“Prine Time” Tribute Has Musicians Stoked

Oct. 28, 2016

Born and raised in the heart of the Midwest, American musician John Prine is known as one of the most significant songwriters of his generation, blending folk, country, and bluegrass into an introspective stew.

A key part of Chicago’s folk revival in the ’70s, Prine, discovered by Texas singersongwriter Kris Kristofferson, stacked up critical accolades for his teeter-totter songs that regularly switched things up from serious topics to humorous observations. Many of those singles will be performed by a whole new generation of Michigan musicians at a special show at the City Opera House in Traverse City next month.

"Mark Lavengood actually had the idea a couple of years ago to get us all together," explained musician Seth Bernard, who, along with his duet-mate, May Erlewine, actually met and performed with John Prine at a folk festival in 2006. "We’re all friends, and we’re all part of the Earthwork Collective [a Michigan record label and music co-op founded by Bernard]."

Lavengood, a multi-instrumentalist who performs with his own bluegrass band, as well as with the band Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys, started the Prine show a few years ago by gathering musician friends for a short run of tribute performances at intimate spaces like Short’s in Bellaire and the now-defunct InsideOut in Traverse City. This time around, they’re upscaling to larger venues for the show they’ve wittily dubbed "Prine Time," which will tour all around Michigan this Fall.

Along with Lavengood and Bernard, audiences will be treated to performances from Dan Rickabus of The Crane Wives; Max Lockwood of Big Dudee Roo; Seth and May; and Michael Beauchamp of Red Tail Ring. In addition to Traverse City, the tour will make stops in Grand Rapids at the historic Wealthy Theater (November 4), Ferndale’s Salt of the Earth (November 6), and Marshall’s Franke Center for the Arts (December 9).

So why single out one musician to wrap an entire show around – and why John Prine in particular?

"We all discovered his music as we were learning to write our own songs – and we love to introduce his songs to other people," Bernard said. "Some of them are so lighthearted and fun while others are very serious. Some are heartwarming, all are full of wit and wisdom, and all are relevant to these times that we’re living in. His music resonates with all of us, and his catalog of songs is a real treasure trove."

Deciding who would sing which song was the trickiest part of putting the Prine Time show together, said Bernard. While all of the musicians are adept at trading instruments and on-stage roles, everyone had favorite Prine songs they wanted to lead.

"We had a very long email thread going on to go through the songs, and we only ended up needing to fight over a couple of them," Bernard said, laughing. "We’re going to be performing mostly his older songs, although Prine did just put out a new album, so all of those songs are up for grabs to perform at the show too."

While the setlist for the show is still in flux (much of it is purposefully being kept under wraps), it’s probably safe to say that Prine tracks like "Angel from Montgomery," "Illegal Smile," "Paradise," and Prine’s distinctive cover of Rowland Salley’s "Killing the Blues" will find their way into the show, which Bernard emphasized will have something for everyone. The Prine Time show also has been approved by Prine’s own management, so there might be a live recording of the tribute concert available in the future.

"John Prine’s songs appeal to people of all ages," Bernard said. "And at these tribute shows so far, we’ve found that the audiences really feel free to sing along, and they get so enthused when their favorite John Prine song is played!"

Prine Time will be at Traverse City’s City Opera House on November 3 at 7:30pm; for tickets and more information, visit cityoperahouse.org. For a complete list of all Prine Time shows, visit earthworkmusic.com.