A little less than a month ago, I saw the colorful fliers and posters covering Bessey marking the arrival of the annual Middle of the Mitten festival. In my PW classes, I heard extensive talk of the festival and who was going and what kind of music would be featured, but I still had no idea what anyone was talking about. Naturally, this popular subject sparked my interest and, consequently, this post.
What is Middle of the Mitten? Allow me to explain. Middle of the Mitten (MOTM) is a “nonprofit community events group that connects Michigan’s musicians, artists, and entrepreneurs.” It has occurred every January for the past five years to celebrate the opening of The Record Lounge—a local vinyl shop located on Grand River Ave. For the event, Michigan bands are booked and sponsored by Michigan-based businesses to perform at local venues to collect donations for charities. Basically, it is a Michigan cultural appreciation masterpiece that has grown consistently in size almost every year. This year, the attendance was around 300 people, founder Joel Heckaman and board member Alyson Gines estimated. Alyson is also a senior in the MSU Professional Writing program this year.
MOTM started out as a small event created by Joel, his band, and friend bands five years ago to collaborate for publicity at the Record Lounge, which opened its doors for the first time in January of 2008. Since then, the event has grown in popularity and scale. This year, to extend the festival so that more people (including MSU students) could attend, MOTM was held at three venues over three nights. In the past, it has usually been held for the span of two nights. The Record Lounge, SCENE Metrospace, and The Loft all generously donated their space for the festivities this year. Some of the featured bands included: The Hand in the Ocean, Maria Rose and the Swiss Kicks, and The HandGrenades. For a full list of who performed, and for more information on MOTM in general, you can check out their Facebook page.
Volunteers assist in the festival’s creation, including the CAL students like Alyson Gines, Mike Kulick (recently graduated), and John Coyle. Speaking to Alyson, she said that her favorite part about the festival was that “you put so much effort and time into it, and watching it come to fruition is so rewarding. It’s like watching your child perform in their first ballet concert.”
MOTM also does an additional festival in April of every year called Rock for Relief in which various local artists gather and perform to raise money for buy cialis online charities. Last year, they donated to hurricane Sandy relief, and the previous year they participated in Jamming for Japan to assist in the Japanese nuclear crisis relief effort. You can find more information on MOTM and their events on their Facebook page, or their Tumblr, Twitter, and website. If you are interested in getting involved, I would recommend visiting their social media pages or talking to any of the MSU students listed above involved in the organization.