Hi friends! Can you believe that Mittenfest V is just around the corner? It seems like just last month that I emerged from four full days at the Elbow Room, exhausted, excited, reeking of smoke (hooray, smoking ban, you are gonna make me smell so much better at this year’s Mittenfest!), and carrying a large cardboard check for $12,000. I had just watched forty bands play over four days, met at least five lifelong friends, and hugged more people than I could even count. And I had just finished sitting on stage with Carol Gray and singing along with the entire Frontier Ruckus set at the top of our lungs. Good times, friends, good times. I’m feeling nostalgic just thinking about it. And guess WHAT? It is the best kind of nostalgia, because it’s not that “oh, I wish that would happen again but it never will” kind of nostalgia, instead, it’s the “holy cow, we are right around the corner from the next one” kind. Which, I think we can all agree is, overall, better.
Mark your calendars: Mittenfest V happens December 30 through January 2 at Savoy in Ypsilanti.
Alas, I am getting carried away, although, what else is new? Mittenfest is an exciting (and lucrative) time of year for us. We get to see and hang out with all of our old friends, right around the holidays, and listen to hours of incredible bands. What’s not to love? And it’s just two and a half months away. AND this blog *officially* ushers in Mittenfest Season. Band applications are in, and the team is sorting through the one hundred and fifty bands who applied. This process should be done by the end of the month, at which time, we invite you to throw your hat into THIS ring:
This year, we are hosting a contest for the design of Mittenfest V. This means that we are inviting talented designers from all over to make an 11 x 17 poster (can be full color), a t-shirt (up to two color), and a button design (can be full color). The best design wins, of course, and that designer gets to see his or her design plastered all over buildings and people in this great state of ours and beyond.
Last year, Angela Duncan designed this gorgeous herringbone Michigan with accompanying materials, and we sold out of pretty much everything we put it on:
Here’s how it works: If you are interested, email me at Amy[at]826michigan[dot]org and tell me. Then, start playing around with designs. When I get the final line-up of bands for the event, I’ll email them out to all of the designers, by the end of the month. We are open to all design aesthetics, but we will favor Michigan-centric ones, as, you know, that’s one of the POINTS of the festival. You’ll have until November 15 to send me your submission. The winner will be announced shortly after Thanksgiving!
Email me to throw that hat into that ring, or with any questions you might have!