Music

Music Quick Hits 2 | June 2017

Eric Christenson |

We first met Sage Leary when he was a young 14-year-old songwriter doing his thing and pumping out blues-infused rock tunes with skill that well-surpassed his age. He’s still on the grind with his latest record “Already There” which released late last year, a collection of songs that touch all kinds of crazy genres like rock, blues, folk, psychedelic, funk, and more. Sage just graduated high school online with eAchieve Academy and even got to play some of his new songs at his graduation in Waukesha for tons of people, and he’s been keeping busy playing shows locally at farmers markets, outdoor events, and other venues at a rapid pace. His newest record has this infectiously huge sound courtesy of Studio H in Appleton, and when he attends UW-Eau Claire this fall, he said he’s looking forward to meeting other musicians and getting a band going. The 17-year-old already has a huge amount of musical prowess to his name and this definitely won’t be the last we hear from Sage Leary. You can catch Sage live at the Chippewa Falls Farmers Market in Avery Park on July 6 and the Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market on July 8. To learn more about Sage, and check his upcoming schedule, head over to www.sageleary.com


As part of Rockonsin, formerly Launchpad, a statewide high school garage band contest, the selected finalists get a shot at playing in front of one of the largest audiences imaginable at Summerfest in Milwaukee. Well, a local garage band called the Third Ward made it to the fest, and they’ll have that huge opportunity to play at the World’s Largest Music Festival this weekend. The band is made up of students from Memorial High School, North High School, and McKinley Charter School. So look out for The Third Ward as they start making raucous rock waves in a big way.


Hot off a huge festival weekend, Country Fest – which saw headliners Blake Shelton, Eric Church, and Thomas Rhett this past weekend – announced they’ll shift their schedule around next summer to make it a three-day festival instead of four. Festival organizers say the decision came after a survey of fans found that 75% are in favor of a three day event instead of four. Last year, Rock Fest, which is organized by the same group as Country Fest, elected to shrink down from four days to three days as well.