Bloomington brewpub Upland Brewing Co. will present the Hillbilly Haiku American Music Festival Friday in Bloomington.
Many different bands and performers skilled in playing grassroots music will take part in this event, including Lydia Loveless, Kopecky Family Band and Murder by Death.
Tickets go from $15 to $18 at the door. Doors will open at 5 p.m., and performances will start at 6:30 p.m.
According to the pub’s website, all proceeds from the performance will go to land conservation organization Sycamore Land Trust.
“Every year we try to bring together Americana grassroots music together, and this year is no exception,” said Upland Brewery Communications Coordinator Emily Hines.
Alternative country singer-songwriter Lydia Loveless will open the festival. Loveless is from Columbus, Ohio, and her music is defined as classic country combined with punk rock.
She will promote her recent studio album “Somewhere Else” released by Bloodshot Records. Her performance will be a part of her U.S. summer tour schedule titled “In Your Neck of the Woods.”
The event’s headliner this year will be Midwest indie rock band Murder by Death. Murder by Death was formed in Bloomington in 2000.
It features five members: Adam Turla, Matt Armstrong, Sarah Balliet, Dagan Thogerson and David Fountain.
According to the band’s website, it is known for blending styles of rock, American noir and post-rock styles. It plays a range of music including instrumentals , rock and alternative country .
Nashville indie-rock band the Kopecky Family Band is also set to perform. The band consists of Kelsey Kopecky, Gabe Simon, Steven Holmes, David Krohn, Markus Midkiff and Corey Oxendine.
Their previous extended play titled “We’ve Got It Covered” was just released last year. The Kopecky Family Band plays a wide variety of instruments such as tambourines, guitars, keyboard, bass and horns.
Their music has been featured on various television shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Royal Pains,” “Parenthood” and “The Vampire Diaries.”
Besides the musical performances, there will also be Sycamore Land Trust representatives, Upland employees and community volunteers around with interpretative stations to explain the organization’s focus on conservation and recycling.
Upland Brewing Co. is a local brewpub that services award-winning ales, lagers and sours.
For the Hillbilly Haiku Festival, it will serve ribs, Mexican street corn, bratwursts, German potato salad, pulled pork and Seitan tacos as a part of its menu.
“We bring energy, good tunes and good food,” Hines said. “It’s a great event to party for a good cause. You are doing a good deed by having fun.”
