40,000-plus flood Unity Fest; Mummies march; Truckin’ into Hoxey revs up (Photo Recaps)

Ignoring another heat wave, crowds came to cheer Christian music stars in Muskegon, a mummified funk fave in Kalamazoo, jam bands in Paw Paw, Dead gems at Hoxey & more. The photo recaps at Local Spins.

 

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Another Michigan heat wave didn’t keep performers or fans from embracing live music outdoors, from Muskegon to Kalamazoo to Wellston to Paw Paw:

Here Come the Mummies returned to funk up Bell’s Brewery Beer Garden on Friday, a couple of days after Fruit Bats and Minor Moon heated up the Kalamazoo venue.

On Saturday, the jam band moe. and Eggy regaled another robust crowd at Warner Vineyards in Paw Paw.

Unity Christian Music Festival drew throngs of more than 40,000 to Muskegon’s Heritage Landing for a celebration of Christian music stars, and Truckin’ Into Hoxey made its debut in northern Michigan at the site of the former Hoxeyville Music Festival in Wellston, headlined by Grateful Dead tribute band Manistee Truckin’ Co.

Oh, and another jam band, Spafford, took its eclectic music indoors for a mid-week show at Holland’s Park Theatre. Check out the show recaps and photo galleries below.

For complete coverage of Saturday’s Walk the Beat fest in Grand Haven, click here: https://localspins.com/grand-havens-walk-the-beat-crowns-izzy-joy-winner-of-heated-2025-competition-local-spins/

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‘LONG WAY HOME’: THOUSANDS RETURN FOR MUSKEGON’S UNITY FESTIVAL

Fans at the Unity Christian Music Festival in Muskegon got a bit of a “Friday Flashback” with performances from two veteran artists.

Headliner Steve Curtis Chapman and Rebecca St. James were spotlighted in nostalgic sets, with Chapman going solo in a 100-minute retrospective of his award-winning tunes.

He wound his songs around his life story, including his bluegrass influence with “Where the Bluegrass Grows.” The artist’s guitar work was quick and exquisite. Chapman, 62, broke out a ukulele for “Long Way Home.” His youth, wife and kids all find their way into his song catalog, as did last year’s induction into the Grand Ole Opry (which launched his song “The Opry Stage.)”

But he didn’t neglect his Christian radio hits: he strung together a seven-song medley starting with his very first hit (in 1988) “His Eyes” all the way to the energetic “Let Us Pray.”

“I’ve got 137 songs left…I’ve made a lot of records,” he remarked near the end of his musical tour.

Earlier, St. James, who issued her first album as a teenager in the mid 1990s, went back to her songs such as worship-oriented “Breathe” and ballad “Wait For Me.”

Cochren & Co., Seph Schleuter and Jamie Mc Donald had begun the full afternoon and evening of music. Officials estimate attendance at its first three days totaled more than 40,000.

Saturday’s final salvo featured singer-songwriter and headliner Matt Maher, who replaced David Crowder after he broke his leg and was forced to cancel his appearance, as well as Sidewalk Prophets and Andrew Ripp. – By Terry DeBoer

PHOTO GALLERY: Unity Christian Music Festival
Heritage Landing in Muskegon (Friday-Saturday)
Photos by Jamie Geysbeek and Terry DeBoer

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PHOTO GALLERY: Eggy, .moe at Warner Vineyards (Saturday)
Photos by Derek Ketchum

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PHOTO GALLERY: Here Come the Mummies, LowDown Brass Band
Bell’s Beer Garden (Friday)
Photos by Derek Ketchum

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KEEPING ALIVE THE DEAD AT HOXEY

The only thing “Dead” about Truckin’ Into Hoxey was this years’ headliner. Anchored by Benzie County-based Grateful Dead tribute band Manitou Truckin’ Company on the 30th anniversary of the passing of Jerry Garcia, festivalgoers were all smiles throughout the inaugural two-day event in Wellton on the site of the former Hoxeyville Music Festival.

The effort was informally dubbed “Proxyville” and the vibe all weekend was that the story is not over for the sacred Michigan music grounds which used to be the haunt of Michigan sensations Billy Strings and Greensky Bluegrass. About 500 attended the Truckin’ Into Hoxey debut.

“Production companies come and go, but nothing can replicate that feeling when the sun goes down over that stage in these majestic northwoods,” said organizer Bruce Deverage of Camp Skunk Productions. “We are so pleased that the landowners, musicians, and all of these fans see that too.”

Friday night got smokin’ when West Michigan-based The Smokin’ Dobroleles threw down a burner set that teased the Grateful Dead themes that dotted the weekend programming, followed by Lost In the Woods, a first-time performance by a band that will surely have staying power in the Michigan music scene with their long, jammy improvisations.

Saturday’s daytime lineup was curated by Deverage and his wife, Jamie, and included Joe Johnson and the Bluebacks, Herb and Hanson, The Turnips and Venus Envy. Manitou Truckin’ Company brought the festival home in true Dead style, with fire jugglers, blotter art and laser lights adding to the natural psychedelia of a distant thunder storm. In true Hoxeyville style, the music never stopped when the amps went silent at midnight as acoustic jam sessions carried on well into the morning hours. – By Sam Hogg

PHOTO GALLERY: Truckin’ into Hoxey in Wellston (Friday-Saturday)
Photos by Sam Hogg

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PHOTO GALLERY: Fruit Bats, Minor Moon at Bell’s Beer Garden (Wednesday)
Photos by Derek Ketchum

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PHOTO GALLERY: Spafford at Holland’s Park Theatre (Wednesday)
Photos by Steve Baran

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