The week-long music festival heats up multiple Kalamazoo venues in September with Nathan Walton, Laura Rain, Zion Lion & more. It also hosts a tornado relief benefit tonight. Schedule & more at Local Spins.
Back for September 2024: Sounds of the Zoo’s Zion Lion and 53 other acts will heat up Kalamazoo. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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The vision for a seven-day urban music festival showcasing Michigan bands at multiple venues in a town with a rich musical legacy sounds like a beautiful thing.
Pulling it off is another matter altogether.
But Jennifer Hudson-Prenkert has not only created, organized, booked and assembled this ambitious Kalamazoo festival the past two years, but Sounds of the Zoo’s Year 3 shapes up as the biggest and most impressive edition of the event yet.
Back for 2024: Jennifer Hudson-Prenkert (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
“I am incredibly proud of all of the music that has been featured since the creation of the festival in 2022. It has been a number goal for me to curate music performances that focus on diversity, inclusivity and accessibility for all,” Hudson-Prenkert said of the festival that takes place at various Kalamazoo locations Sept. 23-29.
“This is a driving force to my commitment to continue to grow our Michigan music scene and make sure it thrives and has a focus on mental health. This year’s lineup features local and regional Michigan musicians covering a wide range of genres. It’s a very important goal of Sounds of the Zoo to always give the audiences a week-long, eclectic live music experience.”
The 2024 lineup features a who’s who roster of established regional stars, including Nathan Walton & The Remedy, Laura Rain & The Caesars, Act Casual, Zion Lion, Earth Radio, The Schrock Bros and Kait Rose & The Thorns.
Up-and-coming Michigan artists are in the mix, too: Kanin Wren, Fake Baseball, Lindsey King, Santino Jones and more, including a showcase featuring young musicians from the Kalamazoo Academy of Rock.
“Sounds of the Zoo creates a very unique music journey unlike any other music experience they have ever had with 55 bands to explore at eight different music venues throughout downtown Kalamazoo,” she said. “My goal is to create live music experiences that attract attendees who have a passion and love of music.”
Financed by sponsors, grants and donations, Sounds of the Zoo features free admission to its concerts and events.
Laura Rain (Photo/Anna Sink)
“It takes a village to raise the funds and there are lots of sponsors that have made this possible,” Hudson-Prenkert said, noting the event received grants from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation and DDA/DEGA Events and Marketing Sponsorship of Kalamazoo.
In the spirit of community, Sounds of the Zoo also is hosting a tornado relief benefit tonight (Thursday, Aug. 22) at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe to help victims of the Kalamazoo tornado. Performing will be Two Dollar Bills, The Nathan Moore Affair and Potus & The Cabinet, with doors opening at 6 p.m. A $10 minimum donation is recommended; details here.
The benefit and Sounds of the Zoo festival all aim to expose audiences to Michigan’s burgeoning, musical talent pool.
“We have to keep encouraging people to come out and be a participant of the community by supporting live music and generating the pure joy that music give us,” she said.
Sounds of the Zoo will make a formal schedule announcement next week, with details and more information online at soundsofthezoo.com. View Local Spins coverage of the 2023 Sounds of the Zoo.
SOUNDS OF THE ZOO 2024: The Schedule
(Schedule Subject to Change)
Copyright 2024, Spins on Music LLC
