After previously being held in northern Michigan, the festival hosted by Greensky Bluegrass will relocate to “a stone’s throw from Grand Rapids.”
‘Nothing Short of Fantastic’: Greensky Bluegrass at Shagbark Farm last summer. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Greensky Bluegrass guitarist Dave Bruzza doesn’t hold back when describing the progressive bluegrass band’s first-ever experience at Shagbark Farm in southern Kent County, playing three straight nights there last July.
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“Shagbark was fantastic. That site was great,” Bruzza told Local Spins. “(Owner) Farmer John (Crissman) was awesome. And Jake Robinson from the Hoxeyville crew did a great job helping us put that all together. It was nothing short of fantastic.”
So it’s no surprise that the band’s Camp Greensky Music Festival being held June 2-4 will move from the Hoxeyville Music Festival site in Wellston in northern Lower Michigan to Shagbark Farm.
Greensky Bluegrass announced the new site today, noting that it’s “just a stone’s throw from Grand Rapids” and “offers exceptional access” from the Gerald R. Ford International Airport, while “maintaining the rootsy, pastoral vibe that’s always been at the heart of the festival.”
Down on the Farm: The scene at Shagbark. (Photo/Local Spins)
The move to the family farm in Alaska, in southern Kent County, has long been rumored, ever since the successful three-night run by Greensky Bluegrass on the last summer.
“I am so geeked,” Crissman told Local Spins after the announcement was made.
Camp Greensky has been on hiatus the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but proved wildly successful its first two years at the Hoxeyville site, with stars ranging from Stephen Marley, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and Trampled by Turtles to Billy Strings, Hiss Golden Messenger and Del & Dawg.
Shagbark Farm, meanwhile, has been home to the popular Cowpie Music Festival for 17, set to stage the 2022 festival Aug. 4-6 with MonoNeon, Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, Mungion, Tunde Olaniran, Desmond Jones and many more. It’s billed as the final Cowpie, with the festival being rebranded for 2023.
Read more about Cowpie 2022 at Local Spins here.
Greensky Bluegrass currently is touring behind its new studio album, “Stress Dreams,” with a Feb. 18 tour stop at Fillmore Detroit, with The Infamous Stringdusters.
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