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Some Great Notes to End 2018 On

Concert notes, dancing notes, folky notes, Irish notes, drag queen notes, poetic notes, Blissful notes and all together a whole big band full of harmonious notes to brighten your wauy through the holiday season and on to 2019.. For the full details, check out the schedule on our website.

In addition we have our usual collection of regular features. So, on with the show . . .

Saturday, December 1, 7:30 - 10PM Blissfest Saturday Night Community Dance

This community event is a great way to experience an evening of old-time fun with dancing, roots music and good time family entertainment. All dances are taught and there is a live band and caller. No special skills, clothes or shoes required. The Blissfest Music Organization and Red Sky Stage present this monthly series as part of our commitment to sharing cultural heritage and providing a great way to socialize like folks used to do.

This month, the band will be Hannah Harris Trio (Hannah Harris, John Warstlerand Rick Willey) and the callers are .Cynthia Donahey and Jan Fowler.

Admission $5/person, $7/couple or $10/family. Children are welcome.

Friday, December 14, 7 PM Hannah Harris and John Warstler

Exploring a Traditional Travel Map with Fiddle and Guitar

Blissfest Folk and Roots Mini-Concert Series

Local fiddle and guitar duo Hannah Harris and John Warstler team up to deliver an evening of Irish traditional music with a few other Celtic influences added in. They have been playing together for a little over a year now in various concert settings, bringing together their diverse musical backgrounds into a cohesive and well-blended sound.

This evening they are introducing a new concept, following Hannah’s travels to Ireland, Scotland, Cape Breton and the southeastern United States to include you in a program of the tunes and stories that bring together a past and present musical journey.

Tickets: $10 in advance at the Northern Michigan Artists Market, (231) 487-0000 or online at My North Tickets (click the Buy Tickets Now link). Tickets are available at the door the night of the show for $15.

Saturday, December 15, 8 PM, Doors Open 7PM Hell On Heels Presents CHRISTMAS Spectacular

Hell on Heels is lots of fun for everyone! The December edition of this lip syncing, dancing, and singing adventure, CHRISTMAS Spectacular is filled with loads of comedy and just the right amount of crassness! Drag Queens have been a huge part of our culture for decades. Let us show you why!!

Host MercedesBenz-Over is back along with featured stars Kelly Ann Jefferies AND Vajojo Visage.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW, SEATING IS LIMITED!!! DO NOT MISS OUT111

Tickets: $10 in advance at the Northern Michigan Artists Market, (231) 487-0000 or online at My North Tickets (click the Buy Tickets Now link). Tickets are available at the door the night of the show for $15.

Saturday, December 22, 7-9 PM The River Dogs

Folk Rock Concert

Blissfest Folk and Roots Mini-Concert Series

Lara Fullford and the Passino brothers join together to form The River Dogs, a local and lighthearted band of Indian River, Michigan. The trio officially formed three years ago as a folk rock group, bonding over their shared interests in music and their love of performing, bringing nostalgia and excitement to the audience over their covers of classics, as well as shaking up the set with their own original tunes!

If you can't resist a good banjo roll, the hum of a harmonica, tickled ivories, and the melodious mandolin then you do not want to miss The River Dogs!

Sunday, December 23, 7-9 PM Breathe Owl Breath and Samantha Cooper

These performers with great local roots team up for one fantastic show. Multi-media artist, songwriter and guitarist Micah Middaugh and percussionist and keys player Trevor Hobbs of Breathe Owl Breathe return to our stage for a special performance. Their shows last couple of winters here were big hits and we are thrilled to have them back. The music of Breathe Owl Breathe, a spirit rock band searching for rhythms and stories in unexpected places, has always been steeped in magic. Their songs occupy the hazy space between wakefulness and dreaming, where the tangible world meets the transcendental.

This pair of friends began making music a decade ago in a remote cabin tucked away in a Northern Michigan river valley. There, by the heat of a wood stove, they became Breathe Owl Breathe and honed their sound—a wild rumpus of harmony and rhythm. Their flare for pop-addled melodies flips the contemporary folk aesthetic, eschewing freakiness in favor of charm. It’s a dynamic built on coupling clever arrangements with lyrical whimsy. Despite the growth and experience that they have gained along the way, recording five albums, releasing a children's book and logging several cross-country tours, the band's sound is still rooted in the mysticism, warmth and wide-eyed wonder that imbued their earliest songs. Their visual art plays an equally prominent role. Micah is a visual artist and printmaker, and is largely responsible for the band's aesthetic; child-like, timeless and whimsical.

Samantha Cooper is a Kalamazoo based music teacher, facilitator, songwriter and session musician. Her debutsolo record Go On Do Your Thing will be released via Earthwork Musicin early 2019. Each song speaks for it’s sound, from contemplative respite’s to danceable PSA’s. Sam has previously released two video singles and a self titled duo album called Hearth & Hymn. Other projects have included Maraj, The Bowhunter Stringband and supporting work for artists such as Chris Bathgate, Matt Jones and The Lasso.

All of the above plus our usual collection of monthly events including:

Monday, December 3, and the 1st Monday every month, 6 pm  Petoskey Poets with Dar Charlebois
Tuesday December 4 and Every Tuesday, 7-8:30 PM Refuge Recovery Meeting,  A BUDDHIST INSPIRED PATH TO RECOVERY FROM ADDICTION
Wednesday December 5, and Every Wednesday, 7-8 PM  LifeRing Secular Recovery
Thursday, December 6 and Every Thursday, 7-10 pm  Fun Blues Harmonica Class  Instructor: Steve August
Saturday December 8 and the 2nd Saturday every month, 1 - 5 PM  CBG Minded Michiganders
Monday, December 10 and the 2nd and 4th Monday of Every Month  Ukes for You

For full details of these and all events, check out the schedule on our website.