Monday, July 30, 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com artspage@michigandaily.com 734-763-0379 Northern Michigan festival steps into some bigger sandals By ANNA ASH Associate Arts Editor Music festivals have become essen- tial to the summer experience. Eating breakfast to a fiddle jam at 10 a.m., passing out by lunchtime to the Steeping Bear sweet twang of an Dunegrass Americana song- writer and waking and Blues up a few hours later Festia just in time to strap on your Tevas, August 2-5 down some Gato- rade and get your $40 -$115 groove (or jig) on is Empire, Mich. what summertime is all about. Luckily for those who couldn't mus- ter up the pluck to make the drive out to Tennessee, Rhode Island or Illinois for some of the more well-known festivals (Bonnaroo, Newport Folk Festival and Pitchfork Festival), this lovely state of ours has more than a few noteworthy options to satiate your appetite for SPF-45 and parking lot drum circles. Unfortunately, your opportunity for frolicking in the northern woods of Blissfest or Hoxeyville music festivals has already passed you by. But fear not my fellow music lovers, there's no need to get your hemp biodegradable pant- ies in a bunch, the Dunegrass music festival is here to rescue you and your summer from their dismal, pasty, air- conditioned state. Perched in between the refreshing splendors of Lake Michigan and the warm sand and wooded shade of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake- shore, the Sleeping Bear Dunegrass and Blues festival showcases some of the brightest local and national talent at one of the most beautiful locations in Michigan. In its fifteen years of existence Dunegrass has evolved from a quaint alternative to its celebrated older siblings (Blissfest and Wheat- land music festivals) to a full-scale and nationally-recognized music festival. Since 2004 when the festival's pro- duction shifted to Grassroots Pro- ductions, attendance has more than quadrupled."Dunegrass isn't just a folk festival," said Stephan Volas, founder of Grassroots Productions. No, and it isn't just a blues festival, or a bluegrass festival or a jam band festival either. This year's line-up articulates the musical diversity of the festival bet- ter than any genre-meshing descrip- tion ever could. Headlining on Friday night will be a foursome of the jam band scene regulars: the Grateful Dead "recreation"band Dark Star Orchestra, the maestro of loop pedals and mouth trumpeting Keller Williams, the pro- gressive bluegrass of Yonder Mountain String Band and the electronic jams of Particle. But intermingled between big names like David Grisman and Todd Snider are a slew of regional art- ists that have powered the success of Michigan music festivals with their integral roles in the resurgence of roots music. Earthwork musicians Daisy May, Seth Bernard and Breathe Owl Breathe will all be bringing their own breeds of folk music to the various stages of Dunegrass. Lansing's Step- pin' In It will treat the crowd to a bit of foot stomping and hootenanny, and then with the addition of singer/song- writer Rachel Davis, will transform into Shout Sister Shout and keep the toes tapping with their swinging old- time jazz and blues. With this year's line-up it is expect- ed that Dunegrass will be recognized as the most popular music festival in Michigan. Fortunately though, it is unlikely that masses of twenty-some- things will be driving from all corners of the Midwest to congregate in North- ern Michigan - Dunegrass is still far from becoming an inordinately com- mercialized and stigmatized music party. The balance between national and regional music, the quality of the music in general and the organiza- tion within the festival has retained its integrity while also allowing it to expand to a marketable size. With the presence of a few large- scale artists, this year's festival will give some, well-deserved exposure to the lesser-known regional artists, which makes this upcoming week- end even more than a joyous, four-day musical happening for festival-goers. A four-hour drive is quite insubstan- tial when all the music, dancing and jiving vibes are taken into account, and your vitamin D level and inner harmony will appreciate the alfresco vacation with a banjo/upright bass soundtrack. Jam bands, bluegrass, f k and blu s convene for summer music goodness. Transcending the realm of classic comedy By BLAKE GOBLE DailyArts Writer Still on after 18 years, "The Simp- sons" has become a go-to repository for the finest in humor. Argu- ably, it's the best show on The Simpsons television; the Simpson family Movie has dissected more about life AttheShowcase via absurdity and Quality 16 than most tele- vision shows 20th Century Fox ever even con- sider. And now, after a decade plus of development, "The Simpsons Movie" is here, and it doesn't disap- point. But the best part about it is that you don't have tobe a die-hard fan to have a good time. The film is about family ties and Homer Simpson's heroic redemp- tion as the Simpsons take on an environmental catastrophe - one that Homer created with a silo full of pig crap. The incident dooms the town of Springfield, thus forc- ing TV's first family to flee. In their flight they realize the need to save the town, but that's merely an after- thoughtforthefilm'sjoke-a-moment fervor. Nude skateboarding, jabs at disorganized government, random acts of wacky violence, imaginary chainsaws and about a million other jokes abound in this masterwork of American comedy. Capitalizingupon the expanse of the medium, this is the best script ever written by 11 acknowledged writers. The verbal and the visual are married to perfect union. Not a second goes by without something genuinely clever or on the floor laughable happening. There's some great stuff here. Mister Burns gloats that finally "the rich white man is in charge." Homer almost successfully threat- ens a mob with an imaginary chainsaw. Bart gets loaded and calls Homer the "world's fattest fertilizer salesman." And President Schwarzenegger claims that he was "elected to lead, not to read." In line with classic screwball com- edies like "Animal House" and even "My Man Godfrey," we are given jokes that are both brainless and thought provoking, but never Holy crap! unfunny. What makes "The Simp- sons" a cut above most comedy is its energy and exemplary craft. If a film can be measured by it's quality and longevity, then the "The Simpsons" is as funny and memorable as "A Night At The Opera." Justctry to not repeat Hom- er's already infamous "Spider-Pig" ditty. Rarely does contemporary comedy transcend regular crap to become a benchmark for well- staged humor. With "The Simp- sons Movie," we get our chance to laugh our asses off. This is an American comedy classic, or as the Simpsons would say, it's perfectly "cromulent" film.