Summertime Means Street Musique!

June 10, 2016

Downtown Music Series Returns to Harbor Springs

Street Musique started in the mid ’90s, founded by local Sheryl McCleary (of Tom’s Mom’s Cookies) and expanded further with the support of Blissfest and Blissfest guru Jim Gillespie’s ear for talent.

Today, it’s a must-see showcase for both local community talent and a diverse roster of visiting musicians, bands, and other live performers that appear throughout downtown Harbor Springs every Thursday night in summer.

DIVERSE SOUNDS

Street Musique has expanded in a number of ways since the program’s inception, explained Rachel Smolinski, who runs the event with the continued assistance of Blissfest and her co-chair, Mary Catherine Hannah. “We have increased the number of musicians playing each night by adding locations, as well as rotating some of our locations to give the musicians and visitors different spots to enjoy different types of music without stepping on each other,” she said. The music also has been diversified, and now includes everything from string quartets to world music to indie-rockers. “We have tried to make sure there is something for everyone,” Smolinski said.

BLISSFUL BEATS

Blissfest performers are included in the Street Musique roster both as a special treat for Street Musique audiences and as extra exposure for the artists before they appear at the festival. This year, Blissfest runs July 8–10 out at the Bliss Festival Farm in Harbor Springs. The July 7 Street Musique performers will include several Blissfest performers: Nathan and Jessie Band, a jazz four-piece; The Boxcar Boys, playing swing and Klezmer music (a musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe); and Goldie and the Screamers, a neo-soul group featuring local native CaroMia Humphrey, who now lives in North Carolina.

PRO PERFORMERS

Several Youth and Emerging Musicians nights also highlight street performers like juggler Tommy Tropic and magician Jania Taylor. In addition to these performers, and those arriving courtesy of Blissfest, this summer’s Street Musique roster will include performances by Duffy King, Sean Gaskell, The Sunshine String Band, the Peacemeal String Band, The Pistil Whips, and The Moxie Strings, among others.

AUDIO APPEAL

As for the performers themselves, this should be a great year to be a street musician, thanks to the proliferation of new res taurants and revitalization of the downtown Harbor Springs area. Performance spaces on Third Street (aka Art Gallery Row) and down by the waterfront have increased both the visibility and audio appeal of the program, and both Smolinski and Gillespie only see a bright future for Street Musique. “I think the community has really embraced this program, and Street Musique will certainly complement all the restaurants, both old and new,” Gillespie said.

Street Musique runs every Thursday, 7–9pm, in downtown Harbor Springs now until Labor Day. A current schedule of Street Musique performers may be viewed at visitmichiganupnorth.com. Donations to help support Street Musique may be mailed to the Harbor Springs Chamber Foundation at 368 East Main Street, Harbor Springs, MI 49740. Donations are tax deductible.