Music

Eaux Claires Teases 2016 Lineup With Mixtape Featuring Bon Iver B-Side

Eric Christenson, photos by Eric Christenson |

Those trusting enough to purchase early bird presale tickets to the 2016 Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival were sent a custom-printed analog gift in the mail starting last weekend. It’s an honest to goodness two-hour cassette mixtape containing b-sides and rarities from artists on the yet-to-be-fully-released lineup of music acts and artists (the entire lineup comes out on Thursday).

Aside from an exclusive Bon Iver b-side called “Haven, Mass” (listen), there’re tracks by Bruce Hornsby, Fall Creek Boys Choir (a collaboration between Vernon and UK producer James Blake), My Brightest Diamond, Jon Hopkins, Shabazz Palaces, Nathaniel Rateliff, members of The Arcade Fire, Eau Claire’s own beatmaker Sloslylove, and more.

With the slate curated by Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner (The National), the festival is set to finally show you who’s playing on August 12 and 13 in Eau Claire.

Lots to digest here, but the main takeaways from these two-hour tapes should be 1.) Clearly, the spirit of collaboration will be ever-present at this year’s fest again, and 2.) You never know who the curators are gonna pull in, and that’s wonderful. Here’s the full tracklist:

SIDE A

1. “Introduction”
2. Bryce Dessner with So Percussion, Sean Carey, and Justin Vernon – “Music For Wood & String (Translucent Remake)”
3. Catsax – “Chrome Walk”
4. “Pay to Play”
5. Shabazz Palaces – “Substance Provider”
6. “How to Enjoy Music”
7. Noxroy (Andrew Fitzpatrick) – “Untitled”
8. Tenement – “Vultures Demo”
9. “Phone Games”
10. Bruce Hornsby “Reichian Mood”
11. Sam Amidon “Big Din-Dins Field Recording”
12. Fog – “Selections for Deux”
13. “EXC Radio Transmission”
14. LNZNDRF – “Beneath The Black Sea”
15. Kill The Vultures – “Return My Body (Remix)”
16. William Tyler – “Venus in Aquarius”
17. “Strong Man”
18. Justin Vernon & Aaron Dessner – “I Find Out”
19. Taggart and Rosewood – “Numbers (Instrumental)”
20. Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld – “Music For Film”
21. Buke and Gase with So Percussion – “Ancient Remix”
22. Jon Hopkins – “Sleeps”
23. Phil Cook – “I Won’t Crumble With You If You Fall”
24. Charlotte the Neighbor Kid – “Riverbank”

SIDE B

1. “Good Music”
2. Tom Wincek – “Untitled (Live at High Noon)”
3. Lisa Hannigan with Katie Fallon and Zoe Randall “Anahorish”
4. “Prepare Yourselves”
5. Har Mar Superstar Introduces – “Froggy”
6. “Health and Safety Announcement”
7. Tickle Torture – “Warmer Weather”
8. Jack Raymond/Tenement – “Frightening Place for Normal People and Farmers”
9. Senyawa – “Kata”
10. “Robert Louis Stevenson”
11. Richard Reed Perry – “Heaven For Meg”
12. Fall Creek Boys Choir – “Untitled 2”
13. sloslylove – “So Sleepy”
14. “Rowdy Rod”
15. Nataniel Rateliff – “On This Train”
16. “Bass Sound”
17. Bon Iver – “Haven, Mass. (b-side)”
18. Jon Mueller – “Untitled”
19. “Don’t Play So Loud”
20. My Brightest Diamond – “Bronze Head”
21. “Where Are All The Bass Guitars?”
22. Aaron Dessner & Justin Vernon – “Big Red Machine (original)”
23. “Goodbye”