Cloverland

Cloverland is a Marquette-based folk band who draw inspiration from the landscapes and communities that surround the Upper Peninsula. Like all newcomers to the Upper Peninsula, they bring their own backgrounds and traditions, but their sound is rooted in the Upper Midwest drawing inspiration from other regions including old Appalachian ballads and driving New England bluegrass. They intentionally chose the name Cloverland to pay homage to the early twentieth century magazine that aimed to bring farmers to the UP to convert this forested ecosystem into an agrarian dream. While that agricultural project largely failed, something new took root. Their music honors the Anishinaabeg people here before us, as well as the waves of European migrants who came to these northern shores to create a sense of home.

Some of the band’s members have received formal musical training, though as folk musicians, the vast majority of their repertoire was developed in college basements, church sanctuaries, bars, community events, and friends’ living rooms.

Each one of them an active member of Marquette’s creative community, they’ve been featured in numerous community events, including most recently the Hiawatha Music Festival, Hiawatha on Tap, Songwriter’s Woodshed, the Lake Superior Art Association’s 75th Anniversary Celebration, and Peter White Public Library’s Concert on the Steps.

Cloverland is Kerry Yost (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Stephanie Whiton (drums), Sarah Mittlefehldt (bass, vocals), and John Gillette (guitar, banjo, mandolin, vocals).