Autumn Music

Aug. 31, 2005

Summer is coming to a close and as outdoor venues and festivals lock their gates until 2006, the fall music scene is looking pretty colorful. Here are a few highlights:

Gopherwood:
 
For the past 20 years Gopherwood Concerts in Cadillac have been the highlight of the cultural scene during the cool months. Event organizers have brought an array of “roots” music acts to the region including Vance Gilbert, Donna the Buffalo and Eddie From Ohio, who all now make Northern Michigan a regular stop on their tours.
Kicking off the Gopherwood Fall/Winter Concert Series is Harper, someone who is no stranger to Northern Michigan. The Australian blues harp player returns to the region after recently becoming an American citizen, moving to Michigan and signing a three CD deal with Blind Pig Records.
“When I decided to become an American citizen I knew there was only one place for me to move to,” said Peter Harper. “Michigan has always been a second home for me. Whenever we would tour the states, we made Michigan our base. I love it here; it is a very creative state.”
Harper will perform September 17 at Gopherwood in Cadillac. Concerts are upstairs at the Elk’s Club. He is touring in support of his Blind Pig debut release “Down to the Rhythm.” He also won “Male Vocalist of the Year” and “Song of the Year” at the 2004 Australian Music Awards.
Other Gopherwood highlights include Greensky Bluesgrass on October 8. These Michiganders have been making waves at various festivals and have been popular on the college circuit during the school year. On November 19 maverick Milwaukee acoustic guitarist Willy Porter returns to the area after blowing away the crowds at Hoxeyville Music Festival this summer.
For additional Gopherwood concert information or to purchase tickets, visit their website at www.gopherwoodconcerts.com or call Paul Brown at (231) 775-2813.
 
Dennos Museum Center:
 
The 2005/06 Dennos Museum Concert Series (Milliken Auditorium) kicks off October 1 with innovative blues harmonica master Corky Siegel and guitarist Jim Schwall who together make up the famed Siegel-Schwall Blues Band.
The band features Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Drummer Sam Lay. Lay was the drummer and shared vocal duties for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He also recorded and played with Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf. Lay is Bob Dylan’s all-time favorite drummer and recorded often with Dylan, including on the “Highway 61” album. Lay was performing with Dylan when he convinced the acoustic icon to perform what has become the infamous electric set at Newport Folk Festival. This is a must see concert for any aficionado of the blues.
Another highlight at Milliken Auditorium will be Bill Miller. A Native American who grew up on the Stockbridge-Munsee reservation in Wisconsin, Miller has taken his Mohican musical heritage and blended it with his popular musical influences including Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and Neil Young to create a musical fusion of two cultures. He jams regularly with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame, and in 2005, Miller won a Grammy Award for “Best Native American Music” for his album “Cedar Dream Songs.”
The Dennos series will also feature blues legend Pinetop Perkins and folk icon Janis Ian. For complete concert listings visit their website, www.dennosmuseum.org, or call (231) 995-1553.
 
Blissfest:
 
Best known for their outdoor festival the second weekend in July, the Blissfest Music Organization has a mission of bringing “roots” music, culture and dance to the region year round. The 2005/06 Fall & Winter concert season is still being developed, but one highlight will be October 1 when Minnesota folk sensation Barbara Cohen performs at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey.
Cohen was part of the vibrant artistic community of Minneapolis during the 1980s and early ‘90s. A gifted vocalist and multi-instrumentalist (flute, guitar, mandolin, piccolo and several others), Cohen floats through a variety of musical genres from folk to roots rock to electronica during her performances.
In 1996 she joined up with childhood friend and techno pioneer Paul Robb (Information Society). The two formed Brother Son Sister. A strong cult following and rave reviews caught the attention of major labels. Virgin Records signed the band in 1997 and the two moved to Los Angeles where their music inspired the “trip hop” (English hip hop) movement of the mid-nineties. Cohen has returned to her folk roots with her recent release “California.”
For a complete line up of concert and dance events this fall/winter hosted by Bliss Fest visit their website at www.blissfest.org.

Interlochen Center for the Arts:

After a very successful summer season, Interlochen barely has time to catch its breath, as they will be home to numerous student performances as well as acts of international prominence this fall. Presentations Director William “Woody” Wood is particularly excited about the October 18 performance by In the Mood: 1940’s Musical Revue.
“This troupe is phenomenal and they give such an authentic representation of the music and dance of the 1940s,” said Wood. “I think this will be a performance that will be enjoyed by all ages.”
Billed as “much more than a concert,” In the Mood gives a retro look at a time when all of America was listening and dancing to the same style of music. According to historians, the combination of up-tempo big band instrumentals and intimate, romantic ballads served as inspiration for the prosperous times following WWII as well as the eventual development of rock and roll.
Violinist Ida Kavafian also performs November 18 and the popular The Flying Karamazovs Brothers on November 7. Additional information for all Interlochen performances will be online at www.interlochen.org on September 15.

Other:
Actor Jeff Daniels is also a singer/songwriter and he will perform two concerts on September 24 to benefit the City Opera House. Guitarist Chris Smither returns to town November 11 at Union Street Station and country greats Sawyer Brown plays Leelanau Sands Casino on December 3.