Hello,
Springtime has arrived for real in Ohio. The bobwhite are calling
from the wild edges. We have mockingbirds, brown thrashers and
catbirds all nesting nearby. The catbird is the champion songbird at
the moment, singing away in the linden tree throughout the day and
mewling in the evenings like a lost kitten. We currently have two
pairs of nesting bluebirds (one brood already successfully fledged)
and 4 pairs of tree swallows. The tree swallows swim the liquid air
with a joy that feels contagious.
And as the trees leaf out and the first wildflowers throw new colors
at the sky the time has arrived for us to announce the musicians and
songwriters who will be joining us this year at Nowhere Else
Festival. We hope you’ll make plans to join us here on the farm
later this summer on Labor Day Weekend (September 2-4) for what’s
sure to be an amazing weekend.
One of the most fulfilling things about hosting Nowhere Else
Festival is seeing the artists who attend try to figure out in real
time exactly what is happening. There is something unique about our
gathering that they can’t quite seem to find words for. (Interesting
considering that everyone who walks on stage makes a living that
involves writing.)
Peter Mulvey got up on stage one Sunday evening as things were
winding down for the weekend and said simply, I figured it out:
Nowhere Else Festival is a poem.
None of us were quite sure what that meant, but it felt true.
The Belfast-born writer and peace activist, Gareth Higgins, came to
the end of emceeing the festival a few years ago and said, Nowhere
Else Festival is a story being written that doesn’t yet have an
ending. He then looked at all those in attendance in the big tent as
the sun had just set and added, Each of you gets to help write the
rest of this story.
Allison Russell described the festival last year simply as an
undeniable expression of beloved community.
And that’s just the artists.
Maybe even more fun than all of the above: watching those of you who
attend discover new songwriters and performers. One of our favorite
things to hear after a performance in the big tent: I can’t believe
I’ve never heard them before!
And we hear that a lot.
Finally, and perhaps most fulfilling of all? The surprising word
that comes up over and over as folks reflect on our extended musical
family reunion: healing.
We never overtly planned for the festival to be described that way,
but then again how could it not be healing? Aren’t we all in need of
community, chosen family, a new song, real conversation, beauty, the
nudge to keep learning and the possibility of being surprised by
something good?
Music is a vibration that can still make the whole world go still.
And in a world increasingly obsessed with fear as a commodity, it’s
good to be reminded that when the angels of old appeared, they
always started by speaking the words, Don’t be afraid.
We have come to believe that sometimes in lieu of an angel, a song
will do.
So it’s with no small thrill deep through the heart that we announce
the lineup of musicians for the festival this Labor Day Weekend,
September 2-4.
The collective musical life force of this group of writers is beyond
imagination. So many accumulated songs and stories.
Not a bad looking bunch of folks. All of us have surrendered our
lives to the gravitational pull of a good song. We’ll tell you a bit
more about each of these artists in the coming days.
Again, make plans to join us. And don’t forget we now have plenty of
field camping available if you want to just hunker down with us on
the farm for a few days and wake up beneath big skies. It might just
change your life.
Tickets and more info: nowhereelsefestival.com
Rivers and oceans,
Linford and Karin and the always amazing Nowhere Else Festival Team