Ultraviolet Hippopotamus had the big Founders Fest crowd grooving on Saturday.
It was a celebration worthy of John’s Day.
No, I didn’t see any guys strolling around with bushy oak-leaf crowns, but I saw plenty of unusual headgear at Saturday’s Founders Fest in downtown Grand Rapids: straw hats, baseball caps, beaded floppy hats, bandanas, cowboy hats, sombreros, even pointy kids’ birthday hats.
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And I saw plenty of other similarities to my oh-so-familiar Latvian upbringing in terms of commemorating the summer solstice, aka John’s Day: audience-involving live music, dancing, singing, a happy-mellow vibe, and oh yes, plenty of beer-imbibing.
Did I mention the beer? (A habit among Founders Festers is to stack their empties below their current brew and I swear I saw one fellow with a dozen empty cups in hand. Can you say ‘Hangover’? I think you can.)
This year’s Founders Fest may have been the biggest yet, with thousands jamming Grandville Avenue SW in front of Founders Brewing Co., and jamming to the strains of 10 bands playing two stages from mid-afternoon to late Saturday night: Soulive (funk-jazz from New York), Toubab Krewe (Afrobeat instrumental music from North Carolina) and all those fab local/regional acts — Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, Four Finger Five, Seth & May and Friends, The Crane Wives, Afro Zuma, That 1 Guy, The Soil & The Sun and, of course, the FBC All Stars, featuring Founders employees and associates.
I was particularly impressed by UV Hippo, which upped the ultra-cool-groove ante with its thunderous funk/rock/jam vibe, thus proving that this is a West Michigan band with a bright future and one that’s come a long way over the past few years.
Was it the biggest Founders Fest yet?
The oversized crowd at the mega-street party likely contributed to the longest beer lines I’ve seen at the peak of Founders Fest, with more than a few concertgoers complaining about the hyper-extended waiting times (and consequently, purchasing multiple beers once they arrived at the counter).
Meanwhile, two blocks away at The Intersection, it was Frank’s Day, not John’s Day.
Led by Grand Rapids bluesman Jimmie Stagger, a host of local musicians paid a poignant, musical tribute to Frank Salamone, an acoustic blues legend who died earlier this year after a long battle with multiple sclerosis.
An avid group of longtime acoustic folk/blues fans packed the front lounge of the Intersection as Stagger, poet David Cope, guitarist Jim Leitch and a succession of Salamone-ites played music and told stories about the much-beloved, influential musician who made his mark in the 1970s and early ‘80s. Read more about Salamone here.
The event also served as the official CD-release party for a classic 1976 live recording of Suitcase, the duo of Salamone and Stagger.
View videos from both events below.
Email: jsinkevics@gmail.com
