Hundreds gather to enjoy music festival

PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS - The strum of guitar strings and stomps of bass drums rang through the Porkies this weekend as hundreds sat on blankets, in fold-up chairs or beneath tents to listen to a number of bands from around the country perform as part of the Porcupine Mountains Music Festival.

In its 12th year, the festival drew one of the largest crowds yet to the popular three-day event.

Event organizer Cheryl Sundberg said past festival attendances have averaged around 1,000 people, but this year was looking to be the highest pending the official ticket count sometime this week.

A semi-circle of hundreds of fans climbed high up the slope in front of the main stage near the chalet at the state park's winter sports complex as they watched the band The Whistle Stop Revue perform Saturday.

Band member Blake Short said they are based in the Detroit area, and this was their second time performing at the festival. The band featured Short on mandolin, Rick Doviak on guitar, Joe Haugh on upright bass and Drake Lolley on banjo. The four also performed vocals.

Together, they played a wide variety of bluegrass songs and other types of music. Short said the festival is one of the band's favorite places to perform, as it's really easy to feel the crowd's enthusiasm.

"The area feels like home to me, with the mountains and the lakes. This is just an amazing experience," he said. "I hope to come back."

As they played, people wandered off through the woods, following a trail that led to the other stages.

The festival had three separate performing areas: the Peace Hill Stage, the main stage near the ski chalet; the Singing Hills Stage, the second major stage off to the side accessible by a trail through the woods; and the Busking Barn.

The Whistle Stop Revue was one of more than 20 acts - including headliners like Papa Mali - that played on the two main stages. Another 20 or more performers entertained festival-goers in the more casual Busking Barn.

Busking means playing music or otherwise performing for voluntary donations, Sundberg said, meaning the barn allows for a more casual atmosphere for performers.

Cassi Bordner, 12, of Hurley, was one the musicians to play at the barn. While growing up, she said her mom inspired her to play music, Bordner said.

"My mom was in a lot of bands, so I just kind of grew up around music," she said.

Bordner has performed in HIT Idol, but this was her first time performing at the festival and she felt a little "nervous," she said.

Later in the afternoon, the Way Down Wanderers performed on the main stage as it began to rain. Despite that, Drew Bastman, of White Pine, continued to dance amongst other music fans.

"The music was amazing," she said. "I just wanted to go with the flow."

This year was her second time going to the festival.

When the Way Down Wanderers finished their set list, the crowd chanted "one more song." Feeding off the crowds' enjoyment of the music, the band continued to play.

"That put us on cloud nine," band member Austin Thompson said. "It really means a lot when they want another song."

The band had Thompson on guitar and vocals, Collin Krause on mandolin, fiddle and vocals and John Merikoski on drums

As the sun began to set, Saturday's headliner Papi Mali strummed his guitar and several fans sprang out their seats and started to dance.

Papa Mali thanked fans for staying at the festival despite the rain. "It makes me want to give all I got when I see an audience wait for me," he told the Daily Globe.

Mali is a New Orleans singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer whose multi-faceted career has explored many areas of American and world music, he said. The band also featured Robb Kidd on drums, Joe Ashlar on keyboards and Eric Vogel on bass.

Feeling the groove, the band often broke into "jams sessions" in the middle of their songs. Mali said these sessions are like a musical conversation.

"You're having a conversation with not only each other, but also with all the people in the audience that are feeling it in different ways," he said. "If the audience's energy is good, it's gonna affect the music and make it better."

Mali said he wants to return and perform at the festival next year.

Sunday brought more spectators to enjoy other talented musicians and bands, including the Scottie Miller Band.

The band's front man, Scottie Miller, said they performed last year and he looked forward to returning.

"It feels great to be back," he said Saturday. "Last year was a blast, but it went too fast. It's very peaceful today, the sun is shinning and it feels great."

The festival also featured workshops, where musicians would sit down with fans or offer information on various instruments, as well as a kids' tent and a beanbag toss game.

Sundberg said she's pleased with the attendance numbers.

"Every year, we're growing and we're getting to the point we'd like to be attendance wise. We've seen people coming in from Wisconsin and Illinois," she said. "The attendance this year is really good, I expect we are up from last year by looking at the crowd.

For all their hard work, Sundberg thanked all the volunteers who made the event possible.