OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — The 11th Annual Mile of Music festival returned to Appleton this weekend. Even on Sunday, the last day of the festival, attendees came out early, ready to enjoy some live music.

• Mile of Music returns for 11th year
• Family activities, food trucks and free live music filled the weekend
• Local talent is showcased during concerts

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)

It’s right there in the name, this Appleton music festival stretches over a mile of downtown and brings in more than 200 artists.

This year, the four-day festival started out with some bad weather, which canceled the Thursday concerts.

But that didn’t seem to stop the momentum.

Friday through Saturday was packed with free shows, family activities and food trucks.

Because the entire festival is free, it’s a perfect spot for families to enjoy some quality time.

One Menasha family said their favorite part of the festival is to support the local talent.

“I’ve lived in the Appleton area for most of my life, and I think it’s a great thing to have a music scene, music festival,” Jake Baumbach said. “I think it’s great for the community. I used to play in some local bands, a lot of our friends play in local bands. It’s not the same kind of music, but it’s the same idea of having a music, culture, in the city.”

It was only a matter of time before an artist with “Gravy” in his name would take a detour down an old country road.

Rapper Yung Gravy (aka Matthew Hauri) dropped his new album, “Serving Country,” Aug. 2 and headlined the Wisconsin State Fair’s Main Stage the next day.

It was a homecoming of sorts for the tongue-in-cheek rapper. He’s a University of Wisconsin-Madison alum who hails from our neighbor to the west, Minnesota.

“It feels great. It feels greaaat,” Gravy told the Journal Sentinel as he lifted up a Spotted Cow, his drink of choice at the show. “I miss this place. The weather’s great in the summer. I wish we were here longer.”

Gravy and his crew were off to Sioux City, Iowa, early Sunday morning for another show later that night.

A newly-injured wrist didn’t stop Gravy grooving across the stage and throwing out goodies to an energetic audience (More on that later). And, a handful of attendees reciprocated … by throwing their bras on stage.

We caught up with Gravy in a backstage trailer post-show to talk about his new album sprinkled with some of country music’s biggest names, his time in Madison and more.

Why did Yung Gravy release a country-inspired album?

Essentially, Gravy was inspired by country music and his friends in that world, including queen of country pop Shania Twain, HARDY and Shaboozey, he said.

“Everything that I enjoyed about Nashville, the south, I kind of combined it and put it on this project,” he said. “I wanted to try something new.”

That “something new” was originally going to be a country-ish EP with three or four songs “because of Shania Twain.” But, after diving in, the project turned into an entire 14-song album that took a year and a half to write.

“I actually did try pretty hard on the album and I learned a whole new genre and how to sing and all this stuff,” Gravy said. “It’s not country. It’s not rap. It’s Gravy with some seasoning.”

“A lot of true stories” made the album, he said, like actually being arrested in Georgia, which he’s openly spoken about before.

“I don’t know what the definition of country is, but I rap about real life things that I do and I’m using instruments that are, you know, common to country music,” Gravy said.

With a lot of references to his exes on the tracks, he wanted to clarify that some of that was “a bit dramatized.” The cheating that happened to him was back when he was in 10th grade.

“Keep this as evidence, that my more-recent exes — whether they pissed me off or not — they didn’t cheat on me.”

Yung Gravy on working with Shania Twain, Zac Brown

One of the big-time country artists featured on “Serving Country” is Twain,  a five-time Grammy Award winner and the legend behind hits like “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” and “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”

Her song with Gravy is an ode to the hard seltzer people love or love to hate on: White Claw.

After “randomly” meeting Twain — and thinking she was a good looking “older than myself” woman — the unlikely duo would go on to make “a lot of music” together, Gravy said.

Gravy also bonded with Twain’s husband, Frédéric Thiébaud, who’s become like “a father figure” to him.

“It’s very actually wholesome,” Gravy said.

The family even invited Gravy to Geneva, Switzerland, around Christmastime to go skiing, Gravy shared, but he couldn’t make it due to a family obligation.

When Gravy made an Instagram post about his new album earlier this week, Twain gushed with support:

“The gravy to my fries and cheese curds 😜😂 Congratulations on a fantastic album @yunggravy !! 😘” she commented.

Gravy’s buddy is the one who connected him with Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band because he thought the two of them would get along. He was right.

Gravy said Brown invited him over for a sleepover at his place They wrote four or five songs, two of which made the album: “My Garage (with Zac Brown)” and “Love You For Leavin’ (with Zac Brown). Plus, Gravy’s song “Clementine” samples the Zac Brown Band’s wildly popular “Chicken Fried.”

Gravy’s album also has songs with Brantley Gilbert, Juicy J and Dylan Marlowe.

Is Yung Gravy permanently going country?

While Gravy’s had “so much fun” putting “Serving Country” together, he said it’s simply an “excursion.”

He compared it to the “detour” he took as Baby Gravy with bbno$, which ended up becoming “one of the biggest parts” of his career thus far.

“You never know what’s going to happen with something new you try,” he said. “And, we’ll see. But, I guarantee there’s at least going to be a pretty big deluxe version.”

Yung Gravy’s Wisconsin State Fair audience was the first to hear one of his new songs live

While Gravy’s been previewing some of his new country-flaired songs at shows, his Wisconsin State Fair audience was the first that got to hear him play “Cop a Truck” live.

“It felt really good when they were excited, felt dumb when I forgot the words, but overall it was great because the love was there,” Gravy said. “Honestly, I had a fear about some of the singles that maybe they didn’t love ’em. But, when we played ‘Clementine’ and ‘Lone Ranger’ — and a number of other songs that aren’t even singles — the love was crazy.”

It was. One bra hit the stage. Then, another. And, another. Gravy’s become known for donating them to women’s shelters.

And, the love was mutual.

Before Gravy hit the stage, Tiiiiiiiiiip — the DJ for Gravy — threw out Zebra Cakes. Once the show got going, Gravy and his crew threw out dozens of water bottles to the crowd. At another point, he signed lunchables and launched those out, too. Oh, and also cereal.

This was all done with a bum wrist, which posed as an inconvenience to him at times. He sat on his wrist weird for hours during his flight in, he said, and could barely move it. A makeshift splint — made out of food tongs and gauze — supported it during the show.

During said show, Gravy took his audience down a winding road of his greatest hits — including “Oops!” “Betty (Get Money)” and “Gravy Train” — and many of his new tracks. And, along the way, he had lots of chats —some funny, some heartfelt — with his fans.

And yes, he pulled his signature move: Tossing out red roses at the end. One lucky lady walked away with two souvenirs: The final rose — she jumped around in circles after snagging it — and a cereal box.

After all these gestures, Gravy’s audience was probably left wondering: What are we?

Yung Gravy’s favorite things about Wisconsin and his former hangouts

“The people, the lakes, the food — and I’m not going to say the cheese ’cause that’s obvious,” he said. “The attitude of people.”

During his first week in Madison, Gravy recalled opening up a box of Captain Crunch at a party at 7 a.m. and “some dude” pouring a full beer into it as a substitute for milk.

He questioned it — and the guy got mad at him, he said.

“He was like, ‘What do you mean milk?’” Gravy recalled. “I just love the energy. Love Wisconsin.”

He could “go on for days” about his favorite Madtown hangouts, including Nitty Gritty, The Double U, State Street Brats, Mondays and the “beautiful” Ivory Room Piano Bar.

“There are a lot of great bars there,” he said.

When Gravy spent a summer in Brew City, Oakland Gyros and Bradford Beach were two of his go-tos.

He made sure to give a shout-out to “Andy,” a gentleman who used to throw parties all the time in “that little rich neighborhood” up from the beach.

Yung Gravy maps out where he made music in Madison

While a student at UW-Madison, Gravy started rapping. He wrote his first two tapes when he lived on Gerry Court in the “sophomore slums,” he said.

He uploaded his first Yung Gravy EP to SoundCloud in 2016, according to a previous Journal Sentinel report. Most of his recording in those days was done at a house by Mifflin Street, he said.

When Gravy was living at the Palisade Apartments, he started “popping off.”

Before graduating in December 2017, he signed a deal with Universal Music Group’s Republic Records (the label behind Taylor Swift, the Weeknd and other A-listers).

“(Wisconsin is) a big part of my life,” Gravy said. “I wouldn’t be the same without it.”

Where you can listen to Yung Gravy’s ‘Serving Country’

You can find “Serving Country” pretty much wherever you listen to music, including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.

When Yung Gravy will be bringing his ‘Grits & Gravy’ tour back to Wisconsin, where else to catch it

When Gravy travels, he said, he’s very proud to rep the Great Lake States, including Wisconsin and Minnesota.

“The Great Lake States are the best and I’ll never change my mind about that,” he said.

Gravy will return to Wisconsin on Sept. 5 to play the La Crosse Center. Other Midwest shows will include the Radius Chicago on Oct. 10, The Fillmore Detroit on Oct. 12 and The Armory in Minneapolis on Nov. 29.

He’ll also be taking the tour overseas to Europe, including stops in Germany, Poland and France.

A full list of his tour stops can be found at yunggravy.com/tour.

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — When Luke Fickell reflected on preparing Wisconsin’s football team for last season, one of his regrets was that he and the coaching staff didn’t do enough scrimmage and live tackling situations during practices. He set out to rectify that this preseason to better understand how players would react and who he could trust in Year 2. So when the Badgers donned full pads for the first time Saturday morning at UW-Platteville, the team spent more than an hour working through what Fickell said was a 75-plus-play scrimmage.

Here are five observations from an entertaining and informative session.

1. Five days into preseason practices, Tyler Van Dyke and Braedyn Locke are still competing for the starting quarterback job. Fickell said after practice that he would go through “at least the next few days” before making further evaluations but that he would like “to get something into play sooner rather than later” for offensive continuity. The goal Saturday was to ensure both players earned equal reps.

During the scrimmage sequence, Van Dyke handled six drives with the first- and second-team offenses and Locke handled five. Mabrey Mettauer earned three drives with the third-team offense. Van Dyke and Locke led two touchdown drives apiece, though all those series began at the defense’s 25-yard line.

Locke began the scrimmage with the first-team offense and went three-and-out, though he put a good ball on receiver Bryson Green that he dropped with cornerback Nyzier Fourqurean in coverage. Van Dyke’s first series with the second-team offense also ended in a three-and-out when redshirt freshman cornerback Jace Arnold delivered a nice tackle on tailback Cade Yacamelli on a swing pass.

Locke’s biggest mistake came after he helped lead the second-team offense down the field and into the red zone. With the offense at the 11-yard line, he targeted receiver Haakon Anderson in the front-right corner of the end zone but didn’t see redshirt freshman cornerback Amare Snowden standing in front of Anderson. Locke’s pass went right to Snowden for an interception.

Once the drives began at the 25-yard line, Locke had more success. He took a sack on first down when defensive lineman James Thompson Jr. tagged him after what appeared to be a poor read in the RPO game. But on third-and-18, Locke stepped up and completed a pass to receiver C.J. Williams for 15 yards, which set up a fourth-and-3 run that running back Tawee Walker converted. Walker finished the drive on the next play with an 8-yard touchdown run.

Locke’s final drive with the first-team offense also resulted in a touchdown. He completed a 22-yard pass to running back Jackson Acker down to the 3. Two plays later, he tossed a 3-yard touchdown to receiver Trech Kekahuna.

Van Dyke, like Locke, had moments he likely wanted back. On third-and-6 from the defense’s 10-yard line, he missed running back Darrion Dupree open in the left flat and instead threw incomplete over the middle to Vinny Anthony with safety Preston Zachman in coverage. Then, on fourth down, defensive lineman Elijah Hills batted down Van Dyke’s pass in the backfield for a turnover on downs.

But Van Dyke responded with a pair of touchdowns on his final two drives. He sold a play fake to Dupree well and completed a 14-yard pass to receiver Tyrell Henry. On third-and-goal from the 6, he found Henry again across the middle for a touchdown.

Wisconsin’s third-team offense also scored a touchdown. Freshman running back Gideon Ituka ran around the left side for a 23-yard gain, and Mettauer completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to freshman tight end Rob Booker II.

Fickell waved off penalties that officials called on the offense three times to help the unit gain momentum. Van Dyke completed a 13-yard pass on third down to Kekahuna at midfield, and Fickell waved off an illegal procedure penalty. That drive ended with kicker Nathanial Vakos making a 38-yard field goal.

2. Could Walker, an Oklahoma transfer, contend for the starting running back spot? Based on how he has performed thus far, it certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility. With projected starter Chez Mellusi held out of contact drills Saturday, Walker was the first running back up with the top group and looked like a man on a mission.

During one drive with Van Dyke at quarterback, Walker produced consecutive 9-yard runs, first pushing the pile forward up the middle and then rushing around the left side and knocking a couple of would-be tacklers backward. His best sequence came a series later with Locke at the helm of the first-team offense.

On a fourth-and-3 from the defense’s 18-yard line, Walker unloaded on a defender right at the first-down marker and kept going for a 10-yard run. Then, on first-and-goal from the 8, he slipped past diving safety Austin Brown, shed a tackle attempt from inside linebacker Tackett Curtis and dragged safety Hunter Wohler across the goal line for a touchdown.

Tawee “The Tank” Walker.@RMBwee pic.twitter.com/kZe7PdOkuO

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) August 3, 2024

Walker has consistently stood out since spring practices for his power and burst in a 5-foot-9, 218-pound package. But his talent was even more evident when defenders attempted to wrap him up. Mellusi, who has sustained injuries in each of the past three seasons, figures to form a one-two tandem in some capacity with Walker. But the Badgers landed a big addition in Walker, who has one year of eligibility remaining.

3. The other running back standout Saturday was a player who hasn’t garnered many headlines at the position this offseason: Acker. Without Mellusi, Acker earned first-team reps and took advantage of them. He showed great blocking ability by picking up outside linebacker Leon Lowery on a blitz. He later ran up the middle, gained 9 yards and subsequently lowered his pads to hit the hole for a short first down.

Acker helped lead the first-team offense to a touchdown during a three-play sequence with Van Dyke. Wisconsin began the series at the defense’s 25-yard line. Acker caught a pass over the middle for 9 yards, broke through multiple defenders on the ground for a 15-yard run down to the 1, then scored on a touchdown up the middle. Wisconsin was flagged for holding, but Fickell waved off the penalty. Acker later caught a 22-yard pass over the middle from Locke down to the 3-yard line on a third-and-10 from the defense’s 25.

Fickell said it remains to be seen what Acker’s role could be this season. He has the potential to serve in a de facto fullback role as the lead blocker for another tailback. He also has solid running and pass-catching abilities. But with as much talent as Wisconsin appears to possess at running back, particularly with Dupree and Dilin Jones, the staff has a lot to determine.

4. Running backs coach Devon Spalding has begun to give Dupree and Jones more looks with the second-team offense, ahead of Ituka, who has worked with the third-team offense. Dupree earned three consecutive carries during a sequence with the second-team unit and Locke at quarterback. He turned nothing into something on another series with Locke when he made a spin move at the line of scrimmage for 4 yards. Jones had a couple of good runs as well, including a 12-yarder around the left side.

5. Kicker Nathanial Vakos had an uneven day. During a pre-scrimmage session, he made 2 of 4 attempts, misfiring from 37 and 42 yards before drilling a 48-yarder. Portland State transfer Gianni Smith took the second reps and made 1 of 2 attempts. Vakos made a 38-yarder during the scrimmage, Smith connected from 28 yards and Gavin Lahm made one from 33 yards.

(Photo of Tawee Walker courtesy of Wisconsin Athletics)