Destination: Aten Place

July 8, 2016

Concert Series Continues to Grow

When asked about this year’s Aten Place concert lineup, you can almost see Bill Aten’s grin beaming through the phone. “I honestly think this is one of our very best seasons,” Aten said. “It’s just got such a good variety of performers of all different genre — about half new acts, and the other half, some of our favorites returning.”

Bill Aten and his wife, Maxine, have been running the Aten Place concerts series for 21 years now. The project started when a friend encouraged them to host a house concert back in 1995. Country-blues artists Josh White Jr. was the first performer at that first show in the Atens’ post-and-beam oak barn, set in the rural, rolling hills of an old dairy farm. The second show was Traverse City jazz vocalist Claudia Schmidt. And from there, the concerts just started rolling. “After that, the series took on a life of its own,” Bill Aten said. With each summer, the Atens made improvements to the barn venue: better seating, a bigger stage, vintage decorations, a sound system, lighting, and an outdoor pavilion.

This year, they’ve added more picnic tables outdoors, next to the covered pavilion, to accommodate those who enjoy the social opportunities nearly as much as the shows themselves. The concert series is nonprofit, so the Atens don’t sell food or beverages. Instead, they encourage people to bring their own and share if they wish. “We’re seeing more and more people showing up an hour or two early,” Aten said. “They really seem to like the opportunity to picnic before the shows. We’re also seeing a lot more groups going to shows together, like a dozen or more friends buying tickets in a block.” There’s plenty of room for all at Aten Place, especially after 21 years of constant improvements on the property. For each show, they now welcome 175 for indoor seats, plus 25 for standingroom-only spots (also indoors), and another 100 for lawn seats. “Some people actually prefer the lawn tickets,” Aten said. “They like to enjoy the outdoors and watch the show at the same time.”

Aten Place was awarded the Crooked Tree Arts Center’s Arts and Cultural Organization eddi Award for 2014, honoring some of the best contributors to the arts in northern Michigan. And looking at the lineup for their 2016 season, they might just be in line for another award in 2017. A trio of show-stoppers hit the stage early in the summer — poprock guitarist Reina del Cid, Mark Lavengood’s Bluegrass Bonanza, and Detroit singer-songwriter Jill Jack. Then Aten Place 2016 is bringing blues artist David Gerald on July 16 and a performance by singer-storyteller Ronny Cox on July 23, the latter show one both Aten Place audiences and the Atens themselves are really looking forward to; this year marks Cox’s fourth performance on the Aten stage.

“I’m especially excited about the return of Ronny,” Aten said. “Ronny’s been in dozens of movies (among them RoboCop, Total Recall, and American Outlaws) and really got his start in the film Deliverance, but he’s such an accessible guy for the big name that he is. He meets people before and after the show and everything. It’s so great to have him back.”

The Jeremy Kittle Trio (July 30) and Nessa (Aug. 13) ring in the dog days of summer with dynamic sounds. Kittle is an American fiddle player and composer who’s been a featured performer on “Prairie Home Companion,” and Nessa is an energetic Celticfusion band that’s also performed at Aten Place before.

The season wraps up with Grammyaward-winning singer Barbara Bailey Hutchison on Aug. 20 and Virginia bluegrass band The Railroaders on Aug. 27.

“Barbara is actually concluding her live career right here at Aten Place,” Aten said. “She’s been touring for 20 years, so she’s decided to focus on her studio work and her art from now on. We’re honored that her last show will be here at the barn.”

That sentiment is typical of how the Atens feel about most of their artists. Their concert series is a labor of love — love of music and of people. “This venture has been so rewarding in so many ways,” Aten said. “Our venue now attracts bigger-name artists. We get to share those talents with our community. And this is our way of supporting the arts. It took us a while to understand and make the best of the uniqueness of our venue. But Aten Place really seems to have become a destination for people now. We’ve come of age!”

The Aten Place Concerts in the Barn series takes place at 03492 Old Mackinaw Trail in Boyne Falls, 19 miles west of Gaylord. For a complete concert schedule, tickets and more information, visit atenplace.com.