Like food and water, music is a staple in the lives of Danny and Katie Powers. A life without melodies and harmonies would be totally empty for the Northumberland County couple.
“We are just big music heads,” said Katie. Maybe melomaniacs—meaning ones who obsessively love music—would be a more fitting description for the couple.
“It’s nothing for us to jump in the car and go to Richmond on a Thursday night to a dingy bar cause the band’s badass,” said Danny. “We’ll take off and go whenever and wherever to see a band we like.”
A few years ago, the couple took it a step farther and instead of going to the music, brought the music home to their farm at 652 Blackwells Wharf Road in Burgess. They cleared a spot in the woods, modified a few existing buildings, built a temporary stage and voila, a music venue was created.
Easy Wind Farm—so named after a Grateful Dead song—is now home to two music festivals per year. The Powers plan to host more.
By day, Katie works remotely as a program manager for a technology company and Danny works for R.L. Self Timber in Lively. Come Halloween weekend, they’ll host a daylong festival including bands, craft vendors and food trucks.
The Powers had had a vacation home since 2006 at Chesapeake Beach and decided they wanted to move to the Northern Neck permanently. In 2015, the couple bought the 10-acre property in Burgess. The home had been empty for about seven years. The yard was overgrown with weeds and trees but the home had been remodeled inside.
“We both thought what a cool place to have a band, bonfire and have the neighbors over,” said Katie.
One thing led to another and in 2020—yes, in the midst of COVID-19—they held their first Halloween weekend festival. The event is Woodstock-like in that folks pitch tents, car camp and spend the weekend listening to a mix of music genres.
Halloween music event
General admission tickets to Halloween at Easy Wind Farm are $25 each, with additional fees for camping. The event, on October 29, is family friendly and children 12 and younger are free. Tickets are sold in advance.
“We were hesitant, but we were outside with lots of space to distance,” said Katie. “And everybody loved it. We had about 200 people. I mean, no one had seen live music in about eight months. They were ready.”
They were also a little hesitant because they didn’t want to offend any of their neighbors.
“I learned,” said Danny. “You can’t come on the Northern Neck rippin’ and snortin’. You have to earn it. Earn friendships.”
Well, the neighbors bought right into the weekend get-together, even allowed guests to park on their properties.
“We have the best neighbors,” said Katie.
“To be honest, we’re in the infancy of this,” said Danny. “We’ve had five shows here since October 2020.”
The next one is planned for October 29. Halloween at Easy Wind Farm, from 2 p.m until midnight, will include four bands and feature Last Fair Deal, a seven-piece Grateful Dead tribute band from Hampton Roads.
“We’re excited because this band doesn’t cross the tunnel often,” said Danny.
The event also will feature the Easy Wind All Star Band, Slingshot on Mars and Shady Dawgz Trio. Slingshot on Mars is a four-piece Richmond-based band that plays original jams and improvised covers. Shady Dawgz plays its acoustic grooves in venues throughout Richmond and Hampton Roads.
The festival also will offer craft vendors and food by Salty Bob’s and BeauNuts, a pop-up from Petersburg selling Southern buttermilk donuts. Of course, guests may bring their own food and beverages.
As a private event, there is a 250 person maximum and the music stops at midnight.
Space is cleared on the property for 35 rough camping spots. Limited car camping, on a first come, first serve basis, also is permitted. The rough camping spots include fire pits and the Powers provide the wood.
“It’s not a money grab for us at all,” said Danny. “We’re doing this for the joy and for the fun of it. People bringing families here, smiling, dancing. There’s a lot of joy. It’s an amazing vibe.”
The couple have held two music events per year since 2020. One of last year’s events featured the Baltimore-based Dirty Grass Players and The Wooks, a nationally touring Kentucky rhythm and bluegrass band.
“To have a national touring band here, in Burgess, was crazy,” said Danny. “We live on the end of the cow’s tail. You don’t cut through here, you come here for a reason. I’m sure when they were coming down the road, they were thinking, ‘where are we heading?’”
The music festival draws visitors locally but also from as far as West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
“It’s amazing where people come from just to hear music,” said Danny.
Although neither play instruments or sing, music is in their souls.
While in college, Katie dabbled in publicity and management for bands.
“So I got to see a lot of music being played and a lot of musicians,” she said. “Can I play an instrument? Hell no. I’m great with a computer, can sell things and I love talking to people.”
Both love to dance.
Although most of the music at the festivals is bluegrass, American roots or American rock—think Grateful Dead—the couple did host a Beatles cover band. But Katie and Danny love all music.
The couple recently completed a permanent 32’x16’ stage.
“It’s substantial,” said Katie. “We’ll use the same [temporary] roof for the Halloween weekend but will have a permanent one by spring.”
The first spring festival should happen in late April, but “it’s a little early for a lot of these national acts to book for spring,” said Katie. “And since we’re not on the way to anywhere, they need to be committed to DC or Virginia Beach areas around the same time.”
The Powers are hoping to host a music event every six weeks but not to the size and fanfare of the Halloween festival.
“We have a lot of fun things in the works,” said Katie. “It’s just a little early for the agents to begin booking.”
The spring events will be one-day, not overnight festivals, she said. “There will be two bands and food trucks. The goal is not to go past midnight with these, wrap up about 10 or 11.”
Halloween at Easy Wind Farm is a rain or shine event.
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear. That’s our festival motto,” said Katie.
A working farm
Easy Wind Farm is partially a working farm with 75 chickens and a pen full of goats, all rescues.
The couple sell eggs—there’s a cooler of eggs and an honor box at the end of their driveway—to help pay for the feed for their nine rescued goats. Neighbors also contribute garden leftovers.
“When we bought the house, there was a vegetable garden where the goats are now,” said Katie.
“She wanted a goat for Valentine’s Day seven years ago,” said Danny. “That’s how all this started.”
“It just happened really fast,” said Katie. “All of a sudden, there were a lot of goats out there.”
Now they seek them out or folks know they’ll take them. One was rescued from Culpeper.
Because of the goats and chickens, no dogs are allowed at the music festivals.
Researchers have found that listening to music causes the body to release dopamine, the feel-good hormorne. It gives you pleasure, makes you happy, makes you smile. That explains a lot about Katie and Danny. They are genuinely happy people with a feel-good vibe. You can’t help but smile around them. Maybe we should all be melomaniacs.
