Dunegrass savior: Glen Arbor Sun interview with Ryan Lake

By Jacob Wheeler
Sun editor

You’d have a hard time imagining it once you see how great this year’s Dunegrass Festival (July 31-Aug. 2) turns out, but Ryan Lake and Win Win Productions didn’t come aboard to help revive Empire’s cherished music festival until two months ago. Seemingly dead in the water after last year’s debacle — when Grassroots Productions overbooked bands, overextended its reach, lost a small fortune, and dragged Dunegrass’ good name through the muck — the Sleeping Bear Dunegrass Music Festival is nonetheless entering its 17th season … and Dunegrass founder and eternal kindred spirit, the late Mike Vanderberg, will be staring down upon us with a gleeful grin. The Glen Arbor Sun spoke to Ryan Lake just a week before the gates open (and we’ll post Dunegrass updates on our website, GlenArborSun.com, all weekend long!)

Glen Arbor Sun: Congratulations on reviving the Dunegrass Festival! Would you tell us about your role in bringing it back for a 17th season, from inspiration to actuality?

Ryan Lake: Thank you very much! Well, my job as producer has been to put together the line-up and look over all the other various elements of putting on a music festival. This is a great old Michigan festival, and the community really came together to make sure that it lives on.

Sun: And tell us a bit about yourself, your ties to the area, and to music scene.

Lake: I moved to Empire in May of this year. Before that, I lived in Big Rapids. I’m a songwriter and a musician myself, and have been drawn to this area by the beauty, and the quality of music. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and play with many of the local favorites and have developed a deep connection with the Michigan music scene. I’m so honored to be able to contribute on this level.

Sun: Moving forward, what are the mission and objectives of the Dunegrass Festival this year and in the future?

Lake: First and foremost, have a successful year financially in 2009. If we are able to do that, next year should be no problem. We’ve focused on bringing the festival back to more of a local event, not as big as the past couple years have been. Going with the local talent has really helped our budget.

Sun: Under Grassroots Productions, the Dunegrass Festival allegedly grew too big, too fast. Last year the company clearly suffered from mismanagement and ultimately faced a debt of nearly $200,000. What will your outfit, Win Win Productions, do differently?

Lake: Like I said, the budget is the key here. The biggest expense of a music festival is usually the music. You can spend $250 thousand booking 45 bands. We’ve done it for under $30 thousand, while maintaining an extremely high quality of music. We don’t have the flights and hotels and private jets to pay for. I would guess that we’re at less than 20 percent of the budget from last year, so we have a much better chance of success.

Sun: What are your numerical goals for this year, either in terms of profits or number of attendees?

Lake: We’re expecting around 2,000 people at Dunegrass this year.

Sun: What will be the biggest differences from previous Dunegrass Festivals? How do you anticipate the new location on M-72 will change things?

Lake: I think it will be very much like the Dunegrass in years past, peaceful and rewarding.

Sun: What will stay the same? Any traditions that will carry over from the festival’s first 16 years?

Lake: Of course. We’ll have the kids tent, and we’ve got a great old Maple tree that will carry on the tradition of a pickin’ tree. We’ve also got shuttles to Lake Michigan, as in years past.

Sun: Ryan, which bands and acts are you most excited about seeing?

Lake: I’m overjoyed to have Porter Batiste Stoltz. They are legendary musicians out of New Orleans who are bringing some of the best funk you can find anywhere. These guys are classic and everyone loves them. Even more, I’m excited to have so many friends from right here in Michigan coming to perform: Jen Sygit, The Ragbirds, Rootstand, The Macpodz, Joshua Davis, Luke Winslow-King, U.V. Hippo, and My Dear Disco, to name a few.

Sun: I noticed that the two stage names — Vandergrass and Duneberg — seem to play off the late Dunegrass founder Mike Vanderberg’s name. Ryan, what are your favorite memories of Mike?

Lake: Ted Grossmeyer came up with the names for the stages. He’s been a major influence on this festival for years. I remember Mike as a musician. He was full of music and wanted only to share it.

Sun: What can locals do to support this cherished music festival?

Lake: Buy your tickets online at www.dunegrass3.org. You will save $15 and help us with our pre-festival budget.