Tag Archives: Brandon Zwagerman

Belated Mittenfest V wrap-up

By Mark | July 26, 2011

In the aftermath of last year’s Mittenfest, I asked Brandon Zwagerman for his thoughts on how things went, what he and the other organizers might have learned from the experience, and how, if at all, things might change in the future as a result. My intention was to post his comments here on the site […]

Posted in Art and Culture, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged 826, 826 Michigan, Andy Garris, Bad Indians, Cains & Abels, Deadbeat Beat, Drunken Barn Dance, Frontier Ruckus, fundraisers, Hasan Mihyar, Joe Scott, Lightning Love, Long Whisker, Matt Jones and the Reconstruction, Misty Lyn, Mittenfest, Ola Ray, Patrick Herek, Pewter Cub, Pistolbrides, Scarlet Oaks, Secret Twins, Stef Chura, Tall Buildings, The Kickstand Band, The Press Delete, White Pines, Woodruff's | 3 Comments

Mittenfest V is right around the corner

By Mark | December 12, 2010

Over New Year’s weekend, Ypsilanti will, as it’s done for the past four years, play host to the incredible Michigan music festival known as Mittenfest. Following is a short interview I conducted online with organizers Brandon Zwagerman, Jeremy Peters and Amy Sumerton on what they’ve got in store for us this year, and how the […]

Posted in Art and Culture, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged 826, 826 Michigan, Amy Sumerton, Avalon Housing, Bad Indians, Black Jake and the Carnies, Born to Run, Catherine Calabro, Champions of Breakfast, Charles Trees, Chris Bathgate, circumspice, Clemente, Corner brewery, creative writing, Deadbeat Beat, Drunken Barn Dance, Elbow Room, English Language Learners, Fiona Apple, folk, Gun Lake, In Tall Buildings, interviews, Jeremy Peters, Jim Roll, Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair, Lightning Love, Loune, Matt Jones, Matt Jones and the Reconstruction, MC Trashpedal, Mitytenfest, music, music festivals, Our Brother the Native, Ozone House, Photographers, Pistolbrides, public school challenges, Red Wings, residency, Secret Twins, Silverghost, Springsteen, The Juliets, the Michigan diaspora, The Satin Peaches, The Sights, tutoring, volunteer opportunities, Woodruff's, writing skills, Ypsi festivals, Ypsilanti Middle School | 7 Comments

The mortgage tax deduction and why it should go

By Mark | November 14, 2010

Yesterday, in a post about the President’s Commission on Fiscal Responsibility, I mentioned that co-chairs Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles suggested, amid a long laundry list of federal programs to be cut, the elimination of the mortgage tax deduction. While I deduct my mortgage interest when calculating my taxes each year, just like everyone else […]

Posted in Economics, Environment, Politics | Also tagged Alan Simpson, Bush tax cuts, Erskine Bowles, estate tax, home buying, home ownership, McMansions, mortgage interest tax deduction, Murph, National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, social engineering, sprawl, tax incentives, tax policy, urban sprawl | 28 Comments

Brandon Zwagerman on Mittenfest IV

By Mark | December 21, 2009

Brandon Zwagerman doesn’t live here anymore. But he stays connected to the local music scene through Mittenfest, an annual winter showcase of Michigan bands, which he organizes from his home in New York. This year’s Mittenfest, to be held at the Elbow Room in Ypsilanti beginning New Year’s Eve, spans 4-days, and involves 40-bands. Following […]