The 50th anniversary celebration taking place in early September will also feature Tuba Skinny, The Onlies and an impressive roster of Michigan acts. View the complete lineup.
Happy to Celebrate Wheatland’s 50th: Mandolin icon Sam Bush (Photo/Anna Sink)
For legendary bluegrass mandolinist Sam Bush, it’s all about spreading “positive energy” on stage.
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“Once we get our musical groove going, and it usually happens pretty quickly, then the audience can join and be part of that musical fun,” he told Local Spins.
Expect healthy helpings of that musical fun when the prestigious Wheatland Music Festival ramps up in September for its 50th anniversary with Bush, blues-folk singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster, Irish music stalwart Lúnasa, New Orleans’ Tuba Skinny and dozens more.
Wheatland Music Organization this week announced its festival lineup for the Sept. 8-10 celebration staged outside Remus, about an hour northeast of Grand Rapids.
Also joining the roster of Main Stage performers at the wide-ranging folk and roots music festival will be The Onlies, The BIG Family Business, Nic Gareiss & Allison de Groot, Le Vent Du Nord, Jourdan Thibodeaux & Les Radailleurs, Jake Blount Band, Eileen Jewell, Lone Pinon and Barnes Brothers.
Ruthie Foster (Courtesy Photo)
Wheatland ’23 also boasts an impressive roster of Michigan acts playing the Centennial and Schafer Song stages, including fast-rising bluegrass act Full Cord, old-time folk’s Round Creek String Band, Kalamazoo singer-songwriter Kait Rose & The Thorns, Detroit rock outfit The Gasoline Gypsies, world music artist Samuel Nalangira and jazz’s Planet D Nonet.
Other regional artists announced for the festival include Gerald Ross & Frank Youngman, Adrian & Meredith, Dave Boutette & Kristi Davis, Lauran Crane, Andy Baker, Nicholas James Thomasma, Eric Engblade, Ralston Bowles, Claudia Schmidt, Scott Cook, Michael McNevin, Jen Cass, Jim Bizer, Audra Kubat, Michelle Held, Annie Bacon, Caroline Barlow, Sean Miller and Josh Rose & The Founding Fathers.
J. Oscar Bittinger of the Wheatland Music Organization said this year’s performers are “certain to delight.”
“The lineup of Michigan performers for the state’s oldest festival for preservation and presentation of traditional music and arts is as broad and deep and strong as the touring national and international acts,” he insisted.
Wheatland Music Organization members can purchase tickets — $120-$125 for adult weekend passes – starting June 5 through June 16 by phone only (989-967-8879 or 989-967-8561). Info here.
Membership levels range from $60 to $1,100-plus, with a sliding scale of discounts of festival tickets. Get more details online here.
Non-member adult passes are $130; Sunday-only tickets can be purchased day-of-show at the gate for $50 adults, $5 children.
Taking place on a wooded 160-acre site, the festival celebrating traditional arts also features workshops, demonstrations, dances and jam sessions, as well as children’s activities and food and crafts vendors.
Revisit Local Spins’ coverage of the 2022 Wheatland Music Festival.
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