The festival in Sidney, north of Grand Rapids, fires up this weekend — moving this year from late September to August — with performances by 16 regional acts. Get the schedule and details at Local Spins.
Willowsong Country: The Bootstrap Boys play the third-year festival on Friday night. (Photo/Anna Sink)
It’s only three years into West Michigan’s Willowsong Music Festival, but guitarist Alex Austin already is a seasoned veteran of the fledgling event.
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His Grand Rapids roots rock band Deerfield Run played the inaugural festival in 2017, Austin performed with Nicholas James & The Bandwagon in 2018, and this year, Deerfield Run is back to fire up the main stage at 8 p.m. Friday.
“It has been really cool to see the festival grow the way it has. It still has a kind of ‘new kid on the block’ vibe, in my opinion,” Austin said.
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“I’m actually really excited to see what it’s like this year, with such a great lineup: Molly, The Bootstrap Boys, Chain of Lakes, Valentiger and a bunch more. I think that this will be a pivotal year for the festival, and we’re excited to be a part of it.”
Moving up in the season this year from late September to late August, Willowsong will once again unfurl on Eric and Jo Raby’s Willowsong farmstead outside Sidney, Mich. (about an hour north of Grand Rapids), with Grand Rapids soul-pop artist Molly, Kalamazoo hip-hop/soul act Last Gasp Collective, Americana/alt country’s Nathan Kalish & The Lastcallers, outlaw country’s The Bootstrap Boys, hip hop cellist Jordan Hamilton, jazz band Blushing Monk and more.
Gates open at 2 p.m. Friday, with Jo Serrapere & The Willie Dunns getting the music started at 7 p.m.
“We are really stoked for this year’s lineup,” said Eric Raby.
“We put a lot of thought into bringing a range and variety of talent. We have some returning favorites as well as many new acts to the Willowsong stage.”
The Setting: On the Willowsong Farmstead. (Photo/Katlin Merby)
As for switching up weekends, Raby said it “felt like a necessity after two years of cold weather. We are hoping to make the camping experience more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.”
Tickets to the festival – located at 2039 S. Nevins Rd, Sidney, 48885 – are $40 for the weekend or $25 for a day pass.
The event — which earned an honorable mention in Local Spins’ 2019 readers’ poll of Top 10 Michigan Music Festivals — also features craft and food vendors, a community bonfire, yoga and a tent with information about organic gardening, composting, sustainability, “digging in the dirt and growing what we eat.”
Copyright 2019, Spins on Music LLC
