill and Stone Arch’s Outdoor Stage. 

The team will continue to curate Listening Rooms, which have become a big hit throughout the four days with fans who enjoy and prefer a seated, theater-style venue. Bose will again be the sound partner for each of the Listening Rooms, which has expanded to more than 10 spaces overall where a premium is placed on listening. “The addition of even more Listening Room spaces allows attendees who prefer listening environments to have their very own ‘festival within the festival,’ Willems said.  

The Music Education Team, in collaboration with Lawrence University, will be back with more than 25 educators and guest artists making their way through the festival, leading interactive, hands-on sessions where attendees of all ages and abilities make the music themselves.  

As with past years, fans are expected to travel from all 50 states and several countries to see the original music artists and festival. Following the First 50 announcement, many fans will take to social media, Spotify and more to begin discovering their new favorite artists and setting their gameplan for who to see at the fest’s 30-plus stages. 

As for the First 50 artists announced, they hail from 15 states, plus Washington, D.C., 3 countries and, of course, from right around the corner as well. 30 of the first group will appear at The Mile for the first time, and 20 are returning acts, with 10 based in Wisconsin. The Mile of Music Team anticipates that about 40 percent of this year’s lineup will feature Wisconsin artists, or artists with direct Wisconsin ties. A large contingent from Nashville in the First 50 continues to underscore the growing connection between Music City’s hundreds of original artists and the specialness of Appleton’s evolving music scene.  

The slate of 50 artists announced Tuesday is only the start of a continual Mile 12 unveiling over the next six to eight weeks of what will be more than 200 bands, combos, solo acts and music educators who will make up the impressive 2025 lineup. In all, more than 600 musicians will descend upon Appleton for the four-day event.  

Mile of Music is free for the community to enjoy, but it is not free to produce. Along with the First 50 unveiling, non-profit partner Appleton Community Music discussed the need for donations to keep the music happening. Nancy Krueger, president of the volunteer-run Board of Directors for Appleton Community Music, shared information on how to donate to help fund artist performance fees and artist hospitality, music education and more. Appleton Community Music was established as a tax-exempt non-profit focused on helping sustain Mile of Music and supporting original music in Appleton overall. Donations to help ACM reach their $395,000 goal can be made at appletoncommunitymusic.org, or by contacting [email protected]. 

Willems noted that the festival will again rely on hundreds of volunteers and nearly 100 key sponsors, community collaborators and production partners who band together to make such a major effort possible. Without the help of sponsors, donors and volunteers, the festival cannot happen. Those interested in sponsoring or partnering with Mile of Music can email [email protected]. Volunteer opportunities will be launched in mid-to-late May. 

As noted, additional artists – including a significant number of local and state acts – will be announced throughout May and June, and fans can keep an eye on the festival’s social media platforms and website for updates.  

Festival organizers estimate the number of attendees for Mile 12 may eclipse 100,000 with an estimated spending impact of $6.5 million-plus. Ongoing information about Mile of Music can be found at mileofmusic.com or by searching @mileofmusicfest on most social media channels.  

Here is the “First 50” grouping of original music artists set to play, along with their communities of origin:  

 The First 50 announcement is brought to you by Fox Communities Credit Union. 

 New Artists/First 50  

• Will Hoge (Nashville, TN) 

• The Kentucky Gentlemen (Nashville, TN) 

• Bombargo (Saskatoon, Canada) 

• Nur-D (Minneapolis, MN) 

• Rabbitology (Ann Arbor, MI) 

• Spencer LaJoye (North Bay, CA) 

• Dean Owens (Scotland) 

• Aleksi Campagne (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) 

• Kaki King (Brooklyn, NY) 

• Whitney Mongé (Nashville, TN) 

• Me(a)g(h)an (San Francisco, CA and Harrisburg, PA) 

• Winyah (Nashville, TN) 

• Moonglow (Milwaukee, WI) 

• Rudy Love & The Encore (Wichita, KS) 

• Lightwatch (Muscle Shoals, AL) 

• Holy Pinto (Milwaukee, WI) 

• Wim Tapley & The Cannons (Athens, GA) 

• R-NØT (Washington, D.C.) 

• Flamy Grant (Asheville, NC) 

• McKinley James (Nashville, TN) 

• Goldpine (Nashville, TN) 

• Secret Menu (Watertown, WI) 

• Mizzy (Milwaukee, WI) 

• VEAUX (Nashville, TN) 

• Lauren Housley & The Northern Cowboys (Yorkshire, United Kingdom) 

• Admiral Radio (Columbia, SC) 

• Katie Dahl (Baileys Harbor, WI) 

• Runner of the Woods (Nashville, TN) 

• Todd Carey (Sturgeon Bay, WI) 

• Adam Bohanan (Minneapolis, MN) 

Returning Artists/First 50 (continued on page 4) 

• The Vegabonds (Nashville, TN) 

• Adeem the Artist (Knoxville, TN) 

• Stephen Kellogg (Connecticut) 

• Crys Matthews (Nashville, TN) 

• Garth. (Brooklyn, NY) 

• Post Sex Nachos (Nashville, TN) 

• Reyna (Milwaukee, WI) 

• Kristin Andreassen & Chris Eldridge (Nashville, TN) 

• King Margo (Nashville, TN) 

• Terra Lightfoot (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) 

• Chestnut Grove (Philadelphia, PA) 

• Candy Ambulance (Troy, NY) 

• The Delta Routine (Milwaukee, WI) 

• Scorched Waves (Stevens Point, WI) 

• Alaina Stacey (Philadelphia, PA) 

• Kristin Diable & The City (New Orleans, LA) 

• Black Note Graffiti (Ann Arbor, MI) 

• Fox Royale (Joplin, MO) 

• Valley Fox (Milwaukee, WI) 

• Wild Adriatic (Glens Falls, NY) 

3 Responses to Mile 12’s First 50 Artists!

Steve Felling says:

May 1, 2025 at 5:51 pm

After much consideration after looking over your list of the first 50. I have to say that I’m very disappointed with your selections. I’ve been to your festival 5 times and I have to say that this is your weakest lineup so far. Granted there are a few gems there but not enough to warrant a long road trip. How about adding some quality names. I know that “Angela Perley”,”Coral Moons” and “Paul Childers” have for sure applied. How about bringing back crowd favorite “Sweet Lizzy Project”? What about “Evan Bartles”, “Wildermiss”, “Buffalo Rose”, “Nigel Wearne”, “Megan Slankard” and “Bandits On the Run”? I’m sure that most of them have that week open. I know that you have only 200 slots open but come on, pick some higher quality and popular ones too. Unless your next 150 picks improve me and my friends may have to boycott this years festival. Sorry for the long rant and letting me give you my 2 cents worth.

Reply

• Karen W says:

  May 1, 2025 at 7:09 pm

  You do realize that this is only the partial list, don’t you? Maybe wait until the full list is published before complaining about this COMPLETELY FREE event’s line up? And I’m personally wondering if you are also a financial supporter of the Mile and realize just what it costs to bring these artists to a small market like Appleton. Not to mention the amazing support the artists get while they are here.

  Reply
• Mile of Music Festival says:

  May 5, 2025 at 2:36 pm

  Hey Steve! Thanks for your thoughts and feedback. As others have jumped in to mention, these are only the First 50 artists of our lineup. We love all of the artists you mentioned, but there are many factors that go into play here: 1) We have 200 spots, yes, and about 50% of those are reserved for Mile alumni. We now have about 1,100 alumni to pick from to fill ~100 spots. Would we love to have everyone back? Yes, of course. But we are also a festival that’s based on discovering your next favorite. And who knows… your next fave might be in our current or upcoming lineup drops! 2) Sometimes artists outgrow our budget/festival, and that is totally okay! We are often able to bring them back throughout the year for other shows. 3) Just because someone isn’t back this year, doesn’t mean they’ll never be back. 🙂 4) Their availability. Many artists aren’t touring as often anymore due to rising costs, personal circumstances and more.

  Here’s our Spotify playlist if you’d like to start discovering for Mile 12 (more artists to come this week): https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1TxK9Mpf2d79sXBhANIklh?si=77d0d464b08a4107&nd=1&dlsi=f354c7fafaf94e4a

  One more quick thing: Megan Slankard is part of the Me(a)g(h)an duo, along with Meaghan Farrell!

  And just a reminder that we are a free, community-supported event. 🙂

  Have a great day, and see you on the Mile!

  Reply