Has anyone checked in with the Baraboo Water Utility recently? There is something in the water of that central Wisconsin town turning normal, God-fearing kids into musicians. And fabulous musicians, at that.

Solskinn Music Festival
Boom Forest (solo),
Building on Buildings,
Fargo, GGOOLLDD,
Jeremiah Nelson, Old Earth

Saturday, August 16, 2014
The Shitty Barn; Spring Green, WI
2 PM to 10 PM; $15

No need to sound the alarm yet, churches of Wisconsin—there’s an abundance of spiritual philosophy in the Baraboo-meets-Nashville folk outfit Boom Forest, who independently released their latest self-titled album this January. Featuring hometown pals PHOX, the album is soft and sweet, exploring traditional themes like romance alongside stories of a “techno-evangelist bard from a post-apocalyptic American future.”

The album’s standout track, “Freshly Laundered Linen,” showcases classically crooning folk vocals, sorrowful clarinet, and acoustic guitar pickings fit for an early morning up north. The song is beautiful in a quietly observant kind of way, and it ends with a vocal swell that sounds, fittingly, like the end of a hymn. Amen to that. 

About The Author

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Riley Beggin is the features editor for Jonk Music and a former senior writer. She's got a penchant for what the kids call "the jams," Dairy Queen Crunch Cones, and getting really worked up over historical debates.