Midwest Fest returns to Hunter's Ale House
Seeing the burgeoning culture of independent music festivals growing by the year, Corey Densmore was inspired to curate his own collection of local musicians and talent.
Midwest Fest is just around the corner and gives music lovers yet another chance to enjoy music from local artists.
“I was seeing a lot of other small music fests like Mittenfest," Densmore said. "I said 'I could probably put something like that on in Mount Pleasant,' and I guess the rest is history."
After some trial and error, Densmore established an annual event that has grown in popularity. This year's event will span three days starting Thursday, Sept. 25 with 16 bands set to take the stage.
Densmore said that while putting the event on each year is no easy task, he enjoys it because it showcases what he calls the unique brand of music that Michigan has to offer.
“A lot of people think I’m crazy for doing it every year,” he said. “I do it because I like the bands. I like Michigan music, and I think Michigan and the Midwest have a lot to offer.”
It is that unique Michigan sound that Densmore thinks keeps people coming back for more. Some genres of music, especially folk, have very deep roots in the state. Folk music festivals, such as the Wheatland Music Festival in Wheatland Township and the Hiawatha Music Festival in the Upper Peninsula, offer fans a cultural experience along the music.
Joe Hertler, songwriter for the alternative band Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers, began his career in folk music and agrees that it is deeply rooted in Michigan culture.
“There’s a strong human connection in a lot of folk music," he said. "It’s something that people connect with. Some of the festivals are going on 34 years now."
Hertler said his band often gets lumped in with the folk category because of its folk and R&B roots, so he and the other band members often get asked to play at folk music festivals. While many people attend for the music, he said, most turn out to partake in the folk culture that exists in Michigan.
Densmore, too, spoke of the culture that underlies the unique music in the state. Though some genres, like folk, have been around for decades, he said the culture that supports them is so strong that the music will always draw supporters.
“I don’t think it ever really went away,” he said. “Folk has been around for so long that it’s kind of engrained in us. It’s a lot of the same bands, but people keep going because they want to be a part of that community.”
Mount Pleasant Public Information Officer Jeff Browne can attest to the power of culture when it comes to monitoring events like music festival and music-based parties in the area. The popularity of “rave” parties, for example, stretches back into the '90s, he said.
Events like Electric Forest and the recent attention-grabbing “Project P” in Mecosta County attract such high numbers of youth in part because of a culture that glorifies them and the advanced technology to better advertise them.
“I think the interest is back because culture dictates in this area that it’s accepted,” Browne said. “As far as music festivals and things like that go, you have social media that makes it easier for people to broadcast it faster, and people don’t think that police are monitoring that.”
Even as technology and music changes, Hertler said he believes the popularity of folk and other Michigan sounds will persist among people of all ages.
“Everything changes. Folk music today is entirely dependent on everything that’s come before it,” he said.
Midwest Fest kicks off at 9 p.m. on Thursday at Hunter’s Ale House in Mount Pleasant. Tickets are $5 for each night or $10 for the entire weekend and can be purchased online at mwfest.com.
The event will have a two-stage set up so those who attend can see every band that plays rather than choosing one or the other.
Performances include bands that have graced the Midwest stage before, including Cheap Girls, Mike Mains and the Branches and Frontier Ruckus.
