Hillary Reynolds embraces connection with hometown
It's another homecoming for Hillary Reynolds.
The Appleton native and Berklee College of Music graduate returns to the Fox Valley not only for her Mile of Music performance at X-Tra 920 on Aug. 9 but also as an emcee and performer for the Women Shine concert that precedes Mile of Music on Wednesday. The latter, which features five female-led performances at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, is for VIP ticket holders and Mile of Music volunteers only and is a first for the downtown Appleton festival.
Reynolds earned her return to this year's Mile of Music by impressing last year's crowd with her folk-pop quartet, the Hillary Reynolds Band. This year, the band rides into Mile of Music on the heels of a new album, "The Miles Before Us," featuring lead single "Honey, Come Home," which now boasts over 100,000 YouTube views. Reynolds also noted the band was just granted their own station on Pandora Internet radio and is in the process of uploading their entire catalog on the popular Internet streaming site.
We talked with Reynolds about the Women Shine concert, her expectations for Mile 2 and the Fox Valley's budding musical atmosphere.
P-C: How does it feel to be part of the all-female Women Shine cast at the PAC Wednesday?
Reynolds: I think it's going to be so empowering and I think it'll be very inspiring for whoever may be interested in pursuing music and for any girl who feels like she doesn't have it in her or doesn't know if she's capable of pursuing her dreams. I think it's going to be awesome and all of the women on the bill rock. They're not sensitive beings. They really hold their own and have powerful voices and a powerful presence, so I'm flattered to be a part of it.
P-C: What did you accomplish at last year's Mile of Music and what do you hope to accomplish with your performances this year?
Reynolds: When I left Mile of Music, I felt really supported. I felt like everything I was doing onstage was being received the way I had intended it to be and that was really the first time. I guess some people call it command, but I call it connection. I really felt like I had everyone engaged in the chapel and it just infused me with this nail-biting, anxious, excited adrenaline rush that I'm now addicted to. … It became a launch pad for me as a performer and to have the ability to do that when I come home, I'm never going to forget it. I feel like since Mile of Music, when I come home, there are more people I run into who talk to me about my music and that feels amazing. It touches me and it's fuel for me to keep doing what I'm doing.
P-C: What kind of atmosphere do you feel Mile of Music is creating for original artists in the Fox Valley?
Reynolds: It's funny because when I talk to people about Wisconsin, especially on the East Coast, they're like, is there really a scene there? We know there is beer and there are cows, but there's original music? They just don't know. … I think it's incredible that there are hundreds of people (at Mile of Music) ready to hear your story. These musicians aren't doing covers of someone else's story, but their music, their craft, their art. I think it's becoming popular to the point where I feel like people are going to be knocking on the door and it feels good to be able to play a festival where everyone is hungry for something original.
SEEING HILLARY
You'll have two chances to catch the Hillary Reynolds Band at Mile of Music. The band will be part of the Women Shine event at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center. That one, a special festival prelude, is for VIP pass holders and volunteers only. The band also is set to play at 6:50 p.m. Aug. 9 at the newly opened X-tra 920 on College Avenue. That show has free admission.
• Special section:More coverage of Mile of Music
— Mike Thiel: 920-993-1000, ext. 526, or mthiel@postcrescent.com. Follow him on Twitter: @thielwrites