Eau Claire rocker Justin Vernon to host hometown music fest

With two big country fests and a classic-rock bash already held in the area, residents of Eau Claire, Wis., will see a more cutting-edge music festival come to town next summer, organized by someone who knows the place well: Grammy-winning hometown star Justin Vernon, of Bon Iver.

Eau Claire County's planning and development committee approved permits Tuesday for Vernon's Eaux Claires Music and Art Festival, scheduled July 17-18 on the grounds of the 25th annual Country Jam, just west of Eau Claire.

Named best new artist by the Grammys in 2012, Vernon has partnered with New York-based concert promoter Crashline Productions to produce the event. Crashline also runs Boston Calling, an underground-rock-flavored festival in downtown Boston where the Replacements and Spoon performed last summer.

The permits allow for 25,000 people to attend the festival, with two stages and a big tent for performances. Films and visual arts also will be part of the lineup, and overnight camping will be offered at the site, in the town of Union.

"There's a lot of excitement around this," said Crashline representative Chris Langley. Given its location in Vernon's hometown, he expects Eaux Claires — French for "clear waters," the name given by early explorers to the Eau Claire River — to stand out from the proliferation of rock festivals around the country. "There's a special connection there."

Colleen Bates, who represents Union on the county board of supervisors, said local support for the festival was "almost universal" given the success of Country Jam and the fact that a local kid is helming the event.

Vernon, 33, was raised in Eau Claire and now lives and runs a recording studio east of the city, in the town of Fall Creek.

The owner of Revival Records, an independent record shop in Eau Claire, believes the festival could draw fans from all over.

"I'm sure Justin can make this a success with his influence in the music industry and his cool, eclectic tastes," said Billy Siegel, who often welcomes out-of-town Bon Iver fans into the store — and Vernon himself.

"I think he'll surprise people with this. That's his thing: to do something unexpected and pull it off."

The festival falls on the same weekend as the popular Pitchfork Music Fest in Chicago, which would make it an easy trek for acts to play both festivals. First Avenue nightclub in Minneapolis sidelined plans to host its own festival that same weekend.

While no hint has been offered to what the music lineup for Eaux Claires might look like, expectations are high that Vernon will perform at the festival as Bon Iver. He sidelined the name/band not long after the Grammy win in 2012 and moved on to other recording projects.

Whoever winds up playing, Siegel said, "It'll definitely be different than what we already have around here."

In addition to Country Jam — which already has Eric Church and Blake Shelton lined up for the weekend after the Eaux Claires fest — the area plays host to Rock Fest and Country Fest in nearby Cadott. All the events host overnight camping in addition to several days of music and draw heavily from the Twin Cities.