Summer Sounds Abound

Your 2023 music guide to northern Michigan

By Ross Boissoneau | June 24, 2023

The rolling hills Up North are alive with the sound of music. So too are the valleys, woods, city centers, and parks. The beaches and the concert halls. Not to mention the distilleries, wineries, breweries, restaurants, bars, and on and on. 

That’s right—when the calendar turns to summer, the entire region becomes a haven for music. Whether you’re into rock-n-roll or country, jazz or bluegrass, classical or folk, or anything in between, you’ll find it here. National touring musicians, regional favorites, hometown heroes, brass bands, orchestras, singer/songwriters—all of them and more are playing this summer. Many of the shows are free, some encourage donations, and others are ticketed. 

We’ve compiled some of the most rockin’ scenes for the summer, though this is only the tip of the musical iceberg. 

FIRST: THE FESTIVALS

These are the biggies, the music festivals (and multi-artist performances rolled into other festivals) that folks travel across the state—and beyond—to see.

Baroque on Beaver: July 27–Aug. 5. Performances throughout the 10-day festival at various venues, including Opening Night Benefit July 29; Chamber Music Aug. 1; The Founders Vocal Concert Aug. 2; Mozart Only with the Festival Orchestra and Ying Li, piano; and others, including pop-up concerts.

Beaver Island Music Festival: July 20-22 with music by Rags and Riches, The Rubies, Sponge, The Orbitsuns, and more. A Beaver Island tradition since 2003.

Blissfest Folks & Roots Festival: July 7-9 with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Valerie June, Colin Hay, Abigail Washburn, Marc Broussard, and other performers. 

Hoxeyville Music Festival: Aug. 18-20 with Marcus King, The Wood Brothers, Keller Williams, Luke Winslow-King, Full Cord, and many others.

Interlochen Arts Festival

June 22 Big & Rich

June 26 Greensky Bluegrass

June 27 Elvis Costello and the Imposters

June 30 Mat Kearney

July 2 World Youth Symphony Orchestra

July 9 WYSO

July 11 Interlochen Collage

July 12 Styx

July 16 WYSO

July 20 Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

July 21 Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder

July 22 Detroit Symphony Orchestra

July 23 WYSO side-by-side with DSO

July 23 Five For Fighting

July 24 Donny Osmond

July 27 The Temptations and the Four Tops

July 30 WYSO

Aug. 9 Dark Star Orchestra

Aug. 10 Train

Aug. 11 Lindsay Stirling

Aug. 17 The Lone Bellow Trio

Aug. 18 The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA

Aug. 19 The Beach Boys

Sept. 1 Brandi Carlile

 

National Cherry Festival Bayside Stage Concerts

July 1 Here Come the Mummies

July 2 Flo Rida

July 3 Night Ranger

July 4 Theory of a Deadman

July 5 3 Doors Down

July 6 Jordan Davis

July 7 Chicago

 

Bay View Music Festival

June 10 Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra

June 18 Vesper Concert “Sounds of Summer”

June 21 Dueling Pianos

June 25 Vesper Concert “Hollywood to Dollywood”

June 28 String Quartet

July 1 Postmodern Jukebox

July 2 Vesper Concert “A Night With Sinatra”

July 5 Miniatures from Wind Quintet

July 9 Vesper Concert “Then and Now”

July 14 “Beauty and the Beast”

July 16 Vesper Concert “Real Life Soundtrack”

July 19 Vesper Concert “Viva La Voce”

July 21 Blood, Sweat and Tears

July 23 Vesper Concert “The Global Village”

July 27 Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi 

July 28 Brass Outreach Concert

July 29 Brass Outreach Concert

July 29 Girl Named Tom

July 30 Brass Outreach Concert

July 30 Vesper Concert “Re-Mastered”

Aug. 2 Spectrum Brass

Aug. 6 Vesper Concert “Phantasia”

Aug. 10 Akropolis Reed Quintet

Aug. 11 American Spirituals

Aug. 12 Spectrum Brass and Chamber Brass

Aug. 13 American Spirituals

Aug. 13 Vesper Concert “Our Founding Mothers”

 

SECOND: THE VENUES

These beloved music-going venues are pulling out all the stops for a busy summer lineup.

 

The Alluvion, Traverse City

June 25 Seth Bernard, Crystal Woodward-Turner, Jordan Hamilton, and David Chown

June 27 High School Jazz Jam

June 28 A.S. Lutes, Jonathan Timm, Samantha Cooper

June 30 Blanco Suave with Funky Uncle

July 2 Earth Radio, Medicinal Groove, After Ours, and DJ Ras Marco

 

Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey

June 30 Keith Scott Blues 

 

Garden Theater

The theater in downtown Frankfort presents three different series this summer: Classical, jazz, and a catchall dubbed “Live at the Garden.”

June 21 Mountain Grass Unit

June 24 Cochran and McAllister guitar duo 

June 29 Andrew Dost and Metal Bubble Trio

July 3 Shelly Fairchild and Whiskey Wolves Of The West

July 10 Reperio (Stagnitta, Philipsen, Chuang) 

July 19 The Heavy Hours

Aug. 1 Richy Mitch and the Coal Miners 

Aug. 3 Akropolis reed quintet

Aug. 15 Sears and Sears saxophones

Sept. 3 Monika Herzig and Alexis Cole 

 

Grand Traverse Pavilions

July 6 Grand Traverse Pipes and Drums

July 13 Miriam Pico and Friends

July 20 Golden Voices

July 27 Gordon Lightfoot tribute

Aug. 3 ReBooted featuring Judy Harrison

Aug. 10 Bay Area Little Big Band

Aug. 17 K. Jones and the Benzie Playboys

Aug. 24 The Backroom Gang

Aug. 31 The Age of Aquarius

 

Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Bay Harbor

June 24 Michigander

July 8 Chicago

July 14-15 Music of the Night

July 18 Conrad Tao and Caleb Teicher

July 20 Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra “Step into Vienna”

July 22 Arturo Sandoval

July 25 Detroit Symphony Orchestra Quartet

Aug. 2-3 Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi 

Aug. 6 Michael Feinstein “Get Happy”

Aug. 9 The Verve Pipe

Aug. 12 Needtobreathe

Aug. 19 The Manhattan Transfer

Aug. 26 Sam Bush Band

Aug. 28-Sept. 3 The Concert Truck

Sept. 3 The Music of Billy Joel & Elton John

Sept. 9 Robert Cray Band

Sept. 16 Hubbard Street Dance

 

Lavender Hill, Boyne City

Lavender Hill also hosts free Local Ground shows June through September; times vary.

June 24 The Hackwells

July 1 Buffalo Rose

July 28 Jill Jack & The Keynote Sisters

July 29 Wood Box Heroes

Aug. 4, 5 1964 The Tribute

Aug. 8 Brian Vander Ark

Aug. 11 Kanin Wren’s Taylor Swift Experience

Aug. 12 Jessica Willis Fisher

Aug. 19 Southern Raised

Aug. 25 Balsam Range

Sept. 1 The Concert Truck

Sept. 2 Horton Creek Bluegrass

Sept. 8 May Erlewine

 

Little River Casino Resort

June 17 Abbacadabra

July 8 Blackberry Smoke

Aug. 12 Happy Together Tour

 

Michigan Legacy Art Park

7-9pm at the amphitheater in the woods. Seating is rustic, bring a chair pad or blanket. 

July 7 Mark Lavengood

July 14 Seth Bernard & Jordan Hamilton

July 21 Blake Elliott & The Current Love

Aug. 4 Youngman & Oldmen

 

Northern Natural Winery, Kaleva

June 30 Gregory Stovetop with Saxquatch

July 1 Earth Radio and After Ours

July 7 Major Murphy

July 12 Peter Madcat Ruth and the C.A.R.M.A. Quartet

July 14 Charlie Millard Band

July 19 The Handstanders

July 21 Sarah Cohen and Mike Savina

July 26 May Erlewine

July 28 Alex Teller

Aug. 2 Luke Winslow-King

Aug. 4 Round Creek

Aug. 11 Jen Sygit

Aug. 18 Chirp

Aug. 23 Full Cord and the Mark Lavengood Trio

Aug. 25 Slim Pickin’s String Band

Aug. 30 The Accidentals

Sept. 1 Great Lakes Brass

 

Odawa Casino

June 23 The Oak Ridge Boys

July 21 Warrant

Aug. 26 Drake White

 

Rotary Square, Traverse City

July 3 Traverse Symphony Orchestra “Patriotic Spectacular”

July 31 Traverse Symphony Orchestra “The Movie Music of John Williams”

 

THIRD: THE MUSIC CITIES

Need more live music? These towns big and small are hosting artists all summer long.

 

Music on Bear Lake on the sandbar 1-4pm

Other shows (July 22 and Aug. 26) TBA.

June 24 Freshwater Roots

 

Beulah Concerts in the Street

June 29 Bill Frary and the Frequency

July 6 Whiskey Wolves of the West

July 13 One Hot Robot

July 20 The Accidentals

July 27 The Way Outs

Aug. 3 Jazz North

Aug. 10 Dig A Pony

 

Boyne City

Check out Boyne City’s Stroll the Streets on Friday nights, featuring numerous artists, or enjoy Evenings at the Gazebo 6:30-8pm at the Pavilion in Veterans Memorial Park (performers below).

June 14 Full Moon Jam Band

June 21 Nels Olstrom

June 28 James Michael Duo

July 5 Pete Jackson Country

July 12 Billy McAllister

July 19 The Hazel James Band

July 26 Wyatt & Shari Knapp

Aug. 2 Nels Olstrom

Aug. 9 On Tap

Aug. 16 Matt Gabriel

Aug. 23 Full Moon Jam Band

Aug. 30 Delilah DeWylde

 

Upbeat Cadillac

Tim Scully’s World Class Jazz n Blues presents shows weekly at different towns, including Cadillac, Elberta, Manistee, and others.

June 22 Sunset Groove

June 29 Organissimo

July 6 Rodney Whitaker

July 13 Howard Wilson and the Salt City All-Stars

July 20 Paul Nelson Band

July 27 Planet D Nonet

Aug. 3 Joseph and the Velozians

Aug. 10 Wendell Harrison

Aug. 17 Auntie Kim and Uneek Soul

Aug. 24 Men of Leisure

 

Charlevoix

East Park Odmark Performance Pavilion, downtown Charlevoix.

June 19 DJ DomiNate, 6pm; Hurricane (Reggae/Caribbean), 7pm

July 6 B-Side Growlers

July 13 Eliza Thorp, 6pm; Mark Lavengood, 7pm

July 27 Traverse City Dance Project

Aug. 1-3 The Soundgarden Project, various locations and times

Aug. 3 Distant Stars

Aug. 10 Charlie Millard Band

Aug. 17 The Real Ingredients

 

Elberta Jammin’ Mondays

June 19 Sunset Groove

June 26 Organissimo

July 3 Rodney Whitaker

July 10 Howard Wilson and the Salt City All-Stars

July 17 Paul Nelson Band

July 24 Planet D Nonet

July 31 Joseph and the Velozians

Aug. 7 Wendell Harrison

Aug. 14 Auntie Kim and Uneek Soul

Aug. 21 Men of Leisure

Aug. 28 Rusty Wright Blues Band

Sept. 4 Nikki T and the Snake Charmers

 

Elk Rapids Day Park

July 20 Seth Bernard and Mark Lavengood

July 27 Joshua Davis

 

Elk Rapids Evenings on River Street

June 28 Plumville Project

July 5 Brotha James

July 12 Nick Vasquez

July 19 Drew Hale

July 26 TC Knuckleheads

Aug. 2 Sweetwater Blues Band

Aug. 9 Dags und Timmah!

 

Elk Rapids Music at the Harbor

June 26 Eric Engblade 

July 2 1000 Watt Prophets 

July 3 Birds of Prey 

July 16 The Gasoline Gypsies 

Aug. 5 Aaron Benjamin 

Aug. 20 Nathan Walton 

 

Gaylord Alpenfest

July 8 Genesee Valley Concert Band

July 11 Power Play Detroit

July 12 Fröhliche Musiker Blasorchester

July 12 22K Magic – Bruno Mars/Taylor Swift Tribute

July 13 B2wins

July 14 The Family Tradition Band

July 15 Petoskey Steel Drum Band

July 15 New Brass Express

July 15 Bluewater Kings Band

 

Manistee Roots on the River

Concerts take place Thursday nights beginning July 6 through Aug. 10 at the bandshell in Veterans Memorial Park. 

July 6 Harper and the Midwest Kind

July 13 Plain Jane Glory

July 20 Charlie Millard Band

Aug. 3 Ben Traverse

Aug. 10 Whorled

 

Manistee ShoreLine ShowCase

June 20 Sunset Groove

June 27 Organissimo

July 4 Rodney Whitaker

July 11 Howard Wilson and the Salt City All-Stars

July 18 Paul Nelson Band

July 25 Planet D Nonet

Aug. 1 Joseph and the Velozians

Aug. 8 Wendell Harrison

Aug. 15 Auntie Kim and Uneek Soul

Aug. 22 Men of Leisure

Aug. 29 Rusty Wright Band

 

Northport Music in the Park

June 30 1000 Watt Prophets  

July 7 Soul Patch  

July 14 Igor and the Red Elvises  

July 21 Don Julin & Ron Getz Quartet  

July 28 The Way Outs  

Aug. 4 Jazz North  

Aug. 11 The Benzie Playboys  

Aug. 18 The Fabulous Horndogs  

Aug. 25 The Jimmys  

Sept. 1 Jabo Bihlman’s Family Jam

 

Onekama

Concerts at 7pm in the Onekama Village Park (rain Venue Onekama Consolidated School Auditorium).

June 26 Awesome Distraction

July 3 The Schrock Brothers Band with Peter Madcat Ruth

July 10 Jim Hawley

July 17 The Benzie Playboys

July 24 Whispers of the North, the music of Gordon Lightfoot 

July 31 The Handstanders

Aug. 7 Elvis tribute artist Jake Slater

Aug. 14 Barefoot, with harmonica legend Phil Coryell

 

Petoskey’s Charlotte Ross Lee Concerts in the Park

The Concerts in the Park Series takes place noon to 1pm each Wednesday and Friday, featuring local musicians on the Gazebo stage.

June 21 Eliza Thorp

June 23 The Full Moon Jam Band

June 28 John Richard Paul

June 30 Keith Scott Blues

July 5 Kevin Johnson

July 7 Crosscut Kings

July 19 Story and James

July 21 The Pints

July 26  Third Degree

July 28 The Real Ingredients

Aug. 2  Lejet

Aug. 4 The Boondoggle Cats

Aug. 9 Holly Keller Thompson

Aug. 11 Jeff Pagel

Aug. 16  Ed Tatum

Aug. 18 Sean Miller

 

Fourth: The Acts

We highlighted a few can't-miss artists and groups to catch this summer.

Blood, Sweat and Tears

Bay View Music Festival, July 21

Quick, what recording nabbed Album of the Year at the 1970 Grammy Awards, besting Abbey Road, Johnny Cash at San Quentin, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and The Age of Aquarius? That’s right, Blood, Sweat and Tears topped all the above for its self-named album, with hit songs “Spinning Wheel,” “You Made Me So Very Happy,” “And When I Die,” and “God Bless The Child.” In fact, some of us have been listening to and inspired by the band since the ’60s. (Guilty!) The group is still touring, showcasing the horn-laden jazz-rock that led to all those hits. In the 56 years since it debuted, the band has been home to an astonishing 180+ members. Founding drummer Bobby Colomby still oversees the group, though he no longer performs. The group performed to a full house several years ago at Hall Auditorium, and Bay View Artistic Director Chris Ludwa says he was only too happy to book BS&T once again.

Whiskey Wolves of the West

Various Locations

Musical mavericks Leroy Powell and Tim Jones met out West, but not the wide-open spaces as you might imagine from their country-esque voyages together. “When I met Leroy, he was drinking champagne out of an old cowboy boot in a hot tub at a big A-list party in Hollywood,” Jones has said. They again crossed paths in 2013 on the Lynyrd Skynyrd Southern Rock Cruise and began writing songs together, birthing Whiskey Wolves of the West. Their first release, Country Roots, was named one of the Top 10 Country EPs of 2018 by Rolling Stone. Jones has since relocated from Nashville to Frankfort, where his wife Katie now oversees the Garden Theater. He maintains his ties to the music scene and will be teaming up with his partner at different venues across the region this summer for what they’ve dubbed “dangerously fun Americana.”

A Banjo Year

Blissfest Music Festival, Harbor Springs

Way back in 1981, a group of artists, folk musicians, dancers, and movie buffs from the Petoskey arts club got together with the folks from an alternative school to host a fund-raising concert. All these years later, the Spectrum Center and the Bliss School are gone, but the concert remains. Today, the Blissfest Music Festival is a celebration of music, culture, art, and community featuring a variety of folk, world and roots music, and dance. Some aspects remain—Volunteer and Outreach Manager Caroline Barlow says they’re told to never replace the hand-painted main stage—and many of the performers are familiar to concert-goers as well. “We have our regulars we rotate,” says Barlow, but every year sees the festival bringing in new performers as well. Barlow says this year by happenstance seems to be featuring a number of banjo-centered acts. “We have at least nine banjo players or bands,” she says, pointing to headliners Molly Tuttle, Valerie June, and Abigail Washburn. (Washburn is “one of the best old-time clawhammer banjo players” according to Barlow, and also happens to be married to banjo superstar Béla Fleck.) There’s plenty beyond banjo as well, such as onetime Men At Work leader Colin Hay and the Sweetwater Warblers—Rachael Davis, May Erlewine, and Lindsay Lou—performing solo and together.

Paul Nelson

Various Locations

Bluesy guitar slinger Paul Nelson is returning to the area as part of Tim Scully’s World Class Jazz n Blues Productions shows, performing in Elberta, Cadillac, Manistee, and other locations around the region. The Berklee grad was a studio ace for years before becoming Johnny Winter’s guitarist, producer, music director, and right-hand man, winning a Grammy Award for Winter’s posthumous album Step Back. Since then, he’s formed the Paul Nelson Band and toured behind the recording Badass Generation, bringing to mind the sounds he grew up with: Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, Boston, Aerosmith, and others. Live, he and the band take some liberties with the songs. “I’ll go out on a tangent, go into … different changes. It’s a format for improvisation,” he says, though he notes it’s still based on the blues. “It opens. Johnny Winter was keen on that.” 

The Manhattan Transfer

Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Aug. 19

In 1972, the late Tim Hauser formed a vocal quartet from the ashes of his previous a capella/doo-wop group of the same name. The jazzy harmonies became both hits and inspirations for future jazz groups. Now touring behind the studio album Fifty, the Transfer is celebrating a half-century of hits (10 Grammy awards, 29 albums, millions of sales, and induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame) with its final world tour. Over the decades, the band has shifted its approach, from swing to pop, a capella to orchestral accompaniment, while always maintaining its peerless vocal approach, blending four voices to serve the songs. Hits like “Birdland,” “Boy From New York City,” “Operator,” and others showcased the vitality and beauty of the voice.

Seth Bernard and Jordan Hamilton

Various Locations

Seth Bernard is known throughout the area and beyond for his eclectic music combining contemporary folk, rock, pop, and more, along with his environmental activism. His penchant for musical exploration is evidenced in part by his collaborations with numerous other musicians, such as cellist Jordan Hamilton. Hamilton’s approach melds hip-hop, folk, soul, classical music, and technology. “He’s always exploring new territory, which I do as well,” says Bernard of Hamilton. Their exploration often continues in rearrangements of their songs, morphing from full band to duo or solo to duo-plus, given Hamilton’s use of technology, including looping. “We bring it all,” Bernard says, including acoustic and electric guitars, cello, foot pedals, a beat machine named Silas, samples, and more. “Things can get interesting—real symphonic,” he says. But never at the expense of the music. “It really goes back to what we want to say and be authentic. They’re just tools.”