Making Movies performs Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m. on the Main Stage.
Amythyst Kiah takes the Main Stage at 8 p.m. on Sept. 9.
Cole Chaney will close the festival Sept. 10 at 3:30 p.m. on the Main Stage.
The Black Swamp Arts Festival (BSAF) has announce its 2023 Main Stage music lineup for the 30th annual event.
This year’s lineup showcases incredible national, international, regional, and local musical talent in Bowling Green on Sept. 8-10.
The 2023 Main Stage music lineup honors the past, present, and future of the Black Swamp Arts Festival by showcasing a diverse mix of musical genres, styles, and performers, according to BSAF Performing Arts Co-Chairs Cole Christensen and Tim Concannon. We take pride in putting on world-class event that is free and accessible to all audiences that rivals many ticketed festivals across the country. In looking back on the last 29 years and the incredible talent that has performed in Bowling Green, we wanted our 30th anniversary lineup to celebrate our history by bringing back several past festival favorites, while also honoring our commitment to featuring incredible up-and-coming bands from around the country. The Black Swamp Arts Festival has always embraced an eclectic mix of local, regional, national, and international musicians, and we feel this year’s music lineup is our most diverse yet.
All events are free and open to the public.
Main Stage music starts at 5 p.m. on Sept. 8 with an up-and-coming gospel and soul family band The Sensational Barnes Brothers (thesensationalbarnesbrothers.com). The Barnes Brothers evoke the tried and true spirit of a family gospel band combined with roots blues and soul influences.
Returning to the Main Stage at 6:30 p.m. is 2022 festival closer and 2023 Latin Grammy nominee Making Movies (www.makingmovies.world), a Kansas City-based quintet blending rock and blues with Peruvian roots and world music influences.
Past BSAF headliner and blues soulstress Ruthie Foster (www.ruthiefoster.com) also returns to Bowling Green at 8 pm. Ruthie is a four-time Grammy Award nominee and winner of the 2023 Blues Foundation Best Contemporary Blues Female Artist. Co-headlining Friday night at 10 p.m. is Kaleta and Super Yamba Band (www.superyambaband.com), a Brooklyn-based Afrobeat ensemble. The world music band is led by Leon Ligan-Majek (a.k.a. Kaleta), a singer/guitarist from Nigeria who has toured and recorded with Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and Lauryn Hill.
Main Stage music continues at noon on Sept. 9 with Bowling Green musician Mike Williams on Sax (www.mikewilliamsonsax.com). The Toledo-based alt-folk band The Antivillains (www.theantivillains.com) perform at 1:30 p.m. Michigan-based bluegrass super group Full Cord (https://fullcord.net) performs at 3 p.m. Full Cord were winners of the 2022 Telluride Bluegrass Festival band contest and 2022 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Momentum Award recipients. Rising blues singer and guitarist Buffalo Nichols takes the stage at 4:30 p.m., (www.buffalo-nichols.com), followed by Pennsylvania-based funk/rock/jam band Yam Yam (www.yamyamband.com) at 6:15 p.m. who will be touring in support of their new album “Sizzle” that will be released on June 23.
Saturday co-headliner and Grammy nominee Amythyst Kiah (www.amythystkiah.com) takes the stage at 8 p.m., showcasing a sound that combines rock, blues, soul and R&B, with an American roots music feel. Dubbed by Rolling Stone as “one of Americana’s great up-and-coming secrets,” her Rounder Records debut album “Wary + Strange” was celebrated by music critics across the country. She is also a member of the all-women supergroup Our Native Daughters.
Saturday closes out at 10 p.m. with past BSAF performers and 2023 Grammy Award winners, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band (http://dirtydozenbrassband.com). An American musical institution for decades, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band celebrates their New Orleans roots, touring relentlessly and performing at leading festivals and venues around the world.
The Main Stage continues on Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. with Detroit-based jazz ensemble the Alex Anest Organ Trio (https://anestmusic.com), whose leader is a Bowling Green State University alumni. Detroit-based jazz/funk/jam band Strictly Fine (www.strictlyfine.com) takes the stage at 12:30 p.m., bringing an eclectic mix of instrumental and vocal musical tapestry that evokes Motown, James Brown, and P-funk. Traditional Latin string band (or “orquesta típica”) Lone Piñon (www.lonepinon.com) hits the Main Stage at 2 p.m. The New Mexico-based group celebrates a wide palate of traditional styles that weaves together Spanish, Mexican, European immigrant, Anglo-American, and Afro-American musical influences.
The Festival closes at 3:30 p.m. with rising roots country musician Cole Chaney (https://colechaneymusic.com), a Kentucky native whose emotional songwriting and powerful voice have propelled his career quickly. Chaney is featured on the lineups for major roots festivals across this year including MerleFest, Railbird, and Laurel Cove.
The Black Swamp Arts Festival is a three-day, free live music and arts festival committed to providing quality art and music experiences. The 2023 Black Swamp Arts Festival is in downtown Bowling Green 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.
2023 Black Swamp Arts Festival Main Stage
Sept. 8
5 p.m. The Sensational Barnes Brothers
6:30 p.m. Making Movies
8 p.m. Ruthie Foster
10 p.m. Kaleta & Super Yamba Band
Sept. 9
12 p.m. Mike Williams on Sax
1:30 p.m. The Antivillains
3 p.m. Full Cord
4:30 p.m. Buffalo Nichols
6:15 p.m. Yam Yam
8 p.m. Amythyst Kiah
10 p.m. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Sept. 10
11 a.m. Alex Anest Organ Trio
12:30 p.m. Strictly Fine
2 p.m. Line Piñon
3:30 p.m. Cole Chaney
