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County Fare

Bluegrass fest coming Aug. 26

By BILL BERRY
of The Gazette
Bluegrass music lovers will want to mark their calendars for a first-ever event in Portage County on Saturday, Aug. 26.

The Northland Music Festival will be held that day at the Northland Ballroom, Highway 49, five miles east of Rosholt.

Four bands will perform from 2 p.m. to midnight beneath a big tent on the ballroom grounds. If rain forces activities indoors, the ballroom seats up to 300 people.

But the goal is to have an outdoor festival, says organizer Art Stevenson of Junction City. "What we're hoping is that we'll use the tent just for shade, maybe roll the sides up and let breeze blow through," he says. Bluegrass music is meant to be played outdoors, Stevenson says.

Stevenson and his wife, Stephanie, are members of Art Stevenson and High Water, one of the bands that will perform at Northland. Other performers will be Sloppy Joe, Mary Henderson & Geoff Shannon, and the Nob Hill Boys.

"We've always wanted to do a bluegrass show in central Wisconsin," says Art. "We want to start a family bluegrass fest, with good, clean fun - the music, the picking, camping - where people can bring their kids," he says. The goal is to make the event an annual get-together and to expand it to a multi-day format.

The big tent will have room for seating, "and hopefully for dancing, too, because we know that some of the people who like bluegrass come to dance," Art says.

The Northland site is a natural. It's in the country, there's plenty of room, and the air is primed for bluegrass, since the Stevensons host a regular Wednesday night jam at the ballroom.

Art figures some of the people who show up for the Wednesday jam will pitch a tent and camp until the festival begins on Saturday.

The festival will provide free rough camping (no electrical hookups). The ballroom will sell brats, burgers, hotdogs, homemade pizza, tacos and sandwiches. Campers can also bring their own food and cook out, Art says.

Bluegrass music is enjoying a popular resurgence, Art says. "People are coming into the music, people who have never been exposed to it before, people who've heard other kinds of music and think 'That's pretty good,'" he says. Bluegrass festivals are held around the country throughout the summer. Some fans attend a festival nearly every weekend, he says. "It's a good, clean-living crowd. It's all about the music," Art says.

Bluegrass music is an outgrowth of traditional hillbilly string band music or "mountain music." It's a hybrid of traditional folk ballads, gospel songs, and instrumentation. Bill Monroe and his group, the Blue Grass Boys, are credited with helping to create the distinctive sound. Monroe first gained popularity in the 1940s. Bluegrass is primarily acoustic and features the five-string banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and bass. Vocals are often high-pitched duet singing.

Here's some information about the bands scheduled to appear:

Art Stevenson and High Water: High Water has been afloat for several years and has released two CDs. Art plays guitar and sings. Stephanie plays standup bass and sings. Dale Reichert of Custer plays banjo and mandolin, and Len Springer of Verona is the fiddler. The band leans heavily to traditional bluegrass. Some of the music is original. Among their recent appearances was their annual show in the Pfiffner Building during Riverfront Rendezvous in Stevens Point. They also notched a performance at Milwaukee Summerfest and performed two shows last weekend at a big bluegrass festival in the Amana Colonies in Iowa.

Sloppy Joe: Comprised of members from central Wisconsin and Illinois, this string band has a good following in the area. They perform at Witz End in Stevens Point and other locations. If you add a big, old cider jug to a string band, you have a jug band, and Sloppy Joe won a jug band competition in Minnesota last September. They'll be defending that title this year and trying to hold onto the traveling trophy - a waffle iron.

Mary Henderson and Geoff Shannon: These Twin Cities performers have been together for several years. She's a songwriter, and he picks flattop guitar lead. They perform a lot of original material, which is flavored by traditional country arrangements.

Nob Hill Boys: The Madison group has performed at some local venues, including the Amherst Coffee Co. in Amherst. They, too, have a good following. "They're one of Wisconsin's best bluegrass bands, in my opinion," says Art.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the gate. To order tickets, send a check for $10 per ticket to Art Stevenson, 2958 County Highway G, Junction City, Wis., 54443. The Southern Wisconsin Bluegrass Music Association, Madison, helped underwrite the first Northland Bluegrass Festival. Information on the association can be found on the Web at www.jvlnet.com/~swbmai/.

For more information, contact Art Stevenson at 457-4720.



	Bluegrass fest coming Aug. 26 By BILL BERRY of The Gazette Bluegrass music lovers will want to mark their calendars for a first-ever event in Portage County on Saturday, Aug. 26. The Northland Music Festival will be held that day at the Northland Ballroom, Highway 49, five miles east of Rosholt. Four bands will perform from 2 p.m. to midnight beneath a big tent on the ballroom grounds. If rain forces activities indoors, the ballroom seats up to 300 people. But the goal is to have an outdoor festival, says organizer Art Stevenson of Junction City. "What we're hoping is that we'll use the tent just for shade, maybe roll the sides up and let breeze blow through," he says. Bluegrass music is meant to be played outdoors, Stevenson says. Stevenson and his wife, Stephanie, are members of Art Stevenson and High Water, one of the bands that will perform at Northland. Other performers will be Sloppy Joe, Mary Henderson & Geoff Shannon, and the Nob Hill Boys. "We've always wanted to do a bluegrass show in central Wisconsin," says Art. "We want to start a family bluegrass fest, with good, clean fun - the music, the picking, camping - where people can bring their kids," he says. The goal is to make the event an annual get-together and to expand it to a multi-day format. The big tent will have room for seating, "and hopefully for dancing, too, because we know that some of the people who like bluegrass come to dance," Art says. The Northland site is a natural. It's in the country, there's plenty of room, and the air is primed for bluegrass, since the Stevensons host a regular Wednesday night jam at the ballroom. Art figures some of the people who show up for the Wednesday jam will pitch a tent and camp until the festival begins on Saturday. The festival will provide free rough camping (no electrical hookups). The ballroom will sell brats, burgers, hotdogs, homemade pizza, tacos and sandwiches. Campers can also bring their own food and cook out, Art says. Bluegrass music is enjoying a popular resurgence, Art says. "People are coming into the music, people who have never been exposed to it before, people who've heard other kinds of music and think 'That's pretty good,'" he says. Bluegrass festivals are held around the country throughout the summer. Some fans attend a festival nearly every weekend, he says. "It's a good, clean-living crowd. It's all about the music," Art says. Bluegrass music is an outgrowth of traditional hillbilly string band music or "mountain music." It's a hybrid of traditional folk ballads, gospel songs, and instrumentation. Bill Monroe and his group, the Blue Grass Boys, are credited with helping to create the distinctive sound. Monroe first gained popularity in the 1940s. Bluegrass is primarily acoustic and features the five-string banjo, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and bass. Vocals are often high-pitched duet singing. Here's some information about the bands scheduled to appear: Art Stevenson and High Water: High Water has been afloat for several years and has released two CDs. Art plays guitar and sings. Stephanie plays standup bass and sings. Dale Reichert of Custer plays banjo and mandolin, and Len Springer of Verona is the fiddler. The band leans heavily to traditional bluegrass. Some of the music is original. Among their recent appearances was their annual show in the Pfiffner Building during Riverfront Rendezvous in Stevens Point. They also notched a performance at Milwaukee Summerfest and performed two shows last weekend at a big bluegrass festival in the Amana Colonies in Iowa. Sloppy Joe: Comprised of members from central Wisconsin and Illinois, this string band has a good following in the area. They perform at Witz End in Stevens Point and other locations. If you add a big, old cider jug to a string band, you have a jug band, and Sloppy Joe won a jug band competition in Minnesota last September. They'll be defending that title this year and trying to hold onto the traveling trophy - a waffle iron. Mary Henderson and Geoff Shannon: These Twin Cities performers have been together for several years. She's a songwriter, and he picks flattop guitar lead. They perform a lot of original material, which is flavored by traditional country arrangements. Nob Hill Boys: The Madison group has performed at some local venues, including the Amherst Coffee Co. in Amherst. They, too, have a good following. "They're one of Wisconsin's best bluegrass bands, in my opinion," says Art. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the gate. To order tickets, send a check for $10 per ticket to Art Stevenson, 2958 County Highway G, Junction City, Wis., 54443. The Southern Wisconsin Bluegrass Music Association, Madison, helped underwrite the first Northland Bluegrass Festival. Information on the association can be found on the Web at www.jvlnet.com/~swbmai/. For more information, contact Art Stevenson at 457-4720.