Local Spins spotlights the northern Michigan musician and activist who just released the first in a series of live albums, while also debuting new music by Rebekah Jon, Steve Rivers and other regional artists.
Seth Bernard: Embracing the unparalleled joy and connection of live performances. (Photo/Anna Sink)
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Like many musicians, Seth Bernard revels in the dynamic, audience-involving, never-to-be-repeated “moment in time” that live performances create.
He also knows the frustration of being unable to fashion those moments – sidelined for many months in 2023 by Lyme disease and back issues.
But absence, as they say, makes the heart grow fonder, so the much-respected northern Michigan guitarist, songwriter, activist and Earthwork Music collective founder who’s slowly recovered from his bout with Lyme disease has been back on stages churning out those special moments for fans.
He’s also digging into a robust inventory of past live recordings, recently releasing the first of several in a series of planned albums, “Deep Live Vol. 1,” a “pretty chill afternoon set” recorded in August 2024 at Graham Parsons’ Upper Peninsula Farm Block festival with bassist Justin Avdek and saxophonists Patrick Booth and Yali Rivlin.
“Deep Live Vol. 1”
“A live show is like something that’s putting vibrations out into the universe, into the ether,” he suggested. “You get a sense of the artist as a performer. Being a recording artist and being a performer are not always the same thing.
“I’ve heard it compared to film versus stage acting. The studio is like a film and every little nuance is really amplified. And then obviously performing on the stage is like putting on a play or a musical. But part of what I like about going back through my own live archives or listening to an artist’s live performance is you know that it’s a moment in time and that there are people there that shared it.”
There’s a “little bit of magic that was there in that moment. So live shows are special. I think there’s also a rawness to it. You don’t get to do a bunch of takes and (assemble) it together. It just is what it is.”
Bernard now plans to release a series of live performances from past shows, including a star-studded 2007 performance at City Opera House in Traverse City with May Erlewine, Breathe Owl Breathe, Drew Howard, Joe Wilson, Frank Youngman, Rachel Davis and Dominic Davis recorded by Ian Gorman of Kalamazoo’s La Luna Recording & Sound, and mixed by the late Pat Carroll. (The Farm Block show was mixed and mastered by Michael Dause at Grand Rapids’ TreeTone.)
THE NEXT ERA FOR EARTHWORK FARM AND EMBRACING THE LIVE EXPERIENCE
For Bernard, 45, it’s been a life revolving around live music – especially when it comes to his father’s Earthwork Farm outside Lake City where Bernard led September Harvest Gathering festivals for 22 years before funding and other concerns led organizers to host their final event in 2024. Hundreds of bands performed for thousands of attendees during Harvest Gathering’s heyday.
“The last one was incredible. It was one of our most successful events in terms of the attendance, and just the overall vibe was really spectacular,” he said. “And I think knowing that it was the last one made it special for people.”
Now, the farm is poised to become “more of a community center,” hosting retreats, residencies, youth programming, performances and more, with an official announcement yet to come.
Bernard: Performing at the final Earthwork Harvest Gathering in 2024. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Bernard remains one of the state’s leading clean water activists – environmentalism honed from his upbringing on the farm and devotion to the importance of the Great Lakes and its waterways.
But he also continues to perform, wrapping up a winter tour tonight (Feb. 13) with a solo performance at The Rumpus Room in Chelsea, Mich.
He’s long supplemented his solo work with fan-inspiring collaborations with other artists, not to mention performances and recordings with Airborne or Aquatic, Moss Manor, Public Access, Jordan Hamilton and many more.
And his appreciation for playing with his peers and making connections with audiences has only grown deeper since Lyme disease forced him to cancel an ambitious 2023 album-release tour.
With support and fundraising efforts of friends, fellow musicians and fans, Bernard eventually was able to recover and return to the stage.
“It was like a spiritual journey and I had a lot of time to reflect. You prioritize things in a different way,” he recalled. “You realize what’s really important and (have) gratitude for community, family, music, being able to play.
“Having to cancel my album-release tour and then being able to play again was just like, ‘Oh, hell yeah, this is so fun.’ I’m so lucky to be able to play music for people.”
For this week’s edition of the Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase, Bernard singled out the live tracks “Crystalline Pools” and “Don’t Lose Track” from “Deep Live Vol. 1.” (You can also listen to “Return to Love” via YouTube below.)
The show also featured music from Rebekah Jon, Via Mardot, Dante Cope (with Sarena Rae), Normal Mode, Between Two Voices, Steve Rivers, CAHM, The Great Homesickness and Full Cord. Listen to the interview and full podcast below. The Michigan Music Showcase airs at 11 a.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Sundays on WYCE (88.1 FM) and online at wyce.org, and on Interlochen Public Radio at 7 p.m. Saturdays. Check out previous show podcasts online here.
PODCAST: Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase (2/13/26)
LISTEN: Seth Bernard, “Return to Love”
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