Folk-Rock With Teeth! Whether they're at a brewery pub, a
music festival, or on a street corner, Michigan-based band
The Northern Skies plays “bluegrass, Americana, and Celtic
music and pours it through an indie rock funnel to distill
something that sounds like a party out in the back yard. And
yes, there is moonshine at that party" (Revue Magazine Grand Rapids, MI).
The sound is created by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
Eric Engblade and rounded out by a dynamic rhythm section
comprised of Nic Cole-Klaes on bass and Paul Wozniak on
drums and percussion. Each musician is as talented as they
are versatile; together with “Engblade’s clear, strong vocals
[that] give power to his lyrics,” (Ludington Daily News, Ludington MI)
their sets are rounded out with performances on mandolins, banjos,
and more in any given performance.
With ties to Grand Rapids and Detroit, the band has
performed under the Northern Skies of the Midwest at a pace
of over 100 shows a year and they show no sign of stopping. In
fall of 2007, they were selected to open for comedian Mike
Birbiglia on his Comedy Central Tour at City Opera House
(Traverse City, MI). In the Fall of 2009, they were selected as
finalists in the Great Lakes Song Writing Contest for their song
"Mission Accomplished" (www.GreatLakesSongs.com). In the
Summer of 2010, they followed up their 2009 appearance at
the Royal Oak Arts Beats and Eats Festival and also appeared
at the 2010 Wayfarer Roots and Bluegrass Festival (Detroit, MI)
and the 2010 Hoxeyville Music Festival (Cadillac, MI).
Hailed as a "beautiful", "up-north, front porch masterpiece"
(Recoil Magazine, Grand Rapids MI) their fourth and most
recent album, "Northern Skies," was recorded at River City
Studios in Grand Rapids, MI. The 2009 album reflects each
season of their home state of Michigan, a journey that begins
in haunting January, and continues through a changing
landscape "awash in Americana instrumentation and modern
songwriting" (Recoil Magazine, Grand Rapids MI). The spirit
of each month is captured with eclectic style and diverse
instrumentation, an American sound of "acoustic, bluegrass
-tinged folk that perks up your ears with an infectious, indie-rock sheen"
(The Grand Rapids Free Press, Grand Rapids MI).
