READY TO ROCK. 30 Minute Difference, a youth band from Chippewa Falls, has made the Rockonsin State Finals for the second year in a row. (Photos via Facebook)

Rockonsin, now in its 20th year, returns to Milwaukee's Summerfest for the State Finals showcase on June 28-29, and a familiar band is in the lineup. For the second year in a row, 30 Minute Difference of Chippewa Falls has secured one of 10 finalist slots for the chance to win it all.

Garage bands in grades 7-12 had the opportunity to enter the annual statewide competition, and this year’s top 10 includes rock and metal bands from Madison to Kewaskum to Racine as well as Chippewa Falls. Just by making the top 10, each band receives two Shure mics and the chance to duke it out for the ultimate prize: recording time at Madison’s Blast House Studios and a full Shure wireless vocal mic system.

30 Minute Difference, made up of sibling duos Jaydin and Jerney Joles and Caleb and Lizzy Dallas, are no strangers to Rockonsin after their finals run in the 2023 competition. This year, the Chippewa Falls rockers are determined to go further.

“Now that we have been a band and have played together for 15 months we definitely have gained more confidence and have gotten a lot tighter as a group,” said Dallas, lead vocalist.

30 Minute Difference with Dennis Graham.

The band has continued to play throughout the Chippewa Valley since the 2023 competition – attendees of last summer’s Northern Wisconsin State Fair may have seen them at the Front Porch Stage – and even branched out into country and pop music, though for the competition, they are sticking to their roots of rock music.

Dennis Graham, founder and producer of Rockonsin, called 30 Minute Difference “a talented young baby band that has what it takes to rock” in an email correspondence.

Each finalist will perform a 20-minute showcase to be evaluated by a panel of three music industry judges. 30 Minute Difference will have their moment on June 29 from 2:15-2:35pm at the Aurora Pavilion Stage, closing out the afternoon.

Following their Summerfest finals performances, each band will receive private verbal critique from one of the judges. They are evaluated on expression/creativity/technique, rhythm and vocals, primary beats/blend/time, synergy of each musician, and how the band gels.

The 2024 winning and runner-up bands will be announced on Saturday, June 29, at 8pm via Rockonsin’s social media channels and website. Both the winner and runner-up win a professional recording sesh at Blast House Studios with the winner earning 12 hours and the runner-up 8 hours.

Keep up with 30 Minute Difference on Facebook and Instagram • Learn more about Rockonsin online