As I lay on the shore of Lake Michigan, soaking in the afternoon sun, I thought about how many miles I had traveled before I found myself here in Empire. I thought about the sights I’d seen and the experiences I’d had. But here I was lying in the warm sand with my eyes closed, listening to the wind whipping around and the waves crashing onto shore. With the Empire Bluffs at my back and the Sleeping Bear Dunes no more than a couple of miles up the coast, I realized that none of it could compare to this. Pure Michigan. Pure beauty. It had been three weeks since I left this state, driving up and out through the Upper Peninsula headed west, through the Big Empty, and eventually into the northernmost reaches of the United States Rockies. Glacier National Park was a rare and untouched beauty unlike anything I had ever seen. There were rivers and lakes, peaks and valleys, waterfalls and glaciers of an indescribable grandeur. After Glacier it was south to Wyoming for a stint in Yellowstone, 
back through the Badlands, and eventually across Wisconsin. The car ferry carried us across what I am certain was the most extraordinary geographical feature yet. Lake Michigan was a vast and expansive abyss with breathtaking shades of blue and green. The enormity of the lake was so impressive that you could actually see the earth beginning to bend. It’s sheer mass reminded me of our glacial history and left me with a feeling of solitude that even our backcountry excursions in the Rocky Mountains were unable to offer. As we approached the shores of Ludington, I thought to myself… this was it. Some of the most spectacular sand dunes in the entire world, 20% of the earth’s fresh water and some 10,000 miles of coastline. This was it… the “Third Coast”.As we set our packs down on the public beach, I took a deep breath and gawked at the number of people out for a swim. The big waves had brought out the masses. It had been a couple of days now walking up the coast, but we were back in civilization and ready for the 18th annual Sleeping Bear Dunegrass & Blues Festival 2010 (or at the very least, an ice-cold beer). We sat on the corner of M-22 and M-72 with our thumbs out, waiting patiently for a ride out to the festival grounds. A sweet young lady by the name of Karrin ended up picking us up and we headed inland. This year, in contrast to previous ones, the festival grounds had moved from their traditional spot just a short walk from the big lake to a location about 10 miles inland. This being my first Dunegrass Festival, it’s hard for me to speak to the differences in these two locations. But one thing’s for certain… the closer you are to the water, the better.
In addition to location, the line-up for this year’s festival was considerably different. In very recent years, Dunegrass has seen the likes of national touring acts such as Particle, moe., Leftover Salmon, and Railroad Earth, as well as bluegrass behemoths like Tony Rice, Peter Rowan, and The Del McCoury Band. Even Buckethead (yes, Buckethead), made an appearance at the infamous 2008 festival that left a heavy cloud hanging over the heads of even the most current of festival organizers.
2010 reverts back to a focus on local Michigan music. The type of music that lies at the roots of this festival’s nearly 20-year history. Perhaps a bit of retribution for the mistreatment of these hard working musicians in years past?With Friday morning came sunshine. We fixed ourselves a proper breakfast and headed towards the stages. Susan Fawcett was deep into her set by the time we spread out our blankets and the serenity of being at my first Michigan festival in over 8 months began to sink in. Susan Fawcett is an
all-star. From the saw to the violin, I’ve seen this young lady sit in with just about every Michigan folk artist there is. There isn't an instrument that Susan is unable to play. Performing by herself on this August afternoon and ran through a couple of great banjo tunes despite an apparent lack of confidence. The day rolled on as Dunegrass festival cycled through a number of decent acts that failed to leave any sort of lasting impression on me. The bluegrass band Full Cord put on an impressive display before a friend of mine, Graham Parsons, and his new band the Go Rounds hit the stage. Graham is a talented young songwriter from the Keweenaw and more recently, Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Go Rounds are a new type of sound for Parsons but still present is his passionate vocals and an obvious love for music. After this much needed change of pace, it was Jen Sygit’s 
turn to showcase her talents. Jen came out with a supporting cast of characters dubbed “Spare Change”, a group of Lansing based musicians including fellow singer/songwriter Sam Corbin, accordion extraordinaire Mike Lynch, doghouse bassist Spencer Cain and mandolin maestro Joshua Rilko. Jen has an incredible knack for songwriting that she fuses with a soothing voice to create a rich and comforting blend of folk music that cuts straight to your soul.To close out Friday evening was a New Orleans based band called Big Sam’s Funky Nation. Big Sam, of Dirty Dozen Brass Band fame was a talented trombonist with a raucous blend of funk music that seemed to be on a slightly different wavelength than the crowd in attendance. The focus on Michigan music was abandoned with this Friday night headliner and the spotlight-hungry antics being flaunted by the horn section of Big Sam’s Funky Nation struck a disharmonious chord with me.
With Saturday sun came Bloody Mary’s and scrambled eggs. Morning came and went before Billy Brandt and his Mission Band came out with an organ driven style of music (compliments of Mike Lynch) that I remember sounding nothing but good. With the next changeover, I began to realize how many sound issues had been plaguing the main stages over the course of the weekend. The idea of having two side-by-side stages for minimal downtime was a good one, but the execution was poor. Distracting sound checks during and howling wind were prominent issues during Lonesome County’s set, but didn’t seem to put a damper on this impressive tradition
al bluegrass quartet. We even got to hear a couple of old Flatbelly tunes from good friends Spencer Cain and Josh Rilko! I sure do miss hearing those boys play. The conclusion of Lonesome County brought Michigan favorite Rachael Davis Band to the stage. With the majority of the Steppin’ In It men there to back her up, Rachael sang with the power, confidence and finesse that she almost always exhibits. More sound issues eventually resulted in a complete loss of power to the main stage. Dominic and Rachael persevered with a couple of acoustic duets while their son, Virgil, played in the sand in front of them. Cupping her mouth, Rachael let her presence be known and made the best of a truly difficult situation.
The Traverse City based group Delilah Wylde & the Lost Boys were up next and came out sporting a unique attire complete with big black cowboy hats and matching slacks. With Joe Wilson manning the steel guitars and Miss Wylde doing acrobatic stunts on top of her stand-up bass, this band put on a high energy performance that set the stage for the music that followed. With Greensky Bluegrass came thunder and with thunder came lightening, both figuratively and quite 
literally. The rain came pouring in as the boys slowly hunkered towards the center of the stage in attempt to stay dry. Smiles plastered on their faces. Despite a dwindling crowd and a photo session cut short, Greensky was as mesmerizing as ever. Towards the end of their set, with heads turned towards the opposite stage, the boys began teasing Joshua Davis with the opening notes of “Last Winter in the Copper Country”. Josh seized the opportunity and ran onto stage, guitar in hand, for a bone-chilling version of his song. This segued into Steppin’ In It whose quintet blew the roof off and had everyone at Dunegrass on their feet and dancing around to a collection of coveted Michigan anthems. The rain was on and off by now and pretty soon it was time for Rootstand. After seeing these guys play at Hiawatha in July, I was absolutely psyched to have another go at it. With a prominent bluegrass foundation combined with hints of reggae, Americana, Celtic, and one phenomenally talented harmonica 
player, Rootstand began a high energy set that could have only been cut short by a mishap with our only set of car keys. Somewhere amidst the rain… and sand… and mixing of drinks, we misplaced this highly important item and spent the next 3 hours or so digging through the sand in a frustrated frenzy.Sunday morning was spent looking for the keys and by the time our dear friend Caleb revealed their whereabouts, we were ready to head home. A dip in Lake Michigan replaced our afternoon at the festival grounds and we parted ways at Empire with Fool Rooster, The Macpodz, and Covert Ops in the back of our minds. In regards to the annual Dunegrass Festival, I think the weekend was a success. As for me… sometimes certain music festivals have a profound impact on you, other times they don’t. I can’t say that Dunegrass 2010 was one of them. But sometimes you have to set aside the mishaps, the weather, and other such conundrums and realize that you are amidst the best of friends in one of the most beautiful areas of one of the most beautiful states in the country, and you are alive.
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