Derek Jones Headlines the First Annual Hillsboro Oktoberfest

The first annual Hillsboro Oktoberfest 2022 presented by the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce kicked off on Saturday at the Hillsboro Brewing Company. This event featured fire barrels to beat the cool Wisconsin air, homemade German foods, draft beers, and live entertainment featuring Nashville recording artist, Karissa Ella and headliner Derek Jones & The 50 South.

Before taking the stage Saturday, Ohio native singer and songwriter, Karissa Ella visited Hillsboro High School music students to discuss her music writing and career on Friday morning. Ella moved to Nashville to pursue her dreams by attending Belmont University. She completed her self-titled EP in June 2018 after graduation. In the summer of 2019, Ella not only released her second EP featuring VACAY AND Me and Luke but also her version of multiple covers in The Acoustic Sessions. In 2021 Ella released two original singles, Bad Summer and Crackin' Cold Ones, and joined Grammy-nominated David Nail on his Bootheel Tour. Inspired by Shania Twain, Gretchen Wilson, Miranda Lambert, and Carrie Underwood, Karissa Ella performed a number of originals and covers displaying nothing less than a confident and charismatic composure that amplified the stage during her set Saturday night.

From appearing on the Today Show, Pickler and Ben, and Good Morning Australia, Hillsboro Oktoberfest presents headliner, relentless, country-rock outlaw, singer-songwriter, Derek Jones & The 50 South. The four-man band commanded the stage highlighting Jones's 2021 EP release of, Last of a Dying Breed which reached No. 3 on iTunes. Captivating the audience, the soulful instrumentals of The 50 South were held to complement the genuine purity tone executed by Jones. After concluding the set with Free To Leave, the audience solicited an encore. An unblemished medley cover was granted to close out Oktoberfest 2022.