Unvarnished schedule offers eclectic mix of musical styles

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WORTHINGTON — The Unvarnished Music Festival was born during a campfire jam of windsurfer-musicians at the very first Worthington Windsurfing Regatta. Since then, Worthington has played host to many nationally known musicians and their diverse styles of music.

This year’s slate of musicians includes returning acts such as Nikki & The RueMates and Worthington’s own Noah Hoehn, performing as part of a trio called Bojono.

The schedule also features some newcomers to the Sailboard Beach stage, including Michael Monroe and The Roe Family Singers:

Michael Monroe

Unvarnished Music Festival goers are in for a treat Friday night when nationally acclaimed artist Michael Monroe takes the main stage from 8 to 10 p.m.

Monroe is in his fourth decade of performing, and his unique creation of music leaves audiences mesmerized as he blends vocals, guitar, and bamboo and glass flutes. He moves from acoustic folk songs to jazzy reggae with ease, playing hand-made guitars of bird’s eye poplar wood, which resemble the spots of a leopard.

One thing that makes his music unusual is the looping he uses on stage, adding layers of his own vocals and a variety of instruments and creating harmonies.

A review from Looper’s Delight refers to Monroe’s style as “amazing.”

“He’d play eight bars of guitar with vocals, then add a harmony guitar and vocal line, add bass and organ, then many layers of harmony vocals,” the reviewer wrote. “It was all done cleanly, clearly and professionally.”

In the biography on Monroe’s Web site, www.michaelmonroe.com, the technique is described as a recycling of music with “live” layering and looping.

“Michael’s original music and compelling energy bring a powerful style that is as much fun as it is innovative,” the bio states. “Music and technology working together powered by creativity.”

Monroe lives and records on the north shore of Lake Superior in a solar-powered log cabin. He records and sometimes performs live using alternative energy sources.

His instrumental music has been seen across the nation and in Canada in the award-winning documentary “Chased By the Light,” a production by former Daily Globe and National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg. Together, they created a live theater experience in several venues, including the Guthrie Theater, which featured Brandenburg’s images and Monroe’s music. The documentary received six national awards of excellence — two for the original music.

Monroe has released more than 10 albums, beginning in 1980 with “Summer Rain.” He recorded his first demo 30 years ago in a studio owned by Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul & Mary.

His most recent album, “Live at the Cedar,” was recorded at the Cedar Cultural Center in December 2008 and includes Monroe’s version of the Cat Stevens hit “Moonshadow.” It was released in April.

Several reviews have dubbed Monroe an “eco-folkie,” and his music and voice has been compared to Stevens and Neil Diamond.

On the Net:

www.michaelmonroe.info

The Roe Family Singers

The Roe Family Singers may be based in Minneapolis, but their sound is pure southern hillbilly, complete with guitars, banjos, an autoharp, jugs and a musical saw.

The Roe Family Singers will hit the main stage at Sailboard Beach at 1:30 p.m. Saturday during the Unvarnished Music Festival.

What started as a husband and wife duo, with Quillan and Kim Roe playing a few Johnny and June Carter Cash songs, has now grown into an eight-member band. They write their own music and perform covers by other bands.

Their album, “The Earth and All That Is In It,” features songs that range from whimsical to macabre, evoking a feeling of Gothic Americana — the traditional-sounding originals rooted in bluegrass and folk carry a streak of spookiness.

From “Shallow Grave,” a song about a woman who stabbed her husband but didn’t bury him deep enough, to “White Horse,” a piece about a cocaine-addicted woman who miscarries her child and turns to prostitution, the creepiness comes through. But the ebullient tone of “My Heart Took to the Earth” and the toe-tapping beat of “The Buckeye Tree” show that the Roe Family Singers are versatile.

The Roe Family Singers describe themselves as an “old timey” group that dreams of someday playing the Grand Ole Opry.

“Old timey music played by one pretty little lady and a bunch of guys with hairy faces,” the Web page states. More than one music critic has compared them to the Handsome Family, a group that describes their music as “a little bit country and a little bit creepy.”

On the Net:

www.roefamilysingers.com

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