MUTUAL – The Madden Road Music Fest will take place 2-11 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12, on the old Madden Farm in Mutual. Madden Farm has been in the same family for seven generations and serves as the venue for the family’s micro music festival, held annually in August.
Musicians based in central Ohio and beyond will take the stage with a mix of indie, folk, gospel, rock and Americana music. Local singer-songwriter Daniel Dye hosts the festival along with his nieces and nephews, Andrew, Thomas, Carrie and Emilie Miller, who play locally as the Miller Road Band. The band features Dye’s original tunes using a mix of classical and folk instruments. Daniel Dye & the Miller Road Band take the stage for an 8 p.m. performance.
“We call our festival a micro music fest,” said Dye. “It takes place on just one day, but we pack a lot of great music in the hours we have together. This year we’ve added a third stage featuring singer-songwriters.”
Highlights include a performance by newcomers The American Landscape, a new duo with a classic sound, making waves regionally with appearances on WYSO and on festival stages throughout central Ohio. National treasure and master folk musician-composer Bob Lucas returns to the festival with the Hedgehog String Band, whose harmonies and virtuoso musicianship have played to audiences across the country. Lucas will lead a folk workshop this year in addition to his set.
The 2017 festival features a roster packed with both emerging talent and a lineup of family bands. The Castros, a husband-wife band, are based in Columbus, with an evocative, haunting sound perfect for an outdoor venue. Festival favorites the Kurtz sisters return to the Oak Grove Stage, along with newcomers Starving in the Belly of the Whale, both acts offering moody, immersive experiences. The Zach Whitney Show will round out the stage, with Whitney expanding his usual role of leading campfire songs into an act showcasing his powerful vocals and energetic style.
Longtime festival performers Jill & Micah are back, taking on a new role of hosting the Black Locust Stage, which features a roster of singer-songwriters from Chillicothe, Columbus and Mutual. Daisy Grace, Cory Breth, Nicholas Rowe, and Muleskinner Band members Bill Purk and Reed Jones will all be appearing.
The band Once a Pine, the new band of Springfield’s Brenna Myers, is the last act of the festival before the annual singalong closes out the evening.
Workshops, trails, food
A few pop-up acoustic performances from the extended Dye family will take place as well as an expanded lineup of interactive workshops. Basic folk dancing, a banjo workshop with musician Paul Race, the History of Bluegrass with Bill Purk and more are scheduled. Walking trails on the farm, singing around the campfire, and painting a communal mural to commemorate the 2017 event are all part of the Madden Road Music Fest.
Local favorites Hemisphere Coffee Roasters, Oakview Farm Meats, Hippie & the Farmer and Madden Farm Food Stand will provide fresh, locally-sourced food ranging from specialty coffee, salads, smoked turkey sliders, hamburgers, ribs, pizza and more.
General admission is $15, and youth admission is $5 (6 to 17, with children 5 and under free). The Family Pass is $35. Tickets can be purchased online or at the festival. On-site parking is available. For more information or to purchase tickets call 937-244-6481 or go to www.maddenroadmusic.com
