The popular house show fest returns this weekend to “enrich” Eastown in Grand Rapids, but only in living rooms and an attic (not basements). Get the story, artist lineup and full schedule of intimate shows.
Living Room Magic: Chris Bathgate performing for a jam-packed crowd at 2015’s Lamp Light. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
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Wooden floorboards creaked as Chris Bathgate leaned into every strum of his guitar.
His carefully placed, delicate lyrics fell over the still room, while a hushed audience encircled him, stretching to every confine of the house.
Returnees: JRob and Lady Ace Boogie perform this year at Lamp Light as The Great Ones. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
The Ann Arbor songwriter offered what was one of the most captivating sets at last year’s Lamp Light Music Festival.
This weekend, the unique music gathering — comprised entirely of house shows — returns to Grand Rapids’ Eastown neighborhood, beginning Friday afternoon. Get tickets ($35 advance weekend; $20 day pass) and see specific locations/addresses at lamplightmusicfestival.com.
“It started small and has really grown over the years,” organizer John Hanson said of the festival, which operates with the help of an army of volunteers. “It’s really a conduit between all these different entities. We have all these local businesses, artists from all over the region and then we bring in the audience of Grand Rapids.
“There’s this fusion that happens and all these relationships are built and formed. Our goal is to enrich the community.”
The fifth-year festival will take place across four nicknamed house venues (Brick House, Murphy House, Bird House and Sage House) all within walking distance of one another.
John Hanson
Thirty-nine acts — including popular Michigan artists The Go Rounds, Seth Bernard, The Soil and the Sun, Fauxgrass, The Great Ones, May Erlewine, Dear Tracks and The SEVENth, along with up-and-coming musicians and unique collaborations, from Cold Country to Michael Beauchamp & My Northern Voices — will perform small, intimate sets over the course of three days.
This year, the festival has done away with basement shows, partly due to the space restrictions of lower level spaces. A new addition, however, will be an attic stage at Sage House, a “raw, open space” where artists will perform.
A variety of workshops also are featured: Experimental Film Photography, Floral Mandala Making and Sprouts & Nutrition are among a handful of options available to ticket-holders.
“I just want to see an enhanced creative industry in Michigan. I really want to put Grand Rapids on the map,” Hanson said.
“It deserves to have its voice be a part of this country’s music scene. There are a lot of ways to do that, but the festival is one attempt. It’s a way to raise our voice and share what’s uniquely ours.”
CHECK OUT A LOCAL SPINS COLUMN, PHOTO GALLERY AND VIDEO FROM LAMP LIGHT 2015: A ‘Cultural Hub’ of musical diversity and intimate sets where anything is possible
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