The indie-rock-oriented, two-day festival in downtown Kalamazoo boasted 15 performances on Saturday, with plenty more to come for Day 2. Check out a photo gallery and highlights at Local Spins.
Rocking the Night: Saturday’s scene at Arcadia Creek Festival Place. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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Setting up for its third year at Arcadia Creek Festival Place in downtown Kalamazoo, the Audiotree Music Festival drew thousands for its opening day on Saturday flurry of 15 acts playing two stages, from local favorites such as Moss Jaw and Michigander to national buzz artists such as Local Natives, Khruangbin and Ne-Hi.
Flying the Michigan Flag: Michigander on stage Saturday. (Photo/Kendra Kamp)
The musical fun continues today (Sunday), culminating with a 9 p.m. final set by Father John Misty on the main stage. Return to Local Spins Monday for more Audiotree highlights. Check out a recap of Day 1 here.
Derek Ketchum’s Day 1 Highlights:
• Kalamazoo’s Moss Jaw kicking off the WIDR Stage, a new stage this year that focuses on regional acts.
• Maybe April bringing a bit of Nashville country-folk to Audiotree’s indie-rock mix, with Michigander closing out the WIDR Stage with a homecoming set of sorts seeing he has now relocated back to Kalamazoo.
• Ne-Hi returning to the Audiotree stage, L.A. punk band The Regrettes’ set, the psych/exotica/jazz/funk sound of Khruangbin, and the Saturday closing band Local Natives, who treated the crowd to a lot of new music in their final show of 2018. (The rest of their year will be spent in the studio finishing up their fourth album.)
The Regrettes (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Kendra Kamp’s Day 1 Highlights
• The crowd: It feels small for a festival of this type (though) it definitely grows as the day goes on. But it’s definitely there for the music. It feels like it’s very reverent and engaged.
• The diversity and local flavor of the music: The music has spanned several genres but has captivated the audience at each performance. Michigan acts have all done well. Moss Jaw had a healthy audience considering the time of day, and Michigander energetically closed out the second stage.
• Local Natives: L.A.’s Local Natives closed out the night for happy fans. Heard a couple of attendees in the front row excitedly proclaim “One minute!” just before the band came on.
PHOTO GALLERY: Audiotree Music Festival in Kalamazoo (Day 1)
Photos by Kendra Kamp and Derek Ketchum
