Second Annual Sustain Art & Music Festival unites Indiana bands and fans for great music, food and fun.

Second Annual Sustain Art & Music Festival unites Indiana bands and fans for great music, food and fun.

By: Kevin Vickery

On Saturday, May 18th I had the opportunity to travel with my band, “The Cousin Brothers” to Elk Ridge Ranch which is located deep within the winding roads and scenic beauty of Martin County in southern Indiana. We were there to kick off the second day of a two day event called “Sustain Art & Music Festival” which promotes natural sustainability through locally sourced food and beverages, features roots music via bands from all over the country, showcases local artisans who display and sell their work as well as offering workshops, art classes, yoga and more.

The festival, now in its second year is the brainchild of event creator/promoter, Kyle Ochs who is originally from Anderson and now calls Indianapolis his home. I asked Ochs about his non-profit organization and what inspired him to create the festival. He explained, “Sadhana USA is a small, 100 percent volunteer run, nonprofit I started in 2011 after losing my two primary businesses due to the recession of 2008.  ‘Sadhana’ is an eastern sanskrit term that means, a life’s journey toward the best version of yourself.  Our nonprofit seeks to nurture the body, mind and spirit of our youth and would eventually like to own property near French Lick to operate a kids summer camp.  The Sustain Art & Music Festival seeks to raise money for this goal while simultaneously raising awareness for sustainability within the festival community.”

He added, “Over the last 15 years, I have developed an interest in sustainability.  I am not an expert in the area; rather, I believe that the trajectory our society is a path that is not sustainable and something needs to be done.  Our interpretation of sustainability is broader than just the planet.  Sustain Festivals seeks to create events that can sustain the musicians, facilities, fans, volunteers, artisans, sponsors, donors and of course our planet.  This year’s Sustain Art & Music Festival was full of love, support and compassion for the role that each of these people plays in making the festival experience beautiful.”

The Progressive Bluegrass, Americana, and Folk style bands that performed at Sustain Art & Music Festival featured groups from all around Indiana and some that had traveled from Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas, Wisconsin, New York and even as far as Colorado to participate in the event.  In addition to my band, the two day bill included; “Cam Pierce”, “Damn Tall Buildings”, “Debutants”, “East Nash Grass”, “Front Porch”, “Soggy Prarie”, “Stampede String Band”, “The Fun Dunns”, “The Tillers”, “Wood Belly”, and “The Hammer & The Hatchet” which features our old friend, John Bowyer who is originally from the Markleville area.  

Bowyer was one of the original members of The Cousin Brothers nearly twenty years ago where he earned the title, “John Bowyer The Destroyer on stunt mandolin” because he was known for such stage tricks as playing his instrument with a microphone stand as a slide and using a toy laser gun for sound effects. Eventually John moved on and formed “The Hammer & The Hatchet”with his partner Jayme Hood and the duo has been performing Americana, Roots, and Folk music together for ten years now. They currently hail from Bloomington and make regular performances there as well as in Nashville IN and around Indianapolis. Their four full length albums as well as other merchandise are available for purchase on their website.

I asked John (or J.B. as we used to call him back in the day) what his thoughts were on being part of the Sustain Art & Music Festival and he said, “Sustain Festival gave us an opportunity to see and hear friends and also several artists we hadn’t experienced before. This underscores how much talent there is in the region and how important these small festivals are for artists and fans.”  His partner and musical collaborator, Jayme Hood added, “The family run festival is a great revival for musicians and music fans alike. Sustain Fest has taken from the stuff that works and in its second year has brought together original musicians, artisans and fans for a special weekend that is sure to attract a tribe worth celebrating.” To see more of The Hammer & The Hatchet you can catch them at a free and family friendly festival in Cincinnati, OH called, “Sayler Park Sustains” on June 8th.

Sustain Art & Music Festival also offers on-site camping for festival goers who want to pitch a tent and experience every moment of the festivities and for those who prefer a little fancier place to stay, the venue is located only fifteen minutes from French Lick where you can find more luxurious accommodations at The West Baden Springs Hotel,  The French Lick Springs Hotel and fun for the entire family at an indoor water park and hotel known as Big Splash Adventure.

The festival venue, Elk Ridge Ranch itself is a fun and interesting venue with its own history and is available to rent for other private and corporate events throughout the year.  It functions as 120 acre working ranch and is a unique rural destination located in the middle of the Hoosier National forest in Southern Indiana.  Elk Ridge offers several different options for lodging and events including a banquet hall and a fully equipped commercial kitchen, tours, hayride parties, vineyard dinners with catering, golf outings and pizza parties which are available seasonally by appointment.

It started in 2001 when Dave Marshall and Wendy Henry Marshall started the facility as a working elk ranch and later expanded with a specialty restaurant open to the public and transitioned into a rural retreat destination hosting weddings, corporate events and fitness retreats.  By 2003 it came to fruition when they left their corporate jobs in telecommunications to seek a more relaxing and fulfilling lifestyle in rural southern Indiana and made a full time commitment to the ranch property.

When asked about the future of the festival, Kyle Ochs added, “I decided to host my first music festival in May of 2023 with only six months to plan it.  We selected the Elk Ridge Ranch because it is in the area where we want to one day own property for our kids camp.  It is a beautiful ranch with rolling hills and many amenities located in Shoals IN.  We had an amazing first year event but we weren’t sure if we could host it a second time.  It was through the support of sponsors like Greener Organics that allowed us to try again this year.  We are hopeful that we can host the event again May 16th & 17th 2025.  We have to find a way to sustain ourselves while also sustaining the fans, musicians, artisans etc and this is a difficult task and virtually impossible without donations and sponsors.”

I personally enjoy the Elk Ridge Ranch very much and after performing there for the last two year’s Sustain Arts & Music Festivals, I can say that I’m definitely looking forward to making the trip down to Shoals IN next year to do it again. Not only is the venue like a breath of fresh air that is nurturing to the spirit, but also the team of festival volunteers, sound crew, vendors and patrons of the event are some of the most accommodating and genuinely good natured folks we as a band ever get to work with.

For more information about the non-profit organization, Sadhana, USA and the Sustain Arts & Musical visit their official website at sustainfestivals.org

To learn more about booking events at Elk Ridge Ranch go to elkridgeranch.net

To find out about The Hammer & The Hatchet’s upcoming shows or purchase their merchandise, find them on social media or visit their official website at thehammerandthehatchet.com

To keep up with The Cousin Brothers follow our Facebook page or check out our official website at thecousinbrothers.com

Henry County resident and Ball State alum, Kevin Vickery, is bassist and lead vocalist for The Cousin Brothers. He spent several years working in Nashville for some of the biggest names in Country Music before taking over the reins at his family business. If you have a story idea or an event that you think Kevin should cover, contact him at kevin.makesomenoise@yahoo.com