Blissfest Preview

July 1, 2016

Count ’em: 36 years of Blissfest. That’s 36 summers out in the farmlands of Bliss, Mich., with dozens of acts each year in nearly as many genres, and around 5,000 music fans in attendance each day of the festival. So how tough is it for festival founder and guru Jim Gillespie to keep the fest fresh as we approach the 2016 event?

“There is so much great music out in the big world, I actually have never had a problem finding new talent for the festival,” Gillespie said. “We go to conferences, get tips from other festivals, and in general are inundated with submissions.” The bigger challenges lie in the fact that talent from the past has had such a blast at Bliss, they typically want to return again and again. “After 36 years, that part does get to be a balancing act of selecting the best of the past and the best of the here and now,” he said.

Gillespie is, of course, a pro at exactly that. And he’ll repeat the feat this summer, showcasing 60 planned musical acts, plus a few other new Bliss Festival Farm perks, including a Kombucha booth, 24-hour food service from Etta’s Kitchen, additional camping spaces, a performance from The Hoop Incident circus variety act, and more solar power for the event. As always, the music is the main attraction. Here’s who and what to listen for:

AMPED AMERICANA

The Boxcar Boys are a definite act to watch in the Americana category, blending New Orleans sounds with Klezmer music and a range of additional folk traditions executed on eclectic instruments like fiddle, trombone, accordion and washboard. Also firmly in the Americana camp — but that of the early ’50s — are Delilah DeWylde and the Lost Boys, a high-octane rockabilly outfit with equal parts hillbilly twang, country and old-school surf rock. The Dirty Bourbon River Show pivots the Blissfest roster back ’round to those Naw’lins sounds, with an eccentric and energetic approach they’ve honed over nine studio albums and 750+ live shows. And Americana headliner Peter Yarrow, of the legendary trio Peter, Paul and Mary, will show off his songwriting skills, the reason for his many gold/platinum albums and Grammy awards.

ROCK FUSION

Formed at the City College of New York, Brown Rice Family (BRF) brings together reggae, rock, jazz, Latin music, hip-hop and funk for a dense stew of sound that nods toward organic foods and healthy living. Formed in Marquette, Mich., Conga Se Menne is perhaps the opposite of BRF in both the remoteness of the band’s location and its tunes, a blend of what the members call “Finnish reggae” and other tropical-rock sounds. In a very unexpected mix, Missouri band The HillBenders are performing a very unique set this year, their version of The Who’s legendary rock opera, Tommy, reinvented as a full-length bluegrass tribute, another performance that will have to be seen to be believed.

Headliners Hot Tuna, comprised of former members of ’60s band Jefferson Airplane, is sure to bring the house down with their distinctive groove-blues, while fellow headliner Keller Williams and his modern combination of bluegrass, alt-rock, funk, electronica, and jazz has a fan base all its own.

WORLDLY APPEAL

Harmony Glen is the first Dutch band ever to make it into the Fleadh Cheoil, the world championship for traditional Irish music, and for good reason; they base their sound on Irish-Celtic folk and weave in just enough from other worldly influences to keep their sound unexpected and bright. Returning Australian act Harper infuses his blend of blues and soul with the haunting sound of traditional Aussie instrument the didgeridoo, as well as with his unique use of the harmonica. And from Uganda, Kinobe and the Wamu Spirit brings multi-instrumental, danceable African music to Blissfest.

REGIONAL FAVORITES

Progressive rockers The Go Rounds from Kalamazoo, Mich., bring their unique diversity to Blissfest, mixing up soul, country, and rock, all inspired by the state they live in. The Galactic Sherpas fill the space of local jam band with their highly improvised performance style, while Kung Fu Rodeo, dubbed simply “KFR” by their local fans, charge through their danceable brand of rock seasoned by funk and reggae. And dual-staters Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellies, with one foot in Michigan and the other in Tennessee, show off how they’ve managed to blend their Great Lakes pickin’ roots with the soul of Nashville. Additional local favorites appearing at Blissfest this year include May Erlewine, Seth Bernard, Oh Brother Big Sister, The Pistil Whips, That1Guy, Claudia Schmidt, Crazy Richard, Dr. Goodhart, Jetty Rae, Kirby, and wunderkind performers Nik Carman and Milo Birch.

For tickets and more information about the July 8–10 event, visit blissfest.org or call 231-348-7047.

Clockwise from top left: Lindsay Lou and her band combine Michigan influences with Nashville sounds.

The Go Rounds’ soul-rock fusion makes them a favorite returning act.

Kinobe and the Wamu Spirit bring the sounds of Africa via Uganda to Blissfest.

The Boxcar Boys mix up eclectic instruments.