Vine Fest 2026 - Festival Review

The third annual Vine Fest celebration took place on June 20th from noon until 10:00pm, featuring local artists from Kalamazoo and beyond. The free event was hosted at Davis Street Park and was a fundraiser for the Vine Neighborhood Association. This was my first time attending this festival.

Every Saturday at 2:00, I host my show Audiophile Hour. I tell you this not as a shameless plug (even though it totally is), but because this quirk of my routine prevented me from being at the Festival earlier than 3:00. Likewise, my friend Eden, whom I invited, wasn't able to be there until about 4:30-ish. I do wish that I could have been there to see Julian Bugbee, who played at 2:15. Their studio recorded music is very well produced and I would have loved to see how they sound live. Alas, I arrived at around 3:15, just in the middle of the Two Dollar Bills’ set.

Despite my late arrival and our trip to the bar around 7:00, I was glad to be able to meet most of the musicians that performed after their sets. That kinda stuff is easily the best part of these smaller shows.

I was able to find my friend Hach a few minutes later, whom I have had as a guest on my show in the past. Soon after, his band’s guitarist Kyle came up to us as well. I was really glad to meet him, as I had wanted to see Paper Sound live for a while now. (and to ask him what G.E.H.P.O.I. meant (I will not relay this information here for reasons you will have to guess for yourself))

The band Landlines performing (pc to Eden)

After Two Dollar Bills’ set, I got to say hey to the band’s guitarist Luke. We had met earlier this year at another show back in April, but it was great catching up with him. Solid guy and part of a cool band.

Spirit Soup played after them, and I really liked how elegant yet rustic their set was. Harmonica is always a lot of fun, and I look forward to seeing where they take this earthy, bedroom pop sound in the future. It was around during their performance my friend Eden arrived, and we watched the rest of their set from the playground structure. Lots of fun.

Landlines is a band I hadn’t heard of until the festival, and their sound was a really solid performance of twinkly emo music with a cool theme. They did a good job getting me interested in their sound and the story that they wanted to tell through their music. I’ll have to look into them some more.

The Honey Pot is a band that is based in Detroit, but was founded by some guys who used to live in vine during the 2000’s. Don’t let that age fool you though; these guys know how to have a good time. I specifically remember exchanging information with Pedro, their bassist who gave me their debut album on CD. I’m glad they got to make the journey to Kalamazoo.

I’m also glad that Free Joel was able to be here from Indiana. Their classic rock and roll style was inspired and refreshing. You could tell that each member of the band was really excited to be there and talk with people after the show. Eden actually got a shirt from them, and it was a pretty nice design too.

I could write an entire blog post just about Paper Sound’s set alone. These guys are awful and there’s no debating it. They tried to pass off a propane tank as a cowbell. Their idiot bassist tried to start a mosh pit on the playground. This utter buffoon dressed in black was running around and playing trombone. Easily the best part of my entire month.

The Blank also played at the festival; a self-described goth punk band who as far as my knowledge goes was the highest profile act there. I got to meet the frontman at their merch table before their set, and was able to pick up a sticker as well. Unfortunately, we did not see their set because Eden and I went to the bar for a Guinness after Paper Sound. It was unfortunate, but it’s as rule number one of the Vine neighborhood states: When O’Duffy’s calls, you pick up the phone.

We got back to Davis Street Park just in time for Domain Master’s set, which was the last band to play at Vine Fest. These guys really rocked. They were heavy, fun, and conscious. A really good choice for a closing act too. Seeing them play as the sky swallowed the sun was picturesque.

Not long after arriving at the park, I was greeted by the festival’s coordinator (and one of WIDR’s community DJs, known as Wombat Music), Maya. I could tell that she was hard at work and enjoying every minute of it. Throughout the event, she was taking a lot of pictures, video recordings, and smiling the entire time. She did a great job acting as an MC and made the event feel lively and professional. Skai Stelzer was one of the art vendors who also created a poster for the festival (see top of page). In fact, all of the art vendors helped in making the event what it was, and I admire each and everyone of their craftsmanship. I also want to thank Dan and Will: two WIDR alumni who graduated this spring and helped with producing and recording the music that played at the festival. If you want to listen to the performances that took place at the festival, they should be uploaded on Bandcamp in the near future.

Written By Lukas Filcek, General Manager '26-'27