Rockin’ The Bay presented by the Gladstone Yacht Club is excited to bring a talented mix of artists to this year’s festival.
The festival will take place on Friday, July 12th & Saturday, July 13th in Gladstone, near the harbor, on the shores of Little Bay de Noc!
Gates open on Friday at 4pm, with music running on two stages from 5pm-11pm, featuring The Flat Broke Blues Band from Marquette, the Mississippi zydeco offerings of Everett Smithson from Minneapolis, MN, the Southern Rock and Funky Blues of The Plott Hounds from Minneapolis, MN, and Friday’s headliner Davy Knowles. Davy is based out of Illinois, but he grew up in the Isle of Man. Knowles has played legendary festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Austin City Limits. He has also toured with the likes of Jeff Beck, Joe Satrianni, Buddy Guy, The Who, George Thorogood, Lynard Skynard, Kid Rock, and Peter Frampton. Peter Frampton said, “Davy already has a recognizable style. He’s definitely the gunslinger guitarist of the 21st century.’’
On Saturday, gates will open at noon with music beginning at 1pm with local favorites, Sit Down Francis. Also gracing the stage will be folk-blues duo Ilika Ward from Minnesota, Gladstone native and star of season 11 on “The Voice” Karlee Metzger, Nashville rockers, Red Ransom, Duluth, MN based soulful-roots-rock band, The Slamming Doors, 2017 & 2018 Wisconsin Rock Artist of the Year, Kyle Megna and The Monsoons, Minneapolis based blues-soul-funk artist, Alex Rossi and headliners Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts. Nielsen and his Rockford, IL based 5-piece band have spent the past decade entertaining audiences across the country with their catchy hooks and great harmonies providing an all-around feel-good vibe. Nielsen comes from a musical family, he is the son of Cheap Trick guitarist-vocalist-songwriter Rick Nielsen and brother of current Cheap Trick drummer Dax Nielsen.
The 13th annual event is a benefit for the Gladstone Girls Basketball program. Coach Andy Cretens stated, “We are very fortunate to be able to benefit from such a great event like Rockin’ the Bay. The Gladstone Yacht Club does a great job putting it together. It is an awesome venue right on the bay with great live music. The benefit allows us to purchase valuable items for our program and we are very grateful for it. The support from our community and local businesses is outstanding and we cannot thank them enough. We are excited for the event and hope we have a great turnout.”
For more information on Rockin’ The Bay, visit www.rockinthebayfestival.com.
