A who’s who roster of regional artists — from Chirp to Hannah Rose Graves — will light up the August music festival in southern Kent County. Details, links at Local Spins.
Twenty Different Acts on Tap: The official Shagbark Music & Arts Festival poster by Anna Sink.
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Jam band Desmond Jones, Americana’s Myron Elkins and award-winning bluegrass outfit Full Cord will headline the second annual Shagbark Music & Arts Festival taking place in southern Kent County in early August.
Shagbark Farm and Purchase Productions today announced the lineup for the Aug. 1-3 festival taking place on Shagbark Farm in Alaska – the rebranded edition of the long-running Cowpie Music Festival.
The roster includes popular regional acts such as The Bootstrap Boys, Chirp, Stormy Chromer, Feed the Dog, Hannah Rose Graves Band, Nathan Walton & The Remedy, Flexadecibel and Pocket Watch.
In addition, the festival will feature some special attractions: The Microtones with special guest mandolinist Don Julin, a reunion set from Covert Operations, “artists at large” Mark Lavengood and N8ure, and John Nowak’s “Vinyl Dance Party.”
Round Creek String Band, Pajamas, Kait Rose and Belfast Gin round out the 2024 lineup.
General admission weekend tickets which include camping are $75 and available online here. Daily and RV passes also are available.
“Festivals are huge for musicians who crave a live performance and thrive in a setting like that, and Shagbark is one of the best home-grown roots festivals in the state,” said Elkins, a rising Americana star and Allegan county native who’s currently based in Nashville.
Always ‘Ready to Dance’: Dancing Daina and other revelers at Shagbark ’23. (Photo/Anna Sink)
“I love the farm and the people behind Shagbark. To have been given the offer to play Shagbark is big no matter who you are or where you’re from. Events like Shagbark is what keeps me behind six strings and singing. I would play one every day if given the opportunity.”
Elkins – Local Spins’ Emerging Artist of the Year award winner for 2023 – added that he’s at work on his second full-length album, the follow-up to “Factories, Farms & Amphetamines” on Elektra’s Low Country Sounds label.
“(I’m) expecting it to reflect the wonderful music I have discovered and studied in the past two years, from Allen Toussaint to Jim Ford, and all my past musical heroes as well,” he said.
Regular Cowpie and Shagbark performers in the Grand Rapids band Desmond Jones say “it’s encouraging to see our name slowly rise to the top of lineups full of such incredible local talent.”
“Having the opportunity to headline Shagbark is so exciting and rewarding for Desmond Jones,” said drummer John Nowak.
“Folks can expect a high-energy set that isn’t afraid to get a little weird and explorative. We will, of course, have the hottest outfits of the weekend on and hope that people are ready to dance with us.”
Check out Local Spins coverage of the 2023 Shagbark festival here.
VIDEO: Desmond Jones, “Park It” (Live)
VIDEO: Myron Elkins, “Nashville Money”
VIDEO: Full Cord, “Reelin’ in the Years”
VIDEO: Shagbark Music and Arts Festival 2023
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