Deborah Prescott
Staff Writer
dprescott@dailypress.net
GLADSTONE — The rhythmic sounds of blues, soul and rock n’ roll will resonate over Little Bay de Noc Friday and Saturday. The Gladstone Yacht Club is hosting the 12th annual Rockin’ the Bay music festival Friday from 5 to 11 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 11 p.m. Musicians from near and far will entertain with a thread of blues shared through the music. Proceeds benefit the Gladstone girls basketball program.
The music festival starts Friday night at 5 p.m. with The Flat Broke Blues Band from Marquette. The band provides a guitar-driven mix of classic blues, rhythm and blues, swing and rock n’ roll.
Starting at 6:30 p.m., The Everett Smithson Band from Minnesota will bring the blues with a side of zydeco (a blend of blues, rhythm and blues, and musical sounds from southwest Louisiana, typically featuring accordion and guitar).
Festival attendees will hear a blend of southern rock n’ roll, hints of funky blues and “outlaw country” from The Plott Hounds at 8 p.m.
Capping off Friday night is Davy Knowles at 9:30 p.m. Originally from the Isle of Man (an island in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland), the blues, rock, and roots artist has caught the attention of Peter Frampton who said, “Knowles is definitely the gunslinger guitarist of the 21st century.”
The music festival continues Saturday at 1 p.m. with a local favorite from Escanaba, Sit Down Francis. The band plays hardcore alternative folk music.
Starting at 2 p.m. Jake Ilika and Joel Ward, the acoustic duo of Ilika Ward, will take the stage with a folk-blues vibe. Ilika Ward are taking their decade and a half duo from Minnesota across country.
Next in the line up is Karlee Metzger, a 2012 Gladstone High School graduate currently living in Nashville, Tenn., as a singer/songwriter. In season 11 of the NBC show “The Voice” she competed on Team Miley and Team Blake in 2016. Metzger will perform from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Red Ransom, also of Nashville, Tenn., will take the stage at 4 p.m. with their rock n’ soul music influenced by Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and AC/DC.
The roots-rock, Americana band The Slamming Doors makes a return visit to the music festival from Minnesota at 5 p.m.
Starting at 6:30 p.m. a band from Wisconsin, Kyle Megna and The Monsoons, will entertain with a dark-indie-blues-folk-rock feel. The Monsoons are described by Megna as a storm of musicians coming together.
Hitting the stage at 8 p.m. with a soulful funk with high energy rock n’ roll is Alex Rossi from Minnesota. Over 15 years Rossi has shared the stage with many notable talented musicians covering the genres of blues, rhythm and blues and soul music.
Topping off the music festival are Miles Nielsen & The Rusted Hearts from Rockford, Ill. They take the stage from 9:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday night with rock and classic 60s soul music.
The Rockin’ the Bay music festival will be in Van Cleve Park near the Gladstone Yacht Club, 723 S. 10th St., Gladstone. There is a fee to attend the festival. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Tickets are available online at www.eventbrite.com, or at the door of the event. Service animals are allowed, but pets are not permitted.