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Just down the shore in Silver Bay there is quite a list of well-known regional musicians playing free concerts this summer. The concerts will be held in the Center City park next to City Hall.
The venue is brought to the public by Rocky Wall Productions.
In its’ third season, Rocky Wall Productions attracted 1,500 folks in 2021 and 2,750 in 2022 with the goal of having 4,000 people attend the concert series this summer. And judging from the lineup of artists, that might be a low number.
The acclaimed country blues musician Charlie Parr will kick off the series on July 14. The Tommy Bentz Band plays July 21, Joyann Parker Band follows on July 28 with Pert Near Sandstone performing
August 4; Pat Donahue & the Prairie All Stars play August 14 and the always fan favorite Rich Mattson & the All Stars take the stage August 18. Closing out the summer are The Scarlet Goodbye on August 25 and Erik Koskinen on September 1.
All of the concerts are on Fridays, and they all start at 7:30 p.m.
Nelson French
A little bit about Nelson French who started Rocky Wall Productions
I was born in Duluth, Minnesota and raised in Hibbing, Minnesota high school class of 1970. I graduated from Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1974 with a General Science degree. Started my career with the Sierra Club’s Project Environment and Project Environment Foundation in 1979 – now known as the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA).
I am a retired environmental executive and conservation professional. My career involved non-profit executive management and leadership as well as public service with the State of Minnesota. I spent 28 years of my career doing legislative affairs work at the Minnesota State Legislature with a little dabbling at the federal level.
I finished my career as the Great Lakes-Lake Superior Unit Supervisor for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) in Duluth where I led Minnesota’s effort to develop and implement the St. Louis River Area of Concern Remedial Action Plan. I was successful in securing commitments of over $260 million in federal, state and private funding to implement this plan, which includes major aquatic habitat restoration, and contaminated sediment remediation projects designed to remove beneficial use impairments in the St. Louis River Area of Concern. The river cleanup and restoration is scheduled to be completed by 2030.
Q- How did you get into the music event business? Do you play/perform?
I have always been passionate about arts and the music and remember attending Community Concerts with my parents while growing up in Hibbing. I have been a long time Bob Dylan fan and have followed popular music my entire life. In the early 2007 I began coordinating benefit concerts for the Hibbing Dylan Fest and helped to bring the likes of Maria Muldaur, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Scarlet Rivera to perform on the historic Hibbing High School stage. Since that time, I have produced over 60 live concerts with an array of artists from throughout the world. Bringing quality Americana live music to people is a passion of mine.
Q- Do you make money from Rocky Wall Productions? Are you supported by grants and who supplies the grants?
We do not “make money” from Rocky Wall Productions. We are an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that raises tax-deductible donations and grants to support live music in our community. We rely upon these donations to fund the program.
Q- How did Rocky Wall Productions start?
Neighbors on Rocky Wall Road began enjoying music at private house concerts in 2015. Over the course of five years, we enjoyed bringing talented musicians into our homes and sharing music with friends and neighbors. We hosted eight house concerts in those first 5 years.
In the summer of 2021, we had a discussion about how fun it would be to share our love of music with the broader community. We brainstormed on how we might go about doing this and settled on establishing Rocky Wall Productions, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to accomplish this. We also wedded this idea to revitalization of downtown Silver Bay and the long-held community vision that the green space in the center of Silver Bay would be a great location for establishment of a “City Center Park”.
Thus, was born the concept of Silver Bay Music in the Park Concert Series at City Center Park by City Hall. We were sensitive to the existence of the very popular and successful historic Bay Days celebration, so a decision was made to use Bay Days as the launching event for bringing free Friday night live outdoor music to Silver Bay through the balance of summer.
Rocky Wall Productions was incorporated on June 30, 2021, applied for funding from Lovin’ Lake County, awarded a grant from Lovin’ Lake County on July 13, 2021, and produced five successful free Friday night outdoor concerts in downtown Silver Bay’s City Center Park from August 13, 2021, to October 1, 2021. We received a generous $23,715 grant from Lovin’ Lake County which allowed the shows to go on! We came in under budget and returned the unexpended funds in full to Lovin’ Lake County as required by the grant agreement.
We are working with Two Harbors Media to professionally record our future concerts.
In 2023 Rocky Wall Productions has scheduled eight concerts between July 14, 2023 and September 1, 2023. We received a generous $27,000 grant from Lovin’ Lake Count and raised additional funds to support a larger 2023 budget. We were thrilled to receive support from corporations, foundations and individuals to fund all budgeted expenses related to the eight concerts. To date, Lovin’ Lake County and 33 other donors provided grants or cash donations. In Kind support from City of Silver Bay, Two Harbors Media, Best of the North Shore, Lovin’ Lake County, Lake County Press, Northern Wilds Magazine, Duluth Reader, North Shore Journal, Cook County News-Herald, Lisa Berg & David Drown, Marilyn and Nelson French, and Nancy and Jerry LaVigne.
Q- Do you live in Silver Bay?
Yes, to both. My wife Marilyn and I live in Silver Bay, where we enjoy the great outdoors and the North Country. I am simply an old Iron Ranger who has retired in the North Country. I am an avid Bob Dylan fan having attended over 65 live performances over the years. I am engaged in the local community and serve as a board member of the Armory Arts and Music Center where we are in the middle of a $55 million restoration and renovation of this historic building. I also serve as Chair of the Silver Bay Economic Development Authority, serve on the Silver Bay Planning and Zoning Commission and serve as President of Rocky Wall Productions.
Q- The performers you are attracting are first rate and it’s great to see something like this coming to Silver Bay. Has it been hard to book people?
No, it has not been hard to book high quality bands. We have a three member board of directors consisting of myself, retired attorney Lisa A. Berg and musician and retired real estate appraiser Gene LaFond. We also work very closely with Silver Bay resident and sound production professional Jerry LaVigne. Between all of us we have extensive connections to high quality musician talent across the country and world. As we grow, we plan to bring national and international talent to Silver Bay. The musicians fall in love with the North Shore, and we have over 60 bands on a list of those who would like to perform here.
Q- Any outside interests, fishing, hiking, biking, running, hunting, stamp collecting etc.?
I certainly enjoy music of all sorts. My wife and I are enjoying travel in retirement and since 2018 have been to Europe, Chile, Africa and to the Big Bend area of Texas annually in Feb-Mar. We also acquired a Class B RV and enjoy seeing the good ol USA from the road – and love visiting state parks and national landmarks and parks throughout the country. We recently picked up some e-bikes and are enjoying the Gitchi Gami trail on those.
Q- What’s the vibe like in Silver Bay? Are you being supported by the town?
The Silver Bay Music in the Park Concert Series has been warmly received by residents and visitors alike. Folks throughout the community are responding well to the live outdoor music – some folks simply pull their lawn chairs out into their lawns and enjoy the music from their front yards. Our opening show with Charlie Parr in 2022 attracted 800 attendees!
We have very strong support from the community including the City of Silver Bay and the City Council who provide significant in-kind support such as the stage, use of the City Center Park, etc.… We have tremendous financial support from Lovin’ Lake County and increasing support from local corporations, foundations and individuals. The Lake County Board is also very supportive of our efforts.
City Center Park is the large green space adjacent to the Silver Bay City Hall and in the present configuration we can comfortably hold about 1,000 concertgoers. The City of Silver Bay is currently in the middle of a new downtown design process and formalization of City Center Park will likely be one of the outcomes of this community effort.
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