This festival is a low-key gem that attracts a rich vein of local and national talent. We caught as many acts as we could so we could share them with you!

Annie Mack & her band. Photo credit: Carol Roth

In 2019, my favorite act, The Cactus Blossoms, drew me to the Great River Folk Festival. Located in Riverside Park, mere steps from the Mississippi, the event was until then unknown to me, but it swiftly won me over with its mellow atmosphere and constant stream of music from a slew of talented artists. The festival features three nights of concerts as well as intimate song swaps between acts during the day on Saturday and Sunday.

The concerts are great—they kick it off strong on Friday and bring a sense of culmination to each full day of the festival. But the song swaps—that opportunity to see artists interacting with each other, the audience and their own music in different ways—really make the festival something special.

The festival was canceled, of course, in 2020—opting for a virtual alternative—so its lure was even more irresistible in 2021. Jaclyn and I couldn’t make it to the Friday concert or stay for the Sunday night one, but during the time we had, we saw as many acts as we could.

Some were familiar favorites for us, and some were brand new. Some had a full band and others were there with just their guitar. Some were only there for the swaps while others reappeared on the main stage for the bigger concerts at night. But to a person, everyone we saw brought their whole self to every performance, and there wasn’t one we didn’t enjoy.

Saturday: An Odyssey of Music

Every Great River song swap is a little different, I’ve learned in my two years attending the festival. Three or four acts gather, either on the main stage or at one of several other tented areas, and take turns performing songs, loosely based around a theme that’s completely up to the group whether or not to ignore. They may play to a full house or a smattering of people, depending on the time of day and how many are going on simultaneously. Sometimes they explain their songs before launching into them, sometimes there’s organic accompaniment of one another, and other times the acts just quietly take turns playing. Occasionally one of the acts is late, or doesn’t show up at all.

Our first swap of the day, located on the main stage, was titled “Be Bold” and featured a new-to-me act, someone I’d seen at the 2019 festival, and one of my and Jaclyn’s local faves.

Shanna in a Dress. Photo credit: Carol Roth.

First up was one of the few non-Midwest performers: Boulder, Colorado-based Shanna in a Dress. She reminded me immediately of a young Tina Fey, beautiful and smart and goofy, and her first song was a comedic dating profile of herself that drew big laughs, so it backed that first impression. But a song or two later her painfully honest song about her difficult relationship with her father brought a lump to my throat, so there’s a lot more depth to her as an artist. To start to get a full picture of this utterly charming performer's songwriting range, you should really listen to both “Wanna Go Out” and “Daddy’s Little Girl.”

Greg Gilbertson. Photo credit: Carol Roth.

I was excited to see Greg Gilbertson again. I remembered being blown away by his virtuosic guitar picking and charmed by his eagerness to accompany the other performers on their songs in 2019, but this time I listened more closely to his singing and grew to appreciate him as a thoughtful lyricist with an appealing voice that he modulated to this more mellow performance but that also held its own later that night, when he appeared with his full band. “Time” was a standout song that showcases his singing, guitar chops and lyrics.

Annie Mack (l) & Mary Cutrufello (r). Photo credit: Carol Roth.

Our biggest draw to this stage (and the festival) was Annie Mack. This Minnesota artist’s music is heavy on the blues (the genre she’s best known for) but expertly weaves in other Americana elements like rock and country. (You can read more about her and her music in our review of her EP and our Q&A with her. She was late to the swap but arrived in time to do a few songs.

We were overjoyed to see Mack had brought Mary Cutrufello to accompany her on guitar. We’d first experienced her face-melting electric guitar skills at a Mack concert earlier in the summer and became instant fans. Now we got to see another side of her talent as she squeezed an immense amount of soul out of an acoustic guitar.

I know Mack’s most recent EP, Testify, like the back of my hand, so interestingly some of her older songs were standouts to me at the festival. For instance, “Seem Like Sorrow” is a cathartic rocker from 2013 about the pain of losing her mother, but it translated really well to an acoustic set too. Mack’s spine-tingling voice sounds just as magnificent with a single guitar backing it up as it does buoyed along by a full band.

After a quick food-truck lunch, we were back at the main stage for the next swap. I barely knew these artists’ music so it was pretty much all new to me.

Minneapolis-based artist Siri Undlin, who performs under the name Humbird, was up first. Her clear, melodious voice and expressive guitar-playing are so pretty that her razor-sharp lyrics come as a surprising (and welcome) contrast. My favorite song was her 2017 social commentary song “Kansas City MO,” which is about all of America (as she explained, she just named it after the city she happened to be in when she wrote it) and eloquently expresses the mixed feelings many of us have about this country: “You're living in America / You can't count on anything / Empty promise, empty bowls / We got good ideas, can't patch the holes / But we're living in America / We're all counting on this thing.” Check out Humbird’s brand new single, “May” that dropped August 27!

The next performer, Johnsmith, is a Wisconsin native and a Great River Folk Festival mainstay, whose gentle good-natured energy comes through both in his stage patter and his evocative singing and songwriting, grounded in everyday life but swelling with optimism and humanity. If one song epitomizes the best of Johnsmith’s gift, it’s “The Medicine,” which takes a simple encounter with nature and expands its meaning in ever-widening circles.

Danny Schmidt (l) & Carrie Elkin (r). Photo credit: Carol Roth.

The third act was Austin, Texas-based husband-and-wife duo Carrie Elkin and Danny Schmidt, who are each acclaimed solo artists in their own right. They took turns singing and playing lead and accompanying one another. Elkin’s voice and acoustic guitar playing are absolutely beautiful, as showcased in her soaring 2017 single “New Mexico.” Schmidt’s lyrics were even more of a highlight. His 2005 song “Stained Glass” (which he played later that night at the concert) was so lyrically rich and packed with emotion I was practically gasping at every line.

The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League. Photo credit: Carol Roth.

Next we drifted over to one of the smaller tented areas, which felt even more intimate and casual because there was no stage—the performers sat in folding chairs on the grass just like us. Annie Mack and Mary Cutrufello were back, joined by three members of The Gentlemen’s Anti-Temperance League, a giddily fun and incredibly talented Minneapolis sextet that specializes in old-fashioned swing and hot jazz. As you can guess from their name, they have a few drinking songs under their belts, including the darkly fun “In Vino Veritas.” Speaking of darkly fun, they also covered Squirrel Nut Zippers’ “Hell” in their set, much to Jaclyn’s delight!

Arriving a little late, Tim Fast nonetheless shone in this swap as well. He joked that people kept telling him to write a happy song but that he hadn’t succeeded yet. Indeed, my favorite songs were one about Chernobyl and a less-than-upbeat tune called “Circling the Drain”! I couldn’t find videos for either of them, but I did find my third-favorite, a protest song called “Stand Up.”

Mary Cutrufello. Photo credit: Carol Roth.

Annie Mack dazzled the audience again, and as a surprise bonus, Mary Cutrufello sang one of her own songs, a funny but down-to-earth country tune about her travails as a package delivery driver called “The FedEx Song.” We now know Cutrufello is a great solo artist in her own right and are looking forward to seeing more of her in the Twin Cities!

As newly minted fans of Shanna in a Dress and Humbird, we were eager for the next showcase, which consisted of them and Trempeleau, Wisconsin-based folk legend Eddie Allen. A folk singer in the classic tradition, he doesn’t mince words in his songs, which are full of pointed humor and social commentary. I couldn’t find videos of the most biting songs he did in the swap, but here’s a beautiful number called “Trempeleau Hotel” that can give you an idea of his style. Recordings of his newer music (he basically came out of retirement as a musician five years ago) are hard to find, so catch him live if you can!

The three of them had a great rapport as they traded songs both topical and soul-baring, but I had to dip out of the swap early so I could catch another song swap involving Eli Gardiner, a prolific Twin Cities-based songwriter with thoughtful and thought-provoking lyrics. I interviewed Gardiner a few months ago but hadn’t been able to see perform live yet. I particularly loved a brand new song he did called “Black Crow,” but it’s so new there’s no video of it available. Here’s another recent song I love, “Make Me Cry Again.”

Gardiner was joined by Wisconsin-based David Nash, another incredibly prolific songwriter I’d seen at the 2019 festival. He had a set of brand-new songs to share, and his style (both in songwriting and singing) had developed and deepened even in the two years since I’d last seen him. I loved his story song “Paul Bunyan’s Lament” (which also inspired him to write a novel on the same topic!) and other newer songs I couldn’t find the titles of (but the first one in this Facebook Live is one of them).

The third artist in the swap was Don Harvey, a last-minute pinch hitter who filled in for another musician who couldn’t make it. A mellifluous voice accompanied by guitar and harmonica told stories both socially conscious and personal. I particularly enjoyed “Piper and the Princess,” a love song he says he wrote before then actually meeting the love of his life!

After that last excellent song swap, we had just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat before the main stage show began. The chairs under the tent had filled up quickly by the time we sat down and the sun was just beginning to dip lower as Greg Gilbertson again took the stage.

Accompanied by his entire band this time, he delivered a high-energy set of rock-infused folk music that started the night off right. Having only seen him as a solo act before, I was impressed by how he expanded his sound and presence to command the stage in front of a bigger audience. Gilbertson is a pleasure to watch and listen to, and I hope I can catch another full band show of his soon. Looks like he mainly performs in Wisconsin, but I’ve definitely got my eye on him and will look for more opportunities.

Next up, Carrie Elkin and Danny Schmidt reappeared, and we were treated to more of their incredible storytelling and harmonizing, including the aforementioned “Stained Glass,” a song I’m still thinking about days after the show. It looks like they’ve canceled upcoming in-person events for the time being for safety concerns, but hopefully they’ll get back on the road in the near future.

Chicago Farmer and the Fieldnotes. Photo credit: Carol Roth.

The third act, Chicago Farmer and the Fieldnotes, was one I’d heard of but thought I hadn’t ever seen before. (More on that in a bit.) Fronted by Cody Diekhoff, the band delivered a rousing set of working-class story and protest songs and funny, engaging stage patter. Chicago Farmer is not only an immensely talented band, but every song speaks to an ethos of community, justice and sticking up for the little guy. Jaclyn and I were both blown away by them.

It’s hard to pick a favorite because every song in the set (some of which sounded strangely familiar to me) was a standout, but if you put a gun to my head, I guess I’d go with “$13 Beers,” a fun and relatable song about overpriced alcohol that they customize to whatever venue they’re playing. (They called out the fact that the Great River Folk Festival only charged $5 per drink!)

A small number of audience members started to trickle out by then, no doubt exhausted by a full day of music, so I took advantage and moved to a front row seat between sets, because I knew what they didn’t know: The next act was not to be missed. Annie Mack returned, with her full band this time, to close out the show and bring down the house. The open area in front of the stage was soon full of dancers, and each song was followed by thunderous applause. Nearly 10 hours since her first set of the day, Mack brought as much energy as I’ve ever seen from her.

When I know someone is going to be great I like to sit back a bit and enjoy the reactions of people just discovering them, and that’s what I did that night. I was delighted when she played my favorite song of hers, the swaggering and defiant outlaw-country-infused “Judge and Jury.”

Jaclyn and I returned to our Airbnb exhausted but elated. Even though I knew I needed sleep, I was too wired, my brain and body trying to process all the amazing music I’d experienced. Eventually I managed to drop off, and woke with not enough rest but energized at the prospect of more music.

Sunday: shorter but just as sweet

I was back at the main stage the next morning for the first song swap of the day. Shanna in a Dress and Greg Gilbertson were joined this time by two acts I’d seen at the 2019 festival for a lively and loving tribute to the great songwriter John Prine, who was taken too soon by the coronavirus early in the pandemic.

First up were Tim and Jenny Kolek with some of Prine’s best-known songs, including “Angel from Montgomery” and “In Spite of Ourselves.” Tim’s apparently a local Wisconsin favorite who’s a banker by day, and plays solo or sometimes with his wife and/or daughter. One of the most charming things about this festival is that it attracts bigger-name acts but also brings you completely local artists you wouldn’t otherwise encounter if you’re coming from out of town! I couldn’t find a video of the duo, but here’s Tim Kolek playing “Scotch Song.”

Prine was such a versatile songwriter that each artist had ample songs to choose from that suited their personality and sound, and I loved hearing what they selected. Shanna sang a silly, suggestive song using made-up Hawaiian words and then the tear-jerker “Hello in There,” which perfectly encompassed her own range of songs. Gilbertson chose the thought-provoking “Taking a Walk” and the truly bizarre “Lonesome Friends of Science,” which matched my impression of Gilbertson’s complex and philosophical songwriting.

The fourth act on stage, Wisconsin-based Andy Hughes, I’d seen before at the 2019, doing an awesome set on the main stage with his band The Mighty Few, but he appeared solo this time. Hughes did great renditions of Prine’s songs in his appealing, down-home voice. You can get a flavor of his sound here on his own song “Tell My Darlin’.”

For this swap, Hughes chose one of my favorite Prine songs, “The Speed of the Sound of Loneliness,” and the iconic pro-marijuana ditty “Secret Smile.” That one, along with many songs in the swap, became singalongs. I don’t know Prine’s songs very well but I was touched by how many in the audience did, and how the show felt like friends getting together to remember a loved one who had passed.

(l to r) Tim Kolek, David Schipper, Greg Gilbertson, Shanna in a Dress. Photo credit: Carol Roth.

That sense was intensified even more when the four acts called Great River Folk Festival’s main organizer, David Schipper, up on stage for one final song. With Schipper playing and singing lead, the entire lineup performed “Paradise,” and the crowd sang along to the final chorus.

My heart full, we grabbed a quick lunch and headed to one of the smaller areas for one of my most highly anticipated acts of the festival, the wildly talented and iconoclastic newly Minnesota-based Jake La Botz. For a really detailed account of all my thoughts about him you can read our review of one of his recent shows, but suffice it to say, he’s brimming with talent and charisma and I was excited Jaclyn was getting the chance to see him live. His own tour schedule is up in the air, with September indoor shows being canceled, so I thought it might be my own last chance to see him live for a while as well.

Like many of the acts at the festival, he’s equally comfortable playing solo or with a band, so he did a fantastic job here. He’s got a lot of weird, humorous, fast songs, but he mainly opted for his slower sadder songs here, such as the beautiful heartbreaker “Grace of the Leaves.”

One of the three acts slated for the swap was a no-show, so the two who appeared got more stage time than usual. Although I can’t help wondering what I missed from the third artist, I was more than happy to spend some extra time with the songs of La Botz and the other act, John Louis. I’d heard of Louis mainly because in a deep dive to find content about The Cactus Blossoms, I’d found the two main members of that band, Jack Torrey and Page Burkum, had sung backup on one of Louis’s songs. Not knowing anything else about Louis, I was blown away by his set.

Not only is he a great musician and vocalist—being able to stand out on the same stage with La Botz is a testament to his talent!—but his songwriting is phenomenal. La Botz himself called out a particularly great line (“Hole in the drywall size of a fist, shape of a heart”) after hearing Louis perform his new song “Gone Too Far.” For me, it was the whole first verse of his other new single “Shut Down” that made my jaw drop. I didn’t buy much music at the festival but I did get a CD containing only these two singles, and I can’t wait to get to know Louis’s music better.

The swap was over too soon, so I was thrilled that the next one—the last of the day before Jaclyn and I had to head home, sadly missing the Sunday night concert—also featured La Botz and Louis, as well as Cody Diekhoff, aka Chicago Farmer, performing solo this time. John Louis performed the song he’d done with The Cactus Blossoms—2015’s “So Sorry,” a gorgeous tearjerker from the POV of his late father. La Botz did a stunning song about addiction, “The Hotel (Fix Me Now)”, and possibly my favorite tune of his, a tragicomic story song of a Jesus-loving criminal, “The Bankrobber’s Lament.”

Chicago Farmer. Photo credit: Carol Roth.

I was so glad Diekhoff was the third act onstage with La Botz and Louis—not only because I was eager to hear more Chicago Farmer songs but because I knew he’d be able to hold his own with these two giant talents. He’s another who’s equally at home playing solo as with his band, so his contributions to the song swap were outstanding.

It was only when he played “Two Sides of the Story,” a social justice song inspired by the murder (and subsequent character assassination) of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, that I became convinced I’d seen him before. His songs were so familiar! I began to search my memory for when it could’ve been and finally remembered: One of my favorite bands The Sapsuckers had done a ton of livestreams in 2020, including a few live from their Wisconsin farm, and Chicago Farmer had been one of their guest performers. It was funny I hadn’t remembered that, yet the songs (especially this one) were memorable enough to be recognizable now.

The song swap ended as I had this revelation—sadly, it was time for me and Jaclyn to return home—and I left reeling with the power of music to make statements and connect people, imprinting itself into our brain for years and years. I hope you’ll check out each and every one of the artists I managed to catch—and block off August 26-28, 2022, so you can meet us in La Crosse for the next Great River Folk Festival!

Carol Roth is a full-time marketing copywriter and the main music journalist and social media publicist for Adventures in Americana. In addition to studying the guitar and songwriting, Carol’s additional creative side hustle is writing self-proclaimed “trashy” novels under the pseudonym @taberkeley!

Event Review: 2021 Great River Folk Festival in La Crosse, Wisconsin

Saturday: An Odyssey of Music

Sunday: shorter but just as sweet

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