Full Cord will be perform Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. on the Main Stage and later that evening at 5 on the Family Stage.
Bowling Green native, Grant Flick, and his band Full Cord are coming to the Black Swamp Arts Festival.
Full Cord is a bluegrass band whose members write and perform theirown music using a variety of string instruments. Their music is often influenced by the different eras of bluegrass as well as some of their own interests.
The group’s main songwriters, Brian Oberlin and Eric Langejans, can get their inspiration for their music from many different places and things. Oberlin said he often writes lyrics that tell a story and have a meaning while Langejans said his inspiration often comes from nature.
The music Full Cord performs is unique and isn’t always what people expect. However, they always have fun performing, and bass player, Todd Kirchner, said that is often what draws people to their performances.
“The comment that I hear the most often from the audience is they noticed how much fun we’re having onstage, and it translates out to the audience every time,” Kirchner said. “So, if you’re looking for a lot of fun at a bluegrass show, come to a Full Cord show.”
The band has been around for over 15 years and was started after Kirchner and Langejans met at a bluegrass festival. Since then, the band has grown with Flick and Oberlin joining around five years ago. The group now has multiple albums released with a new one coming out in November. They recently released a single called “Ghost of Good Times” and released another single on Sept. 1.
As they’ve grown, the group has had the opportunity to travel throughout the country. While it means being away from home a lot, Langejans said it has given them the chance to explore the country and is something they enjoy doing.
“I get to play with my friends and hang out, but I also get to do things and see things that I probably wouldn’t normally get to see,” Langejans said.
Traveling all the time might not be for everyone, but Oberlin said it is something the group chose to do and something they enjoy doing even when it gets tough.
“It’s a lifestyle that we’ve chosen,” Oberlin said. “If you make it super fun and look forward to the new experiences, sometimes they’re great, sometimes they’re not as great, and you just be mindful of the other drivers on the road, it’s a wonderful life.”
The group doesn’t get to perform in Northwest Ohio much, so Flick said they are very excited for their upcoming performance at the Black Swamp Arts Festival.
Being from BG, Flick has been going to the festival since fifth grade and has even performed in it a few times. The festival is something he said has given him many opportunities to meet new people and get to listen to unique performances.
“Black Swamp is a really great place to just go see great art in the same place,” Flick said. “I wouldn’t have met a lot of musicians that I grew up listening to without the festival.”
Full Cord will be performing twice at the festival. Their first performance is Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. on the Main Stage and their second performance is later that evening at 5 on the Family Stage. They will be joined by guest banjo player, Lloyd Douglas.
