The Black Swamp Arts Festival has announced its 2024 Main Stage music lineup for the 31st annual event. This year’s lineup showcases national, international, regional, and local musical talent in Bowling Green on Sept. 6, 7, and 8.
All events are free and open to the public.
Main Stage music starts at 5 p.m. on Sept. 6 with Ohio native songstress Angela Perley. Perley seamlessly brings together roots country, roadhouse rock and roll, and Americana sounds. Returning to the Main Stage at 6:30 p.m. is 2023 festival favorite and Detroit showmen Strictly Fine. Blending an instrumental base of funk, soul, jazz, with a penchant for creative and fun songwriting, Strictly Fine brings the best of a high-energy live performance and a stage presence that reminds the audience not to take things too seriously.
Long-standing singer/songwriter Cris Jacobs makes his festival debut at 8 p.m., touring in support of his 2024 album “One of These Days” produced by Grammy-Award winning musician Jerry Douglas. Dubbed the “King of Baltimore Rock’ N’ Roll” by Baltimore Magazine, Jacobs took a multi-year hiatus to find himself as a songwriter before returning to his bluegrass music foundation this year. Anchored in his rock and blues roots, Jacobs’ sound is the meddling of a powerful rock singer with the instrumental prowess of bluegrass and jamgrass instrumentation.
Co-headlining and closing out Friday night at 10 p.m. is Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country. Rooted in Telecaster twang and classic country guitar sounds, Donato and his band seamlessly merge the otherwise disparate universes of traditional Nashville country and jam band psychodelia. Known for their expansive live shows and incredible instrumentals, Donato has been on a meteoric rise over the last two years performing at major 2024 festivals including Blue Ox, DelFest, Levitate, and WinterWonderGrass.
Main Stage music continues at noon on Sept. 7 with up-and-coming Toledo-based indie/soul rockers Echo Record. Bluegrass masters Seth Mulder & Midnight Run follow at 1:30 p.m., bringing traditional bluegrass from the Great Smoky Mountains to Northwest Ohio. Rising folk ensemble Two Runner performs at 3 p.m.. Based in North Carolina, Two Runner creates a sound that seamlessly blends traditional Appalachia old time musical styles and instrumentation with a modern roots country approach that has earned them slots at major roots festivals including RockyGrass and Pickathon in 2024.
Country-soul singer-songwriter Leon Timbo makes his festival debut at 4:30 p.m. His sound incorporates equal measures of vintage soul, gospel, folk, R&B and modern blues. Pennsylvania-based band Yam Yam returns to the festival stage following their incredible performance in 2023, connecting the worlds of instrumental funk and jazz with soul and blues.
Saturday co-headliner Amy Helm takes the stage at 8 p.m. With a family lineage that connects with The Band (father Levon Helm), Dr. John, and Steely Dan (stepfather Donald Fagen), Helm’s first performance was with Dr. John in New York city as a child. Since then she has gone on to forge her own career that is rooted in her soaring vocals, powerful songwriting, and commitment to keeping the Midnight Ramble series going at Levon Helm Studios.
Saturday closes out at 10 p.m. with the return of the incredible up-and-coming gospel and soul family band The Sensational Barnes Brothers. The Sensational Barnes Brothers opened the Main Stage in 2023 and delivered a memorable set that showcased their incredible vocal harmonies and world-class backing band. They evoke the tried and true spirit of a family gospel band combined with a supporting band anchored in roots blues and soul influences.
The Main Stage continues on Sept. 8 at 11 a.m. with the jazz quintet Third Shore Collective, an innovative group that includes all Bowling Green State University alumni who now teach and perform across the region. Grammy nominated blues artist Jontavious Willis performs at 12:30 p.m. His mission is to reinvigorate the blues with the spirit of the past leveraging his Georgia heritage and reverence for Delta, Piedmont, Texas, and gospel blues.
Virginia’s Kendall Street Company perform at 2 p.m. The genre-fluid, eclectic rock ensemble has drawn varied comparisons to the dynamic jams of Umphrey’s McGee and Widespread Panic, songwriting prowess of John Prine, experimental psychedelia of Pink Floyd, progressive jazz-infused rock of Frank Zappa, and humor of Ween and They Might Be Giants.
The 2024 Black Swamp Arts Festival closes at 3:30 p.m. with international singer and songwriter Gaby Moreno. Since moving to Los Angeles from her native Guatemala, Moreno has earned four Grammy nominations, including winning “Best Latin Pop” for her acoustic album “X Mi (Vol. 1)” in 2024. In addition to acclaimed albums and an incredible live show, Moreno co-wrote the theme song for the Parks and Recreation TV series and sings the theme song and voices a character on the Emmy Award-winning Disney TV series, “Elena of Avalor.”
