The Kent District Library’s two-day festival this weekend at the Cascade Township branch will feature performances by 15 regional acts on two stages. Get details and the schedule at Local Spins.
Rabbit Fur: The dream folk outfit plays Vibes Fest on Saturday. (Photo/Local Spins)
When Kent District Library launched its KDL Vibes music-streaming platform in 2021, the mission was to spotlight the diverse talent and “incredible local musicians” populating the West Michigan scene.
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After three submission periods, the streaming service now features music from more than 100 regional artists.
And for the first time, the library system will showcase live performances by 15 diverse West Michigan artists in the inaugural KDL Vibes Fest on Saturday and Sunday at the Cascade Township Branch.
“Our goal is to highlight local artists from multiple genres in the community as well as those already on our Vibes streaming platform,” said Leigh Verburg, branch outreach and programming specialist at the Cascade Branch.
“We really wanted to keep performers local and cover multiple genres. As the library is a place for all, we also wanted to make sure the music would be family-friendly – not to say it’s children’s music, but rather that it would not be offensive to small ears.”
J. Oscar Bittinger (Photo/Anna Sink)
The two-day festival – with indoor stages at the Wisner Center and in the main library – will feature established regional acts such as Ralston Bowles, Hannah Rose Graves, J. Oscar Bittinger and Lazy Genius as well as up-and-coming artists, including Low Phase, Rabbit Fur and Daisybox. The performances will range from singer-songwriter sets to psych-rock, indie-rock and jazzy folk.
Verburg noted there’s been public demand for the Cascade Branch to bring back its one-time “Sunday Afternoon Live” concerts, so KLD Vibes Fest represents “our branch reimagining ‘Sunday Afternoon Live’ and making it a two-day festival.”
The festival runs from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. The Wisner Center stage will host full bands; acoustic acts will perform in the main library near the reference desk with limited seating.
Working with the MUSICat open-source platform – developed for libraries across the country by Rabble – Kent District Library has created a local, mini-version of a music streaming service (think Spotify) that’s free to users. Access it here.
KDL VIBES FEST 2023: THE SCHEDULE
Copyright 2023, Spins on Music LLC
