Several hundred Michigan musicians – among them Seth Bernard, The Accidentals, The Crane Wives, Joshua Davis and many more – will gather this weekend outside Lake City to celebrate and share their art.
‘Extraordinary Moments’: Mark Lavengood, Dan Rickabus and Seth Bernard jamming during Harvest Gathering 2015. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Perhaps more than anything, the annual Earthwork Harvest Gathering outside Lake City has become a season-ending celebration of camaraderie for hundreds of Michigan musicians – an exclamation point on a busy summer of touring and performing.
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Returnee: Luke Winslow King will be back at Harvest Gathering 2016, performing on Sunday evening. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Staged on a 181-acre working farm, this year’s rootsy spectacle spearheaded by Earthwork Music founder Seth Bernard – and assembled by an army of volunteers – will boast 110 performances on four stages over three days, not to mention 65 workshops and countless family-friendly activities.
And as always, some of those performances represent the debut of new projects and one-of-a-kind musical collaborations.
“It’s a bit of a family reunion for lots of us, or like New Year’s Eve, as us musicians get to perform for a ton of our peers,” Bernard said. “It’s a special chance to share new work and new collaborations.
There are some new groups made of old friends that will be making rare performances or debuts.”
Nearly 2,900 people – many of them musicians – are expected to attend the festival held on the farm owned by Bernard’s father, Bob, with a who’s who lineup of regional stars on tap:
The Accidentals, Joshua Davis, The Crane Wives, May Erlewine, Breathe Owl Breathe, Luke Winslow King, Soul Patch, Charlie Millard, Blake Elliott, Brotha James, Michael Dause, Rachael Davis, Ralston Bowles, The Go Rounds, Mark Lavengood, Ralston Bowles, Nicholas James & The Bandwagon, Bigfoot Buffalo, Eric Engblade, Hawks & Owls, Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys, Megan Dooley & The Last Roots, Red Sea Pedestrians and more. Even singer-songwriters from Interlochen Arts Academy will perform.
Destination Place: Nearly 2,900 people are expected for the festival on Earthwork Farm. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Check out the full schedule and details online at earthworkharvestgathering.com.
Bill Chesney, manager of Michigan’s Earthwork Music collective called it “an amazing celebration of food and music, featuring the freshest local ingredients and the best people we know.”
Chesney is one of those premiering a new musical project at Harvest Gathering: His indie-rock band, Stepladders, will perform Friday night, signaling the official release of physical copies of the self-titled debut album.
“Stepladders (at Harvest Gathering) is going to be so sweet,” Chesney raved. “The whole team is going to be there.”
UNVEILING NEW MUSICAL PROJECTS, BASKETBALL AND A DUNK TANK
Indeed, other artists and their respective teams are unveiling new albums or projects as well, including Kalamazoo’s Red Tail Ring with its recently released “Fall Away Blues,” the super-group Public Access with its new “Live at Bells,” Dearborn singer-songwriter Jo Serrapere with “Dollar Store Nation” and Michael Dause (of The Accidentals) and his Band of Bros with “The Sound of Self-Destruction.”
Family Affair: There are plenty of activities for children, too. (Photo/Anna Sink)
“We’ve got lots of new performers and workshop presenters,” said Bernard, noting the festival also has added “a brand new adjustable pro basketball hoop in a new location on the hill with a youth slam dunk contest on Saturday. We’ll also have good old fashioned dunk tank.”
Even Harvest Gathering’s fundraising raffle has upped the ante this year with “lots of killer prizes like a Gretsch guitar and a weekend retreat at a beautiful lodge on the Pere Marquette.”
Aside from all that, Harvest Gathering is just that: a rustic and charming gathering where musicians showcase the art they’ve harvested throughout the year and share it with friends.
“So much time and effort goes into the planning of these three days throughout the whole year for me, so when it happens it’s supercharged and my heart is ready to explode the whole time,” Bernard said.
“I am most looking forward to being surprised by extraordinary moments that were not planned … and riding the wave of awesomeness that this community has created.”
Check out a Local Spins recap and photo gallery from last year’s Earthwork Harvest Gathering online here.
Located at 4399 N. 7 Mile Road outside Lake City, Earthwork Farm is about 108 miles north of Grand Rapids. Weekend tickets for Earthwork Harvest Gathering are $100 for adults, $60 for teens, free for children 12 and younger. Day passes are $50. Get details online at earthworkharvestgathering.com.
The sunset at Earthwork Farm. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC
