By Jim Bloch
The three-day Beaver Island Music Festival is like the unrealized dream of Woodstock come to life a half-century later. Set in the woods in the middle of the island, the festival features music from a number of genres, craftspeople and artists selling photography, island-roasted coffee, lake glass necklaces and plenty of tie-dyed t-shirts.
Campsites, which may be rented year-round from the Burton family, are sprinkled through the woods. Tightrope walkers might string their lines between maple trees. A giant bonfire keeps the forest sprites at bay. Henry J runs the camp kitchen.
On Beaver Island in far northern Lake Michigan, the summer is short, from July 4 to Labor Day. The summer is already a third over when the first band takes the hand-hewn stage and it seems like the warm weather will last forever. By the time the high-energy reggae band Aqua Cherry, from Stony Brook, Long Island, closed out its set at midnight on July 22, you could almost feel the cool breezes of September drifting off Lake Michigan through the black oaks, cedar trees and white pines.
The festival featured 15 bands over three nights and two days in the woods, Thursday July 20-Saturday July 22. The handmade performance platform is divided into two stages. While one band plays, a curtain is drawn over the other stage and the next band sets up. As soon as one band finishes its set, the curtain closes over the stage and opens on the next one.
A big bonfire warms festivalgoers on a cool summer night.
There is a little bit of overflow as well. Two bands played in town on Wednesday night, one at the Shamrock, another in the bar at the Circle M. Three bands played on Sunday at the Shamrock, Circle M and Whiskey Point Brewing Company.
The island was represented by Danny and Jimmy, singing shanties and old folk tunes. Danny Gillespie grew up on the island and plays guitar. Jimmy is Jesuit Brother who met Danny years ago through connections at a fiddlers’ jamboree in Cheboygan.
Standouts on Saturday included The Pairs, the harmonically sophisticated folk trio consisting of two sisters from London, Ontario, Renée Coughlin, Noelle Frances Coughlin, and their band mate Hillary Watson. Their music was sharp, funny and full of joy. “Superhuman” was totally danceable, full of rhythmic drive and soaring harmonies.
“I’ve got superhuman strength and she will,” the women sang.
Good Morning Bedlam, the energetic folksters from Minneapolis, played their second straight BIMF.
Detroit bands occupied the closing slots, with the alt rock band Sponge headlining Friday and the outlaw country band the Orbitsuns headlining Saturday.
Among the treasures of Beaver Island is the Beaver Island Toy Museum, which proclaims itself as the last American home of five-cent toys.
The Maryland- based bluegrass band the Plate Scrapers featured Andrew Jordan on guitar, Derek Kretzer on banjo, Robbie Mann on fiddle, Jody Mosser on dobro and Kevin Johnson on bass. They took full advantage of the festival’s unique setting. After playing Friday night, they pointed their van into town to procure special nick-knacks for their dashboard and a surprise for their Saturday night audience.
The Long Island-based reggae band Aqua Cherry at the BIMF.
“We created a song with the musical instruments we bought at the toy museum for under $15,” said Jordan.
The band members hoisted two wooden whistles, a tambourine, a squeaky rubber duck and a kazoo, and charged into “Beaver Island Breakdown.”
“We have zero funk,” Jordan joked as the song trailed off and the audience roared.
They played an energetic cover of the Beatles’ “Baby, You Can Drive My Car.”
“We’re driving back to Maryland on Monday,” Jordan said.
“And maybe I’ll love you,” the band sang.
No maybes about it: The audience loved the Plate Scrapers.
The BIMF 2024 is set for July 18-20.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
