The inaugural Grand Rapids music festival was to unfurl Friday and Saturday in a pair of Eastown homes and promised to be a multi-genre, waffle-filled affair. But a complaint led to its cancellation.
‘Getting Everyone Together’: Tyler DeCoeur of The Cardboard Swords. (Photo/Hannah Mico)
UPDATE: A complaint made to authorities on Wednesday about this weekend’s BrekFEST event led organizers to cancel the weekend concerts due to concerns related to ticketing and alcohol. In a message on the event Facebook page, Lindsay Sanderson stated, “We are very sorry for the inconvenience.”
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She also told Local Spins: “Basically, some folks who read the article, allegedly a music venue for out of town, called in a complaint to the Grand Rapids Police Department, which ended up going to the city and Fire Department and eventually my landlord. Basically it put a huge spotlight on us and if we held the event, it would have been shut down, we would have been fined (or worse) and we would have been evicted. So we felt it was too much to risk to continue. We may also be at risk for holding future shows. It really sucks.”
Another organizer, Dan Climie, thanked “everyone who helped out today and tried to find workable solutions for BrekFEST. Now it’s time to start a dialogue with the city. This is only the beginning.”
By David Specht
LocalSpins.com
Do-It-Together Grand Rapids is about to dish up a hearty serving of Midwest musical talent, with some tasty breakfast treats to boot.
On Friday evening, The House of Pancakes and Waffle Haus – two neighboring Eastown homes known for hosting intimate concerts – will kick off BrekFEST, a first-time, two-day event featuring performances by more than 30 bands and solo artists.
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The extensive lineup has enough variation to keep BrekFEST visitors hungry for each and every set, insists organizer Lindsay Sanderson of the Do-It-Together group, a collection of musicians and artists with a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach in booking shows and hosting events.
“There are a large number of emo bands playing, along with surf, punk, psych, electronic and hardcore, with other various genres thrown into the mix,” Sanderson says. “There are really so many different kinds of bands playing. It’s going to be awesome.”
Notable acts include American emo revival band Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) from Fenton, Michigan, and sad-pop trio The Cardboard Swords from Grand Rapids. Other bands come from as far away as Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin.
NEIGHBORING CONCERT ‘VENUES’AND VEGAN BREAKFASTS
The performances, said Sanderson, will be stacked back-to-back, alternating between houses with no overlapping sets, allowing everyone to experience each band to the fullest. The basement doors of the two neighboring houses are just steps away from one another, allowing concertgoers to catch all of the action.
“Both houses have a ‘no jerks and no drugs’ rule, and overall we really try to project ourselves as venues as opposed to ‘party houses.’ People are very respectful of that.”
Visitors will have the chance to indulge in an all-vegan breakfast feast of waffles, pancakes and potatoes.
Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate)
A homemade meal isn’t something typically provided outside of a home, let alone at a concert venue. But the intimacy of this experience, explains Tyler DeCoeur of The Cardboard Swords, is tied to the main goal that DITGR hopes to achieve.
“The best part is just getting everyone together. Despite the fact that it’s someone’s house, which sometimes people feel awkward about, we aim to create a real welcoming environment,” says DeCoeur.
“We don’t want anyone in the community to have the perception that it’s an exclusive group or to be discouraged from coming just because it’s a house of someone that they don’t know.”
FINDING PEOPLE ‘WHO ARE REALLY PASSIONATE’ TO BUILD THE MUSIC SCENE
Last July, when Sanderson began to realize that Grand Rapids’ DIY music scene wasn’t as active as she had hoped for it to be, she reached out to local artists, ranging from writers to musicians.
“Much to my surprise there were many more people willing to get involved than I had expected,” explained Sanderson.
Mag Kim of The Cardboard Swords
(Photo/Hannah Mico)
“We had attempted to do this the previous year. We had a couple of meetings with various members of the community and had a lot of big idea and goals, but I think that was our biggest downfall. When our big ideas and goals weren’t happening, people seemed to lose interest.”
Events such as BrekFEST represent the hard work of DITGR members finally coming to fruition.
“The second time around, we were able to learn from our mistakes and really build a solid foundation and find people who are really passionate and dedicated to work on making our music scene something really awesome.”
Get more information about the festival on the BrekFEST Facebook page, with tickets available at bigcartel.com. For more information and directions, email Sanderson at lindsaysanderson@me.com.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music
Cute idea but they were going to do this in rented homes? In other words homes belonging to someone else? Did the landlords know? I doubt it. If somebody fell down the basement stairs, in an “overcrowded and unsafe environment,” looking for the bathroom the landlord could be responsible.