By Ryan Yuenger
ryany@wsjm.com
First-year festival director John Westbrook must have wanted attendees to be absolutely overwhelmed with positivity during the return of Lightning Bug Music Festival, because there was no other conclusion to draw after two days and nights of music, sunshine, moonshine and bubbles.
Lots and lots of bubbles.
Photo via Lightning Bug Facebook
With a relentless 25 hours of sunshine-filled Americana music packed into two days at Sunset Hill Farm in Valparaiso, it was difficult to find time for a reprieve. Even the downtime between bands as they alternated stages was filled with music by the eclectic Rushad Eggleston – also known as “Rushadicus.”
Dressed as some kind of mythical elf jester, Rushadicus entertained the crowd in between sets with a genre of music that can only be described as High Fantasy Renaissance Goblin Metal played on a cello and a kazoo.
Eggleston
“It was intentional,” said Westbrook, of the unrelenting cavalcade of talented artists. From the legendary Americana jamband Railroad Earth to the folk-blues of Charlie Parr and his steel guitar, Westbrook was on a mission to stir up deep-rooted feelings in attendees. After all, the slogan of the festival was “remember who the heck you really are.”
“I think a lot of people deep down know what’s important to them and where they want to go and who they want to be around,” said Westbrook, prior to the festival. “It’s not finding out for the first time, it’s all within us, and live music helps that come out.”
No moment encapsulated that feeling more than when headliner Railroad Earth closed out their Saturday set with a cover of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” under the actual Harvest Moon, which glowed over the festival both nights.
While watching one of his favorite acts, New York’s Mikaela Davis and Southern Star, Westbrook said the event went better than he could have ever expected, and credited everyone from artists to crew to attendees.
“I think the energy that was put into [the festival],” said Westbrook, on why the festival was a success. “The smiles, the friendliness, the love – it all kind of came out and I think people are having a good time. Artists were having a good time. We had wonderful weather. … I’m just incredibly lucky to be a part of it. I feel like I’ve unlocked a new gear of gratitude.”
With attendees ranging from toddlers to the elderly, there was no shortage of fun to be had for all ages. For the kids, there was a Lil’ Bugs area featuring bubble entertainment from Joyfulbubbles. As soon as the bubbles were in session, a flock of delighted children – and more than a few adults – could be seen playing around them.
Kids 12 and under got in for free, and had plenty of other activities including slackline lessons with Slack-Librium, face painting, interactive art installations and an instrument building workshop. In keeping with the mental health theme, the festival also invited Detroit-area art therapist Carley Klott to engage young and old alike with a collaborative project. Anyone who wanted could write an inspirational message or draw on a butterfly-shaped piece of paper, and glue it to a heart-shaped board for all to see as they walk into the concert grounds.
Klott
“I really want to advocate for art therapy,” Klott said. “I did my part in creating the outline. To incorporate my community, I wanted everyone else to get that little sense of what art therapy may be to them.”
She also showed her support for Backline, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that connects music industry professionals and their families with mental health resources. A portion of the proceeds from the festival were donated to Backline.
“I think it’s amazing what Backline is doing,” Klott said. “They’re offering fellowships for people to support music artists. I think it’s incredible that we can take music and art and kind of bridge the gap. They’re two different things, but it’s a similar language the same way.”
Parr
Tie dye-clad volunteers kept the grounds immaculate throughout the weekend, picking up any stray trash that may have gotten loose. A major focus of the festival was cleanliness and respecting the environment, even down to the porta johns.
On stage, there were no disappointments. From up and coming Michigan jam band Pajamas to River Spell – a young band from Colorado playing their first Midwest show – every band and artist performed like they knew the festival was about something bigger than themselves. Even a canceled appearance from Grammy-winner Cedric Burnside resulted in a bluegrass superjam led by a Cowboy hat-wearing Rushadicus.
Below, find a sampling of the music throughout the weekend:
On Saturday, Indiana State Senator Rodney Pol took the stage to briefly speak on what the festival means to him, and what it can mean for the community.
“I’ve been a huge fan of Lightning Bug for several years,” Pol said. “I was at the very first one, and I took my kids. My youngest was six months and my oldest was two and a half years old and I’ll never forget … watching Buckwheat Zydeco pull up the children on stage and talking about how they are the future. It was one of the most heartwarming moments, and I couldn’t have been more proud.”
Pol thanked Westbrook, the production crew and the community who showed up to the festival. He also showed his support for Backline, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that connects music industry professionals and their families with mental health resources, which a portion of the proceeds from the festival were donated to.
“I can tell you from personal experience, I’ve lost a lot of musicians in my own personal life,” Pol said. “I’ve lost some very good friends, and for an organization like backline to be doing what they’re doing, it is seriously a lifeboat for some of the people that are some of the most amazing, big-hearted people in the world. We’re coming two years out of a pandemic where musicians were really in a hole, and nobody knew if we were going to be able to do this again. But we did – we persevered and everybody’s here, you’re supporting and I hope you are going to be here to support them for years to come.”
