Keweenawesomefest at Michigan Tech in Houghton, MI 2/23-24/07

There certainly has been a huge buzz throughout Michigan for the past week. People keep writing, talking, asking about Keweenawesomefest. Who would have thought that so many musicians and people throughout the Midwest would take a chance on such a diverse music festival in the very tip of the Upper Peninsula? But the events of this infamous weekend in February are going down in the Just Haircuts and Jackets history book. Not only because of the great performances that took place in Houghton, but because of the overwhelming amount of love, respect and appreciation for the entire Michigan music community that manifested during KFest.

KFest was put on by the college radio station, WMTU at The Black Box theatre on MichTech's campus. This was hands down the best concert space that I've ever been in. The stage was huge, lots of audience space and AMAZING LIGHTS AND SOUND. I have never seen such flattering and exciting light designs at a music concert, and the sound was fantastic.

One of the reasons why I love local music is the mutual need between the musicians and the audience. The musicians are thankful for any audience they can get; and as a fan there is something irreplaceable about the intimacy of a local show. Keweenawesomefest embodied this completely. It was like a big lovefest between the performers and the audience.

My cohort in KFest-ing, Katie, and I recorded some of our experiences on the road trip up to Houghton as well as our thoughts on the various musical acts. We also managed to talk to a few musicians (as well as of the of the KFest organizers, Kevin Eder) about their thoughts on Michigan music, and took a few sound clips from the performances. This all has turned into our first official JHaJ podcast! Fair warning: this podcast is an hour long (oh my god)! However, considering the 12 hours of music and a 2-day event, we decided to keep all the material. So, to hear our thoughts and newly gained inspirations from KFest, download our Podcast:

Click the "advanced" tab in the upper left hand corner of your ITunes, click "subscribe to podcast" and enter the URL:

http://justhaircutsandjackets.base-2.net/podcast

Then subscribe to the Just Haircuts and Jackets podcast. There should be a little arrow to the left of the JHaJ podcast, and it should drop down to Keweenawesomefest. It should begin downloading right away, but if it doesn't, click on "podcasts" under "library" and click "refresh" at the bottom. If you have any trouble downloading the podcast, try it a few times- but then be sure to contact us (justhaircutsandjackets@yahoo.com).
(HUGE thanks to Katie and Matt for helping us get this podcast up and running).


Arrah and the Ferns


Sycamore Smith


Matt Jones and Carol Catherine Gray


Mason Proper


The Mighty Narwhale


Charlie Slick


MC Trashpedal

To everyone involved in making this event happen, thank you. We feel so lucky to have taken part in such a fantastic musical event. IT WAS AWESOME.

Can't wait till KFest 2.

xoxo,
annie moss