
Mile 4 brought plenty of talent to Appleton this weekend. Some of our favorites included Wild Adriatic, Hubby Jenkins, Elle Winston, LOLO, Kristin Diable, and the Dreamers.
But, what really struck us about this year’s festival was the sophisticated talent of the homegrown performers. We watched Peridot fill the Lawrence Chapel with its soaring harmonies and tender lyrics and felt lucky to be there.
If chapel walls could talk, the Lawrence Chapel would tell the story of Hillary Reynolds and her perfect pitch. I’ve seen Hillary perform in every type of venue, from classroom, to high school stage, to New York coffee house, to Chicago club. Saturday night in Appleton, I believe we saw Hillary and her equally talented partner Trevor Jarvis reach new levels of richness and depth. Their set ranked as one of our festival favorites. Buy the Peridot CD. You’ll be glad you did.
Another performer on the cusp of national acclaim is Jon Wheelock, whom we’ve now seen perform several times as well. I messaged him after I first heard him sing at last year’s Mile of Music to tell him how much we had enjoyed his voice. He said, “Thanks…I’m so just a bass player though.”
So not true. Wheelock ‘s lovely tenor and moving lyrics earned him a standing ovation each time I saw him and his tireless band J-Council perform. I bought their CD and plan to start each day with his optimistic “Sun to Sun.” I’m actually listening to it right now and it’s making me smile. “This is our day from sun to sun. Every day is perfect if you let it be one.”
In a charming coincidence that turned out to be something of a theme for the home town performers, both Wheelock and Reynolds performed with their fathers, on stage.
Adopted hometown performer Adriel Denae also coaxed her father on stage for her set at the Outer Edge.
We’re lucky to live in a city that supports a nationally acclaimed music fest. We’re even luckier to have the opportunity to support performers year-round and to enjoy their world-class talent right down the road.













This Peridot song, written by Hillary in honor of her grandparents, took my breath away. Enjoy.
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