Every year, Wisconsin’s indie bands are grinding to get recognized, playing show after show while balancing day jobs, in the hope of landing a deal that will bring them one step closer to their dream of making it.
But that’s hard to do in a market like Wisconsin. In the Midwest, Chicago is one of the only major hubs for artists in the music industry. So, unless you’re brave enough to move out to one of the coasts, try your luck in the Windy City, or head to Nashville; it’s a struggle to be discovered in our wonderful yet somewhat artistically stunted state.
That’s definitely not to say that Wisconsinites don’t make it, because they do, or that there’s a lack of talent here. There are plenty of incredible musicians, from the northwoods to the Driftless area and everywhere in between.
Just ask 3 Sheeps. Ever since they opened their taproom in Sheboygan, they’ve had plenty of talented bands grace their stage with performances so impressive that the audience members turn to each other and say, “damn, they’re good.”
So, when 3 Sheeps partnered with the Les Paul Foundation for a Wisconsinitis collaboration, they knew they had a unique opportunity to tap into the local music scene and help turn one band’s dream into reality.
The Battle of the Bands will see unsigned, Wisconsin-based bands go head-to-head in a preliminary music competition spanning three venues across the state and one online battle. The winners of those battles will compete in a Championship Battle right in the 3 Sheeps taproom.
What’s the grand prize for the battle champion, you ask? A 4-hour recording session with a professional sound engineer at the Les Paul Recording Studio in Los Angeles, CA, plus $3,000 cash. Pretty sweet.
Dive into our Q&A with the 3 Sheeps team below to hear how this collaboration with the Les Paul Foundation found its rhythm and what it could mean for one lucky Wisconsin band.
Wisconsin’s known for beer and bar bands — what made you want to turn that culture into a statewide competition?
Honestly, once we knew we’d be representing Les Paul through our Wisconsinitis brand this summer, it felt almost too obvious not to do. Wisconsin has always had this incredible live music culture hiding in plain sight. You can walk into a small bar, brewery, county fair, whatever, and hear a band that has absolutely no business being that good.
We already spend a lot of time shining a light on what makes Wisconsin feel like Wisconsin, and live music is a huge part of that. So the Battle of the Bands became a really natural way to honor Les Paul’s legacy while turning the spotlight toward the musicians out there putting in the miles, loading in their own gear, and playing their guts out every weekend.
There are a lot of music contests out there. What makes the 3 Sheeps x Les Paul Battle of the Bands actually different for artists?
I think the prize is what really makes this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We’re not handing someone a gift card and a polite round of applause. The winning band is going to Los Angeles to record at the Les Paul Recording Studio, with access to some of Les Paul’s original equipment. That’s just an absurdly cool opportunity.
But beyond that, we wanted this to feel like a real platform for Wisconsin bands, not some gimmicky “battle of the bands” where everyone plays three songs in the corner while half the room watches a basketball game. These bands are getting real stages, real crowds, and a chance to be part of something with an actual legacy behind it.
How did the partnership with the Les Paul Foundation come together, and why was it important to tie this event to such an iconic music legacy?
Wisconsinitis is a beer for people afflicted with an undying love for Wisconsin. And if there’s one thing Wisconsinites do especially well, it’s take an almost unreasonable amount of pride in the people, ideas, and traditions that make this state what it is.
That’s what has made the Wisconsinitis brand so much fun for us. It gives us a chance to shine a light on Wisconsin legends in a way that feels natural to who we are. Last year, that meant LeRoy Butler and the Lambeau Leap. This year, it’s Les Paul — a Waukesha kid who didn’t just leave his mark on Wisconsin, but changed music forever.
So when the opportunity came together with the Les Paul Foundation, it felt like a perfect fit. And once we started thinking about how to bring that partnership to life, Battle of the Bands became the obvious answer. It let us celebrate Les in a way that goes beyond the can and actually connects back to the music legacy he built.
What kind of talent have you seen coming out of Wisconsin lately that people outside the state are sleeping on?
We host live music at our taproom every Friday, and almost every week, our jaws hit the floor. Some of these bands have barely any social media presence or name recognition outside their local scene, and then they get on stage and completely blow you away with their raw talent.
I think people sometimes assume you have to look to Chicago, Nashville, Minneapolis, or Austin to find that kind of talent. You absolutely do not. It’s here. It’s just spread across dive bars, breweries, small venues, and local festivals, quietly being way better than most people realize.
Unsigned bands grinding in Wisconsin don’t always get national opportunities. What does a trip to record in L.A. realistically mean for a local band’s future?
We’d love to say this is the moment that changes a band’s life forever, but obviously, nobody can promise that. What we can promise is that it’s a ridiculously special opportunity. The kind of thing most bands will never get the chance to do.
The winning band gets to head to Los Angeles and record at the Les Paul Recording Studio, in a space connected to one of the most important figures in music history. Whether that leads to their big break or just becomes the coolest chapter in their band’s story, they’ll get to brag about it for the rest of their lives. And honestly, that’s still a pretty incredible prize.
Do you want this to feel polished and industry-level, or more raw and underground? What kind of bands do you want to see enter?
We want it to feel real. That’s probably the best way to say it.
A band doesn’t need slick promo photos, a giant following, or a résumé full of festival slots. If you’ve got original songs, you can hold a crowd, and you believe you belong in this thing, we want to hear from you.
What advice would you give to a young Wisconsin band that’s talented but still afraid to put themselves out there?
You owe it to yourself to try. You’ve got nothing to lose.
Submit the song. Book the show. Send the email. You are probably never going to wake up one day and suddenly feel completely ready, so waiting for that moment is a pretty good way to stay stuck.
Worst case, you don’t get picked and you are right back where you started. Best case, you end up in Los Angeles recording at the Les Paul Studio. That feels like a risk worth taking.