Middle of the Mitten is an event celebrating the anniversary of The Record Lounge and its commitment to local and independent music and businesses. Preparations are underway for the fifth annual showcase, which will be January 24-26, 2013 in Lansing and East Lansing. Click here for the latest info on the lineup and locations.
Email middlemitten@gmail.com to volunteer, get involved, or ask questions
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Life Size Ghost - Fall Behind
Rock out with these guys at MOTM5 Day 2 on Saturday. Reblog this post for a chance to win tickets!
These guys KILLED IT with an acoustic version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” at Middle of the Mitten on Friday
There were some extraneous circumstances that kept the whole band from making the trip last year, so we’re very happy to get these guys back on the main stage for MOTM5 Day 2. I get the feeling they will make a lot of fans on Saturday night.
p.s. Reblog this post for a chance to win tickets!
Life Size Ghost - In Your Sleep
I’m really sad I can’t catch these guys as often as I used to, but that’ll just make me appreciate MOTM5 Day 2 that much more! They’re so good, it’s amazing they’ve stayed just under the radar for all these years
…ending with a bang!
The grand finale of MOTM5 is exactly one week away!! Be at The Loft in Downtown Lansing, Michigan from 7pm until 2am. Get tickets now
Don’t be sad to see our last lineup, it’s awesome:
The HandGrenades is the first band on the set list for the night. Originating in Detroit, the band has recently released an E.P. called Three Cheers for the Wonder Years.
Bicycle Sunday is an Indie/Emo band located in East Lansing, Michigan. They take their inspiration from Death Cab for Cutie.
Midwest is a five-guy, punk band that plays shows all across Michigan. They released their E.P. “Wishful Drinking” on December 12, 2012.
Simien the Whale was formed in 2006 and influenced by Red Hot Chili Peppers and Vanilla Ice. Watch out for this Alternative Rock band.
Royal Hoax, located in Pontiac Michigan, is in the Pop Rock genre. Their quirky style will keep you entertained.
Rock and Roll with Calcaska as our sixth number on the set list. They released their E.P. YBYL and it can be found on iTunes.
Grand Rapids, Michigan band Life Size Ghost is influenced by Pink Floyd and Incubus. They have traveled all across the United States to share their awesome music.
Our final band on this crazy, three-day music festival is Elliot Street Lunatic. This local Indie Rock band is amazing, look for them to continue to grow in years to come.
The MOTM5 radio appearances have begun!
Friday 1/11
Gary Cimmerer on Grand River Radio Diner from 12-1pm on LCC Community Radio 89.7fm WLNZ (Lansing) [stream]
Thursday 1/17
MOTM5 crew with Simien the Whale and 1 TBA on The Basement from 8-10pm on The Impact 88.9fm WDBM (East Lansing) [stream]
Friday 1/18
Life Size Ghost on Acoustic Cafe from 11am-12pm on 88.1fm WYCE (Grand Rapids) [stream]
Mike Vial and Maria Rose & The Swiss Kicks on Grand River Radio Diner from 12-1pm on LCC Community Radio 89.7fm WLNZ (Lansing) [stream]
Tuesday 1/22
Nathan Alan and Liz McDaniel on Progressive Torch & Twang from 8pm-12am on The Impact 88.9fm WDBM (East Lansing) [stream]
Middle of the Mitten Prepares for Fifth Annual Michigan Music Showcase
As it approaches the half-decade mark, Middle of the Mitten has established itself as a staple showcase of the Lansing and Michigan local music scenes.
Each year the festival boasts a lineup of both established and blossoming talent from around the state. This, the fifth incarnation of the annual event, features 21 artists performing over the span of three nights in East Lansing and Lansing. Notable acts include Gifts or Creatures, The Lansing Unionized Vaudeville Spectacle, Life Size Ghost, and Elliot Street Lunatic.
Middle of the Mitten premiered in January 2009 as a one-off show featuring an all-Michigan lineup to celebrate the first anniversary of East Lansing vinyl shop The Record Lounge. In the years since, it has grown into a multiple-day festival, community-based nonprofit, and Michigan State University student organization. Hundreds of MSU students and Michigan musicians, artists, and entrepreneurs have collaborated to make Middle of the Mitten a success in years passed, and the upcoming festival will see the organization continue to grow.
Middle of the Mitten 5 will kick off with a free show at The Record Lounge on January 24, 2013, followed by Day 1 at (SCENE) Metrospace in East Lansing on January 25 and Day 2 at The Loft in Lansing on January 26.
For more information, visit motmevents.wordpress.com, find Middle of the Mitten on Facebook and Twitter, or email middlemitten@gmail.com. Tickets are available at http://bit.ly/motmtix.
Kick-off Party | Day 1 | Day 2 | Tickets
Kick-off Party (Thu, Jan 24 at The Record Lounge): Kyle Brown, Vince Zydeck, Ryan Anderson, East Harvest, The Hand in the Ocean, Gary Cimmerer & The Full Velvet Band
Day 1 (Fri, Jan 25 at SCENE Metrospace): Paige Bolen, Liz McDaniel, Nathan Alan, Mike Vial & The Great Lake Effect, Gifts or Creatures, Maria Rose & The Swiss Kicks, The Lansing Unionized Vaudeville Spectacle
Day 2 (Sat, Jan 26 at The Loft): The HandGrenades, Bicycle Sunday, Midwest, Simien the Whale, Royal Hoax, Calcaska, Life Size Ghost, Elliot Street Lunatic
“5 for 5” with Life Size Ghost
Hey there, it’s time for another “5 for 5,” where we have 5 questions for MOTM5 artists. This one is a personal favorite, as these guys were part of the reason I created this festival 5 years ago. Life Size Ghost will be at The Loft for MOTM5 Day 2, but you can also catch them at Founder’s Brewery in Grand Rapids this Saturday.
Interview by Cheyenne Brooks, nonjudgmental night receptionist
1. What is one word you would use to describe yourself?
Brian (drums): Happy-Go-Lucky… that’s one word right?
2. What has been your most memorable performance so far?
Tali (vocals, keys): It’s really hard to choose only one performance. We’ve always had a memorable time when we’ve played some of the great venues in Detroit—The Crofoot, The Shelter, & The Emerald Theatre—because we get such a wide variety of friends and fans to support and sing along with us. But you can’t beat the closeness and energy of the audience at some of the smaller shows.
Brian: Right now my most memorable would be the last time we played at Rubbles in Mt Pleasant. The energy at that show was incredible, and Ryden’s (lead guitar) solo performance to end the night really stuck with everyone there.
Get your MOTM5 tickets now!
The page is still sort of under construction, so here’s a deal for you for being so awesome: Email the word “BACON” to middlemitten@gmail.com sometime this week, and you can get 2-day All Access wristbands for $10 each. That saves you anywhere from $2 to $10 per person just for supporting us. Rock on!
“In Your Sleep” by Life Size Ghost
Haven’t seen these guys in much too long! Prepare to see several melted faces after their set on Day 2 of MOTM5
MOTM5 Full Schedule
Kick-off Party (Thu, Jan 24 at The Record Lounge)
7:00 Doors
7:30-7:55 Kyle Brown
8:05-8:30 Vince Zydeck
8:40-9:05 Ryan Anderson
9:15-9:40 East Harvest
9:50-10:15 The Hand in the Ocean
10:25-10:50 Gary Cimmerer & The Full Velvet Band
Day 1 (Fri, Jan 25 at SCENE Metrospace)
7:00 Doors
7:30-8:00 Paige Bolen
8:10-8:40 Liz McDaniel
8:50-9:20 Nathan Alan
9:30-10:00 Mike Vial & The Great Lake Effect
10:10-10:40 Gifts or Creatures
10:50-11:20 Maria Rose & The Swiss Kicks
11:30-12:00 The Lansing Unionized Vaudeville Spectacle
Day 2 (Sat, Jan 26 at The Loft)
7:00 Doors
7:30-7:55 The HandGrenades
8:10-8:35 Bicycle Sunday
8:50-9:15 Midwest
9:30-10:00 Simien the Whale
10:15-10:45 Royal Hoax
11:00-11:30 Calcaska
11:45-12:20 Life Size Ghost
12:35-1:10 Elliot Street Lunatic
The third in the Sept 8 2007 “3x” series features Life Size Ghost. The image is a digitally manipulated composite of several images in multiple mediums, including digital photos of landscapes/nature & several brushless watercolor paintings.
The paintings were created by scraping dry watercolor onto dry paper with an x-acto knife and then using a spray-mister to adhere the powdered and chunked watercolor to the paper. It also had the effect of vivdly intensifying and bleeding a certain amount of the watercolors while leaving the larger chunks mostly intact. The water applied distorted the thick paper giving the painting a lunar texture when laid flat and looked at from a low angle, which lends to their use in the creation of otherworldly images.
You missed the show, but check out this awesome poster!
I always spend too much time listening to the bands over and over again to arrange the lineup, but that’s probably what makes me love them even more. Anyway, here you go!
Day 1 at (SCENE) Metrospace in East Lansing:
7pm Doors
715-740 Paige Bolen
750-815 Vince Zydeck
825-850 Commodore Cosmos
900-925 Match by Match
935-1000 Nathan Alan
1010-1035 Nathan K
1045-1110 Sunny Side Up
1120-1145 Gun Lake
1155-1230 American Opera
Day 2 at The Loft in Lansing:
7pm Doors
730-800 The Blue Effect
815-845 Meadower
900-930 Citizen Smile
945-1015 Bangups
1030-1100 Newday Dreamers
1115-1145 The Sunset Club
1200-1230 Simien the Whale
1245-115 Life Size Ghost
Life Size Ghost has a new EP coming out New Year’s Eve! Still waiting for confirmation that they’ll be at MOTM4
