Saturday’s second annual festival celebrated the KDL Vibes regional music streaming service with sets by more than a dozen acts, including Phabies, Earth Radio, Ralston Bowles & more.
KDL Vibes Fest, Take 2: Phabies was part of Saturday’s second annual event at Cascade Library. (Photo/Holly Holtzclaw)
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Kent District Library’s second annual Vibes Fest encouraged attendees to build their own experiences by offering two different settings, music during all times of the day, and countless genres, all represented by KDL Vibes artists.
Acoustic sets like Irish Traditional group Trillium took place inside the Cascade KDL branch as patrons browsed the library, complementing the cozy feel of the interior.
Meanwhile, full-band sets took over the newly built outdoor stage while the audience relaxed in the grass.
Chilly temperatures and high winds played a part in steering people away from the outdoor performances, but each band was met with enthusiasm by those who showed up to support them nonetheless.
Grand Rapids pop-rock band Phabies praised the KDL Vibes program for paying local artists and making their music widely available for streaming. “It’s kind of like Spotify except we actually get paid,” vocalist Laura Hobson joked.
Indoor Melodies: Trillium (Photo/Holly Holtzclaw)
The KDL Vibes digital collection — which features 100 albums by 96 artists on its KDL Vibes streaming platform — pays a one-time honorarium of $250 to bands and artists selected by a panel of jurors, which this year features Nicole LaRae, Della Marie Levi and Audrey Pearson. The service wants to add about 30 new submissions by West Michigan musicians as part of its fourth submission period that ends on Aug. 31. Artists can submit songs online at https://vibes.kdl.org/submit.
Performing as a trio, Phabies showcased some of its latest tracks and even encouraged the audience to contribute their best crow sounds to the song “Language of the Harvest.”
Grand Rapids singer-songwriter Ralston Bowles delivered sincere and often somber folk songs about his life, but couldn’t resist throwing in a comedic story or two to earn laughs from the crowd.
Closing out the night, Grand Rapids’ Earth Radio brought its one-of-a-kind grooves to the stage, implementing elements of funk, soul and R&B, drawing cheers from the crowd in response to Hannah Laine’s impressive vocal range and complex solos from keyboardist Dutcher Snedeker.
Other bands performing this year included Serita’s Black Rose, Porter Kenyon, Folias Duo, Rabbit Fur, Driving in the Bike Lane, Josh Garvelink, Pia Lu, Singing Lungs and Julianne Howe-Bouwens
PHOTO GALLERY: KDL Vibes Fest 2024 at Cascade Library
Photos by Holly Holtzclaw
