Porchfest jams musicians, community together
Local musicals entertain members of the Mount Pleasant community on Sept. 18 during the community event Porch Fest. The local bands turned front porches into stages as they performed for various members of the community.
For more than six hours on Sunday afternoon, the neighborhood north of High Street transformed into a musical infusion.
Local musicians performed on porches as community members watched from lawns for the Mount Pleasant Porchfest. The event, which lasted from 1 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. allowed musicians to perform at the homes of volunteers.
Fourteen musical acts performed in different locations with Stephanie Terpening opening the festival at 121 S. Kinney at 1 p.m. Porchfest concluded with a performance from the band Kavazabava at the Veterans Memorial Library loading dock on Wisconsin Street.
The event was put on by the Washington Area Neighborhood Association. According to the Porchfest website, the goal is "to create a sense of community, to showcase local talent, to meet your neighbors and to showcase the neighborhood south of Historic Downtown Mt. Pleasant."
Guitarist Ray Davies took the porch at 4:40 p.m. on S. University Street at the residence of one of his students, current CMU English professor Matt Roberson.
Attendees watched Davies' 40-minute set from lawn chairs. Davies performed most songs solo, but had Roberson play with him for a couple of songs.
“It’s a little bit noisy here," Davies said following his performance. "I like the fresh air and the neighborhood atmosphere. People can kind of pick-and-choose — stay for a while and then move on if they want to, depending on their schedules. It’s got kind of a relaxed feeling so I like that.”
Roberson hosted Mary Irvine at the first Porchfest in June, but invited Davies out this time around.
"He’s a friend I’ve known for a long time," Roberson said. "I think he’s tremendous and I wanted to show him off to everybody.”
Davies, who is a piano tuner and a guitar teacher, has performed outside before, but he said it was different at Porchfest.
“This was much more friendly — no mosquitoes, no heat beating down on us," he said. "The weather is a big thing that really helps.”
The sunny day and lack of mosquitoes on Sunday was complemented by the number of people that turned out for Davies' set. Applause followed each song he performed, which were instrumentals.
“I’m surprised how many people make it from concert-to-concert and come out on a Sunday afternoon. (It's a) really nice neighborhood spirit," Roberson said.
Roberson added Sunday was the first time he performed in front of a live audience. The more-experienced Davies said he has a passion for music.
“It’s more than a hobby," Davies said. "It’s something that I am always eager to do and can’t quite get enough time to do it often. It’s always a part of my life.”
Down the street were the MudPuppys, a local band that specializes in the genres of rockabilly and old country. Their set featured a large crowd, stretching as far as across the street.
The trio is comprised of singer and rhythm guitarist Jacqueline Aldrich, lead guitarist Jimmy Aldrich and bassist and percussionist Sean Flaherty. MudPuppys formed eight years ago and have performed at dive bars in Mount Pleasant, Grand Rapids and Lansing.
Sunday's performance marked the second time MudPuppys played after a brief hiatus. Jacqueline had given birth to her and Jimmy's son, a nine-month-old named Louen.
Jacqueline, a 2010 Central Michigan University alumna, said she was pleased with how the group performed at Porchfest.
“It was hot, (but) it was fun though and it kind of kicked us back to gear," she said. "We’ve been kind of out of it for a while. We’re getting back into shape. I thought it went pretty well.”
While the band saw many familiar faces during their performance, Jacqueline said the festival is great for the live music scene and is good for the community.
"I hope that it keeps going and I bet it will get a lot bigger. This community really supports their local businesses and really appreciates live music," she said. "There’s a really strong musical community here that supports each other.”
On W. Maple Street, Brian Eldred played at the home of his daughter, Brittany Smith and son-in-law Kenny. Eldred has worked in Mount Pleasant for 30 years, but has been playing music for 40. Eldred specializes in country and gospel music. He often plays in churches.
"It's a nice community thing where people get to meet other community people," Eldred said.
Roberson said the festival is part of the revitalization of the neighborhood by WANA, mentioning the re-development of the Potter Playground.
Davies said he would be back for next season's Porchfest, adding it's exposure to creative things in the neighborhood that some people might not know about.
“They get to meet their neighbors and see people that are a few blocks over that they maybe didn’t realize live so close," Davies said.
