Welcome back to the Mile 0 Fest '26 daily recap where we give your FOMO a rest! Day 3 was sunny, 70, & filled with some seriously great talent.
Due to several band cancellations & slotted availability, the schedule shifted a few times by this point. This worked to festival attendees advantage by shifting early shows to later in the day, letting you rest that Rick's 3 AM hangover a little longer.
First show we caught was the Louisiana Grandstand showcase at Margaritaville. I've said this before & I'll say it again: this showcase is deeply underrated. The talent the LA Grand brings to the fest every year is exceptional. The "Neon Neighbors" showed their best foot forward with a four piece, all lead singers & songwriters band. Joseph Lee was primarily on keys, playing a sound like something in between Train & Allman Brothers. His songs felt new but familiar & incredibly well tailored. Bass & lead guitarist Jimmy Wooten shredded some southern rock ballads, Stevie Ray Vaughan inspired & Lightning Hopkins style rhythm. At one point, a group of dancers started spinning to the rock show. Drummer for the power group was Aiden Gray Johnson. His music felt like a Highwayman on a Louisiana back road, soulful but intentional with words. Standout artist & someone who I'm looking forward to seeing more from is Braydon Watts on lead & bass. His songs & singing had such deep connection. You believe his words, you feel his struggle. His blues tonality meets that head bobbing hurt & kept the room on lyrics. Really solid artists from this showcase.
Luckily for us, the 11 AM Kruse Brothers show was changed to 1 PM at the Valero stage. This band is something SPECIAL. The blood harmonies between brothers were crisp down to the second the notes switched keys, something only years of knowing someone can do. Kruse Bros band were some of the tightest we've seen yet, shredding blues solos & knocking on piano keys like the rent's due at the saloon. They're a true blue honky tonk band led by Doc Holliday & Wyatt Earp style gentlemen. The band transitioned from 90's country to psychedelic guitar to soulful gospel riffs. Another thing to note is how many artists came to watch them: Shelby Stone, Zane Williams, members of American Aquarium, Kevin Galloway-- all standing in their respective shadows to watch uninterrupted.
Continuing on was Uncle Lucius on the Garbo stage. If you haven't made way to see Uncle Lucius in your lifetime, you're missing out on enlightenment. Uncle Lucius can be classified as Americana with songs about blue collar experiences, small town raisings, & socio-economical effects on the human body. But on the other hand, their funk groove can instantly take you out of the coal mines & into the clouds. Their music is intellectual but instinctual in the feeling. They set the tone for questioning your government officials as James McMurtry immediately followed.
James whatdidhejustsay McMurtry has yet again sang above our heads with his mind melting lyricism. While he did play fan favorites like "Choctaw Bingo" & "Canola Fields," he also performed "Annie" while adding some fire behind curse words aimed at the state of our governing bodies. The crowd that chooses to stand front row at a McMurtry show are there to hear, to listen to what the band has to say today with open ears.
It was a short pilgrimage to the Coffee Butler Amphitheater to see The Wilder Blue on the main stage. I've said it once, I've said it twice, & I'm saying it thrice to you all-- this band is THE band of bands. Primarily led by Zane Williams, The Wilder Blue showcases a 5-part harmony with criminally good top tier musicians. They cannot be contained to one sound as they firstly lean on a country, but can easily sway to a funk tune or a fast paced Irish jig. Drummer Lyndon Hughes sang "One of These Nights" in a high vibrato while seamlessly keeping the beat & bassist Sean Rodriguez emceed the set. We know multi-instrumentalist Andy Rogers can play the absolute hell out of anything with strings, but it was a delightful circus seeing him tag team a funky few licks holding Rodriguez's hips & bass neck.
Tanner Usrey reminded us all why he's on the MAIN STAGE & not in small spaces like Margaritaville, immediately filling the amp with a full rock'n'roll rhythm. His bad boy persona in songs like "Destiny" kept the crowd bouncing. Graycie York joined him on stage for their long running collab on "Beautiful Lies." Usrey also brought out the Fleetwood Mac classic "The Chain" & was joined on stage by Taylor Hunnicutt, members of Shane Smith & the Saints, Them Dirty Roses, & more of the rock leaning artists. The energy in the amp was shaking the tents as Usrey always happens to build.
Strutting up to the mic next was Kaitlin Butts who looked like an ethereal saloon brothel angel in white lace, the kind you quit your cowboyin' for just to get stabbed in the neck & robbed of all your money. Taylor Hunnicutt intro'd her to the stage with a notable message about how Butts has worked her hind off to be in this deserving spot & boy, did Butts deliver. Her band brought that Red Dirt electric rage behind "Roadrunner" & also a solo acoustic few tunes for the more serious songs. Butts dedicated "Hunt You Down" to Pearl Barham, daughter of American Aquarium, who was dancing side stage to the Oklahoma queen. With laughter, Butts said she got in "trouble" for teaching a bunch of second graders the "F word" due to the song's popularity.
Finishing off Day 3 was Mile 0 veteran Randy Rogers Band. We know him, we love him, we sing all the words. There's no doubt about how many times festival attendees have caught a RRB show, & it's a no brainer how nostalgic the shows are. There was a point in the show where I looked around in the crowd & saw couples holding each other, kissing, swaying back & forth to songs over 20 years old. Even the heartbreak songs bring you back to that time when the breakup lyrics mattered, but you can enjoy being surrounded by a mass of singers feeling that same space in time. RRB brought out Mike Ryan for "This Time Around" & sang Keith Gattis tune "San Antone."
That concludes Day 3 where we once again behaved & went to bed (;
Can't say we'll do that again for Paul Cauthen closing out today's festivities-- so expect a later review tomorrow. As always, leave us a comment of your favorite memories or experiences with these bands or Mile 0 Fest. SEE YA FOR DAY 4!