words & photography | MATT STEFFEN
Did that really already happen? Is summer already over? It’s hard to believe we’re already knee deep in autumn and the Whispering Beard was here and now gone.
We’ve been spending a lot of time out at Carriage House Farm – talking shop, eating amazing food, getting to know the people behind the machine. They’ve been making moves allowing The Beard to further nestle into that North Bend pasture.
Now with a barn providing a space to congregate, the kitchen to feed us, the bar to wet the whistles, the farm has built the stage to entertain us. The boys behind The Beard have been arranging music for the patio throughout the year and now for the last weekend in September, let the festival take over.
This year’s lineup was a Who’s Who of Whispering Beard alumni and Hall of Famers. Names like Joe’s Truck Stop, The Harmed Brothers, Chicago Farmer, Buffalo Wabs & The Price Hill Hustle (congrats on that Billboard spot!), Willy Tea Taylor, Frontier Folk Nebraska, Maria Carrelli, and The Tillers filled our weekend with the soothing sav we all needed.
For the campers and early arrivers, The Beard has been building day activities to enjoy and maybe learn something new. Yoga and crafts like basket weaving were on the agenda this year. Festival OG Casey Campbell recorded a live podcast for Blackfork Radio. Fellow co-founder Catfish was joined by Krystal Peterson to lead Sauntersong, an afternoon walk and talk along the banks of the Great Miami River. Bring a kayak, bring a fishing pole, maybe some binoculars to catch a peak of the resident bald eagles.
I used to pour over the lineups and research, make plans. Now I just trust the powers that be, they’ve never led me astray. I used to call friends and arrange schedules. Now I just show up with a folding chair and my camera, knowing I’ll run into someone I know. And when I don’t, I run into faces acquainted or otherwise, but all with the same friendly nod. Like we’re all in on the same secret.
That’s the unique part of this festival. It’s more of an ambience than an event. It’s a few days to step out, let go of the wheel, and relax into a niche, safe and familiar. It’s somehow timeless and without discernable space.
Perhaps it was Joe Macheret that said it best. Following his set with Joe’s Truck Stop, he was asked where he was happiest after a year of touring the world. “Right here at the Whispering Beard,” he answered. “I love you guys. Not to make that weird, since I don’t know a lot of you…but you know what? If you’re here, you must be alright and I love you, too.”
It’s a vibe. Come on out and have a sit. The Farm will supply the setting, The Beard will entertain. Bring a friend, make a new one. You can drop your guard, it’s not needed here.
