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Summer memories from trips to Northern Michigan usually start to fade around this time of year – just not for local folk-rock favorite The Northern Skies. When the band releases its latest album at Founders Brewery Dec. 17, get ready for thoughts of lakeshore breezes and remote forest retreats to mix with the more seasonal holiday cheer.

The trio – made up of songwriter/vocalist/guitarist/banjoist Eric Engblade, drummer Paul Wozniak, and bassist Nic Cole-Klaes – first began as a six-piece about seven years ago when Engblade started playing music with other counselors at a summer camp in Northern Michigan. While many band mates have come and gone since, the core group, who’ve also been playing with Grand Rapids violinist Jefferey Neimeir for the past three months, met through their shared friendships and experiences in that part of the state. The group now spans all of Michigan, with Ludington-native Engblade now in Grand Rapids, Wozniak in Lansing and Cole-Klaes in metro Detroit, and tours regularly all over the country.

“I have a tattoo of the Great Lakes on my calf to remind me that wherever I go, and no matter how far, I bring Michigan with me,” Engblade told Recoil.

The Northern Skies play more than 130 shows a year, often heading out on the road for a month at a time in their van named “Morrison,” which Engblade affectionately referred to as their “fifth Beatle.”

The Beatles are the band’s biggest influence, besides the state of Michigan itself, and at least one of their songs always finds its way into their sets every night.

“Paul is Peter Best, Nicholas is Stuart Sutcliffe and I'm Billy Preston,” Engblade added, when asked which Beatle each member of his band would be. “We’re all fifth Beatles.”

Like all of their musical influences, ranging from Engblade’s love for folk/bluegrass artists like Bob Dylan, John Prine, John Hartford, and David Grissman, Wozniak’s passion for classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Rush, The Police, and Cole-Klaes’s admiration of bass virtuosos like Jaco Pastorius and Victor Wooten, The Northern Skies’ Beatles influence inspires them somewhat unconsciously.

Their own sound mixes traditional Americana instrumentation with modern songwriting in a way that incorporates other genres including Celtic, newgrass, and reggae. Live, the band improvises and experiments a lot with the songs that Engblade initially writes and brings to the band.

“We all bring our own influences into the song and from there it takes new life,” Engblade said. “What's great about playing with my bandmates is that we all love to improvise and are very in tune with what the other musicians are trying to do with the song. I personally have been trying very hard to keep getting better at my craft. Practicing and learning should be a lifetime way of life. It's always fun to hear something that someone does in the band that stretches their limits....and [they] pull it off, too.”

The Northern Skies have played several summer music festivals, including Hoxeyville, Beaver Island and Farm Block. They played for a crowd of over 1,500 at Meijer Gardens’ Tuesday evening music club series this past summer.

“We love our friends that we get to share the stage with,” Engblade said, including other Michigan bands like The Ragbirds, Greensky Bluegrass, Poor Ol' Jim, Fauxgrass, The Wallace Collective, Lindsey Lou and the Flatbellies as close friends that they’ve been honored to play with.

Their fifth record overall and third full-length album, The Northern Skies’ new disc, Thick As Thieves, will feature several guest artists from some of those Michigan bands and others, including Erin Zindle, Randall Moore, Mark Lavengood, Nate Karnes, and Jason Wheeler.

“It's hard to compare it to the other records,” Engblade said of the album. “Each record is its own thing, but this time around I wanted to utilize some of the great talent that we have in Michigan.”

The band’s last album, 2009’s Northern Skies, was a concept album centered on capturing a year in Michigan, and Thick As Thieves will have lots of Michigan themes as well, like The LR Doty that sunk in Lake Michigan, The King of Beaver Island, and others. Because of their touring schedule, the band recorded the set all over the state, starting out with two tracks, "Namaste" and "The Northern Islander," at Mackinaw Harvest Studios with Michael Crittenden, in the spring of 2010. They picked up again that fall at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn with Anthony Lai and Joe Giese, and, after touring the east coast and raising money via kickstarter.com, were able to finish recording and mixing this year at Stone House Recording Studio with Peter Fox. They brought the process full circle by mastering the album at Mackinaw Harvest.

“[Kickstarter] is a great way to fund a project,” Engblade said of the online fundraising site that many bands are starting to turn to for support. “Especially if you have great fans, friends, and family like we - Recoil Magazine

As impressed as I was the first time I heard these guys unfurl their bluegrass-tinged folk and rock a few years ago, they've only gotten better and more inspiring in their musicianship and songwriting. On their new, richly produced 12-track CD, Eric Engblade, Paul Wozniak and Nicholas Cole-Klaes grab hold of listeners firmly and don't let go. thenorthernskies.com

John Sinkevics - Grand Rapids Press

"You can call it Newgrass or 'Folk-Rock With Teeth', (the band's description), but the label hardly matters. The Northern Skies takes bluegrass, Americana, and Celtic music and pours it through an indie rock funnel to distill something that sounds like a party out in the back yard. And yes, there is moonshine at that party".
-Revue Magazine Grand Rapids, MI - Revue Magazine

Eccentric, off-beat music has never been so accessible as it is when performed by Grand Rapids folk outfit The Northern Skies. With a barrage of violins and ethnic percussion blended in with a modern alternative sensibility, the band exemplifies everything new and everything old at the very same time.
On Dec. 17, The Northern Skies will release its second full-length album, Thick As Thieves -- an album filled to the brim with guest performances from area musicians, Erin Zindle and Randall Moore of The Ragbirds.

"I had a batch of songs that I really felt strongly about playing," said front man Eric Engblade of the album. "Even though we'd recently become a three-piece band, I wanted to get them recorded. So I had this great idea: I know so many cool musicians, so I asked them to come in and record different parts."

The result is an album with an overwhelming amount of musical density, which completely smothers the American right to pigeonhole a band into a particular genre.

"It sounds a little more full," Engblade said. "These are class-A musicians. You can't go wrong with these guys. Having them on our record is an honor."

But Engblade is quick to point the album's completion, not only to the help of his fellow musicians, but to the supporters of The Northern Skies.

"We started recording at Michael Crittenden's studio, Mackinaw Harvest," Engblade said. "But we ran out of money halfway through. The reason this album happened is because we're so blessed to have such great fans, friends and family members."

The band started a Kickstarter page to fund the album, and managed to raise more than $3,000. After that, they wrapped up recording at Stonehouse Studios with Peter Fox.

The CD release show will take place at Founders Brewery in Grand Rapids on December 17. Big Dudee Roo will also perform in support of its own album release on the very same day.

"Also, this show is really close to Christmas," Engblade added. "So we decided the only practical option is to throw an ugly Christmas sweater party. If we see you in an ugly sweater, you get a free sticker." - Revue Magazine

The tagline “folk rock with teeth” pronounces the work of Eric Engblade, the primary songwriter, banjoist, and guitarist for the Michigan-born multi-piece The Northern Skies. The group’s latest full-length recording, Thick As Thieves, releases December 17 at Founders Brewing Co. and features guest artistry from The Ragbirds’s members Erin Zindle and Randall “The Hitman” Moore as well as Grand Rapids natives Jeffrey Niemeier on violin and Mark Lavengood on dobro.

“The recording process began a year and a half ago at Mackinaw Harvest. The bulk of it was recorded over at Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn,” Engblade said. “Then some tracks were done here with Peter Fox [of Stone House Recording]. Throughout, band members have come and gone,” he said, “and we ran out of money. This summer we did a Kickstarter campaign.”

Engblade said the album was about starting over. “The process mirrored what was happening in the band, and also a lot of the songs, too, are about rebirth and renewal and following your dreams.” A dream well worth running down, Thick As Thieves is a homegrown, handmade work of art. Tracks “Blueberry Wine” and “Modern Times” blast off the record with all the energy of a live, backwoods performance. Engblade’s vocals captivate while his banjo levels expectations, rebuilding them like a beautiful log cabin of sound. The title track proves an indispensable addition to both the love song and folk-rock canon.

“I feel my writing is introspective in an extroverted way,” Engblade said. “I use different modes of songwriting, but they still pertain to my life; I think other people can relate easily.” A wonderful understatement, as these songs are so alive you have to relate, or dance; I dare you. “It’s been a long haul,” Engblade said, closing with, “[I’ve] got some great musicians on it. I’m really proud of it, and I’m psyched to share it with everyone.”

Join The Northern Skies for its December 17 release at Founders Brewing Co., 235 Grandville Ave. SW, alongside Big Dudee Roo. The show is a Christmas sweater competition, so dig ’em out and wear ’em proud. Tickets are $5. For more information, visit www.foundersbrewing.com - On The Town

Thursday, October 14, 2010, 5:40 AM

HOLLAND --
The "Van Called Morrison" gets a real workout when The Northern Skies goes on the road to perform.
Not only does the cleverly titled vehicle transport members of the Michigan band and their gear, but it serves as makeshift rehearsal space for the folk-rockers as they work on new material.
"We'll sit around and ... we'll try to at least work through the tunes and then try them live," said guitarist and banjo player Eric Engblade of Grand Rapids, the group's principal songwriter.
"Since we're gone about every weekend, we just get it (practice time) where we can get it." On-the-road rehearsals make sense because group members are spread across the state: Engblade in Grand Rapids, drummer Paul Wozniak in Lansing, and violinist Emily Carlson and bassist Nicholas Cole-Klaes in metro Detroit.

Despite all the road miles, the eclectic, rootsy band is committed to expanding its fan base regionally and has even booked a May tour on the East Coast, with a new album likely to get released early next year. It even reshuffled its lineup recently to "focus on doing it" full-time, Engblade said.
Engblade, a Ludington native who started the band (originally named Drake) about six years ago with Nathan Schleicher when they were camp counselors together, said momentum is building for the group, which meshes newgrass, indie-rock, Celtic music, Americana and folk.

"We're branching out and doing bigger things," said Englade, 28, who also plays occasional solo gigs and dates with Hannah Rose & the Gravestones. "The Northern Skies is our main project."The band performs Saturday night at Holland's CityVu Bistro as part of that city's annual GrooveWalk, with 11 bands playing 11 different downtown venues.
In addition to several Michigan groups, this year's event spotlights acts from Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Minnesota, with genres ranging from rock to hip-hop to soul.
"There's so much going on, we're excited to be part of it," Engblade said of Holland's GrooveWalk.
The Northern Skies' 2009 album earned high praise from regional publications for its bluegrass-hued folk-rock. Engblade said its next CD will reflect music that's "a little bit more developed" in nature.
"I think our new record will be a mix of everything we've done the past few years and adding onto that with our collective influences like modern indie-rock and newgrass," he said, noting the band recently released an online single, "The Northern Islander," that will appear on the upcoming album.
"We've managed to get different styles together and have them sonically be cohesive."



- By John Sinkevics The Grand Rapids Press

"It's Engblade's clear, strong vocals give power to his lyrics. His voice ranges from the gentle tones of a balladeer to insistent gutteral growls. ...fused even with the most despairing of lyrics is a dauntless energy." - Sarah Jensen, Ludington Daily News - Ludington Daily News

#1
Great lyrics, vocals/melodies, instrumentation...connects personally as well.
author: David C.

Drake's album These and Other Things is excellently crafted. These guys have managed to keep genuine amidst singer-song writers of the same genre that merely sound fake next to these guys. Drake's vocals and instrumentation struck a chord with me as they modernized the styling of Nick Drake which other artists have tried to do and failed. I'm looking forward to the next installment in my Drake collection.

#2
Takes me back to the campfire days...
author: Kate L.

Lots of good mellow grooves and everybody's favorite song (when they live in Chicago and are from Michigan and their boyfriend and family still live in Michigan) "Michigan". Thanks for the bocce game as well!

#3
author: Josh Lane
Drake is a must hear!!! Its personal. what a voice!

#4
author: anon
To the question “what was your least favorite moment at Bass Lake (2006)?� asked on an exit poll one camper answered:
"when Drake wasn’t playing." - cdbaby.com

What musicians are saying:

"Drake is a band you are going to hear a lot from in the next few years" - Lost and Found (www.speedwood.com)


"Drake's CD 'These and Other Things' is on frequent rotation in my stereo... The music will gently tuck you in at night and stay in your head for days." -Dan Vaillancourt (www.danvaillancourt.com)

- Drake

DRAKE
NORTHERN SKIES
GRAND RAPIDS/DETROIT, MICH.
October 2009

Awash in Americana instrumentation and modern songwriting, the new disc from GR/Detroit six-piece, recorded by Sweet Japonic’s Roy Wallace, is an up-north front porch masterpiece. The key word is “beautiful” – even during the more serious moments, the vocals and the instruments work together in perfect synchronicity (if not perfect tune), firmly wringing every ounce of rhythm and melody that the song will support. This is a very reverent album – reverent to the power of music, and lyrically nostalgic for the present moment. Go to www.myspace.com/draketheband for show dates and band info.
— RC - Ryan Cunningham Recoil Magazine, Grand Rapids MI