The Northern Skies

The Northern Skies are a Michigan-based band that play acoustic, bluegrass-tinged folk fronted by songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Eric Engblade. They have created a literate canon of songs frequently using Michigan as a reference.
The meaning behind the band’s name and how they got started are intrinsically connected. They were originally called “Drake” after British musician Nick Drake. While camp counselors in a summer camp in Northern Michigan, a mutual love for Nick Drake’s music inspired co-founders Nathan Schleicher and Eric Engblade to start writing songs together. They released an album that they called "These and Other Things" that had original songs as well as their own version of From The Morning by Nick Drake. They played under that name for four years; playing coffee shops, churches, small community festivals, and eventually going on a month-long summer tour to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky in 2007. Through their four years together, Nathan and Eric would often ask friends to join them on stage. Fellow camp counselors Emily Carlson and Jack Johnson as well as Schleicher’s childhood friend Paul Wozniak were asked so many times to play violin, saxophone and percussion, (respectively), that they asked them to join “Drake” permanently.
They continued to build up their resume by playing music clubs, bars, and breweries all over Michigan. They released their second full length album, called Northern Skies, (now re-packaged as "The Northern Skies") in late December 2008. Soon after, Nicholas Cole-Klaes joined them on bass guitar. Due to complications the name Drake brought for them, with the Canadian rapper of the same name rising in popularity, they officially changed their name to “The Northern Skies” in the fall of 2009.
In fall of 2009, they were selected as finalists in the Great Lakes Song Writing Contest for their song "Mission Accomplished". The summer of 2010 was quite active including performances as both the Hoxeyville Music Festival and the Royal Oak Arts Beats and Eats Festival. They also appeared at the inaugural Wayfarer Roots and Bluegrass Festival in Detroit.
In the Fall of 2010, co-founder Nathan Schliecher left the band to pursue a career as a youth director and Emily Carlson left the band November 2010 and is pursuing a career in musical therapy. Justin Wieringa filled in with the band from September to December 2010 on electric guitar and mandolin. The trio consisting of Engblade, Cole-Klaes, and Wozniak continued to grow and change by writing new material and by playing more established venues and festivals in their region. They added shows in OH, IN, WI, IL, MO and in May 2011, they went on tour to Portland, ME and back.
After the tour was finished, the band focused on finishing up songs for a new album and playing summer festivals such as The Beaver Island Music Festival and the Hiawatha Music Festival. Violinist and Grand Rapids native Jeffery Neimeir joined the group in August 2011. They released the new record titled "Thick As Thieves" on December 17, 2011 at Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, MI. Shortly after, Cole-Klaes left the group to pursue music school.
2012 was a building year for the band. Bassist and Grand Rapids native Joe Lesinski filled in until Eric Raby joined the band permanently in April. Wozniak left the band to pursue a college degree in journalism in June and Justin "Fatbody" Rutkaukas began playing drums for the band.
Current activity
Currently the band, consisting of Engblade, Neimeir, Raby, and Rutkaukas, is still playing music in the great lakes region.

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