What started as a hometown music festival has grown into one of Northern Minnesota's premier showcases for local and regional talent.
The fifth Festival Rialto is Saturday, June 13, 2026, at Rapids Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids.
Jed and Ariana LaPlant of Wild Horses co-founded Festival Rialto with host Rapids Brewing Co. Ahead of the fifth festival Saturday, June 13, in Grand Rapids, the LaPlants joined KAXE for a conversation that tied together how Rialto and their own trajectory in music have evolved over the past five years.
This year's main stage lineup features returning favorites and new faces alike, including Good Morning Bedlam, the Mike Munson Trio, Thomas Sticha, Kelley Smith, Between Howls, Paul Lawrence and, of course, Wild Horses. The festival is the Horses' only Minnesota date this year.
KAXE is presenting the side stage with Laura Hugo, The Penny Peaches, Sugar on the Roof, Forge North and Tattletale, with the Grand Rapids High School Jazz Band playing at intermission.
For Jed, one of the biggest lessons learned from organizing the festival has been a deeper appreciation for the community that helps make it possible.
"We've garnered a lot of respect for people who put on music festivals," he said. "But we've also gained, I think, a bigger appreciation for our town and some of the people here ... that are passionate about bringing these sort of get-togethers to this town."
That hometown focus has been there since day one of the festival and remains central to Rialto's identity. Unlike larger festivals, you'll see the artists spending the day watching each other's sets, creating a collaborative environment that feels more like a gathering of friends than a traditional festival.
"As it turns out, we're all music fans," Jed joked.
Ariana said years of touring have also informed how they approach the artist experience at Rialto.
"Our time on the road and playing festivals has given us perspective of how we want to coordinate the things we do at Rialto, especially for the artist experience as artists ourselves,” she said. " We just really, really care about the artists as people."
From Riverfest to Red Rocks
Rialto has grown over the years, and so has Wild Horses.
Now a trio with bassist Landon Pahl, the band is preparing for a busy summer of touring. The next few months include multiple dates with heavy-hitting Americana artist Charley Crockett and an appearance at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado with Sam Barber.
Many musicians spend entire careers dreaming of playing Red Rocks.
"I was thinking that was a far-off dream, if it ever was," Jed said. "And it certainly shouldn't happen in five years. We're super grateful."
The venue carries extra meaning for the two. Ariana shared one of her and Jed's earliest dates took place at Red Rocks, watching singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov perform.
"I remember dreaming back then what it'd be like to play a space like that," she said. "And here we are."
Support from the music community
Another major boost for the band has been through the support of Minnesota music giants Trampled by Turtles.
Jed credits Tim Saxhaug, bass player for Trampled by Turtles and fellow Grand Rapidian, with helping open doors early on. A handful of opening dates with TBT eventually led to a month-long tour with the band across the southern United States earlier this year.
"That was probably the best tour we've ever had," Jed said. "It was just really fun."
Ariana also noted that recent changes behind the scenes have allowed them the headspace to focus more on making music and less on managing logistics, like keeping their website up to date and marketing.
"Gaining a better team has been a huge deal for us," she said. "It's helped us actually play music for the first time and write music."
Wild Horses' connection with rising country musician Barber and his team has also proved to be a great relationship. Meeting him during a Montana tour eventually led to numerous opening opportunities and, more recently, a record label partnership. The band has signed with Barber's new label, a joint venture with Atlantic Records, becoming one of its first artists.
"We weren't really seeking something like that out," Jed said. "But we're excited about it. They're ambitious, and we're grateful to have a little bit of help putting out the next record."
New music on the horizon
Perhaps the biggest news for fans: New music is finally on the way!
After years spent on the road, Wild Horses are preparing to release some new songs and, if all goes according to plan, a full-length album before "it gets cold out,” as they put it.
The upcoming album follows the band's acclaimed debut, Runaway. Both Jed and Ariana said life experiences over the past several years have added new layers to their songwriting, which we’ll see in these new songs.
"We've experienced a lot of loss the last few years," Jed said. "And after the last year or two, we're genuinely pretty tired out, from touring a lot and building a house and tearing a house down."
Musically, fans can expect familiar Wild Horses energy with expanded dynamics.
"The drivers are driving hard enough for my arm to want to fall off," Jed said with a laugh. "And then we lean into some moments that I think we really have to sit and breathe with."
As for how they describe their music?
"We tell people to go listen and tell us what they think it is," Jed said.
-
MusicGet to know the volunteers behind the mic on KAXE. This week we find out more from "Jazz On America Ave" host and volunteer, John Segari. -
MusicThe KAXE Music Team on new music from Baby Cool, Jalen Ngonda, Bedouine, Ryan Bingham, Ibibio Sound Machine, Mollie Elizabeth, Ruthie Foster, Seun Kuti, and John Hartford in '76. -
MusicThe KAXE Music Team on new music from Deer Tick, Brian Jackson, Bebe Stockwell, MADMADMAD and Orquesta Akokán.
