Lake Michigan provided a scenic backdrop for the BMI stage, which kicked off daily shows at 11:15 a.m., setting the pace for the mammoth music festival. Attendees were awed by the showmanship of blues/soul shouter Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed, bass-thumping French export Uffie, home-town heroes The Cool Kids, guitar troubadour Newton Faulkner, Canadian siren Serena Ryder and sanctified rock outfit Ha Ha Tonka, among others.

BMI is proud to present and sponsor a stage at C3 and Capital Sports & Entertainment’s music festivals: Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival (September 26-28). BMI’s partnership with these elite festivals is designed to offer more prime showcasing opportunities to its songwriters, a distinct priority of the organization. For more information on Lollapalooza, please visit www.lollapalooza.com; for information on the Austin City Limits Music Festival, visit www.aclfestival.com.

August 3 at the BMI-sponsored Lollapalooza stage:

11:15-12:00 p.m. – Ha Ha Tonka: Ha Ha Tonka mix sanctified four-part harmonies and blistering rock, carving out songs that evoke the dichotomies that define their home. The Springfield, Missouri natives dubbed their new album Buckle in the Bible Belt in homage to their hometown. http://www.myspace.com/hahatonka

12:30 – 1:15 p.m. – Wild Sweet Orange: Birmingham, Alabama- based rock outfit Wild Sweet Orange convey hopefulness with their debut, We Have Cause To Be Uneasy. Songs such as “Ten Dead Dogs” and “Sour Milk” find the band honing an intimate and individualistic sound that veers unrestrained from aching intimacy to a turbulent, seething intensity. http://www.myspace.com/wildsweetorange

1:45-2:30 p.m. – Tally Hall: It’s easy to identify this quintet by their unique, outside-the-box rock music, which incorporates everything from Beatles-esque harmonies and poppy choruses to hip-hop rhythms, indie rock sensibilities and playful lyrics. Atlantic Records is set to re-release their debut Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum this year. http://www.myspace.com/tallyhall

3:00-3:45 p.m. – Newton Faulkner: Dreadlocked guitar wrangler Newton Faulkner has built a faithful following since the release of his 2007 U.K. smash Hand Built By Robots. With his hippy vibe and witty lyrics, Faulkner is poised to create an indelible impression stateside. http://www.myspace.com/newtonfaulkner

4:15- 5:00 p.m. – Eli “Paperboy” Reed & the True Loves: The New York Times likens this explosive young soul shouter to Otis Redding and Sam Cooke, the Boston Globe calls him a "star on the rise" and the Village Voice warns, "Amy Winehouse better watch her back." Backed by an impressive band, the True Loves, Reed has the chops to convert all naysayer’s to worshippers. http://www.myspace.com/elipaperboyreed

The band’s first single from the album, “St. Nick on the Fourth in a Fervor” combines harmonies and biting guitar riffs with lyrics that delve into issues of nationalism, religious allegiances, and rites of passage. “It’s an attempt to point out the fallacy of wrapping yourself in the flag, religion or worse yet, both at the same time,” explained Brian Roberts. The song also depicts better times, with the refrain “…this glimpse of brilliance is much better than your long look at mediocrity.” “Gusto” and “Up Nights” tackle the tragic legacy of methamphetamine in rural areas while “Hangman” and original “Caney Mountain” mine the deep veins of regional folk music.

Buckle in the Bible Belt was recorded, fittingly, in an old church in Union, Missouri, with a control booth where the pulpit had once been. Augmented with piano and organ, the songs bring to mind southern bands like REM and Kings of Leon as well as classics like The Band and Bruce Springsteen.

Formed in 2004 under the name Amsterband, the band released their debut CD, “Beatchen” and hit the road, playing with a diverse range of acts including Tapes’ n’Tapes, Say Anything, Soul Asylum, Limbeck and Robert Randolph & The Family Band. The band self-released Buckle in the Bible Belt in 2006 before catching the attention of Bloodshot Records and signing their deal in May 2007. The band decided a name change was in order, and chose Ha Ha Tonka, the name of a state park in the Ozarks.