“Without music, life would be a mistake.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
There aren’t many things in this world, beyond the basic necessities of life, that all human beings have in common. However, if there was only one thing that we might all have in common, we’d argue that it would have to be the enjoyment of music. We listen to music while we travel, when we exercise, and some of us are lucky enough to listen to music while we work. Music is played in many of the businesses that we frequent, in houses of worship, and in sports venues all over the world.
Some of us idolize our favorite musicians, and we sit in awe of our friends or family members that can play an instrument; even more so if they can play it well. For those of us who consider ourselves to be less “musically inclined,” it’s easy to forget that music is still a gigantic part of our daily lives, and we are all musicians in one way or another. We play the drums with our pens on our notepads while we’re in meetings. We run our fingers along the rim of a glass while we’re washing dishes. We sing in the shower.
Music can sometimes help us to relax and unwind, and other times it can help us to focus. It can calm us when we feel anxious, and it can pump us up when we’re excited. Essentially—and this is our super-scientific theory here—all of our experiences are amplified by music. Naturally, Lakedale couldn’t resist the urge to bring some musical flavor to our calendar of events, so we jumped on the bandwagon and created the Lakedale Music Festival (apparently, we can’t resist the urge to employ puns in this blog, either).
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” – Plato
Beginning in 2017, and for the first three years of its existence, Lakedale’s Music Festival was held over Labor Day Weekend. 2021’s festival was moved forward by a week to cover August 27th through 29th. We kicked off this year’s event on Friday night with a little impromptu “Jam Session” on the deck of Lakedale’s Lodge. No script, no setlist, just some of the artists doing what they do best—together. Scheduled sets ran all day and into the evenings of both Saturday and Sunday, and Poutine Your Mouth came over from Lopez Island with their food truck to keep all of our bellies happy. This year’s Music Festival played host to some veterans of our event, as well as a few first-timers. Artists and acts included The Brian Nova Trio, The Fred Radke Quartet, Primo Kim, The Stephanie Porter Group, The Max Holmberg Trio 200, Saranade, The San Juan Island Allstars, and many more!
“Music washes away from the soul, the dust of everyday life.” – Berthold Auerbach
Good music for a good cause is awesome, but it’s even better when that good cause is also music! Since its inception, the Lakedale Music Festival has benefitted an organization called Terry’s Kids, as well as the San Juan Island school music programs. We are so proud to be able to support these organizations in their efforts to bring music and music education to kids, not only on our little island but also across the globe! So, if you want to hit the trifecta of taking a nice break from your daily grind, enjoying some great music among the trees and lakes, AND helping to benefit music education for the next generation of human beings, then put a mark on next year’s calendar for the Lakedale Music Festival over the last weekend of August. In the meantime, keep singing in the shower and we’ll see you soon!
