Brothers Jake and David Maness have helped build a community in the greater St. Louis area. As the Maness Brothers, the duo plays an inspired and super-charged Southern rock (recently voted Best Blues Band in the 2014 RFT Music Awards). But behind the scenes, both brothers work to organize The Whiskey War Festival, an annual convergence of Midwest music spanning hard rock, country, blues and a few oddballs mixed in for good measure.
This year's event takes place on Saturday, June 28 at the VFW Post 2866 in St. Charles, Missouri. Here you'll find bands not only from St. Louis and its surrounding counties, but acts from Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa and Wisconsin will grace three stages from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m.
See also: The Whiskey War Festival Provides a Day-Long Dose of the Midwest
True to its namesake, this fest will have plenty of whiskey to go around. Cherokee Street's The Livery will sponsor the outdoor stage and provide plenty of cheap draft beers and more. The point here is to sweat liquor from your pores, obviously.
There's no better place for Whiskey War than a secluded VFW Post in St. Charles. Why? Plenty of space means no volume restrictions and enough square feet to hold two full stages. That kind of freedom is hard to find within city limits.
See also: The Maness Brothers: A Forceful Wall of Blues and Garage Rock
Whether you're looking to dance, mosh or mingle, Whiskey War brings a stacked bill for 12 hours straight. And the genres span a wider range than the southern-themed fest might let on, so we've compiled a quick guide of what's to come, starting at 1 p.m. in the afternoon. 1 p.m. at the Livery Outdoor Stage The Barn Mice
1:15 p.m. at the Family Reunion Stage Calliope (Milwaukee, WI)
1:45 p.m. at the Livery Outdoor Stage Runaway Barge
2 p.m. at the Whiskey War Stage Carriage House
2:45 p.m. at the Family Reunion Stage ARR!!! (featuring Cree Rider)
3:15 p.m. at the Livery Outdoor Stage Animal Children
3:30 p.m. at the Whiskey War Stage The Ol' One, Two
4 p.m. at the Livery Outdoor Stage Googolplexia
4:15 p.m. at the Family Reunion Stage Christopher The Conquered (Des Moines, IA)
4:45 at the Livery Outdoor Stage Ian D Band
5 p.m. at the Whiskey War Stage Pat Sajak Assassins
5:30 p.m. at the Livery Outdoor Stage The Thin Dimes 6:15 p.m. at the Whiskey War Stage Chris Black and the Eagles of Unemployment (Paducah, KY)
7 p.m. at the Family Reunion Stage Miss Molly Simms
7:15 p.m. at the Livery Outdoor Stage The Maness Brothers
7:45 p.m. at the Whiskey War Stage Cara Louise Band
8 p.m. at the Livery Outdoor Stage Werwulf (Memphis, TN)
8:45 p.m. at the Livery Outdoor Stage County Graves (Carbondale, IL)
9:30 p.m. at the Livery Outdoor Stage Beth Bombara
10 p.m. at an undisclosed location Jake Leech
10:15 p.m. at the Whiskey War Stage Old Capital Square Dance Club
11 p.m. at the Family Reunion Stage Tok
And finally at midnight, Whiskey War Mountain Rebellion (made up of members from the Maness Brothers and Carriage House) will close out the night. This group only plays once a year and only at, you guessed it, the Whiskey War Festival.
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