Scott Roos
Special to the Herald
From Friday, August 16th to Sunday, August 18th, the Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Society hosted their annual music festival at the Ness Creek grounds. The event showcased local talent alongside headliners Golden Shoals and Seth Mulder & Midnight Run, as well as workshops, a dance, a pickin’ shack, and musician-led sessions, all set against the backdrop of the festival’s natural beauty.
Soil and Grass perform at the Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Society Music Festival.
Preceding the festival, the Society’s annual music camp ran from August 12-16, featuring many of the festival performers, including local music community members in teaching roles. Together, these two events offered a week-long experience of exceptional, family-oriented music activities that, for many who attend, prove to be truly unforgettable.
This year’s camp saw its largest turnout yet, with 139 students taking part in 19 diverse classes. The program included three classes tailored for children, five guitar classes, two mandolin classes, two banjo classes, four fiddle classes, a stand-up bass class, and two singing classes.
Seth Mulder of Seth Mulder and the Midnight Run leads a music class at the Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Society Music Camp.
Tanya Wagner, the Society Executive Director, credits this expansion, particularly the camp’s appeal across different age groups, partly to positive word-of-mouth. The camp has begun to attract, at times, three generations – grandparents, parents, and children. The positive feedback is spreading, and the response has been truly rewarding.
“Telling those (multigenerational) stories has brought more of that to us this year,” Wagner told the Herald, “We’re seeing a lot more families using this (camp and festival) as their vacation time, which is fantastic.”
According to Wagner, another factor contributing to the growth of the camp appears to be the increased motivation of individuals to engage in more activities post COVID. Many people took up learning musical instruments during the pandemic. By attending camp, these individuals have the chance to apply what they have learned and further improve upon their skills.
“When we came out of (the pandemic), it was almost like there was a hunger to do more. (Camp students) learned a lot on their own but a lot of these musicians were hungry for these experiences (of playing together) again. I think that’s what’s growing the camp is because they keep coming back,” Wagner said.
Gil and Wil, with Karley Parovsky on fiddle, perform at the Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Society Music Festival. The event ran from August 16-18 at the Ness Creek grounds.
Due to sharing living spaces and engaging in music sessions throughout the week, students and instructors naturally have easy access to each other. This close interaction allows students to witness their instructors’ peak performance on stage if they choose to stay beyond the regular week and attend the music festival.
“It’s…. a unique experience getting to be (here), especially with the camp; being here for an entire week, getting to connect with people, getting to kind of immerse ourselves within the community,” reflected Seth Mulder of Seth Mulder & Midnight Run in a brief interview at the festival.
“In a festival camp setting it is a little more unique because you know we didn’t play (at the festival) until Friday but we’ve been hanging out with a lot of these people since Monday, so a lot of relationships were built.”
At the festival, attendees not only enjoyed the exceptional musical talent of the headliners but also witnessed the remarkable musical development of many local acts who had their beginnings in the camp. For example, 5 Guys Named Dave, Get Off the Grass, and The Better Halves impressed as tweener performers, while Soil & Grass, Gil and Wil, and Mary Liv were highly entertaining as main stage acts. It’s a clear indication that the Society has successfully nurtured a vibrant bluegrass and old-time music community.
Occasionally, the festival presents unexpected moments. In the current year, Lachlan Neville, a 19-year-old singer-songwriter with a folksy style from Rocanville, delivered two all too short, phenomenal, tweener performances. Neville, with influences reminiscent of Bob Dylan and an “old soul” vibe, is certainly an artist to keep an eye on as he refines his songwriting abilities.
“I try to write at least once a week every week to just get better,” Neville told the Herald. “The rewarding part about (songwriting) is that no matter how good of a song you have, there can always be a better song that’s after it, right? I think (songwriting) is a craft and I take it very seriously.”
After a packed week, this all too brief review barely touches on the depth of experience offered by the Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Camp and Festival. A full week’s stay will fill your heart with the music and song that not only the top flight bands present on the Ness Creek grounds but also that of which you yourself create.
If you fully commit to the experience you will be challenged and grow as a musician yourself. The camp, and by extension the festival, offers an immersive experience, delving into music, culture, and community that will provide lasting memories for those who attend.
