Totally Awesome Fest 5, this weekend in Ypsilanti

2960_1141092485042_1159326568_30398827_1523133_nAll hell breaks loose in Ypsi this weekend, in a good way… I was going to say that Totally Awesome Fest is, “Like Woodstock, but more intimate and without the hippies,” but, in all honesty, there will likely be lots of hippies. I wouldn’t let that stop me, though.

The Totally Awesome Fest is a magical event that has been happening since April 2005, when a celebration was declared to mark the end of Tuesday Night Supper Club and the closing of the Totally Awesome House in Ann Arbor. In 2006 the festival (as all cool things must) moved to Ypsilanti and has remained here ever since. Every year, during the last full weekend of April, people meet to celebrate each other’s company, ideas and creative expression in a variety of open, all-ages environments. All events are free of charge; however, donations are appreciated, as they’ll be used to buy gas for out of town acts and pancake-making supplies. The following schedule, I’m told, is subject to change, but it should be at least kind of close.

If you have personal knowledge of any of these acts, please leave a comment and let us know what we should expect.

FRIDAY 4.24 @ THE GOLD CAT (205 N. PROSPECT)
————————————————————-
6 p.m. TOTALLY AWESOME BLESSING
BY REV. STANLEY T. MAD HATTER
7:00 LOOKING FOR MAMMOTHS
7:30 MOON ELVES
8:00 BAD INDIANS
8:30 TELEPHONE CALLERS
9:00 VULTURES CIRCLE
9:30 TEEN ANGER
10:00 TOKYO SEXWHALE
10:30 GARDENS
11:00 THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

SATURDAY 4.25 @ STACEY P’S (215 OAKWOOD)
———————————————————-
12:01p.m. PANCAKES
12:30 VIDEO GAMES
1:00 ALMUS MAGNUS
1:30 HOLLY MAE
2:00 SCOTTY ALLAN
2:30 JUNIPER BABY
3:00 JES KRAMER
3:30 ANNIE PALMER
4:00 NATHAN K.
4:30 THE FERDY MAYNE
+ RELAY GAMES
n6600071_31936258_6192195
SATURDAY 4.25 @ THE PLEASUREDOME
(607 N. RIVER)
——————
5:30 p.m. UNICORNIUM
6:00 PINK OCTOPUS
6:15 PATRICK ELKINS
6:30 BETTER LATE THAN PREGNANT
7:00 NEW PLEDGEMASTER
7:30 BODY HOLOGRAPHIC

SATURDAY 4.25 @ THE DREAMLAND THEATER
(26 N. WASHINGTON)
————————–
8:30 p.m. JIM CHERWICK
9:00 THE JULIETS
9:30 DEEP IN THE PEANUT: JIM AND HIS KIN
10:00 THE SISTERS LUCAS
10:30 AND SPIDERS
11:00 SECRET TWINS
11:30 TEXTGATE
12:01 a.m. OUTLET
12:30 ANIMATIC
1:00 BASEMENT SPIDERS
1:30 GROWTH SPERT
2:00 LONG WHISKER
3:00 GNARLIEST COMBS
+ A SCREENING OF “FANTA & TAMMY”

SUNDAY 4.26 @
CUBAN COMPASSION COOPERATIVE PROGRAM
[HOME OF SANGRIAFEST]
(720 N. RIVER STREET)
—————————-
all day BEN MILLER’S TAKE-HOME-FASHION SHOW
12:01 p.m. ACTUAL BIRDS
12:30 WHISPER 2000
1:00 GIGI ALLYN
1:30 SOCIOPOOP
2:00 ANDY YPSILANTI
2:30 MANHOLE
3:00 JORDAN O JORDAN
3:30 DAVE END
4:00 LIGHTNING LOVE
4:30 STEF CHURA
+ FREE FURNITURE

SUNDAY 4.26 @ THE DREAMLAND THEATER
——————————————————-
5:30 p.m. STEVEN DANIEL
6:00 WASTED RECOVERY
6:30 LAWN BLOWER / CHURCH PIPES
7:00 AIRPORT
7:30 STONE CRAZY PIRATES
8:00 CHARLIE SLICK
8:30 MATT ENDAHL
9:00 BOXCARS
9:30 THEILLALOGICALSPOON
10:00 LORD OF THE YUM-YUM
10:30 COUNTER COSBY
11:00 THOM ELLIOT
11:30 ELECTROMAGS
12:01 a.m. THE JOHNNY ILL BAND
12:30 DREAMTAKERPatrC

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25 Comments

  1. dragon
    Posted April 20, 2009 at 9:33 pm | Permalink

    Sergeant Phil Esterhaus: Hey, let’s be careful out there.

    http://almusmagnus.com/taf4.htm

  2. Posted April 20, 2009 at 10:05 pm | Permalink

    The photos, I should point out, were taken from the TAF Facebook page.

  3. Posted April 20, 2009 at 10:07 pm | Permalink

    And thanks for that link, Dragon. I wasn’t aware that there was an arrest last year.

  4. Paw
    Posted April 21, 2009 at 8:38 am | Permalink

    Judging just by names, I think Teen Anger wins. I hope it’s made up of really old women.

  5. Paw
    Posted April 21, 2009 at 8:40 am | Permalink

    FWIW, I also like the pairing of LONG WHISKER and GNARLIEST COMBS. It’s like how a great cheese and wine can perfectly complement one another.

  6. Paw
    Posted April 21, 2009 at 8:41 am | Permalink

    And what’s the story on the arrest photo posted by Mr. Dragon? Did someone emote too much?

  7. Jiggs
    Posted April 21, 2009 at 10:07 am | Permalink

    Regarding the photo, no one was arrested last year, just handcuffed, to serve as an example I suppose. Too many people were having fun…or something.

    And there will be hippies. Modern, Ypsi-hippies. (Regarding the hippies, the post says “I would let that stop me, though”. Is that correct?!)

  8. Mr. X
    Posted April 21, 2009 at 10:39 am | Permalink

    He did say somewhere no too long ago that he hated hippies, but that looks like a typo.

    And I don’t think they should arrest young people for having fun. They should, however, take blood samples from all of them.

  9. dragon
    Posted April 21, 2009 at 10:58 am | Permalink

    1)Hippie-One who embraces life to the fullest. Promotes peace, love and happiness, but sure as hell sticks up for what they believe in. Anyone can be a hippie, not just that dirty dread-locked tie-dyed pothead with the dead shirt on. HIPPIES ARE WONDERFUL PEOPLE!!!

    2)Dirty Hippie-someone who is being natural to their roots and not giving into what society says is right!!!
    You don’t need to shower everyday to smell good. just spray a little lavender and jump out the door
    Dirt Hippy styllliliiingggs :)

    3)DFH-Acronym for dirty fucking hippy. Often used with irony by liberal bloggers to describe any person whose political views fall to the left of the American political/media establishment, and therefore are considered too shrill to be taken seriously by members of said establishment. Strangely, DFH does not appear to have a right-wing equivalent.

  10. LAKE
    Posted April 21, 2009 at 11:55 am | Permalink

    It was more of a handcuffing to set an example. No actual arrests took place. Ypsi kids are so bad ass that they don’t even flinch or change behavior (sometimes) when the police roll by. Just kidding, but when a party is pretty big, how can any one person do much besides stop the music? Obviously the police want results faster.

  11. LAKE
    Posted April 21, 2009 at 11:57 am | Permalink

    I wouldn’t dare miss AND SPIDERS who are playing at 10:30 PM at the Dreamland Saturday night.

  12. LAKE
    Posted April 21, 2009 at 12:11 pm | Permalink

    It’s all fine and dandy if you don’t like hippies, but it’s really not that “hippie”. No tie-dye, but some sharing and/or hugs may take place.

  13. Posted April 21, 2009 at 2:42 pm | Permalink

    LORD OF THE YUM YUM is a must see.

  14. Posted April 21, 2009 at 4:26 pm | Permalink

    Hey guys, check out one of our bands who will be dropping in from Detroit on Saturday, Unicornium. LOUD avant-drone impalement. …And… check out the sweet line up Friday with our friends Moon Elves, and our Detroit neighbors, Gardens.

    Should be a great weekend. Stoked.

  15. Posted April 21, 2009 at 7:01 pm | Permalink

    It sounds great, Mark. I wish I could be there.

  16. Patrick
    Posted April 21, 2009 at 7:54 pm | Permalink

    my money is on “Better Late Than Pregnant” for best band name …

  17. Posted April 21, 2009 at 10:36 pm | Permalink

    There are worse people than hippies in the world, no doubt. Investment bankers, serial killers, and people with trust funds come to mind. Hippies have some good ideas, it’s just my experience that they never actually get anything done. They don’t, at least to me, seem results-oriented. I know it’s a huge generalization, but the hippies I’ve known liked to smoke pot and complain. And I don’t have much respect for that.

  18. Liz
    Posted April 22, 2009 at 6:40 am | Permalink

    Jordan O Jordan on Sunday at 3 pm is incredible! He puts on a magical, beautiful, funny, inspiring set!!! He is on tour with Dave End (3:30) so I can only imagine Dave being amazing, also.

    http://www.myspace.com/jordanojordanmusic

  19. Posted April 22, 2009 at 8:59 am | Permalink

    Wait, And Spiders is still around? Or back?

  20. Steve Pettibone
    Posted April 22, 2009 at 1:05 pm | Permalink

    Does GIGI ALLYN cover GG Allin material?

  21. HLEP
    Posted April 23, 2009 at 12:50 pm | Permalink

    the one kid from Telephone Callers will black out and try to spit on you.

    BE THERE OR YOU’RE DEAD

  22. Posted April 23, 2009 at 5:53 pm | Permalink

    I don’t think I’m going to be able to see anything on Saturday, but I’m going to try to get to some of the Friday and Sunday shows.

  23. Posted April 24, 2009 at 9:23 pm | Permalink

    T.A.F. 5 SATURDAY SCHEDULE UPDATE

    ::: Unicornium’s set @ Totally Awesome Fest 5, this weekend in Ypsi. is being pushed back from the Pleasuredome at 5:30pm to the Dreamland sometime between 8-9pm, due to subsequent fears about broken noise ordinances, mass impalings, and blood stained carpet. See you there, if you dare. :::

    The Dreamland Theater
    26 N. Washington St. Ypsilanti MI 48197

  24. Ol' E Cross
    Posted April 24, 2009 at 11:01 pm | Permalink

    “Awesome,” suggests dread, veneration, and wonder.

    “Totally” is an absolute.

    “Fest” simply implies a gathering.

    I’m having difficulty supporting a “gathering” that makes the claim of inspiring persistent and absolute dread, veneration and, wonder.

    I feel I will be disappointed. I am not easily driven to dread. I don’t want to be a sucker…

    …Unless the title is meant to be ironic, meaning it’s a gathering that absolutely inspires no dread, veneration, or wonder. I.e., that it is a collection of acts completely lacking in awesomeness. Now that is something I’d put on pants for.

  25. Posted April 25, 2009 at 2:59 pm | Permalink

    It’s “that’s something I’d put on pants for” a positive or negative statement?

2 Trackbacks

  1. By Stupor reading in Hamtown tonight on April 25, 2009 at 2:54 pm

    […] hate to keep anyone away from Totally Awesome Fest tonight in Ypsi, but, for the literary minded among you, I wanted to mention that our friend Steve, […]

  2. […] how, last year at about this time, we were talking about Totally Awesome Fest? Well, it’s upon us again, and, with that in mind, I attempted to engage the enigmatic […]

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