One of the Michigan music festival scene’s most unusual settings hosted a boatload of performances by regional bands ranging from Sponge to Adrian + Meredith. The Beaver Island Music Fest recap in photos and video.
Island Music: The main stage crowd on Beaver Island. (Photo/Anna Sink)
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Throngs of music lovers and musicians experiencing island life as one.
When the ever-unique Beaver Island Music Festival unfolded amid the splendor of northern Lake Michigan last weekend, the communal atmosphere proved to be as memorable as the performances themselves.
“Music has the power to bring individuals from diverse walks of life together with a shared sense of community, and seeing people travel to the middle of the woods to share in community together is a testament to how special Beaver Island Music Festival is,” said Jacob Betts, frontman for Grand Rapids rock band The American Hotel System, which performed on Friday night.
Aqua Cherry: One of the festival’s highlights. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Betts said the band’s set felt “electric,” with audio engineers expertly correcting equipment issues just before the show started.
“The crowd was so responsive and loving. It felt like one big musical conversation,” Betts added. “Overall, it was such a fantastic weekend. Dan and Carol Burton and the whole BIMF crew were fantastic and we’re so grateful for the community they’ve worked so hard to facilitate.”
Other weekend highlights, courtesy of Local Spins’ Anna Sink:
• Rock-fueled Americana act Adrian + Meredith (hailing from Nashville, though Meredith is a Michigan native) thrashed to the delight of fans who cheered the full-band romp, particularly embracing the group’s final set on Friday.
• New York reggae/rock/pop outfit Aqua Cherry electrified the crowd with a killer late-night Thursday performance, led by singer Josey Fyah, with Kentucky alt-pop duo Rags and Riches inciting fans in much the same way late Friday night, just before a headlining performance by Detroit’s Sponge.
• As for The Plate Scrapers, a Virginia bluegrass band, well, they were pickin’ all over the place all the time to the delight of attendees.
In between it all, musicians and festivalgoers alike reveled in night-sky spectating, hikes in the woods, sampling local delicacies and otherwise basking in northern Michigan’s charm.
PHOTO GALLERY: Beaver Island Music Festival 2023
Photos by Anna Sink
Video by Anna Sink
Copyright 2023, Spins on Music LLC
