Overcast skies — rather than sunshine — smiled down on festivalgoers outside Trufant on opening day while performers rocked stages in diverse ways. The recap at Local Spins.
‘Connected’ Vibe: Nathan Walton & The Remedy performing at Smiling Acres on Friday evening. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
UPDATE: SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERIES FROM DAY 1 and DAY 3, PLUS VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
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Consider just the first-day, main-stage lineup for Smiling Acres Music Festival outside Trufant.
Singer-songwriter (Les Older), bluegrass (Smiling Acres Bluegrass Band), acoustic folk (Hearth and Hymn), jazz fusion (Pocket Watch), hip hop (Lady Ace Boogie), soulful rock (Nathan Walton & The Remedy) and country-blues (The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band).
If that doesn’t celebrate the diversity of the region’s music scene — and the eclectic nature of this cozy festival — than nothing does.
Intimate, Relaxed: The crowd on Friday. (Photo/Local Spins)
That celebration continued Friday in spite of occasional light sprinkles that only seemed to whet festivalgoers’ appetite for one delectable performance after another, with two more days of music still ahead.
Dodging a few raindrops that didn’t affect scheduling or performances amid cloudy skies (with a slight breeze wafting over the Smiling Acres site), the family-filled festival boasts the biggest turnout in its four-year history. Attendees were relaxed yet engaged for Friday’s performances on two adjoining stages that alternated sets.
Even a mid-song lighting hazard couldn’t stop the music. A stage light broke loose and began swinging over the heads of Nathan Walton & The Remedy during their performance, with a stagehand quickly clambering up a ladder to detach the light. The band never missed a note.
“I like the intimacy, I like the collaboration, I like that you don’t have to go from stage to stage (to see different performers),” said Kathleen Black of Brighton, who was attending Smiling Acres for the first time. “It’s so low-key – not like out of control.”
SHARING SONGS, SHARING STAGES
That collaboration included bluegrass Dobro whiz (and one of the festival organizers) Mark “Huggy Bear” Lavengood joining Lady Ace Boogie on vocals at one point, after which Lady Ace Boogie also stepped aside to let singer Meghan Lenau take the spotlight for a couple of soulful, passionate songs.
Closing Out the Night: Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Performers also appreciated the casual-but-attentive atmosphere.
“The vibe was amazing, very connected,” said Sam Cooper, after the Ann Arbor duo Hearth and Hymn’s acoustic-folk, late afternoon/early evening set. “I just feel really good.”
The duo performed some new “trance-like” material as part of their engaging, harmony-driven performance. “We just like sharing songs with people,” said Elisabeth Pixley-Fink.
The energy level seemed to rise throughout the evening until the final main-stage salvo from The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band.
One uber-enthusiastic, older fan may have put it best about opening day when he shouted after a spellbinding, intricate and prog-rock-flavored selection uncorked by the jazzy Pocket Watch.
“That was really, really, really good!”
Call it the motif for a weekend in Trufant.
View the Saturday and Sunday schedule at smilingacresfestival.com, with the Local Spins festival preview here. Single-day passes for Saturday or Sunday are $45 and available online here.
PHOTO GALLERY: Smiling Acres Music Festival in Trufant (Day 1)
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker and John Sinkevics
SMILING ACRES MUSIC FESTIVAL (Sunday)
PHOTO GALLERY: Smiling Acres 2024 Final Day
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
Copyright 2024, Spins on Music LLC
