The second year of Justin Vernon's Eaux Claires Music & Art Festival looks to be as eclectic and unpredictable as the first.
Beach House, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and Vince Staples — all hot fixtures on the summer festival circuit in 2016 — are some of the biggest but least-surprising names on the lineup for the two-day musical camp-out, scheduled again Aug. 12-13 along the Chippewa River in Vernon's hometown of Eau Claire, Wis.
More out of left cornfield are neo-soul hero Erykah Badu and another tour-shy artist, British electro-soul crooner James Blake, along with a hodgepodge of influential veteran artists such as Mavis Staples, the Melvins and Bruce Hornsby. Yep, that Bruce Hornsby, who — like last year's similarly anti-hipster pick the Indigo Girls — will play an album in its entirety ("The Way It Is").
Even Vernon's decision to one again perform with Bon Iver could be deemed a surprise, since his Grammy-winning act hasn't played since last year's Eaux Claires. The festival's other curator, guitarist Aaron Dessner of the National, will debut an all-star Grateful Dead tribute act called Day of the Dead with his brother and bandmate Bryce Dessner, who will also perform separately with famed indie songwriter Bonnie "Prince" Billy.
Other names on the lineup include Jenny Lewis, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Lucius, Deafheaven, Phosphorescent and many Twin Cities acts such as Har Mar Superstar, Kill the Vultures, Fog and Tickle Torture.
Two-day tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. for $169 via eauxclaires.com, or $300 for an "enhanced" pass. Newly reconfigured campground sites are also on sale for $169.
Fans who already bought advanced tickets to Eaux Claire's second year were mailed out an old-fashion mixtape last week — as in, it really came on cassette — which provided them with clues to the lineup.
Here's the full Eaux Claires 2016 confirmed list of performers in alphabetical order:
