Exploring the 2026 Blissfest Lineup, Part VIII

Harmony Highlights

I don’t know if we know exactly what it is about harmony, but when it hits just right, it’s like dessert for your brain! Most of us are familiar with melody. That’s the forward part of a song, the tune the lead singer is singing. With harmony, you might have one or more  singers performing different, complementary notes simultaneously to support the main melody. It’s one of those things that sounds and feels like magic. Once you crack the code, you too will feel like a magician. I mean, a musician. 

Some say the best harmonies are “blood harmonies,” those sung with a sibling or family members, like The Everly Brothers (“All I Have to Do Is Dream”), The Carter Family (“Can the Circle be Unbroken”), The Beach Boys (“Don’t Worry Baby”) , The BeeGees (“Stayin’ Alive.”)  The list goes on. These are the harmonies that most often are so blended and tight, you can’t even tell who is singing what. The tone, timbre, phrasing, and other elements that might be more intuitive and literally genetic to one another have an effect that is hard to mimic. I wonder if we’ll get to hear Larry McCray and his son Bleau Otis sing together this year. That would be a prime example of such a thing. If anything, you can hear Larry in Bleau’s singing and guitar playing. You’ll have to be there to find out! 

Another kind of harmony that always stands out to me is classic two-part harmony. Like the iconic voices of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash (remember when we mentioned the Carter family?) There’s something so moving about duo harmony that feels especially heartfelt. Perhaps it naturally sings like a love story. It might always be about love between two people, but it’s always a unique connection!

Lucky for us, we have real-life couple Goldpine gracing us this year with their crushing, booming melodies. They call it “bold + gold” harmony, and that checks out. It’s rare to see two people command such a presence right off the bat. We can’t wait to hear them sing and stomp! In the same vein, Dupont Phillips, a soon-to-be-married duo, found love through music. Their evolution came from learning each other’s individual solo catalogue. You’ll find the ease in which they lend to the other’s songs and the ebb and flow from solo to duo. These harmonies are so delicate and intentional that the blend is chef’s kiss. 

Aside from the romantic dreams many may have about iconic couples singing together, there’s something so pure about a friendship bond that strengthens through singing. August, a female-led pop duo from Grand Rapids, have been a part of each other’s life journeys while singing about it and processing it together. Their harmonies uplift one another and it feels like you just had a pep talk with your best friend. That sounds like something we need more of, doesn’t it?

If you’ve ever been in a choir, or in a crowd all singing at once, you know the power of singing as a collective. The Rebel Eves bring you right into that world where you want to join the club. In this group we get not one, not two, but three voices in harmony. Talk about a hair-raising experience! 

Maybe that’s the real magic of harmony: it reminds us we’re meant to experience music together. 

Tier 2 tickets are on sale now and nearing Tier 3!