Hello hello,

Spring has rewritten the history of winter in front of our very eyes, the slow motion explosion of new life, green with envy, blowing the seams out of the known world, an infinite song.

The red maples have leafed out, the young pawpaw trees bloomed, the lone lilac bush offers to perfume the entire county.

Four pairs of bluebirds have settled into boxes on our "bluebird trail." Two pairs have already hatched five tiny young each. The other two pairs are presiding over an additional nine eggs. When a male bluebird catches the light just right, you will glimpse the tip of God's paintbrush.

We've been trying to lure a pair of tree swallows into a nesting box. The tree swallows are our favorites. Karin calls to them, tries to make them feel welcome.

We've got June bugs in April, miniature flying Volkswagens with questionable steering.

We need an extravagant gesture of our own, some worthy response.

Thank God for music.

Wanna get together?

You are invited to Nowhere Else Festival, our extended musical family reunion, two-plus days of music, art, earth and sky unfolding on our small farm - a beautiful green space just a stone's throw from the Ohio Ocean.

Our boutique festival takes place Memorial Day Weekend, May 27 & 28. VIP ticket holders can gather Friday evening, May 26, for a special farm to table feast and a private concert by Over the Rhine and the Band of Sweethearts.

Yes, gathering some of the musicians and artists who have inspired us, and sharing them with you on the piece of unpaved earth we call home - this is our extravagant gesture, our call and response.

Here's what we've cooked up this year at Nowhere Else Festival 2017. Oh my. Check out nowhereelsefestival.com for more info.

Please help us share the love and thank you.

We hope to see you on the farm in May!

Rivers and oceans,

Linford and Karin

If you saw Birds of Chicago at Nowhere Else Festival 2016, you were astonished at their soulfulness, their voices, the amount of light and heat and sorrow and joy they could generate on a May afternoon. They'll be performing concerts on Saturday and Sunday this year. Fasten your soul's seatbelt, or don't. What a find...

Carrie Rodriguez, a singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas, finds beauty in the cross-pollination of diverse traditions. A passionate performer, she effortlessly melds fiery fiddle playing, electrifying vocals and a fresh interpretation of new and classic songs. Her newest project, the Spanish/English album "Lola," is both a return to her musical roots and something of a departure where she delivers her own twangy, Texas-bred twist on Mexican Ranchera songs, creating culturally blended music for a culturally blended world.

When the Red Dirt Boys asked their boss Emmylou Harris if she minded them recording under the moniker she had given them 5 years earlier, she remarked, "Only if I can sing on the record." Soulful and southern, their music is pulled from many genres- blues, jazz, country, and hillbilly- a pot of gumbo sure to satisfy the urge to dance, sing, and celebrate life in all its complex simplicity.

Chris Donohue - Harmony vocals and bass
Will Kimbrough- Vocals, Guitars, mandolin, and banjo
Phil Madeira- Vocals, Guitars and keyboards
Bryan Owings- Harmony vocals, drums and percussion

Carrie Newcomer is a songwriter, recording artist, performer and educator. She has been described as a "soaring songstress" by Billboard and a "prairie mystic" by the Boston Globe. The Austin Statesman described her as having "a voice as rich as Godiva chocolate" and Rolling Stone once said, she "asks all the right questions."

We are thrilled to have Carrie join us at this year's festival for a concert, as well as a reading from her poems and prolific writings.

When Karin read in an interview that the Over the Rhine song "All My Favorite People" had been useful to director Scott Derrickson in shaping the character of Dr. Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) in his most recent feature film, she immediately reached out to see if he would join us at this year’s festival. Imagine our surprise when he said, Yes, of course.

But maybe these are the kind of connections that happen when you jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down.

We'll be starting a new tradition this year. Each Saturday night moving forward at Nowhere Else Festival, we will invite a film director to screen one of their films in the big top on the farm. We'll crank it up on the sound system, beneath the stars, in the inky black air. Grab a chair in the big tent, or spread a blanket under the stars. If Wendell Berry owned a drive-in theater.

So yes, after the music winds down on Saturday night, director Scott Derrickson will screen his latest feature film, Dr. Strange for our very own midnight movie. (At our age, the midnight movie starts at 10pm.) There will be a conversation on Sunday with Scott regarding his life in film, with an opportunity for some Q&A.

Barry Moser has illustrated over 300 books. His distinctive engravings have been collected by most major art museums around the world (including The Met and The Vatican). He is a painter, engraver, illustrator, teacher, essayist, memoirist, father, grandfather and dog lover. He has received national and international awards for his work too numerous to mention.

Barry will be reading from his prolific writings at the festival, and offering a drawing workshop. Here is a chance to absorb a lifetime of wisdom from one of America’s great living artists.

When Karin and I started the barn raising project at Nowhere Else, we were thrilled to discover that we had a real writer living right up the road. John Baskin's modern classic, New Burlington: The Life and Death of an American Village and his collection of essays, In Praise Of Practical Fertilizer, have become two of our all-time favorites. Both books have traveled overseas with us and are well-worn and ear-marked. The prose found within those covers is among the best we have found.

John will be leading a nonfiction writing workshop at the festival. Not to be missed.

Whether you simply love art, or desperately need to make art – come join artist Jon Detweiler for a real-time oil-bar demonstration and interactive discussion about the making of a successful landscape painting. This session is open to both spectators and painters. Bring a favorite beverage and a comfy lawn chair; or bring your art supplies and make a painting with Jon. Maybe you’ve never painted with oil bars but would like to try? Maybe you would prefer to work in a different medium? No problem, bring your favorite painting supplies and join the creativity. (Saturday, May 27, 10am)

Local farmer and adventurer, Jon Branstrator, will discuss his adventures in regenerative farming, and install a pollinator bed at Nowhere Else during the festival. Here's a chance to discuss gardening and growing and sustainability with a seasoned fellow traveler.

Everyone who attends Jon’s workshop will get a packet of milkweed seeds so you can roll out your own Monarch butterfly welcome mat, wherever you may be.

Michael Wilson will be on the scene with his camera and hosting another photo ramble through nearby Wilmington, Ohio, Sunday morning. (Meet at the General Denver Hotel at 9am.) Michael continues to be one of our important mentors and undoubtedly one of the greatest living photographers and portrait makers of our generation.

And more music!

We are always excited to encircle other Ohio bands at the festival. The Tillers have been kicking up dust for a number of years, winning awards and touring tirelessly. They drive their timeless tunes with classic acoustic instruments and a punk ethos they can’t quite shake.

Meet the Young Heirlooms: Another young, up-and-coming six-piece Cincinnati band with a quiver full of sweet harmonies, heartfelt tunes and a do-not-miss reputation.

A native of McAlester, Oklahoma, Levi Parham's music draws on the rich songwriting traditions of his home state. "Perhaps it's something in the [Oklahoma] water -- the same iron-heavy tap drink that Woody Guthrie sipped on as a young man -- that leads to an inherited sense of melody," said The Bluegrass Situation. "Whatever it is, Levi Parham has it."

Born to missionary parents in Barbados, Matt Haeck looked to follow in their footsteps by pursuing a master's in theology and becoming a pastor. However, while studying at seminary in San Diego, he finally admitted to himself that this was not his path. His personal dream was—and always had been—to be a musician and songwriter.

Scrappy, with a genuine, lyrical voice, Matt Haeck sings truths hard-earned from struggles he has experienced first hand. In a voice and a style faintly reminiscent of his musical hero, Hank Williams Sr., Matt writes and sings about the road ahead and behind in a way that is both transcendent and grounded. No Depression calls Matt’s Late Bloomer "an extraordinary album… one of the most articulate outings in recent memory..."

Bring your guitar or acoustic instrument if you want to sit in with gifted multi-instrumentalist Bradley Meinerding Sunday morning, and swap songs in the morning air.

And finally, Over the Rhine will be performing at the festival with the Band of Sweethearts, and as a trio with multi-instrumentalist Bradley Meinerding.

Kids 12 and under admitted free. Discounts available for students with ID and for all active military service personnel.

Now if you asked me where I'd rather be, I'd say Nowhere in particular.

Again, nowhereelsefestival.com for more info, and we'll see you on the farm if not before!

Linford and Karin

p.s. We are sailing across Pennsylvania next week for a few spring evenings of music, and ending up in the big apple. We'll lift a glass of the good stuff to all the shared years and miles, tears and smiles. Hope to see you.

+Thursday, May 4, World Café Live, Philadelphia, PA
+Friday, May 5, Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Harrisburg, PA (Sold Out, call to inquire regarding standing room availability)
+Saturday, May 6, City Winery, New York City, NY