Michigan folk, bluegrass and roots acts — from Lindsay Lou to Blue Molly — will ‘rub elbows’ and play the day-long Wheatland fundraiser at The Intersection.
Black Jake & The Carnies perform at 10:45 p.m. Saturday at The intersection as part of Winter Wheat.
Blue Water Ramblers guitarist R.H. “Bear” Berends knows the power of West Michigan’s folk and bluegrass scene.
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The dramatic evidence of that enthusiastic fan base shows itself every year at the Winter Wheat celebration at The Intersection, an event raising money for the Wheatland Music Organization best known for staging the nationally renowned Wheatland Music Festival in Remus every September.
Last year’s Winter Wheat, with a host of rootsy bands playing two stages throughout the day and evening, drew nearly 1,000 people. That number is liable to grow for the 2014 affair on Saturday, which adds a heated outdoor “Side Show” tent to inspire even more open jamming and drumming by acoustic musicians.
Berends, a member of the Winter Wheat organizing committee, says organizers hope to pack the venue for an event that’s become a way to “celebrate music and keep the Wheatland faithful together and provide something a little bit different with 12 hours of uninterrupted traditional roots music, Americana music, whatever you want to call it.”
Bear Berends, left, and Banjo Jim Foerch
The fifth annual mid-winter “celebration of traditional music and dance” boasts more than a dozen performances on two main stages, with well-known Michigan acts such as the Benzie Playboys, Black Jake & The Carnies, Blue Molly, Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys, Red Tail Ring, An Dro and Jukejoint Handmedowns performing.
Berends says Winter Wheat originally was “proposed and trumpeted by the folks from the Benzie Playboys and (fiddler) Bruce Ling to do something in the wintertime in the Grand Rapids area but particularly to raise a few sheckels for the dance stage at Wheatland.”
Because a huge percentage of Wheatland festival-goers every year come from the greater Grand Rapids area, staging Winter Wheat in Grand Rapids made sense. It also keeps the Wheatland vibe resonating with a predominantly “West Michigan flavor.”
Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys
The day-long event raised nearly $4,000 last year, with proceeds from this year’s Winter Wheat going to support Wheatland’s drum kiva/all-performance stage. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door ($10 for students). Get more information and buy tickets online here.
Berends concedes the growing popularity of bluegrass, folk and roots music among younger audiences has helped spur the event’s growth.
“There certainly is a more aggressive vibe that they use within their interpretation of the same music,” he offers. “We’re just happy that the next generation has picked up the tradition and made it their own. … I really appreciate the fact that Wheatland keeps us old-timers around and mixes it up with the young folks.”
Jim Spalink of the Celtic band An Dro, which plays The Stache stage at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, describes performing at Winter Wheat as a win-win-win-win situation.
“It’s a chance to support a very good cause,” he says, “to play in our own town, to rub elbows with other local musicians, and (it’s) a helluva party.”
Here are some video highlights from Winter Wheat 2013.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music
Last year the organizers brought in a portable dance floor (because the Showroom’s potholed floor resembles a Michigan highway). Any word on that?
Yes, they are once again bringing in a portable dance floor from CMU. Get your contra dancing shoes on, folks.