Aaron Dessner and Fred again.. Cooking Up the Eaux Claires Set

One of the most intriguing moments at this year’s Eaux Claires festival is set to be one of its most spontaneous, featuring an improvised performance by electronic music superstar Fred again.. and producer Aaron Dessner.

The duo will be joining forces tomorrow, July 24, in their hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, for a unique experience. True to the spirit of Eaux Claires, rather than a massive arena or recording studio, the pair are rehearsing and performing within a local college auditorium, embracing the raw, creative energy that defines the festival.

For Aaron Dessner, this collaboration is a natural extension of a long-standing creative relationship. It builds on the work he has done in upstate New York studios with artists like Taylor Swift, Noah Kahan, and Gracie Abrams, where he helped shape hits such as Daughter from Hell and The Great Divide.

Dessner described the moment of collaboration as electric. “I’m so honored that Fred would join me in this way,” Dessner shared. “As a musician, he’s just so brilliant. Seeing how we bounced off each other in the moment, like me playing the guitar and him reacting and taking audio and warping it and manipulating it and sequencing it, was just so exciting.”

The idea for this spontaneous performance stemmed from Dessner’s collaboration with co-founder Justin Vernon, who originally launched Eaux Claires as a home for singular creative experiments. This ethos is the heart of the festival itself.

Dessner sees the performance as a direct reflection of what Eaux Claires is meant to be—a space where artists can simply create together. He notes that this approach mirrors how other creative projects, like Big Red Machine, emerged from shared artistic environments.

“Justin and I started Eaux Claires to have the ability to host things like that,” he explained. “That’s how Bonny Light Horseman started. We just invited Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman to come make songs together, and that’s what ended up coming out of it.”

Dessner believes these spontaneous moments are invaluable, offering limitless potential for future creativity. “Even if it’s something that never happens again, it will be worth it,” he concluded, expressing his happiness about the unique experience.

The Eaux Claires festival continues to evolve, with recent lineup changes adding further dynamic shifts to the gathering. Singer/songwriter Kevin Morby has dropped off the bill after his partner, Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield, welcomed their child. In his place, Bon Iver is expected to take the stage on Friday, marking Justin Vernon’s first full live performance since August 2023. Vernon is also assembling a cast of friends onstage under the moniker Bon Dylan for a separate set of Bob Dylan covers, ensuring that the atmosphere remains delightfully unpredictable.