The 51st edition of the folk and roots music festival rolled out north of Grand Rapids last weekend with a plethora of national and local stars. The recap, photos, video at Local Spins.
Musical Interaction and Camaraderie: Wheatland had plenty of it via jams and more last weekend. (Photo/Anthony Castillo)
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Wheatland Music Festival kept spirits warm over the weekend.
An hour north of Grand Rapids (and a few degrees colder), festivalgoers wrapped themselves in flannel, blankets and winter hats … or a combination of all three. It was a full-on calm spectacle in terms of attire and atmosphere at the 51st edition of the festival outside Remus.
Highlights included acoustic bluegrass star Sierra Hull, the rising mandolin maestro with a top-tier backing band. With musical chemistry off the charts — and a cohesiveness only achieved from the kind of fine tuning that touring can offer — Hull swept the Main Stage with a masterful display of musicianship.
Folk/bluegrass/Americana act Twisted Pine created another of the festival’s reel-worthy performances, with their modern take on timeless instrumentation and harmonies.
Sierra Hull: A Wheatland highlight. (Photo/Ted Bergin)
A few paces from the Main Stage, through a wooded pathway, the ever popular drum stage encouraged community and participation by offering up a plethora of hand drums for audience members to play.
Then there was the dance hall stage, with a capacity crowd of folks who fought the evening chill by dancing to an eclectic array of musical variations, including Cajun and Latin styles.
West Michigan singer-songwriter Kyle Rasche, who performed several times over the weekend, cited other highlights such as the sets by tunesmiths Spencer LaJoye and Peter Mulvey on the Schafer Stage, Wilson Thicket playing the Centennial Stage, and all of those inspiring song circles.
Folk master Bruce Ling, of Comstock Park’s Hawks & Owls, noted he had a fiddle in his hand himself most of the weekend, but caught world music trio Whorled’s debut performance with special guests on the Centennial Stage as one of the festival’s standout moments — a set that earned a standing ovation.
Thom Jayne from Whorled, meanwhile, called Saturday evening’s performance by Celtic music’s Kila “fantastic.”
Of course, it’s the little interactions among the thousands at Wheatland that make it magic: the warm welcomes, the new friends, the countless acoustic jams, the arts and craft vendors, and a familiar festival family — all of which were on display throughout the musical weekend.
VIDEO: Wheatland Music Festival – Some Highlights
PHOTO GALLERY: Wheatland Music Festival
Photos by Ted Bergin, Enrique Olmos, Bruce Ling, Jenny Nic, Sam Wilson
Angie Ward, Mike Ward, Dan McCarthy, Anthony Castillo, Keala Venema, Jane French
