Relive the weekend: Northern Michigan musician Brotha James, aka Jeremy Reisig, provides his take on one of the state’s most beloved music festivals, with photos by Local Spins photographer Anna Sink.
The Joy of Bliss: The 37th annual festival wrapped up Sunday. (Winning Logo/Fine Art by Jeremiah Bell)
EDITOR’S NOTE: For 37 summers, Blissfest has drawn diehard admirers of folk, roots, global and Americana music delivered by national and local acts to property near Cross Village in northern Michigan. Last weekend’s edition of the beloved event boasted sets by Los Lobos, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Davina & The Vagabonds, Red Elvises, Dustbowl Revival, Donna The Buffalo and more, not to mention Michigan artists such as Blake Elliott & the Robinson Affair, May Erlewine, The Ragbirds, Brotha James, Joe Shields, Galactic Sherpas, Seth Bernard and others. Every year, Local Spins asks a local musician to provide his or her take on the three-day festival. This year, Brotha James, aka Jeremy Reisig, offers up his festival highlights, with photos by Anna Sink.
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BROTHA JAMES’ 2017 BLISSFEST HIGHLIGHTS
Brothers of Brotha James: Jeremy Reisig and his brother, Sean, on stage at Blissfest.
• OLIVIA MAINVILLE – Olivia Mainville & the Aquatic Troupe put on an incredible show Saturday on the Michigan Stage. The combination of Olivia and the Jack & The Bear brothers is captivating. They had the crowd of kids and adults dancing and completely engaged.
• MICHAEL FRANTI – Michael Franti was on top of his game from the minute he took the stage. Right off the bat, he had the crowd clapping and singing along with him. He spent half the show in the audience with his wireless guitar rig and headset mic. He made it a deeply moving experience through his stories, songs and overall presence. People were inspired and feeling the love through the next morning.
• MAY ERLEWINE – Singer-songwriter and Earthwork Music artist May Erlewine played to a packed second stage tent on Saturday afternoon. She was amazing as always and her band of Michael Shimmin and Max Lockwood were on point. She did an amazing job of talking about her struggles, self love and her letter to the president.
• THE PISTOL WHIPS – The Pistol Whips played Sunday morning at 11am on the Main Stage and they did an incredible job getting the audience engaged and ready for the day. Eric on the guitar and Farmer drums along with Will on the Sax are a must see duo.
• PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT – For me personally, it was my main stage performance at noon Sunday with my brother, Sean. It was like coming home to be on that stage looking over the the sea of colors like a magic carpet to the woods. The crowd was engaged and ready to dance and sing along with us. This will go down as one of the top moments of 2017 for my brother and I. The sound team was exceptional and the stage was warm.
PHOTO GALLERY: Blissfest 2017
Photos by Anna Sink
