Expanded Cowpie fest on Shagbark Farm south of Grand Rapids survived rainy opening night; thrives Saturday with fine mix of Michigan bands. Video, photos
Delilah DeWylde & the Lost Boys regaled a growing crowd of fans at Cowpie Music Festival on Saturday night.
From Mudpie to Cowpie … just the way it was supposed to be all along.
After enduring cold rain and mired vehicles on Friday, the Cowpie Music Festival on Shagbark Farm south of Grand Rapids spread, uh, its wings on Saturday with partly sunny skies, near-perfect temperatures and lively performances by more than two dozen diverse and dynamic regional bands and solo artists.
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Even if attendance numbers were a tad disappointing due to the heavy rains that mucked things up on opening night, the 10th annual edition of this event on a working cattle farm near Caledonia clearly sported a groovy, eclectic musical vibe (more than 40 Michigan bands representing 16 genres) and a buoyant, uplifting spirit unlike any other festival of its ilk.
The breadth and enthusiasm of the acts playing Cowpie’s two stages on Saturday said it all, from The Concussions’ rambunctious, masked-men attack on surf rock to The Soil & The Sun’s rootsy “experiential spiritual folk” magic to the crowd-revving honky-tonk appeal of Delilah DeWylde & the Lost Boys to the Detroit-bred, harp-driven blues of The Alligators.
Despite the rain, David Deaver was all smiles.
“It was tremendous,” said chief festival promoter and organizer David Deaver, who could have been crestfallen by the weather that depleted numbers and revenues, but instead was upbeat about the talent on stage, the attitude of musicians and volunteers, and the general demeanor of enthused fans and sponsors.
Even though concertgoers, workers, musicians and volunteers had to brave chilly raindrops and spinning-tires-in-the-mud on opening night (tractors pulled many vehicles up the hill into parking areas), Deaver raved about Friday’s rain- and sweat-soaked performances, especially the energetic set by ska faves Mustard Plug.
He was still reveling in the festival atmosphere early Saturday evening, as crowds grew in front of the main Cowpie Stage and musicians from earlier sets chatted and milled about in VIP areas.
The Alligators
And well he should: I’ve never attended a festival that treated musical acts and media representatives better than Cowpie, with an open attitude that encourages access rather than restricting it, with the idea that these hard-working bands and artists need all the exposure and publicity they can get.
Even volunteers love working this festival, returning year after year. And recognizable personalities such as Aris Hampers and singer-songwriter Ralston Bowles, who also performed, pitched in to emcee stages.
(By the way, organizers are encouraging Cowpie fans to post videos and photos of the festival on their Facebook page to help spread the word about the event. You can do that here. Watch a highlights video below.)
Aided by a varied lineup of top-notch, Michigan-bred talent, this year’s transition from blues festival to music festival earned high marks from many, with the schedule boasting everything from the bluesy, jam-band rock of Detroit’s Howard Glazer & the El 34s to the vibrant bluegrass of up-and-coming Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys.
Crowds weren’t huge, but they certainly were enthusiastic about Cowpie.
Sure, the 3,000 or so folks on hand for the weekend festival fell far short of the attendance for which organizers had hoped (and needed), but there was an optimistic air about it all, as if they realized they were really onto something special as a celebration of the region flexing its musical muscles.
If any Michigan music festival deserves a title sponsor or an underwriter, it’s this one.
So let’s hope some company or organization steps forward to give organizers the financial backing they need to make 2013’s Cowpie the best yet.
Because it’s all about the musicians and the music … Michigan-made music.
Email: jsinkevics@gmail.com
