One positive part of not waiting around for the Space Shuttle launch was being back home for the 1st (hopefully annual) Water Hill Music Festival, in my new neighborhood. A full afternoon of free porch shows throughout the hood, all acts had to have at least one resident of the neighborhood on their roster.
Estimates are that somewhere between 3000-5000 people came out (didn’t hurt that it was a beautiful day). Truly splendid, completely organic, and requiring no permitting (since everyone was just playing on their porch); I was blown away. My favorite part was the guy who just opened his front door and played the piano just inside it, with a crowd of probably 50 people sitting in his front yard.
Above is Charlie Slick, playing two doors down from our house. Well done Ann Arbor.
This Friday, in Ann Arbor, Brother Forest is firing up the Yellow Barn for the latest HOTT LAVA experimental film/music happening. There’s lots to get excited about with this one: unFact (David Wm Sims of Jesus Lizard) and Noveller (Sarah Lipstate playing some of the most amazing guitar to her own films), Indonesian shadow puppetry by Patrick Elkins, a gnarly performance piece, a set of films from Burton Theatre plus HOTT LAVA shorts. And then a dance party afterward featuring JURY DUTY with Geoff Perrin.
A doozy of a time brewing a half hour west of Detroit. More info here.
