The Lake Leelanau hot spot ups the ante with 17 Thursday and Sunday shows that spotlight regional acts such as The Accidentals, The Crane Wives, The Ragbirds and The Go Rounds. Get the lineup and details.
Northern Mecca: The Ragbirds play Fountain Point Resort in August. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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A northern Michigan resort could become a new hot spot for Michigan’s musical stars.
With hopes of attracting a broader audience to its waterfront retreat, the picturesque Fountain Point Resort along Lake Leelanau will launch an outdoor summer concert series this year boasting some of the region’s hottest acts, including The Accidentals, The Crane Wives, Oh Brother Big Sister, The Appleseed Collective, The Way Down Wanderers, The Ragbirds and The Go Rounds.
Series Opener: The Accidentals will perform at Fountain Point in June. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
The 17-concert series will run from June 18 through Aug. 13, with performers playing on the hotel’s front porch for fans seated on the lawn beside the lake. Located about 30 minutes north of Traverse City, Fountain Point Resort is situated in the heart of Leelanau County’s wine country.
“It’s such a beautiful place that we want the greater public to be able to come swim, have a picnic and see some great music,” said series organizer Maria Ulrich, noting that innkeeper Erik Zehender wants to “open up the resort to a wider audience instead of just the families that rent cabins or wedding parties.”
The series featuring shows on Thursdays and Sundays kicks off June 18 with Traverse City’s own alt-folk group The Accidentals.
A who’s who lineup of Michigan and Midwest stars follow, including Brotha James (June 22), The Go Rounds (June 25), Jonathan Timm (June 29), The Appleseed Collective (July 2), Jazz North (July 6), The Understorey (July 9), Oh Brother Big Sister (July 13), The Giving Tree Band (July 16), The Way Down Wanderers (July 20), Olivia Millerschin (July 23), The Crane Wives (July 27), Nik Carman & The Crazy Uncles (July 30), Abigail Stauffer (Aug. 3), The Ragbirds (Aug. 6), Hayley Reardon (Aug. 10) and Davina & The Vagabonds (Aug. 13).
‘A Therapeutic Place’: Fountain Point resort has a rich history and a scenic vista.
Currently, season passes are available for $95 each which provides entry to all shows, or $190 for a household season pass that allows entry to all concerts for two adults and any children under the age of 15. Passes are available online at fountainpointmusic.com or by calling MyNorth Tickets at 1-800-836-01717. Tickets for individual shows in the series will be made available later this spring.
Sav Buist, multi-instrumentalist for The Accidentals, who’ve performed at Fountain Point in the past, called it “one of the most unique and beautiful venues” in Michigan.
“It’s a total throwback to another era – a simpler time and place,” said Buist. “The main hotel sits back in the woods on Lake Leelanau frontage surrounded by cottages and all the amenities of a four-star resort. You can take a pontoon boat to the winery or dinner. It’s really a therapeutic place to play a show.”
The Way Down Wanderers (Photo/Loren Johnson)
The Accidentals, who are playing the Power of Music Fest in Arkansas this weekend followed by an appearance as presenters at the Detroit Music Awards on May 5, follow their June concert at Fountain Point Resort with appearances at several major festivals – including Electric Forest in Rothbury – as they prepare to release their first album on the Sony Masterworks label on Aug. 18.
Concertgoers are welcome to bring their own picnic baskets to the Fountain Point Resort concerts, which will start at 7:30 p.m., but the shows also will feature food trucks, Ulrich said. She said she’s also in talks with local artists about bringing their artwork to sell at the shows.
The front lawn can accommodate up to 1,000 people, and in the event of heavy rains, shows will be moved inside to the game room which has a capacity of about 150. A limited amount of lawn furniture is available for the concerts, so attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets.
“Fountain Point is also home to the Lake Leelanau Rowing Club and acts as a base for seaplane lessons, which is pretty cool,” Ulrich said.
Get more information online at fountainpointmusic.com.
VIDEO: The Accidentals, “Local Spins Live at River City Studios’
VIDEO: Brotha James, “Animal”
VIDEO: The Go Rounds, “Lonely Unison”
VIDEO: Oh Brother Big Sister, “Pumped Up Kicks”
VIDEO: The Ragbirds, “Breakdown”
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