Since they were a child, Earthwork Music artist Ben Traverse has been called an old soul.

Heralded as the modern-day Pete Seeger, they rove across the Great Lakes Basin and beyond, purveying the finest blend of American, Celtic, and Maritime traditions, and sharing the history from which they came.

From a young age, they developed a reverence for music, the vast forests and waters of their Northern Michigan home, and the history of the everyman. In high school, they found the culmination of those passions in traditional folk music through a camp celebrating Alan Lomax’s expedition across Michigan nearly a century ago.

Over the following decade, Traverse has cemented themself as a community leader and one of Michigan’s foremost traditional balladeers. They bring educational programming and outreach initiatives to libraries, schools, any community centers, as well as full performances to listening rooms and festivals. Their music is in steeped community, both with their backing band, The Little River Stringband, and through collaborative album projects with fellow Michiganders Michael Dause and Nick Veine.

With three full albums under their belt, a fourth well on the way, and hundreds of shows from Iowa to Maine, their dedication to being a gentle steward of tradition is evident to everyone who crosses their path.

Photo by Liz Tiffany