From BLACK SWAMP ARTS FESTIVAL
This year’s Black Swamp Arts Festival’s Main Stage music lineup for the 31st annual event showcases national, international, regional, and local musical talent on Sept. 6, 7, and 8. All events are free.
Cole Christensen and Tim Concannon, BSAF Performing Arts Co-Chairs, stated: “The 2024 Main Stage music lineup continues the Festival’s commitment to showcasing a diverse mix of musical genres, styles, and performers from around the world. Fans of soul, blues, rock, bluegrass, gospel, Latin, jazz, country, funk, jam band, Appalachia old time, and Americana genres will find their music well represented this year.
“With up-and-coming national artists, Grammy Award-winning established performers, and a strong mix of regional bands, this year’s Main Stage will appeal to both the passionate and curious music lover. After 30 years of growth as one of Ohio’s best arts and music festivals, we are excited to embark on the next 30 years by bringing a free world-class showcase of arts and music to the community.”
Cosmic Country lights up Friday
Main Stage music starts at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6 with Ohio native songstress Angela Perley. Perley seamlessly brings together roots country, roadhouse rock and roll, and Americana sounds.
Returning to the Main Stage at 6:30 p.m. is 2023 Festival favorite and Detroit showmen Strictly Fine. Blending an instrumental base of funk, soul, jazz, with a penchant for creative and fun songwriting, Strictly Fine brings the best of a high-energy live performance and a stage presence that reminds the audience not to take things too seriously.
Veteran singer/songwriter Cris Jacobsmakes his festival debut at 8 p.m., touring in support of his 2024 album “One of These Days” produced by Grammy-Award winning musician Jerry Douglas. Dubbed the “King of Baltimore Rock’ N’ Roll” by Baltimore Magazine, Jacobs took a multi-year hiatus to find himself as a songwriter before returning to his bluegrass music foundation this year. Anchored in his rock and blues roots, Jacobs’ sound is the meddling of a powerful rock singer with the instrumental prowess of bluegrass and jamgrass instrumentation.
Co-headlining and closing out Friday night at 10 p.m. is Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country. Rooted in Telecaster twang and classic country guitar sounds, Donato and his band seamlessly merge the otherwise disparate universes of traditional Nashville country and jam band psychodelia. Known for their expansive live shows anddazzling instrumentals, Donato has been on a meteoric rise over the last two years performing at major 2024 festivals including Blue Ox, DelFest, Levitate, and WinterWonderGrass.
Family ties in spotlight Saturday
Main Stage music continues at noon on Saturday, Sept. 7 with up-and-coming Toledo Ohio-based indie/soul rockers Echo Record. Bluegrass masters Seth Mulder & Midnight Run follow at 1:30 p.m., bringing traditional bluegrass from the Great Smoky Mountains to Northwest Ohio.
Rising folk ensemble Two Runner performs at 3 p.m. Based in North Carolina, Two Runner creates a sound that seamlessly blends traditional Appalachia old time musical styles and instrumentation with a modern roots country approach that has earned them slots at major roots festivals including RockyGrass and Pickathon in 2024.
Country-soul singer-songwriter Leon Timbo will perform at 4:30 p.m. His sound incorporates equal measures of vintage soul, gospel, folk, R&B and modern blues. Pennsylvania-based band Yam Yam returns to the festival stage following their performance in 2023, connecting the worlds of instrumental funk and jazz with soul and blues.
Saturday co-headliner Amy Helm takes the stage at 8 p.m. With a family lineage that includes The Band (father Levon Helm), and stepfathers Dr. John and Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen. Helm’s first performance was with Dr. John in New York city as a child. Since then she has gone on to forge her own career that is rooted in her soaring vocals, powerful songwriting, and commitment to keeping the Midnight Ramble series going at Levon Helm Studios.
Saturday closes out at 10 p.m. with the return of the up-and-coming gospel and soul family band The Sensational Barnes Brothers. The Sensational Barnes Brothers opened the Main Stage in 2023 and delivered a memorable set that showcased their rich vocal harmonies and world-class backing band. They evoke the tried and true spirit of a family gospel band combined with a supporting band anchored in roots blues and soul influences.
Guatemalan singer-songwriter closes out festival
The Main Stage continues on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 11 am with the jazz quintet Third Shore Collective, an innovative group that includes all Bowling Green State University alumni who now teach and perform across the region. Grammy nominated blues artist Jontavious Willis performs at 12:30 p.m. His mission is to reinvigorate the blues with the spirit of the past leveraging his Georgia heritage and reverence for Delta, Piedmont, Texas, and gospel blues.
Virginia’s Kendall Street Company perform at 2 p.m. The genre-fluid, eclectic rock ensemble has drawn varied comparisons to the dynamic jams of Umphrey’s McGee and Widespread Panic, songwriting prowess of John Prine, experimental psychedelia of Pink Floyd, progressive jazz-infused rock of Frank Zappa, and humor of Ween and They Might Be Giants.
The 2024 Black Swamp Arts Festival closes at 3:30 p.m. with international singer and songwriter Gaby Moreno. Since moving to Los Angeles from her native Guatemala, Moreno has earned four Grammy nominations, including winning “Best Latin Pop” for her acoustic album “X Mi (Vol. 1)” in 2024. In addition to acclaimed albums and an live show, Moreno co-wrote the theme song for the Parks and Recreation TV series and sings the theme song and voices a character on the Emmy Award-winning Disney TV series, “Elena of Avalor”.
2024 Black Swamp Arts Festival Main Stage – Full Lineup
Friday, Sept. 6
- 5 p.m.: Angela Perley
- 6:30 p.m.: Strictly Fine
- 8 p.m.: Cris Jacobs
- 10 p.m.: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country
Saturday, Sept. 7
- Noon: Echo Record
- 1:30 p.m.: Seth Mulder & Midnight Run
- 3:00 p.m.: Two Runner
- 4:30 p.m.: Leon Timbo
- 6:15 p.m.: Yam Yam
- 8 p.m.: Amy Helm
- 10 p.m.: The Sensational Barnes Brothers
Sunday, Sept. 8
- 11 a.m.: Third Shore Collective
- 12:30 p.m.: Jontavious Willis
- 2 p.m.: Kendall Street Company
- 3:30 p.m.: Gaby Moreno
About the Black Swamp Arts Festival
The Black Swamp Arts Festival is a three-day, free live music and arts festival committed to providing quality art and music experiences. The 2024 Black Swamp Arts Festival is Sept. 6-8 in downtown Bowling Green, Ohio and includes three music stages, two fine art shows, Youth Arts, Chalk Walk, and more. For more information and to connect to the festival, visit www.blackswampfest.org, Black Swamp Arts Festival on Facebook, and @blackswampfest on Twitter and Instagram.
