Live music is abundant in northern Michigan, and with it plenty of places to sit back, relax, and enjoy with friends and strangers alike. From farms, parks, and beaches to wineries, bars, and clubs, there’s an atmosphere for all.

In this week's Northern Express, sister publication of The Ticker, staff choose a sampling of NoMi’s coolest live music haunts to make the most of these fleeting summer days. From Lavender Hill Farm in Boyne City and Michigan Legacy Art Park in Thompsonville to Bonobo Winery on Old Mission Peninsula and Douglas Park in Manistee (plus even more recommendations on deck), you'll have plenty of inspiration to go acoustically exploring across northern Michigan. This week's music-focused issue also features a look inside a TC recording studio, two nonprofits making music and the arts accessible Up North, four of the region's music influencers, a profile on the "boy bands of the north," and an interview with Wilco ahead of their August 17 concert at Interlochen Center for the Arts. 

The Northern Express is available to read online, or up a free copy on newsstands at nearly 700 spots in 14 counties across northern Michigan.