The second annual two day celebration of music to be held at
The Strutt in Kalamazoo, MI. Just to make things even better, the event will be sponsored by
WIDR 89.1FM!
The festival will be kicked off by Kalamazoo's own
Urban Abstraction. Founded in the early months of 2009 in Kalamazoo, the group's overall mindset is inspired by the improvisational mentality of many Jazz greats, both past and present.
Urban Abstraction goes into each performance with concrete musicial ideas, but relies on improvisation to complete the sound. This approach is not only exciting for the musicians, but also for the listeners, making each experience a unique one.
Headlining THURSDAY, APRIL 22ND will be
This Must Be The Band, a Talking Heads Tribute Band that only plays Talking Heads music, and, if possible, 3 to 4 hours at a time. Since forming in May 2007, TMBTB has been Burning Down The House throughout Chicago and the entire midwest. With a rapidly expanding repertoire from the Talking Heads’ catalog of countless hits, TMBTB highlights the best of the Talking Heads, equipped with their very own Bernie Worrell, Adrian Belew, Lynn Mabry, and Ednah Holt.
FRIDAY, APRIL 23RD will begin with Kalamazoo native
Michael Beauchamp. With his powerful voice and mournful guitar licks,
Beauchamp spins beautifully melodic yarns about lost love, discovery, and the playful allure of live music. He writes songs that hearken back to old-time, bluegrass, and the '60's folk revival as part of the vibrant and growing Michigan music scene. He is also a member of the Earthwork Music Collective - many of whose members (including the band Breathe Owl Breathe) helped him produce his debut solo album,
My Northern Voices, released in 2008.
He will be followed by fellow Earthwork musician
Rachel Davis, who has been singing on-stage since she was two years old. Being born to parents who never intended to keep her very far from music for very long seems to have made all the difference in the world. Before she could walk
Rachel would be set in a car seat and placed in the middle of a song circle, and with silver bells on her ankles she would shake her feet to the rhythm. In September of 2001,
Rachel moved to Boston and within the span of seven months was awarded a Boston Music Award for Best New Singer-Songwriter. Her influences range from the jazz stylings of Ella Fitzgerald to the soulful pop vocals of Patty Griffin -- with many more in between. She is a contemporary songwriter but is equally at home singing anything from traditional ballads to Cole Porter to Joe Henry.
And closing out the weekend will be
Joshua Davis. His music is steeped in ragtime blues, sweet jazz, real country and cajun, and
Davis blends these traditions with his love for gritty rock n' roll and old soul. The result is what Performing Songwriter Magazine calls, "Some of the liveliest and most rocking roots music around.”
Mr. Davis travels across the country playing at concert halls, old theatres, festivals, clubs, dives, classrooms and parks. He’s released a number of albums, including his 2005 solo effort,
Fool Rooster, which earned the album of the year slot from “Progressive Torch and Twang”, a cult favorite Americana show on WDBM. He’s released four albums with roots-rocking quartet Steppin’ In It, one album of jazz standards with Shout Sister Shout, and has appeared on too many albums to count.
Facebook Event
THURSDAY, APRIL 22ND:
