The Fall Finale: Autumn’s Music Festivals

Sept. 2, 2016

Whether you’re planning to waltz on down to Wheatland or express yourself at Earthwork, this fall offers a pair of major annual music festivals set to showcase the best in both Michigan-made music and imported acts.

Wheatland Music Festival

SEPTEMBER 9–11

Michigan is fortunate to have not one but two major folk and world music fes-tivals every year: Blissfest in Bliss, and Wheatland in Remus. Blissfest got its start in 1981, via a dozen area folk musicians and dancers who staged the first event in a fallow field. Wheatland had similar beginnings but was already well underway by 1975; it had started as a benefit for the Mt. Pleasant Food Co-Op in 1974, a one-day event that also was held on a farm.

Several hundred people attended the first Wheatland. Today, the fest draws over 10,000. Many of the original founders are still active in the Wheatland organization, all of them passionate about preserving traditional music. Wheatland’s focus remains on folk and world music with sprinklings of country and pop; this year’s lineup is no exception to that approach.

Wheatland favorite and Voice contestant Joshua Davis, who ran a songwriting workshop at the fest last year, won’t appear this year (see below), but the lineup is chockfull of other standouts. Nine-time Grammy Award winners and Texan country outfit Asleep at the Wheel are at the top of the headliners list. With over 20 Billboard singles, you can be assured their setlist will be loaded with hits. Right behind them are esteemed bluesman Charlie Musselwhite, compatriot of such legends as Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf. Keep an eye on the briefcase that Musselwhite carries onstage — that’s where he keeps all of his best harmonicas — and an eye out for up-and-coming bluegrass group The Gibson Brothers.

Rounding out this year’s Wheatland is a multifarious list that lives up to the term “something for everyone.” You’ll hear Gaelic fusion from the Irish-American band Solas (celebrating their 20th anniversary this year); the meet-ing of Cuban and Canadian sounds via singer-songwriter Adonis Puentes; Appalachian-inspired folk from Red Tail Ring; pop-folk by Frank Allison; and a lively mix of rockabilly, surf, and twang from Delilah DeWylde.

If you’re looking for world music, you’ll find it on the Rhythm Stage, which will offer sounds from Africa, Brazil, Japan, and more. And if listening to all this gets your feet moving, you’re in luck, because Wheatland is also known for its extensive schedule of dancing — square dancing, Cajun, clogging, and salsa included.

IF YOU’RE GOING: Food, beverages, and crafts will be available for purchase on site. Primitive camping is also available on site, but there are no reserva-tions, so get there early if you want a good spot. Wheatland encourages recy-cling and carpooling. If you’re interested in exploring Remus during your stay, a shuttle bus to town is available.

Tickets and more information at wheatlandmusic.org

Earthwork Harvest Gathering

SEPTEMBER 16–18

Compared to Wheatland and Blissfest, the Earthwork fest is the new kid on the proverbial block but with no less enthusiasm.

Held on the family farm of musician Seth Bernard (the festival’s founder), Earthwork’s event has been running for 15 years as an annual happening, with heavy roots in folk music and singer-songwriters but sporting an equally welcoming attitude toward rock, pop, hiphop, and more.

Earthwork welcomes over 2,500 attendees every year to see over 90 bands in a setting enhanced by the farm’s mix of open lands and hardwood forests. Be-ing set on a farm also lends itself well to Earthwork’s philosophies of educating people about agriculture, artisan crafts, and other arts. This festival offers a long list of diversions in addition to the music, from workshops and meditation events to whiffle ball and basketball games, a midnight square dance, roving troubadours, and an all-festival water blessing.

But the music takes center stage. There’s always a much-anticipated perfor-mance from Seth Bernard and his latest project; this year, it’s his newest band, the psychedelic roots-rock collective, Airborne or Aquatic? Bernard’s set serves as the anchor for over 90 performers and bands from across the coun-try. Among the 2016 lineup, you’ll find gypsy-roots-rock melting pot Red Sea Pedestrians; Grand Rapids indie-folk band The Crane Wives; DJ and music col-lector Zukas; Michigan jam-grass band Bigfoot Buffalo; Bernard’s long-time collaborator, May Erlewine, and The Detroit Hip-Hop Showcase.

You’re also hear sets from some of northern Michigan’s best performers, in-cluding Blake Elliott, Charlie Millard, Milo Birch, Brotha James, and Turbo Pup. And if you’re wondering exactly why Joshua Davis isn’t performing at Wheat-land this year, it’s because he’s going to be performing at Bernard’s fest in-stead. (Davis has an equally long history with his pals at Earthwork.) If you’re talented and brave, you can even hop up onstage yourself at the festival’s popular morning open-mic shows.

IF YOU’RE GOING: Food from over 40 local farms means plenty of choices in the dining department. Handmade art from local artisans also will be availa-ble for purchase. Parking, camping, and water are all free if you buy a week-end ticket, but if you decide to go off site, be warned: Gates close at midnight sharp each night.

Tickets and more information at earthworkharvest-gathering.com.