The Native Howl, The Gasoline Gypsies, Watching for Foxes, Desmond Jones, Biomassive, The Change and more play this “beautiful” northern Michigan site July 21-23. Get details; watch videos of featured bands.
Back to Dunesville: The Gasoline Gypsies from Port Huron return to Dunesville later this month. (Photo/Ricky Olmos)
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS OF SOME OF THE FESTIVAL’S FEATURED BANDS
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Take it from the guys in Traverse City’s Biomassive: The vibe of the Dunesville music festival is unmatched.
Loving ‘Everything’ About Dunesville: Traverse City’s Biomassive.
“We love Dunesville – the people, property, everything about it,” said bassist Ben Wyler. “This will be our third year playing and have also played a benefit to raise funds for the festival. We can’t wait to be back again.”
For four years, Dunesville has turned The Harm Farm in Lake Ann – about 15 miles west of Traverse City – into a weekend music festival with undeniable Michigan charm, from the music to the food to the vendors.
Billed as a “bluegrass, folk and roots music festival,” this year’s event – which takes place July 21-23 in Harmony Park on The Harm Farm, 4846 Hulbert Road – will boast sets by a bevy of regional artists, including The Native Howl, The Gasoline Gypsies, Biomassive, Watching for Foxes, The Bandura Gypsies, Alex Mendenall, The Change, The Birthday Suits, Desmond Jones, Soul Patch, The Brothers Crunch, Escaping Pavement, Blue Water Ramblers, Carrie Westbay, Brotha James and more.
Weekend tickets are $70 in advance and $85 at the gate. Get more information online at dunesville.com.
One of the festival organizers, Ryan Williams, who’s also a member of the band The Change, said this year’s “outstanding lineup” is the product of better planning, new sponsors and a push “to bring a really strong event” to northern Michigan.
ROOM TO GROW WHILE MAINTAINING THE ‘HEART AND SOUL’ OF DUNESVILLE
“Our team has come together in the off season starting way back in October to make sure we are better organized, with more attention being spent on the family and community dynamics,” he said, noting the 320-acre property gives the event opportunities to expand in future years.
Beautiful Site: The Lake Ann farm where Dunesville takes place. (Photo/Ricky Olmos)
“The space we are on is beautiful and has so much room to grow. However, we want to take an organic approach to growing this event. That way we always maintain the heart and soul of ‘the Dunesville spirit.’ ”
For Biomassive, a funk-hued band formed in 2012 which describes its music as jamtronica with a goal of fusing “traditional instruments with electronic dance music” and improvisation, Dunesville is just one of many festivals occupying its time this summer. The band played Blissfest earlier this month and also will be playing Hoxeyville, UpNorth, Traverse City’s Microbrew & Music Festival, Feral Fest and more.
Another Michigan festival favorite, Grand Rapids jam band Desmond Jones, will play Dunesville for the first time next week, one of 12 festivals the group is playing this summer and early fall.
Desmond Jones (Photo/Anna Sink)
“We always look forward to playing our music for new audiences and picking up new fans along the way,” said drummer John Nowak. “It will be a great weekend in our beautiful state of Michigan featuring some awesome bands that we have been happy to connect with. Sharing the stage with Watching For Foxes and The Native Howl will be really fun.”
Nowak noted that Michigan festivals such as Dunesville are “doing great things for local bands and the local music community in general” by promoting “good local music and positive community involvement. … It’s a great way to meet other musicians and industry professionals, as well as gaining new fans while having fun.”
Added Williams: “All of the music is going to be amazing.”
For an example of that, check out videos from some of the bands here:
VIDEO: Biomassive, “Byzantine Conduit”
VIDEO: The Native Howl, “Thunderhead”
VIDEO: The Gasoline Gypsies, “Abilene”
VIDEO: Watching for Foxes, “Bad Kids”
VIDEO: Desmond Jones, “Taco Bell (In the Rain)”
VIDEO: The Bandura Gypsies, “Muddy Bare Feet”
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