Shoe Fest Holiday Jam 2023Come celebrate the holiday season and another wonderful year of Shoe Fest with some of our most favorite people.One big set of music and collaboration featuring our host band Old Shoe with very special guests Allie Kral(formerly of Yonder Mountain String Band and Cornmeal), Paul Bolger(Mr. Blotto), Wavy Dave (Cornmeal), Scott Tipping (Backyard Tire Fire, Sun Beard), and more yet to be announced!!
Old Shoe is a five-piece Americana Roots Rock band based out of Chicago, Illinois. Made up of talented songwriters from across the country, hailing from as far away as Alaska, the band’s compositions paint a diverse landscape of American life.Their 2013 album Family went on to be selected as the Best of 2013 Local Album by AAA radio station, 93.1FM WXRT.They have also continued to round out the Midwest festival circuit at high-profile events like Summer Camp, Wakarusa, Harvest Fest, and Phases of the Moon and opened for Grammy-award winning Bruce Hornsby, Leftover Salmon, Keller Williams, and Greensky Bluegrass and even produced 11 consecutive installments of their own festival, Shoe Fest.
Paul Bolger is the singer songwriter and co-founder of Chicago's own, Mr. Blotto. The band has played 3000 shows in 19 years fueled by these songs and this voice.
"Wavy" Dave Burlingame of Cornmeal.
"The standout set of the day was Jaik Willis. As a one man band, this guy’s energy alone is astonishing. He doesn’t just sing, he belts his lyrics out, all while hammering on his guitar, dancing around, and stomping his feet as if the energy of his music is just flowing out of every end. His songwriting style is really unique as well; he doesn’t always use hooks or choruses, instead often weaving these extended prose-poetic verses filled with candid humor. The acoustic Flying V guitar might suggest rock star but Willis is a genuine raconteur, as unpretentious as it gets. Near the end of his set is where things got even better. Following a shout of “Beat Box!” from the back of the barn, Willis said, “That sounds like a request” and jumped into a dazzling ten minute improvised beat box version of “Superstitious.” He went from spinning folk rock yarns to spitting a sharp, almost electronic-sounding remix of a funky classic… with only his mouth and a microphone. Jaik Willis is one hell of a talented musician." - (Soundfuse Magazine). "Whether playing progressive folk music on his acoustic guitar, beat boxing while singing at the same time, shredding an electric guitar for a jazz project or yodeling for Bassnectar, Jaik Willis always has tricks up his sleeve and the ability to impress in so many ways." -J-man (MusicMarauders: News, Reviews & More). "Jaik is a hardcore troubadour somewhere in between Steve Earle and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He has wandered around the USA like a modern minstrel, surfing sofas, car camping, and paying dues to sing the blues. It is a high energy solo show featuring Jaik's horn-like voice darting around a blistering broken-string approach to his acoustic flying V guitar, with original songs that are accessible, and message driven" - (Chicago Jams). “He has a most unique soaring falsetto and a wild eyes rolled in the back of his head fierce guitar style. He writes original songs, including a fantastic song about Freedom (the gas station). Jaik's sound is somewhere between Anti-Folk and The Band and it is unlike anything I've heard from anyone else. His energy is fierce, his vocal range is inhuman, his beard is long.You've gotta check this guy out.”- ( Independent Music Center )