The flurry of summer music festival news continues, with Michigan boasting celebrations covering everything from metal to folk to blues to jazz and more. Details at Local Spins.
Porcupine Mountains Music: The Porkies Fest returns in August. (Courtesy Photo)
From the far reaches of the Upper Peninsula to Battle Creek to Lansing and beyond, Michigan’s summer music festival extravaganza just keeps growing.
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Lineup reveals and new festival announcements continue to pop up this spring as summer approaches and live music in the great outdoors begins to heat up.
The ever-charming Porcupine Mountains Music Festival – which takes place Aug. 25-26 at the Winter Sports Complex amid the beautiful Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park outside Ontonagon – has announced an impressive 2023 lineup of regional and national acts.
Friday headliner Jackie Venson (a soulful Austin singer-songwriter) and Saturday headliner The Commonheart (a bluesy outfit from Pittsburgh) will be joined by the likes of West Michigan Americana fave Myron Elkins, Illinois folk/bluegrass outfit The Way Down Wanderers and Vermont singer-songwriter Kat Wright.
Myron Elkins (Photo/Eric Stoike)
Other acts on the weekend bill include The Slocan Ramblers, Seth Walker, H.C. McEntire, Charlie Parr, Gabe Stillman Band, Humbird and Buffalo Galaxy, with more than 30 additional performers playing the Busking Barn and indoor Chalet Stages.
Two-day passes ($80 adults, $10 children) and more information online at porkiesfestival.org. Friends of the Porkies organizes the annual festival.
Here are some other recent festival lineup announcements or artist additions:
TIE DYE FESTIVAL – 21249 Howard City Edmore Road outside Howard City (Aug. 18-19) – The lineup includes Stevie Reidz, FlyLiteGemini, The Swineharts, Indeed, Cody Robert DeWindt, Mark Alan, Hand of Giants, Common Molly, The Selbys, Tipsy & The Kickstands, Whiskey Bound, The Fabulous Vans, Justin Wierenga, Hand of Doom, FlyLiteGemini, The NXT, Lost in Blue, The John Lipp Band, The Pice Project, Forged in Blue, Foolish Plezyer, Loud Sad & Disoriented and The Cheater B’s. Get more details online here. The free festival stages a fundraiser on May 20.
PHIL DENNY’S ARMORY SMOOTH JAZZ FETE – Historic Armory at 330 Marshall St. in Lansing (Aug. 12) – The fifth annual one-day festival will feature chart-topping Michigan jazz saxophonist Phil Denny plus Bobbi Storm, Kyle Schroeder, Gino Rosaria, Adam Hawley and Hank Bilal. Get details at smoothjazzfete.com.
Phil Denny (Photo/Local Spins)
SMILING ACRES MUSIC FESTIVAL – Outside Trufant (June 30-July 2) – Traverse City folk-leaning stars The Accidentals and May Erlewine will pump up the bill for Smiling Acres 2023, with Jesse Ray & the Carolina Catfish, Blue Water Ramblers and Normal Mode also now part of the third-year event at 3060 N. Johnson Road. Get the full lineup and ticket information online here.
MARSHALL BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL – Calhoun County Fairgrounds in Marshall (July 22-29) – Organizers have announced a lineup that includes Fast Track, Edgar Loudermilk Band, Country Gentlemen Tribute Band, Caleb Daugherty Band, Kevin Prater Band, Larry Efaw & The Bluegrass Mountaineers, Crabgrass and Bootleg, along with “lots of jamming” during the week. Also appearing will be Harbourtown, New Outlook, Out of the Blue, Ottawa County, Foxtail Grass and The Marshall All-Star Band. Find more details here. All ticket sales will be at the gate.
JACKSON BLUES FEST – 10138 Tompkins Road outside Jackson (June 8-10) – The three-day affair will feature The Kennedy Affair, Amanda Fish, Chris Beard, Ghost Town Blues Band, Chris Canas, Brendon Linsley, Harmonica Hounds, Toronzo Cannon and Rocky Athas, with more performers still to be announced. Admission is $10 per day at the gate; children 12 and younger are free. Details online here.
BATTLE CREEK CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL – Festival Market Square at 25 S. McCamly St. in Battle Creek (July 15) – This celebration of the music, food, arts and culture of the Caribbean and Africa will feature Antoinette Rootsdawtah and Pato Banton & The New Generation. More details here.
Chris Canas Band (Photo/Local Spins)
BATTLE CREEK MUSIC FEST – The Music Factory in Battle Creek (July 21) – The first-year event will feature sets by Dead Fruit, Near Deaf Xperience, Misery Lane, The New Models, The Creeping Chaos and The Bonez. Admission is $10. More info here.
LOCAL SPINS FEST – Studio Park in downtown Grand Rapids (May 20) – At last, the sixth “mystery guest” on the bill for this one-day festival celebrating Local Spins’ 11th anniversary has been revealed: Grand Rapids ‘future soul’ band Earth Radio. The band will join In the Valley Below, Kari Lynch Band, Sarena Rae, Lokella and Grace Theisen Band at the summer-kickoff event. Get tickets, $20, here.
By the way, the Michigan Irish Music Festival – which takes place at Heritage Landing in Muskegon Sept. 14-17 – will officially announce its 2023 lineup on Thursday (May 4).
As always, find full listings of summer festivals in Local Spins’ Michigan Music Festivals 2023 Guide.
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