Acoustic music festival offers laid-back format in unique new event

The concept behind the Montrose Music Festival is simple.

It just looks unorganized.

There is a system behind the three-day festival, Aug. 27-29, that features acoustic music through collaboration and spontaneity. The pace and the performance are unlike other musical events.

There’s no stage.

No schedule.

No real plan, other than musicians and artists gathered together with people who want to hear their songs and experience their art.

It’s more of a collective of many small concerts in sponsored camps than one big event.

Songwriter and Montrose native Matt Fockler organized the festival. It’s based on what he has learned from 30 years of traveling the country, writing songs and attending events of this type.

“Each camp will have a circle of chairs,” Fockler said. “If there’s an empty chair and you play, sit down and play. Each camp has only two rules. One song at a time and go clockwise, so everyone gets to play. There will also be old vintage flatbed pickups scattered around the festival grounds open to anyone.”

People can wander from camp to camp, or simply set out a chair and see who stops by to play and chat. There will be activities throughout the festival for all members of the community, young and old.

Food and drink will be available from local vendors.

The event is free, except for the country and western dance with Grammy Award winner Redd Volkaert. Steve Fisher will open the dance at the Montrose American Legion Hall.

Tickets are $30, available at the Last Stop CD Shop in Sioux Falls and the Montrose Gas Station.

The festival is a fundraiser for the Montrose Parks and Recreation Department.

Acoustic festivals are where Fockler learned songwriting, honed his skill and met people who have had major influences on his career.

Fockler performs in the Sioux Falls area. But his reputation stretches well beyond the venues of his home city. Notably, his song “Lakota Sioux” has been performed live by bluegrass and traditional musicians such as The Steep Canyon Rangers and recorded by Jonathan Byrd.

He has had a dream to get people together for a festival of this type.

“Family, friends and community are our priority,” he said. “We want this festival to be as much about visiting and spending time with friends and family as music.”

To learn more about Folkert, acoustic festivals and his musical travels, listen to this episode of the “Patrick Lalley Show” podcast. 

Here are some guidelines for attendees:

• Wear a shirt, hat or hang a sign at your camp to let folks know where you are from.
• Bring an acoustic instrument with you, and if you see someone carrying an instrument, ASK them to play you a song.
• Bring your family, a tent and camp chairs. Write the name of your town on the back of your camp chair!
• There will be no schedule. Musicians will be walking around playing camp circles, relaxing, visiting, like we hope you are too.
• Please, no radios or drum circles. This is an acoustic festival.

More than 30 musicians are scheduled to attend and perform during the Montrose Music Festival. Here are the featured performers for the camps:

Mary Battiata: According to Fred Mills of Harp magazine: “Virginia’s Mary Battiata sings like an angel, resembling, variously, Linda Thompson, Margo Timmins or Roseanne Cash. Yet she’s clearly wrestling with some devils.”

Tom Peterson:  In 2015, Peterson was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his influential role on the local scene. Over the years, the Vermillion-based musician has worked with and played alongside groups such as the Rocky Mountain Oysters, Red Willow Band and Blueberry Buckle.  In 2017, he released a solo album, “Black Hills Gold.”

Rich Show: Heralded as South Dakota’s all-time greatest rock & roll songwriter, with a catalog dating back over four decades. According to the South Dakota Rock and Roll Music Association: “His catalogue is unparalleled. Not just here, but almost anywhere. Go watch him present his art today. It’s vibrant. No Rich Show set has ever been the same as one that came before. It’s constantly evolving and transforming.”

Chad Elliot: Midwest singer-songwriter Chad Elliott blends folk roots, swampy blues and soulful writing to deliver an original Americana sound. His live performances have been honed over a decade of being on the road performing more than 200 shows each year. Elliott is lauded as “Iowa’s Renaissance man” by Culture Buzz Magazine. He has penned more than 1,500 songs in his career while also cultivating his skills as a painter, sculptor, illustrator and author.

For details on the festival, click here.