Cloud Cult (2011 also)

Cloud Cult is a Minnesota favorite that also focuses its musical messages on the bigger picture of life and how we’re all connected. As the New York Times put it, you’ll see them literally fill the stage, “singing kaleidoscopic invocations of the life force.” Very engaging and interpretive, this group usually incorporates art into its live performance as well – a complete show on its own that is not to be missed.  cloudcult.com

Mason Jennings

As one grows into adulthood, remaining steadfastly single-minded about one’s pursuits gets increasingly difficult. The musician becomes a band mate navigating the creative energies of those around them. He becomes a boyfriend, a husband, a businessman. She becomes a lover, a mother, a practitioner of her art. Life becomes multifarious, and the pressure to not let the disparate threads of a chaotic life unravel can cause strain on any relationship. With his new album Minnesota, Mason Jennings crafts a collage of love trying to survive the transition into being a grown-up in a complex world.

The Kingston Trio

Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award winners, The Kingston Trio is one of the few groups today that has survived the many changes in the world of music. Decades ago, the Kingston Trio was the number one vocal group in the world, a musical and cultural phenomenon whose record sales and concert draws were matched only by The Beatles.They have remained consistent in their sound, which probably explains their resurgence in popularity over the last few years. The Kingston Trio now consists of George Grove, Bill Zorn and Rick Dougherty.

The Hunts

The Hunts are an indie-folk band from Chesapeake, Virginia that blew the audience away in 2013. These seven brothers and sisters have a passion for creating compelling music and so, have collaborated one another’s gifts of writing, composing and musicianship to endeavor that. Stringed instruments, surrounded by enchanting harmonies and thrilling rhythms harken to an organic yet transcending sound.

Chris Berry

Grammy award winner Chris Berry is an eclectic singer and songwriter, multi-instrumentalist virtuoso, and high-energy performer and teacher. From his humble beginning during Robert Mugabe’s regime in Zimbabwe, he has blasted his powerful Afro-infused sound around the World for over twenty years; rocking audiences from NYC’s Irving Plaza to sold out stadiums in South Africa and Sydney Australia’s famous Opera House. He has released over a dozen albums; scored the soundtrack for three films; and has been collaborating and performing with some of the World’s best performers like Eminem, Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann, Senegalese Afro-Pop sensation Yousoou N’dour, Cuban Legends Los Munequitos de Mantanzas, Jazz artist Paul Winter, Jamaican rhythm and production duo Sly (Dunbar) and Robbie (Shakespeare), Fugee’s producer Handel Tucker, and many more.

Saint Anyway

Saint Anyway is an original trio from the Northland. For any band so reverential to the antique sounds of early 20th Century Americana, the rare strain of energy that propels Saint Anyway is refreshingly uncommon. They’ve had a natural progression towards speedier (even reckless) playing styles, yet choose to foreground laser-beam vocal harmonies and lyrics over traditional bluegrass bravado. They’ll make you move.

Jason Wussow & Friends

Jason Wussow & Friends don’t fit any specific genre, and this festival isn’t fond of labels, so that makes them perfect. Let’s call it Swing-ska-lounge music. Jason Wussow fits our community theme in so many other ways as well. As the owner of Beaner’s Central Concert Coffeehouse, Jason has created a hub for music in West Duluth and so much more for the broader community.

Snöbarn

Snöbarn is an electrified folk band from right here in the Twin Ports. Their eclectic writing styles make their music refreshingly varied. Their aim is to write songs that are catchy but not campy, thought-provoking but not despairing: the sound is a product of honest, everyday experience in the Northland. Snöbarn’s music includes rich vocal harmonies, layered rhythms, and intricate instrumentation that may just put you in a trance. A good trance.

batteryboy (2012 also)

batteryboy, the alter-ego of Minneapolis indie-folk musician Cobey Rouse, started with a flurry of  songwriting in Ocober 2011 that he just couldn’t keep to himself. After performing in bands since his teenage years in Omaha, NE, and in college in Minnesota, batteryboy is Rouse’s first foray into performing as a solo artist. His personal, raw approach to songwriting is a result of using each song as a new form of therapy…including playing his own percussion along with his guitar and vocals. batteryboy’s debut album, north, is an emotional collection of songs inspired by northern Minnesota winters. Available on iTunes and Amazon.com.

Devaa

Devaa Haley Mitchell is a spiritual guide, speaker, and musician, offering devotional music and Soulful Women programs to support the feminine awakening of our planet. She also founded and hosts the Inspiring Women Summit, a virtual gathering with over 56K participants from more than 160 countries (www.inspiringwomensummit.com).

Adam Sippola

Speakers:

Dr. Masaru Emoto: An internationally renowned researcher who has gained worldwide acclaim by showing how water is deeply connected to our individual and collective consciousness. By photographing water molecules during various experiments he was able to capture images that demonstrate that our thoughts and words have a direct effect on water crystal formation, impacting our lives and the world around us. His message is simple, profound, and far-reaching. His photographs can be seen in Messages from Water Vols. I, II, and III (over one million sold internationally in twenty languages) and in The Hidden Messages in Water (over 500,000 copies in print in eleven languages), The True Power of Water, The Secret Life of Water and the film What the Bleep Do We Know.

Gwendolyn Hallsmith: founder of Global Community Initiatives, and Director of Planning & Community Development for Montpelier, Vermont, talked about the Earth Charter and Sustainable Cities with members of the Twin Ports community in an interactive presentation.

Lyle Wildes: Brain Coach on acquiring “An Attitude of Love” through building a relationship with your brain. If you have never heard Lyle talk about your brain, you need to get your brain in front of Lyle soon.

Erin DeWitt: A co-creator of the 2012 & 2013 festivals, she talked about “Love Superior” and the keys to thriving.

Stephen Dinan: Founder of the Shift Network (shiftnetwork.com).

Cara Lindberg: With Sustainable Twin Ports, titled “From Belief into Action” – how they support folks in taking meaningful steps toward sustainability.