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Root roast at Lamp Light 2013 /Eric Tank
The Wallace Collective, Lamp Light 2013 /Eric Tank
On the weekend of November 7, 8 and 9, Eastown will for the third year in a row set the stage for Grand Rapids' DIT music scene.
Lamp Light Music Festival, an experiment in multi-house show venue collaboration, was wildly popular from the start and continued to ride the wave of that momentum into its second year with the expansion of venues and workshops.
This year is no exception, and with the 40 plus musical artists and expanded activity programming, it looks like it will be the largest slated event to date.
"It's definitely bigger this year but we've still taken a lot of precautions in our program and production design," says founder John Hanson.
This year there are six venues total: Brick House, Witch House, Hush House, Book House, Neighborhood House returning from last year and the inaugural Bird House. All located within close proximity of one another, Lamp Light prides itself on walkability and accessibility. A pedicab service will be provided for this year's event.
"We get to offer the artist something special. We get to offer them a whole new context of performance. And that's really exciting for us. It's a listening room festival," says Hanson. "It's about providing a space where a really intimate level of exchange can happen."
This year's lineup includes local names such as Alexis, Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys, AB, Vox Vidora and Pistolbrides, who will close out the festival on Sunday. Statewide area bands plus acts from Chicago and Indiana are slated throughout the weekend. Two artists, Tom Hyme and Backyard Songbook are planning new album releases on Friday night.
Programming has expanded to include various workshops that provide educational resources on issues such as health care planning and automobile maintenance, along with last year's staples of arts and crafts and screen printing.
Two special panel discussions will take place focusing on the future of the music industry and artist residencies with representatives from the Institute for Sustainable Living, Art and Design (ISLAND) out of Bellaire, Michigan.
"Part of our mission is to inspire and empower people," says Hanson. "We really want people to walk away from this festival with more than just music experience, but to be stronger better off people in our society."
A limited amount of advance admissions wristbands are available online for a reduced rate of $45 for the weekend. Normal rates are a suggested donation of $50 for the weekend and $25 per day.
Lamp Light is still looking for volunteers to help with organization. For more information on how to get involved visit the website here.
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