Perrin Brewing hosts first Ice Jam fest in January with Mustard Plug, Heaters, Mainstays, I Believe in Julio, Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish

The tented event outside Perrin’s Comstock Park taproom will serve as a preview to the WYCE Jammie Awards show and raise money for Kids’ Food Basket.

 

Ice Jam, a one-day winter festival, will fire up for the first time outside Perring Brewing Co. in Comstock Park on Jan. 28 with performances by Mustard Plug, Heaters, The Mainstays, I Believe in Julio and Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish.

The event – with adult and children’s winter activities – is a preview to WYCE-FM’s Jammie Awards, with extended sets by West Michigan bands nominated for 2016 awards. (The Jammies take place Feb. 10 at The Intersection in Grand Rapids.)

The inaugural Ice Jam will also serve as a fundraiser for Kids’ Food Basket, with admission fees serving as donations to the nonprofit organization which provides nutritious meals to thousands of children.

“We’ve never had a winter festival,” said Lindsey VanDenBoom, public relations manager for Perrin Brewing, 5910 Comstock Park Drive NW. “But we kind of wanted to bring people out in the off-season, something new. Typically, people don’t throw parties in the backyard when it’s snowing outside.”

Perrin will do that in style, with a gigantic heated tent that will house an outdoor stage and hundreds of attendees.

“We hope people are dancing. It’s cold outside so we want to keep them warm in the tent and keep them grooving,” VanDenBoom said, noting that Perrin brews and food will be available outdoors as well as inside.

The day-long festival, running from 2 to 8 p.m. behind Perrin Brewing, will also feature bonfires, a cigar-rolling lounge, cornhole games and a variety of “family-conducive” children’s activities. Depending on the weather, Perrin also plans some snow- and ice-focused activities as well.

In addition, a “Frostbite 5K Run” will take place starting at 1:30 p.m. that day.

The centerpiece, however, is the music, booked with the assistance of Joel Gordon.

The festival will feature sets by Kalamazoo funk and soul band The Mainstays (nominated for best blues/soul album of 2016 at the Jammie Awards), Grand Rapids rockabilly/roots duo Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish (nominated for best roots/revival album), Grand Rapids punk band I Believe in Julio (nominated for best alternative album) and Grand Rapids psych-rock group Heaters (nominated for best alternative album).

A fifth “mystery” band will be announced for the festival by the end of December.

Local Spins and WYCE (88.1 FM) will emcee Ice Jam performances.

Although donations – cash or needed food items – will be taken at the gate the day of the event, festivalgoers can make “pre-sale ticket donations” in advance online to avoid entry lines for Ice Jam. Those “pre-sale” donations can be made online here at perrinbrewing.com.

Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC