Sera Petras Photography
On a spring night in 2024 at The Southern Café & Music Hall in Charlottesville, a magical thing happened. Danny and Katie Powers, the owners of Easy Wind Farm in Burgess, Virginia, were dancing and jamming and doing the thing they love best—listening to one of their favorite bluegrass jam bands. Suddenly the fiddle player stopped the show.
“Stop. Stop,” she lowered her fiddle. “Let’s talk, everyone. We need to talk about Easy Wind Farm,” nodding to Danny and Katie. “Y’all need to go down there and support them,” she said to the audience. “They are doing people right. Easy Wind is grassroots, they love the music and are doing it right.”
Danny remembers that moment, standing in the audience, so shocked he nearly forgot how to breathe. “Yeah,” he recalled. “That was one of the times when we knew our dream had come true.”
The couple’s dream of having a live music venue that exists solely to create magic, for the musicians and true music lovers, has come true time and again since the first artist took the Easy Wind Farm stage in October 2020. Today, EWF has grown into a secret gem on the Northern Neck and within the music industry.
The Powers have shared a lifelong passion for live music. Although both still work their day jobs, they travel throughout the mid-Atlantic and the South following their favorite bluegrass, jam-grass, new-grass, country and classic rock bands. “We probably catch about 50 live shows a year,” Danny said.
Sera Petras Photography
Katie and Danny Powers, live music lovers and owners of Easy Wind Farm in Burgess.
In early 2020, as the pandemic hit and venues across the country closed, their desire to experience music and feel the magic of a live show deepened. So, they decided to host their own show.
The couple lined up the band Sideshow, a group of musicians out of Williamsburg, marketed the event on social media, set up ticket sales and prepared the farm for RV and rough camping sites. Danny, a truck driver by trade, borrowed an equipment trailer from his employer and they put together the sound, lights and stage. Easy Wind Farm transformed into the ideal setting for musicians and music lovers alike.
“It sold out,” Katie laughed recalling the show. “People came from everywhere. They were so grateful to finally experience good music out in the open. It was incredible and so humbling.”
After the first show they knew they were onto something and started planning the next year right away.
In early 2021 Katie booked Tin Can Fish Band and Blind and Dirty for the inaugural Easy Wind May Farm Fest weekend. They closed out the year with the second annual Halloween Live show featuring Kooler Heads out of Richmond and several other bands.
Sera Petras Photography
Musician appreciation is not lost at Easy Wind Farm. The walls of the fully stocked Green Room, a private space for musicians to relax, are covered in event posters and setlists.
“As we travel to shows we’re always learning something,” Danny said. They pay attention to venues, how the musicians are treated and the audience experience.
“It’s about respect [for the musicians] and having a great experience,” Katie said. “From the first announcement until you go home. It’s the whole experience that is important to us.”
The respect EWF shows the musicians is shared by the audience. “We’re asking folks to travel to the end of the cow’s tail,” Danny laughs. “And they’re doing it. They’re doing it because our community is showing up, people who understand and truly appreciate music are showing up.”
When the musicians feel appreciated, Danny explained, they take the time to get to know their fans. Band members will often stay after their set, shaking hands and talking to the audience. “We’ve got the Shakin’ Howdy that you don’t find most places,” he added.
The couple has worked hard each year to enhance the EWF experience. Musicians now relax in a fully stocked green room off the stage. All ticket holders can participate in Friday night community dinners before the festivities get underway. And after a full night of music and bonfires, hot coffee and a cereal bar fill the outdoor kitchen.
The couple is committed to having a venue that the entire community can be proud of. Their neighbors attend shows, provide extra parking and support the couple’s work in the community. “All of our events are family-friendly,” Katie said. “People can bring their own food and beverages or feast off the food trucks.”
Community dinners are held on Friday nights for all ticket holders before the show. The outdoor kitchen is stocked with hot coffee and a cereal bar for those late night munchies.
The generosity of spirit that EWF is known for isn’t saved solely for music. The farm is filled with a menagerie of rescued goats, including Freeborn Frank (#franksout), chickens and dogs. The Powers support the Friends of Northumberland County Animal Shelter (FNCAS) by donating five dollars of each general admission ticket to the organization. They also host an annual show for the benefit of FNCAS.
While the Powers still tend to each detail of an event, they are now surrounded by a team of dedicated volunteers and supporters who help during the shows. The couple works closely with a professional sound engineer and light show projectionist. A core group of volunteers manage the entrance gate and help out in the EWF merchandise hut.
The Easy Wind Farm production team.
Easy Wind Farm now attracts regional and national upcoming talents within the “Americana” music genre. When the couple reflects on the past few years and what the future may bring, they only have one concern. “We don’t ever want to lose the magic,” Danny says with a smile.
EWF will host six events in 2025, starting on May 2-4 with seven bands filling the opening weekend. That weekend just happens to be Katie and Danny’s 27th wedding anniversary.
1 of 2
Rebecca Frazier performed with Hit & Run Bluegrass at Easy Wind Farm in October 2024. Originally from Deltaville, the flatpicking guitarist, vocalist and songwriter now lives in Nashville.
2 of 2
WOLPH, a classic rock band, performed at Easy Wind Farm.
To learn more about EWF, the 2025 music lineup and Frank and Friends, find them on Facebook or Instagram at Easy Wind Farm. Tickets for all events, including music and camping options, are available through Eventbrite. A limited number of general admission tickets are available at the gate.
Before you experience all that Katie and Danny have created at EWF, remember what they say: “Please bring ONLY good vibes and be mindful.”
Easy Wind Farm | 652 Blackwells Wharf Road, Burgess | @easywindfarm | facebook.com/easywindpresents | etsy.com/shop/EasyWindFarm
