The week-long festival taking place at various Kalamazoo venues in late September has revealed its 2025 lineup, which includes premiere of the ‘Kalamazoo Gals’ documentary. View the schedule at Local Spins.
Celebrating Community and Diversity: Great Lakes Brass will lead a second-line parade at Sounds of the Zoo 2025. (Photo/Cassandra Kipp)
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With performances by diverse Michigan stars The Go Rounds, Lady Ace Boogie, Luke Winslow-King, Louie Lee and Jordan Hamilton among many others – along with the premiere of the “Kalamazoo Gals” documentary – the 2025 edition of September’s Sounds of the Zoo festival offers fans a true smorgasbord of regional talent.
The week-long festival – which also includes workshops and community panels – rolls out for the fourth year at numerous Kalamazoo venues Sept. 22-28, starting in the cozy confines of The Clover Room then hitting Bell’s Brewery Back Room, Old Dog Tavern, Crawlspace Comedy Theatre, Green Door Distilling and Bronson Park, not to mention “busking stations” around downtown.
In all, the free-admission festival will feature 50 performances across several genres at numerous locations, representing festival founder and director Jennifer Hudson-Prenkert’s mission of “building community through music. We want Kalamazoo to be recognized as a music city – a place where people come together to connect, heal and grow through art.”
Set to Light Up Bronson Park Again: Sounds of the Zoo (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Other performers from across the state include Basic Comfort, The Red Sea Pedestrians, Super Dre, The Incantations, Sophia McIntosh & The Sages, Candid Antics, Headband Henny, Celestina y Los Sanchez, Yolonda Lavender, Kenny Olson, Jennifer Westwood & The Handsome Devils, the Western Michigan University Latin Jazz Ensemble and more.
A highlight for 2025 will be the Friday night (Sept. 26) premiere screening of “Kalamazoo Gals,” a short documentary paying tribute to the women who built Gibson guitars in Kalamazoo during World War II. A second screening will take place on Saturday.
Friday’s lineup will also include a “second-line” parade inspired by New Orleans’ tradition — a procession led by Great Lakes Brass that will end at Bronson Park with the “entire community” invited to join in the celebration.
In addition to live music, the schedule features workshops, a “Push the City Cypher” competition and busking by bands and solo artists at Burnham Plaza and at a stage across from State Theatre.
Hudson-Prenkert, who’s worked year-round to organize the ambitious multi-day event, told Local Spins that the biggest change for the festival since its inception has involved “building the music culture and securing the funding to make this a free festival” for attendees.
View Local Spins’ Coverage of Sounds of the Zoo 2024
KALAMAZOO’S SOUNDS OF THE ZOO – EVENT SCHEDULE 2025
Monday, September 22 – Clover Room (6:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
• 6:00 PM – Hannah Laine & Jess Ivey
• 7:30 PM – Recording Workshop with Maggie Heeren (at La Luna Recording)
• 8:30 PM – Brontë Falls & Brian Koenigsknecht
Tuesday, September 23 – Bell’s Back Room (6:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
• 6:00 PM – The Frogs and Toads
• 7:30 PM – Overdrive Orchestra
• 9:00 PM – Basic Comfort
Wednesday, September 24 – Old Dog Tavern (6:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
• 6:00 PM – Joy Modulators
• 7:30 PM – The Fat Animals
• 9:00 PM – The Red Sea Pedestrians
Thursday, September 25
Crawl Space Comedy Theatre (6:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
• 6:00 PM – John Stein with Keith Hall & Carlo De Rosa
• 7:30 PM – WMU Latin Jazz Ensemble
• 9:00 PM – Sugar Bomb
Green Door Distillery (6:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
• 6:00 PM – Super Dre
• 7:00 PM – Push The City Cypher Competition
• 8:00 PM – Tekeo & KBY
• 8:30 PM – Dezert Eez
• 9:00 PM – Jordan Hamilton
• 9:30 PM – Lady Ace Boogie & Friends
Friday, September 26 – Bronson Park (4:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
• 4:00 PM – Great Lakes Brass Second Line Parade
• 6:00 PM – Verzell
• 7:30 PM – The Incantations
• 8:30 PM – Kalamazoo Gals Documentary Premiere
• 9:00 PM – Luke Winslow King
Saturday, September 27
Bronson Park (12:00 PM – 10:30 PM)
• 12:00 PM – Sophia McIntosh & The Sages
• 1:30 PM – Candid Antics
• 3:00 PM – Celestina y Los Sanchez
• 4:30 PM – Headband Henny
• 6:00 PM – BLKJAC
• 7:30 PM – Louie Lee
• 8:30 PM – Kalamazoo Gals Documentary Premiere
• 9:00 PM – Kenny Olson Cartel
Busking Station #1 – Burnham Plaza / Acu (12:00 PM – 4:00 PM)
• 12:00 PM – The Soul Fire Music School
• 1:00 PM – Erin Monroe & Harry Phillips
• 2:00 PM – Josh Holcomb
• 3:00 PM – Hopie Jo
Busking Station #2 – Across from the State Theatre (12:00 PM – 4:00 PM)
• 12:00 PM – Bourbon Brothers
• 1:00 PM – Capt. Cat
• 2:00 PM – Persian Rugg
• 3:00 PM – The Blue Pines
Crawl Space Comedy Theatre (12:00 PM – 3:00 PM)
• 12:00 PM – Whiskey Before Breakfast
• 1:00 PM – Workshop with Chris Simpson
• 1:30 PM – Selkie
Sunday, September 28 – Bronson Park (1:00 PM – 8:00 PM)
• 1:00 PM – Bahar Ensemble
• 2:30 PM – Goh Kurosawa
• 4:00 PM – Jennifer Westwood and The Handsome Devils
• 5:30 PM – Yolonda Lavender
• 7:00 PM – The Go Rounds
To donate to Sounds of the Zoo and help keep this a free festival, go online to soundsofthezoo.com.
Copyright 2025, Spins on Music LLC
