Iola Mills at 300 North Main Street will host five musicians for its 2026 Artist-in-Residence program.

They are: Will Keizer on Saturday, May 23; Edward David Anderson of Backyard Tire Fire on Saturday, June 13; Bruce Humphries on Saturday, July 11; Steph Wilder on Saturday, July 25; and Jesus Villas on Sunday, Aug. 23.

All shows will start at 6 p.m. and last until 8 p.m.

Why did Ed Lemar create this program?

Here’s what Ed related about the inspiration for creating the program.

“As an original songwriter myself, I wanted to provide a place where people can have uninterrupted focus time to work on their craft. Over 30 artists applied, and the artist we chose had a clear vision for how they would use that time and space. The goal is to allow them to create, record, and perform at least one new song at the mill at the end of their stay.  The performances are Free to everyone.

“People will also have the opportunity to interact with the artist after the performance during a songwriters’ circle on Sunday at noon. This is an informal time to talk, bounce around ideas, create, and learn where a song comes from. We hope this series will complement the Iola/Scandinavia Songfest, which happens in July, as well as the growing community of local songwriters, including me, Eric Bestul, Stef Lee of Sloppy Joe, Eric H Smith, Galynne Goodwill, Red Ben Lila, Donovan Brooke, Brogee Pease, and more. We wanted to make the event Free so that ticket prices wouldn’t prevent anyone from enjoying the music,” he noted.

Ed also gave some background information about the artists.

“Edward David Anderson is the frontman for Backyard Tire Fire and just opened for Cracker.

“Jesus Villa performed at the mill last year after we met through Wisconsin Music Ventures, an organization promoting Wisconsin music. Will Keizer learned about it from Amelia Ford, a mutual musician friend and WAMI award-winner. I met Steph Wilder last October at Ramblefest, a festival in Maryland where we both performed. I’ve never met Bruce Humphries, but I just really liked his vibe and answers in the application!”

Will Keizer brings heartland sounds and personal stories to Iola Mills Stage

Singer-songwriter Will Keizer, known for blending rock, roots, and thoughtful storytelling, will perform at Iola Mills on Saturday, May 23, from 6 to 8 p.m.

In an exchange with HeadspringIS ahead of the show, Keizer reflected on his musical upbringing, creative influences, and what he hopes audiences take away from his songs.

HeadspringIS: How did your early experiences and upbringing shape your journey into music, particularly within folk and country traditions?

Will Keizer: I don’t really consider myself a folk or country artist, but those styles were definitely part of the musical atmosphere I grew up around. My family was rural, so there was always country, western, and roots music playing until the ’80s, when my cousins switched to hard rock.

Two songs I remember very vividly from childhood are “Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glen Campbell and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot. I still admire Lightfoot’s songwriting quite a bit. “Carefree Highway” and “Sundown” are songs I can’t turn off.

Going a little earlier in American music, I’m more drawn to rockabilly and rock and roll, which, of course, is influenced by country music. Artists like Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, Eddie Cochran, and Ritchie Valens. Even though many of them were gone by the time I was growing up, music had a longer shelf life then, so I was raised on a lot of ’50s and ’60s music.

I then continued to pay attention to those artists who inherited that musical line, such as Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, and Tom Cochran — Midwest rock or Heartland rock. I still love that style and would be happy playing in that sandbox, but I think it’s difficult to stay within a tight, classic genre lane and keep it interesting. Tom Petty did it amazingly well.

HeadspringIS: Can you share a moment from your childhood or formative years that stands out as pivotal in your musical development?

Will Keizer: I got a record player when I was 5 or 6 years old and would spend hours with my mother’s box of 45s. Also, my father was a musician — a guitar player and vocalist. He was part of various successful cover bands that toured the country. Unfortunately, my folks divorced when I was quite young — like 2 years old — so I didn’t have much time with him in a tangible sense, but I think music is in the blood.

HeadspringIS: What draws you to your musical genre, and how do these influences appear in your artistic voice and compositions?

Will Keizer: I think music can operate on both an emotional and an intellectual level, and the artists I’m most drawn to tend to balance those things well. I often like music that surprises me with something unusual, unexpected, or musically clever that catches my ear. That’s probably why I became so drawn to New Wave, art rock, and records with sophisticated production and arrangement.

If I’m writing a song and it starts to feel predictable or uninteresting to me, I’ll often abandon it. I feel challenged to create work that can stand beside the music that inspired me.

HeadspringIS: Could you describe a personal challenge or transformative event that deeply impacted your approach to music and storytelling?

Will Keizer: A major personal upheaval in my adult life had a profound impact on my songwriting and creative voice. A lot of the material I’m working on now grew out of that period and the process of trying to make sense of it.

One of the challenges in writing from personal experience is finding a way to express difficult emotions honestly without becoming melodramatic, self-pitying, or simply accusatory. The goal, at least for me, is to transform those experiences into something reflective and human that other people can connect to in their own lives. Much of it is translated into symbolism.

HeadspringIS: How do you weave your personal history and emotions into your performances, and what stories are you most eager to tell through your music?

Will Keizer: I don’t perform as a solo artist as often as I’d like, so in some ways I still feel like I’m learning how to fully inhabit that role onstage. Being the guy in the spotlight, doing the singing and being the artist, is quite a bit different than playing guitar in a band as I do for Amelia Ford.

My expectation is that the emotion or the meaning is in the song — in the writing — so if I perform it honestly and naturally, I would hope that that would be conveyed.

HeadspringIS: How do you hope audiences connect with your songs, especially those rooted in your music’s traditions, when experiencing your work here at the Mill?

Will Keizer: I like to write songs that have meaning, but also songs that people would like to listen to on their car stereo when they’re going from place to place — something emotionally or lyrically meaningful, but also engaging. Ultimately, I want to make music that moves people, makes them think a little, and most importantly, music they actually want to come back to and listen to again.

Keizer’s performance at the historic Iola Mills promises an intimate evening of original songs shaped by classic American sounds and personal reflection. The free or low-cost community event offers a chance to experience his evolving catalog in a warm, historic setting.

Other Mill activities

Willy Porter will appear on Saturday, May 30, starting at 6 p.m. On June 26, Brogee Pease will perform starting at 6 p.m. Live Music Original Songfest will take place July 17-19. Then on Saturday, Aug. 15, Upright Down will play starting at 6 p.m.

The Snapper Triathlon will occur on Saturday, Sept. 12; Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 26; Witches Paddle on Sunday, Oct. 25; and the annual Haunted Mill on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Every Sunday this summer, Iola Mills will host a songwriter’s circle at noon, followed by community singing at 1 p.m.