The only way to start the fair’s music off right is with America’s #1 Daredevil Country Duo. They are now new — from parts unknown? — to these parts. Train Wreck Honky Tonk? The Penn and Teller of Country Music? With originals? It’s all right here, right at the St. Croix County Fair on Thursday evening. (With three other acts to follow throughout the weekend, described at the end of this post).

Massive kudos for the St. Croix County Fair as among the first to bring royalty into our presence, if such a term befits Waylon, Willie and Haggard and the boys, and they are not even the weeklong event’s headliners! So you can catch them early on, on Thursday evening. Poppa Bear Norton proclaim themselves to be “America’s #1 Daredevil Country Duo!”, and note that they are in fact “America’s Only Daredevil Country Duo.” They have also been described as Train Wreck Country, (we all know such songs and this reminds one of the Garth Brooks classic), The Funniest Frickin’ Country Band Around, one bar manager and we guess booze slinger — and maybe more — even described them as the “Penn & Teller of Country Music.”
“The Singer” and “The Slinger,” again that term, are a two-man duo — hey I guess that considering the territory, redundancy will get a pass — that plays original country and western style music that harkens back to the good ol’ days of Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, Roger Miller and Hank Sr., as well as the outlaw era. A time when a song was written like a well-crafted story (of Hatfields and McCoys?) and told with passion and muster, theatrics and musical skill on the instruments and vocals. Sure this high octane two-man band hit the stage and play their music as if they don’t realize they are not a full band — a shot of liquid courage, should that even be needed, will do that for you — and yes, sometimes it feels as though it could come off the rails at any moment, but that is what makes them “Country Daredevils.” They’re not just a band, Poppa Bear Norton is an all-out musical act and their musical style, funny stage banter and finely crafted songs will have you laughing one minute and tearing up the next, their bio poignantly puts it. The singer is like Charlie Daniels with an even puffier face (cool). Poppa Bear Norton hails from The Land Of Sky Blue Waters aka Minnesota and the land of Babe the Blue Ox, so OK, not parts unknown. All the way now to the hallowed halls of country, as it plays to the fair crowd, smack dab in Glenwood City.
Now straight to their bio: “The youngsters love them because they look wild, play fast and perform a style of country music they may have never heard before, in a way which they may have never seen. Older folks love them because their energy, music, and stage banter reminds them of something familiar, yet at the same time completely new and different and that’s exactly what American Daredevil Country is.” Well said.
And there’s more!
This is a white wall and weekender of a weekend at the fair.
Music highlights are: Whitesidewalls (Friday evening), The Memories (Saturday evening), Poppa Bear Norton (new and described above) and local group The Weekenders (two weekend nights).
Th Memories have been dishing out distinctive ditties for decades as a duo. So catch them crooning before they are just … a memory. Timeless music.
Then to wrap up the weekend … Its The Weekenders. Twice.
And the Whitesidewalls, they have been around cranking oldies rock about as long as both it and those type of tires have been around.
More on this, the rest of the fair music, in a followup post soon.