Hoxeyville Music Festival unfurls this weekend in northern Michigan with a who’s who lineup and lots of groovy activities. Check out the Local Spins preview with a festival schedule and a playlist.
Back at Hoxeyville: Billy Strings will play two sets on Sunday night. (Photo/Nathan Purchase)
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Michigan is a true haven for summer music festivals that range from small to large, highly produced to endearingly grassroots, and everything in between.
Naturally, there are bound to be some favorites among festivalgoers, and the carefully curated (yet intimately set) Hoxeyville certainly lands on more than a few favorites lists.
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With a roster that includes acts like Railroad Earth, Billy Strings, Leftover Salmon, The Go Rounds, May Erlewine & The Motivations and The Crane Wives, it’s no wonder. (Lineup and schedule details here.)
With the annual festival taking place amid the Manistee National Forest in Wellston this weekend, Local Spins compiled a set of favorite things to look forward to at one of Michigan’s most-beloved festivals: “Five Reasons to Head to Hoxeyville.”
We also asked a couple of performers to share the things they’re most excited about. Without further ado, these are a few of our favorite things:
1. Meditation and Yoga – Is there a better way to start a day of musical adventure than with a mountain pose under the August morning sun? Probably not. Hoxeyville provides onsite Mindfulness Meditation with Sara Montgomery-Richards, a Michigan native with a diverse background in cultural and religious studies. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Main Stage. There will also be acoustic yoga, a fusion of vinyasa flow and live music. Mark Lavengood will perform and Carrie LaBarge will lead yoga.
2. BYOB – No need to pay premium concert prices for a cold one. Instead of that $10 tall can of Bud Light so common at concert hall concession stands, spend that Alexander Hamilton on a six-pack from your favorite local brewery. Throw it in the cooler and savor the taste of a proper Michigan summer. (No glass allowed. Only cans.)
3. Activities for Kids – The three-day festival includes an exhaustive list of kids activities likely to exhaust even the most rambunctious of kids. The festival’s “Kids’ Tent” boasts face painting, nature-based crafts, story time, music time, an instrument building workshop and a concluding musical parade.
4. Manistee National Forest – Although the main festival takes place on a plot of expansive farmland, it’s surrounded by some of the state’s most pristine forests, lakes and rivers. Spend a morning before the music starts with a peaceful hike or a paddle down the Pine River.
5. Performances and Collaboration – Festivals are naturally an optimal environment for magical performances and spontaneous collaboration between artists. Given the sheer number of Michigan artists on the bill, Hoxeyvillagers are in for some riveting onstage camaraderie. (Take a peek at the paragraphs below for a few tips from Mark “Huggy Bear”
Lavengood himself.)
THE PERFORMERS: HOXEYVILLE FAVORITES
Family Reunion: Look for Mark Lavengood to be sitting in with some other stars. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Mark Lavengood – “It’s hard to sum up one thing that I’m looking forward to at Hoxeyville. Of course, seeing my old bandmates in Lindsay Lou is going to be like a family reunion. Super excited to see Gregory Stovetop‘s set and Airborne or Aquatic’s set, too. Anders Osborne has become one of my favorite performers/songwriters/guitar players. And he’s playing on Sunday. Michigan royalty Billy Strings has a new album I’m excited to hear live. And rumor is I might even get to sit in with some of these hot-to-trot acts.”
Emilee Petersmark (The Crane Wives) – “Hoxey feels kind of like a family reunion. I love getting the chance to see all of those Michigan musicians that we only cross paths with at festivals. We’re all usually hustling all year, missing each other by weeks or even just days at venues, so it’s nice to take a weekend and slow down and catch up with everyone. As touring musicians you usually don’t get a chance to just sit and listen to performances, not without having to pack up gear or dip early for the next town, next gig. It’s a nice summer tradition for me personally to just sit and enjoy the music, too.”
FESTIVAL DETAILS
Hoxeyville Music Festival
When: Friday-Sunday (Aug. 16-18)
Opening Time: Gates open at 9 a.m. Friday. (Early bird ticket holders can arrive at 5 p.m. Thursday)
Tickets: $195 weekend adults, $75 children, $75 day passes available online at http://www.hoxeyville.com/admissions
Location: 11300 W. 48-1/2 Road, Wellston 49689 (Entrance is 1/2-mile west of M-37 and W. 48-1/2 Rd.)
Check out Local Spins’ coverage of Hoxeyville 2018 — Hoxeyville 2018 Revisited: Top 5 memories from a winsome weekend in the woods
HOXEYVILLE 2019: THE LOCAL SPINS PLAYLIST
Copyright 2019, Spins on Music LLC
