<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0By now, no one will be surprised in the slightest when I say, \u201cI did not get to do\u00a0 a recap of the sixteenth edition of the Porcupine Mountain Music Festival in 2020 or 2021.\u201d\u00a0 The idea of events, both major and minor, being canceled was a great disappointment to both fans and musicians.\u00a0 With that said,\u00a0 the only ways to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus (at first) were social distancing and soon after, vaccination against the deadly virus.\u00a0 A cautious approach to large groups of people gathering in the same area was (and may still be) the most prudent action until we stop seeing spikes in the number of cases and deaths.\u00a0 At the time that this goes to print, the number of\u00a0 deaths in the\u00a0 United States has climbed above 840,000.\u00a0 Early in the pandemic, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was fortunate to be a minor contributor to the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.\u00a0 No doubt it had a lot more to do with following the expert guidelines and staying apart than luck.\u00a0 To return to anything resembling \u2018normal\u2019, we have pinned our hopes on the vaccines and boosters currently available.\u00a0 The numbers have spike again in early 2022, so masking and social distancing are making a return because our area (to quote a local health care provider) is currently, \u201cSwimming in COVID cases.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0No, this isn\u2019t what we signed up for.\u00a0 COVID-19 isn\u2019t something that can be taken out with an AK-47 nor is it some nefarious conspiracy to steal our constitutional rights.\u00a0 It is an event that has been predicted for years and if we will not listen to the experts who have tracked how this vicious virus spreads, we will be tallying more sad statistics in yet another wave.\u00a0 The alarming surge in new cases some states experienced soon after some restrictions were eased is a pretty clear indication that Michingan did not go overboard trying to protect its citizens.\u00a0 With so many people still denying the value of being vaccinated and others tired of mask mandates and social distancing, we are facing more waves caused by variants of the original COVID-19 virus.\u00a0 At the beginning of 2021, we were looking forward to getting a handle on things but \u2018denial and refusal\u2019 of the problem and solution have resulted in worse numbers in the Western U.P. than we saw prior to the approval of the vaccines.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0At the end of my summary article about PMMF #15 (FTV:\u00a0 PMMF #15, 10-2-19), I said, \u201cI hope you are looking forward to PMMF #16 as much as I am.\u00a0 Lord willing and the creek don\u2019t rise, I am planning to be at my station with bells on and hope you will join the fun.\u201d\u00a0 Okay,\u00a0 #16 didn\u2019t happen in August of 2020 or 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic doesn\u2019t dampen my enthusiasm for PMMF resuming in 2022 (as the word on the street has it).\u00a0 As long as there was another pregnant pause in the PMMF last year (along with a laundry list of other community festivals, celebrations, and so forth), I thought I would devote some space to the festival\u2019s first fifteen years.\u00a0 Scanning some of the previous articles brought back a flood of memories.\u00a0 It immediately became apparent there have been so many highlights over the years, there would be\u00a0 no way to cover them all in one article, so bear with me as I retread some of my favorite episodes from various PMMFs.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There isn\u2019t much I can say about the inaugural Porcupine Mountain Music Festival because I did not get involved until PMMF #2.\u00a0 The fact that a group of volunteers wrote the grants and jumped through all the hoops necessary to even stage an event like this at a wilderness state park is highlight enough for year one.\u00a0 When the organizers started sending PMMF artist CDs for us to air on WOAS-FM, we began our long term relationship with the festival.\u00a0 Airing music by festival artists year round became a long term goal at WOAS.\u00a0 We began ending our summer maintenance hiatus with a pre-festival week of \u2018Porkiesfest and nothing but Porkiesfest music.\u2019\u00a0 We also continued featuring past and possible future acts on a show called \u2018Porkiesfest Radio\u2019 developed by current PMMF director Cheryl Sundberg when she was our Friday evening WOAS DJ.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0How did WOAS-FM get involved with PMMF?\u00a0 Between PMMF 1 and 2, a band called Trees out of Los Angeles came to our attention.\u00a0 Having roots in the Copper Country, it made sense for us to try and get them on the bill for PMMF 2.\u00a0 I got my first dose of MCing at the festival when I was privileged to introduce them twice on the same day.\u00a0 When Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams had troubles with their flight connections, the organizers quickly arranged for Trees to do a second set.\u00a0 I had never met Lindsay Tomasic (who hails from Dodgeville just outside of Houghton) prior to their festival gig.\u00a0 She is definitely proof that you can take the Yooper girl out of the U.P., but relocating doesn\u2019t take the Yooper out of the U.P. girl.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0During Festival #3, I ended up running sound for a couple of workshops.\u00a0 With a couple of split shifts, the opportunities to watch some great acts from the main stage sidelines proved to be a great way to learn the stagehand\u2019s duties before it became my regular gig.\u00a0 Working with artists who put on the workshops was an up and down affair:\u00a0 some enjoyed interacting with fans and some clearly were there because they had been contracted to make an appearance.\u00a0 Mountain Heart had three workshop reps that year and they hit the whole spectrum:\u00a0 the guitar player was happy to do it, the mandolin player wasn\u2019t at all thrilled, and the fiddle player held the middle ground.\u00a0 Five minutes in, Gandolph Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams kicked off their show (which was right outside the A-Frame, thus drowning out the Q & A taking place inside the chalet).\u00a0 The workshop ended early and we learned our first lesson about when to schedule workshops. These workshops are held to satisfy an educational requirement for some of the grants used to put on the festival and have grown to be an enjoyable part of the weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0PMMF 4 was my first opportunity to work on the Singing Hills stage up the hill.\u00a0 The \u2018stage\u2019 was the old unloading platform for the now defunct double chair lift and it was a fun environment.\u00a0 The sound crew of Marty and Mary were great to work with.\u00a0 Once I learned the basics of being an MC, it became apparent the job also included meeting and greeting the arriving artists, timing the act on stage, and helping move equipment on and off the stage.\u00a0 I told Mary at the beginning I had experience playing in bands, but not working with a professional sound crew.\u00a0 She patiently taught me the ropes, right down to the proper way to roll up cords to make them easier to set up the next time.\u00a0 When making a quick change over from one act to the next, untangling a snake pit of cords isn\u2019t an option.\u00a0 My highlight for PMMF 4 was learning to stay out of the way and be helpful at the same time.\u00a0 Introducing the acts was only ten percent of the Singing Hills gig.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Singing Hills stage was phased out after 2017 for a variety of reasons.\u00a0 The stage (the abandoned double chair lift unloading platform) was beginning to deteriorate and the Park wanted to remove it, not repair it.\u00a0 As a second stage, the SHS was an interesting concept but over the years, it became apparent it was time to let it go.\u00a0 The ten minute uphill walk was a challenge for some folks.\u00a0 The biggest problem (with the second stage set up) was the fifteen minute overlap in acts on both stages.\u00a0 It was not uncommon for a SHS crowd to get up and leave during a performance if there was an act on the Peace Hill Stage they wanted to see.\u00a0 Some of the PHS acts were loud enough to actually be heard over some of the solo acts playing on the upper stage.\u00a0 Marty asked me once why I did not make more of the festival public service announcements when I was emceeing.\u00a0 I told him, \u201cMarty, Kenny Lee does a great job in that department.\u00a0 Are there any announcements I could make that we haven\u2019t already heard drifting up the hill from the main stage?\u201d Marty smiled, \u201cNope!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0With that said, my time working at the SHS has more highlights than will fit here.\u00a0 Among them were Black River John sitting behind his piano in front of the stage (it was too bulky to get on the stage).\u00a0 BR John announced, \u201cYes folks, this is what you call real \u2018grassroots\u2019 music!\u201d\u00a0 Meeting Kitty Donahoe after she trudged up the muddy trail with her instrument cases in hand began\u00a0 another long term acquaintance for WOAS-FM.\u00a0 After kidding her about being her own roady, we had time to discuss other types of programs she did besides festival appearances.\u00a0 One thing led to another and she has revisited the Ontonagon area many times for shows at the Ontonagon Theater, the former Algomah Honey House, and the Ontonagon Area Schools.\u00a0 We even got her foot in the door to make a presentation at an educational conference held in Houghton the same week she came back to Ontonagon to perform for our school kids.\u00a0 Scotty Miller\u2019s band, DangerMuffin, Seth Bernard and Daisy, The Flat Broke Blues Band, John Craigie, Peter Mulvey, Vox Vidora, The Whistle Stop Review,\u00a0 The Lucky Dutch. . . the list of great artists who appeared on the Singing Hills Stage goes on and on.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Another great thing about the PMMF is the organizer\u2019s ability to change things up, sometimes turning on a dime.\u00a0 Having the festival go off rain free for many years was almost an accident, but the first year the weather chased things indoors for a day, it worked out just fine.\u00a0 Nobody wanted to see the festival interrupted by rain, but when it finally happened, we learned it was possible to carry on (as opposed to canceling) during stormy weather.\u00a0 It has only happened a couple of times over the first fifteen years, but it has never derailed the artists, crew, or fans.\u00a0 One can not control the weather, but it is possible to adapt to whatever Mother Nature sends our way.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The first year after the Sing Hills Stage was retired (2018), I transitioned to working as the co-stage manager or the main stage.\u00a0 In 2018, the platform that had been built in front of the ski chalet for the stage was the only show in town (and no, I am not forgetting the Busking Barn or the acts who continue to perform in the A-Frame chalet).\u00a0 The routine wasn\u2019t much different than the meet and greet, carrying gear, giving directions, and trying to be helpful (all jobs we had done for more than a decade up the hill at the SHS).\u00a0 My\u00a0 new job did not include MC duties, but I still got to fill in occasionally when the regular MC had a workshop to moderate at the same time an act played on the main stage.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One of the highlights from 2018 was Donna the Buffalo\u2019s set.\u00a0 The band was every bit as good as everyone expected, but what sticks in my mind is how professional they were.\u00a0 Just before they did their encore, we found out that there had been a motorcycle accident on the highway just outside of the festival grounds.\u00a0 There were no serious injuries, but the police asked if we could keep the audience in place a little longer while they cleared things up.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We explained the situation to the band and asked if they would be willing to do a second encore to keep the crowd in place.\u00a0 The audience was still howling for more, so Tara and Jeb didn\u2019t say a word about the accident.\u00a0 They simply walked out on stage and began a fiddle and guitar dialog that went on for at least ten minutes.\u00a0 Eventually, the rest of the band joined in and the dialog turned into a full jam.\u00a0 Twenty five minutes after they had gone back out, Tara looked over her shoulder and I gave her a nod and a thumbs up that all was clear.\u00a0 They finished up their jam, said their goodbyes and never let on why they had given the crowd more than their money\u2019s worth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Festival #15 saw another change with the staging.\u00a0 The festival director and organizing committee decided to rent a higher profile portable stage that was set up next to the old main stage.\u00a0 The old platform gave us more room to maneuver when taking down one act and setting up the next.\u00a0 The ramp into the chalet for those with mobility problems shares the same set of doors the stage set up crew uses to get equipment on stage.\u00a0 It was always a battle to remind those without mobility issues to please not use that entrance.\u00a0 With more room to move, the crowd out front was able to use this entrance without interfering with the acts.\u00a0 As long as they stayed off the ramp when we were changing stage set ups, it was a nice bonus added to the reasons why they brought in a new stage.\u00a0 With the bigger new stage (both in floor space and the height), the audience had better sight lines even when the area out front was packed to \u2018standing room only\u2019.\u00a0 Getting youth workers from the Americorp program involved in 2018 was also a great blessing.\u00a0 They enjoyed the experience and those of us with older legs certainly appreciated the help toting and lifting.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Another part of the festival that has changed over the years is the busking area.\u00a0 In the early years, buskers used a small platform next to the parking lot to perform as people walked in.\u00a0 The old equipment barn just east of the triple chair lift was eventually set up for use as the Busking Barn.\u00a0 My schedule always prevented me from seeing any of the busking acts, but the comments I heard about it were always positive.\u00a0 In 2019, I had to stroll down to the BB to pick up a music stand.\u00a0 It was surprising to see an overflow crowd extending six or seven rows out the double doors at the back of the barn.\u00a0 The artists who perform in the actual A-Frame of the chalet and in the Busking Barn provide a lot of variety to the festival.\u00a0 These areas have taken up any slack from not having the Singing Hills Stage in operation.\u00a0 Some will still lament the discontinuation of the SHS, but from my vantage point working at the Peace Hill Stage in 2018 and 2019, the festival made the right move.\u00a0 It is better to try some new stuff than to get into the \u2018same old\u2019 mode.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So, here we are, back where we started this article.\u00a0 COVID-19 isn\u2019t done with us yet and it will certainly take some time for things to feel normal again.\u00a0 All we can do at this point is hunker down, do our part to prevent more spikes in cases, and take care of each other.\u00a0 Millions of people died during the 1918-19 flu pandemic.\u00a0 Remember when they were optimistically predicting \u2018only\u2019 120 to 150 thousand deaths in the U.S.?\u00a0 It won\u2019t magically go away unless we take the steps to tamp it down enough to limit the number of new variants that could arise.\u00a0 Do your part and follow the science, not the wishful or magical thinking that is keeping the entire country at risk.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The PMMF has been put on the calendar for August 26 & 27, 2022.\u00a0 Modifications like reducing it to a two day festival and following whatever guidelines may be necessary should we still not be out of the woods will hopefully do the trick.\u00a0 I will optimistically predict you will see me at the stage side.\u00a0 Check out the updated PMMF website for details:\u00a0 <\/span>www.porkiesfesival.org<\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Top Piece Video:\u00a0 The FUNKY SIDE if Donna the Buffalo from 2010.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0By now, no one will be surprised in the slightest when I say, \u201cI did not get to do\u00a0 a recap of the sixteenth edition of the Porcupine Mountain Music Festival in 2020 or 2021.\u201d\u00a0 The idea of events, both major and minor, being canceled was a great disappointment to both fans and musicians.\u00a0 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