The Labor Day weekend celebration at The Little Fleet will feature eclectic sets by national acts Helado Negro, Daniel Villarreal, Finom, Kaina, Tiny Jag and The Antivillains. Details, schedule at Local Spins.
The Inaugural Festival Lineup: Six acts on two stages.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Return to Local Spins later this week for an exclusive interview with headliner Helado Negro. And scroll down for a playlist of featured acts and the full festival schedule.
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The way Little Fleet owner Gary Jonas sees it, “It’s all about the music.”
The popular Traverse City food truck destination that’s staged live music events the past eight years will up the ante considerably on Sunday (Sept. 4) when it hosts the first-ever All Call Music Festival with performances by six bands from across the country on two stages.
Featured acts will range from the boundary-pushing experimental folk/electronic strains of Asheville, N.C.’s Helado Negro to a pair of acclaimed Chicago acts – the cutting-edge indie-rock of Finom (formerly known as Ohmme) and the jazz-infused folk and funk of Panama native Daniel Villarreal.
The Labor Day weekend festival will take over Wellington Street next to The Little Fleet on Sunday afternoon and evening, with a main stage on Wellington and another stage at The Little Fleet.
“We are constantly hearing from the locals how they want new, different music in Traverse City. This is the answer to their calling,” said Jonas, who launched The Little Fleet with his wife, Allison, 10 years ago.
“We are bringing in bands from New York City, Chicago, Detroit and Ohio, and the diversity in the music is like none the area has seen before: hip-hop artists, Latin artists, soulful R&B artists. It’s a unique lineup for the area.”
That unique lineup will also include Chicago R&B/pop singer Kaina, Detroit hip-hop/pop/R&B artist Tiny Jag and Toledo indie-pop/rock outfit The Antivillains, led by songwriter Sarah Cohen. Music will run from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Negro played one of the first shows at a bar Jonas once owned in Brooklyn and he’s been ascending the musical ranks ever since.
Kaina (Photo/Dennis Larance)
“It’s been a dream of mine to bring him to Traverse City and something I’ve been working on for years,” Jonas said, describing the rest of the lineup as alternately “mesmerizing,” “catchy,” “magnetic” and “incredible.”
“I am equally eager to see all these musicians,” he said.
Of course, the one-day festival will also offer up plenty of food and libations.
Three different bars will serve Farm Club beer, Iron Fish Distillery cocktails, MAWBY Vineyards wine, M4 Distributors’ beer and non-alcoholic drinks. Food vendors will include Happy’s Taco Shop, Cordwood BBQ, Traverse City Pizza Co., Good on Wheels and Glendale Avenue.
Video visual artist Matt Stafford will also have an installation on site.
Tickets for All Call Music Festival are $35 and available online at allcallmusicfestival.com.
“Throughout the years when we close down the street for a party, we’ve slowly been testing the area by getting better and better talent,” Jonas said. “This one is a big leap of faith. We will see if the locals respond and if people travel for it.”
ALL CALL MUSIC FESTIVAL: The Local Spins Playlist on Spotify
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