The 38th annual edition of the July festival in northern Michigan combines internationally acclaimed artists as well as regional acts such as May Erlewine, Luke Winslow King, Mark Lavengood and more.
Bringing Bliss to Blissfest 2018: Nahko & Medicine for the People, shown here performing at Founders Fest 2015. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
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Michigan’s 38th annual Blissfest will feature headlining sets by legendary singer-songwriters Bruce Cockburn and Mary Chapin Carpenter, with inspirational world music collective Nahko & Medicine for the People wrapping up the weekend festival north of Harbor Springs.
Bruce Cockburn
As usual, the July 13-15 festival lineup also boasts a bevy of regional favorites, including Luke Winslow King, Seth Bernard, Galactic Sherpas, The Red Sea Pedestrians, Robin Lee Barry, Kevin Kammeraad, Ben Daniels, Joe Shields, May Erlewine, The Corn Fed Girls, Mark Lavengood, Turbo Pup and many more.
Festival wristbands — $130 adult member, $165 adult non-member – are now on sale, with discounts for teens 13-17. Children 12 and younger are free. Get details and more info online at blissfest.org.
The much-beloved festival, held on the Blissfest Festival Farm at 3695 Division Road southeast of Cross Village in northern Michigan, will also feature performances by “returning alumni” such as King, Bernard, Feufolett, Igor & The Red Elvises and more.
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Veteran festival musician and 2018 returnee Mark Lavengood called Blissfest “nothing short of extraordinary” with all of its inspiring performances each year.
“At Bliss, it’s like one big living organism of a community plugged into their inner-spirit self and energizing the collective core for the rest of the year until we reconvene to charge up for the next season,” said the Grand Rapids guitarist and Dobro player.
Cockburn, Friday’s headliner, is a multiple-award-winning artist who frequently tackles social issues in his songs, focusing on human rights, the environment and other subjects. The 72-year-old singer and guitarist has released more than 30 albums over four decades.
Michigan Magic: The charm of Blissfest. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Carpenter headlines Saturday’s lineup. Carpenter, 60, has earned five Grammy Awards over the years while establishing herself as a multi-platinum-selling country, Americana and folk artist.
Portland native Nahko Bear, frontman for Nahko & The Medicine People, has cultivated a loyal fan base for music and live performances that resonate with an upbeat, world music fusion approach. The band released its most recent album, “Dragonfly,” last year.
Other artists performing over the weekend include northern Michigan’s Erlewine, Michelle Chenard and Ani & Kora, plus Jania Taylor, Susie Vinnick, Erin Coburn, Dacia Bridges Project, The Corn Fed Girls, Lavengood, Thunderbolt & Lightfoot, Thunderwude, Turbo Pup, Adair Correll, KoboTown, MAZ, Blue Moon Marquee, Harrow Fair, My Son the Hurricane, The Fitzgeralds, John Craigie, El Dub, Lakou Mizik, Making Movies, Pert Near Sandstone and Siamese Sound Club. The full festival schedule will be posted at a later date.
Get more information online at blissfest.org.
And check out Local Spins coverage of Blissfest 2017 here: Blissfest 2017 Revisited — ‘Captivating, warm, amazing and like coming home’
LISTEN: Bruce Cockburn, “States I’m In”
LISTEN: Mary Chapin Carpenter, “Sometimes Just the Sky”
VIDEO: Nahko & Medicine for the People, “Dear Brother”
Copyright 2018, Spins on Music LLC
