Two festivals in different parts of the city attracted fans for a wide variety of music unleashed by Michigan bands amid splendid summer weather. Photos, videos at Local Spins.
Festival Revelry: Small Foreign Festival (top) and Return to the River drew enthused fans on Saturday. (Photos/Chelsea Whitaker/Eric Stoike)
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Mother Nature smiled broadly for organizers of two free Grand Rapids festivals on Saturday.
Amid bright sunshine, the first-ever Small Foreign Festival at Sullivan Field boasted eight regional bands and dozens of art vendors on the city’s West Side while Day 1 of Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.’s Return to the River Music & Art Festival attracted thousands of people for DJs, band performances, children’s activities and art installations along the Grand River on the north side of downtown.
Return to the River continues with performances on two stages today (Sunday). View the schedule and details here.
Local Spins photographer and writer Chelsea Whitaker offers her take on the inaugural Small Foreign Festival:
Sullivan Field as Festival Site: Supo kicked things off on Saturday. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Art vendors filled Sullivan Field with tents full of weird and crafty creations. Everything from ceramic baby doll part earrings to tie dye scarves, cyanotypes, and even skateboards were available for sale. All vendors hailing from Michigan showcased the wide and diverse talents our state has to offer.
• Supo opened the day of live music with pop girl energy. Her catchy lyrics and dancy beats made the perfect opening to Small Foreign Festival. The crowd was flowing in early, with blankets splayed on the grass.
• Money Soup brought the smooth groove. Featuring a Grand Rapids favorite on drums, Zach Dubay.
• Isobel unfurled airy pop with soft vocals. She performed part of her set with only herself, her pianist and backing tracks, and part with a full band, revealing a sound and vibe reminiscent of Olivia Rodrigo.
• Ypsilanti punk-rock band Riot Course got the crowd on its feet for the first time of the day. “Protect trans lives and reject fascism,” vocalist Kate Emrich declared about halfway through the set.
• Squatch came in with the prog rock grooves, playing its recent single “Cakewalk” along with other favorites. They teased a Shania Twain cover and instead played “Transdermal Celebration” by Ween. Folks in the crowd were screaming for Squatch, excited for their set.
Ficus (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
• Common Molly, one of the most anticipated bands of the day, brought punk hardcore energy and encouraged the crowd to get hyped up as well. The band’s set brought the largest group of fans to their feet, moshing and skanking in front of the stage. During the last song, vocalist Bethany Fish ran off the stage, through the crowd, and around the entire field. Finally, snagging a construction cone from the entry and holding it above her head as the band finished out the song.
• The high-energy rock of Ficus also had Michael Kilinowski picking up a flute toward the end of a song, using it to transition into face-melting prog-rock. While many bands performed covers throughout the day, Ficus was the only act to cover another Michigan band, Levitator.
• East Lansing’s Clipboards closed things out and got the remaining crowd to its feet, many fans screaming the lyrics along with the band. They performed their latest album, “Endless Days,” front to back, and even surprised the audience by bringing out a trumpet and saxophone at times throughout the set.
GROWING FESTIVAL CROWDS IN TWO PLACES
The Small Foreign Festival crowd grew as the night went on. Young alternative kids filled the field. The families and older folks sat in their chairs farther back from the stage. Throughout the night, raffles were awarded for gift certificates for local businesses General Woodshop and Garage Bar, as well as a merch package.
Organizer Lili Bulkowski called the inaugural event a success, with about 1,000 people attending throughout the day.
She called it “the perfect moment” for all five of the organizers to come together and give back to the DIY arts community. All organizers have previous experience in the DIY scene, and this festival was an ideal opportunity for each of them to showcase their individual talents.
“We have the same fervor,” she said in regard to her fellow organizers, and “you really aren’t gonna find that anywhere else than the DIY scene. … The dream is to put together a guidebook, so to say” to help teach others how to participate in the scene in this way. “I described it as ‘build the car, give away the keys.’”
The Gio Rounds at Return to the River (Photo/Eric Stoike)
“This festival is your invitation to join us. It’s not your invitation to see us. It’s your invitation to come and take part in what makes DIY art happen for the city.”
Meanwhile, two miles to the east on the north edge of downtown Grand Rapids, attendees at Return to the River strolled from stage to stage and activity to activity, while also patronizing bars and businesses along Monroe Avenue NW.
Crowds grew to throngs after late afternoon sets by Mystic Dub and Nathan Walton & The Remedy on the Sixth Street Stage. The Glitch Mob on the DJ-dominated 555 Stage and Kalamazoo’s The Go Rounds on the Sixth Street Stage reveled in packed “houses” for their late-night sets.
Check out photos and a video below. More Return to the River music kicks off at 1 p.m. today.
PHOTO GALLERY: Small Foreign Festival at Sullivan Field
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
PHOTO GALLERY: Return to the River Festival, Monroe North (Saturday)
Photos by Eric Stoike and John Sinkevics
