Porterhouse Productions » Artists

City Opera House’s Seating Policy

Abby — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:06:38 +0000

City Opera House is a Performing Arts venue, all concert-type shows are “seated.” Reserved seats are sold on the main floor and to maintain a safe and secure environment for everyone, patrons are encouraged to sit and enjoy a great show. Thank you!

For more information about Traverse City’s City Opera House, please visit their website, give them a call at (231) 941-8082, or visit them at 106 East Front Street in downtown Traverse City, Michigan.

Blues Traveler

Abby — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:15:36 +0000

An Evening with Blues Traveler at the City Opera House

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012
7:30 p.m. doors | 8:30 p.m. show
The City Opera House
Cash bar available
Reserved Seats | Seated Show : $29 | $35 | $45

TICKETS: CLICK HERE to buy your tickets online, or purchase by phone at 231-941-8082.

Porterhouse Productions encourages concert attendees to eat, drink and shop at your local downtown Traverse City merchants before and after the event! Click here for dining suggestions.

ABOUT BLUES TRAVELER
www.bluestraveler.com

It’s not every band that’s still staking out new musical territory and embracing fresh challenges more than 23 years into their career, but that’s the case with Blues Traveler. Having long ago graduated from the jam-band underground to mainstream stardom, the iconoclastic combo has consistently stuck to its guns and played by its own rules.

For their new release (and Verve Forecast debut) North Hollywood Shootout, the quintet ventured out of their creative comfort zone to explore some adventurous new horizons. The resulting album is a landmark in Blues Traveler’s large and widely loved body of work, demonstrating the enduring strengths of the band’s songwriting while capturing the spontaneous spirit of their legendary live shows.

The aforementioned body of work encompasses eight studio albums and four live discs, six of them certified Gold or Platinum, with combined worldwide sales of more than ten million units. The band’s best-known single, “Run-Around,” was the longest-charting radio single in Billboard history. Along the way, the band has played more than 2000 live shows in front of more than three million people.

“We’re still trying to reconcile the different things we do, and cultivate what we’re individually good at into something that’s bigger than the sum of its parts,” notes frontman and harmonica-slinger John Popper. “When we’re all playing and it’s working, it becomes this separate entity, and that’s still the thing that we’re chasing.”

North Hollywood Shootout — produced by Grammy-winner David Bianco, whose diverse resume includes work with the likes of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Ozzy Osbourne, Mick Jagger and Teenage Fanclub — makes a strong case for Blues Traveler’s timelessly vital writing and performing abilities. Such memorable tunes as the uplifting road-trip anthem “You, Me and Everything,” the playfully romantic “Love Does” and the elegant, evocative “Orange in the Sun” boast infectious melodic hooks while showcasing the interactive instrumental chemistry that originally endeared the band to its rabidly devoted fan base.

The new material also makes a strong case for the introspective side that’s always been a key element of lyricist Popper’s persona. The heart-tugging lyrics of the opening track “Forever Owed” were inspired by the singer’s recent USO trip to Afghanistan and Iraq, while the poignant “Borrowed Time” is a bittersweet meditation on mortality and transience, inspired both by the recent passing of bandmates Chan and Tad Kinchla’s father, and by Popper’s feelings for his beloved and aging dog. The album’s biggest sonic curveball is its closing track, “Free Willis, Ruminations from Behind Uncle Bob’s Machine Shop.” The six-minute spoken-word sound collage finds the band jamming over an insistent drumbeat, while actor Bruce Willis, a longtime fan and friend, delivers a colorful freeform monologue/rant.

“Free Willis” is a particularly aggressive embodiment of the creative risks that the ever-restless quintet took in writing and recording North Hollywood Shootout. Rather than fall back on established routines, the musicians challenged themselves by adopting some new working methods.

As guitarist Chan Kinchla explains, “On the last few records, we concentrated so much on the craft of the songwriting and arrangements that we started losing some of the live spontaneity that the five of us created on stage. So on this album, instead of doing the usual pre-production process, where we really worked out the songs before taking them into the studio, we decided to go straight into the studio and do the songwriting there. We recorded all the parts as we were working them out, and then build the songs from there. We’d find a cool little pocket and jam on it, or there’d be a drumbeat or a guitar part that was really happening, and we’d take the best part of that and use it as the foundation of the song.”

“That was a completely new way of working for us,” Kinchla asserts, “but it was also taking what we do live and bringing it into the studio. For a long time, we thought of the studio as a completely different creative process than playing live, because we’ve never had much luck in trying to incorporate the stuff we do live onto a record. But this time, all the live improvisation we were doing in the studio inspired the songs.”

North Hollywood Shootout also found the band ceding more authority to Popper to create melodies to carry his lyrics. “The main thing that we wanted to emphasize on this record was melody, and I think that that aspect of it turned out really well,” Popper states. “The guys took a real risk in trusting me to run with that.”

Their knack for evolving musically has been a hallmark of Blues Traveler’s output ever since the group’s four founding members — John and Chan plus bassist Bobby Sheehan and drummer Brendan Hill — began playing together as high school friends in Princeton, New Jersey. The musicians moved to New York City after graduating, and Blues Traveler quickly earned a local reputation for its high-energy, heavily improvisational live shows, with Popper’s soulful singing and flamboyant harp-blowing matched by Kinchla’s inventive combustible guitar work and the rhythm section’s propulsive punch. Their inspired performances placed Blues Traveler at the forefront of an emerging movement of rootsy jam bands, a vibrant community that also produced Phish and the Spin Doctors. Blues Traveler soon took to the road and won a reputation as a tireless touring act, winning a fan base up and down the East Coast before they’d even released an album.

After signing a deal with A&M Records, Blues Traveler released its self-titled debut, including the hit track “But Anyway,” in the spring of 1990. The album won the group a national audience that continued to grow with the following year’s Travelers and Thieves and the live EP On Tour Forever, and 1993’s Save His Soul. In 1992, Blues Traveler founded the touring H.O.R.D.E. festival, which became an influential outlet for bands associated with the jam scene. 1994’s Four became a quintuple-platinum breakthrough for Blues Traveler, spawning the Grammy-winning smash single “Run-Around” and the followup hit “Hook.” The in-concert collection Live from the Fall arrived in 1996, followed by the 1997 studio effort Straight On Till Morning. The 1999 release of Popper’s debut solo project Zygote was followed that August by the shocking news of bassist Bobby Sheehan’s sudden death at the age of 31.

Blues Traveler eventually bounced back from the loss of their comrade, regrouping as a reenergized five-piece with the addition of Chan’s brother Tad Kinchla on bass and Ben Wilson on keyboards. The new lineup made its recording debut with 2001’s Bridge, followed by the live What You and I Have Been Through. The acclaimed studio album Truth Be Told arrived in 2003, followed in 2004 by Live on the Rocks and its companion DVD Thinnest of Air. 2005’s Bastardos!, produced by ex-Wilco member Jay Bennett, reasserted Blues Traveler’s experimental edge. 2007 saw the release of Cover Yourself, a set of acoustic reworkings of Blues Traveler favorites. Also in 2007, Popper stepped out again to tour and record with the John Popper Project featuring DJ Logic, which also included Tad Kinchla on bass.

As their history demonstrates and North Hollywood Shootout confirms, Blues Traveler have consistently managed to avoid stagnation and continue moving forward. “It’s unavoidable that if you’re around long enough, you’re gonna fall into ruts,” Popper reflects, adding, “We’ve been in several over the years, but you fight through that and you overcome it. We were little kids when we started, and we approached this like little kids, and I think we’ve held onto that. We’ve made mistakes, but we’ve never allowed ourselves to do anything that we’d be embarrassed about now.”

“I think you have to be constantly reinventing things and discovering new aspects of what you do in order to keep things fresh,” Kinchla adds. “This lineup, with Tad and Ben, has been together for eight years, playing over 100 shows a year for eight years. We’ve spent a lot of time sorting out everyone’s role and learning how to listen to each other and get out of each other’s way. It’s funny, but right now the band is feeling a lot like it did in the early days, when we were just playing for the sake of playing and we were hitting on all cylinders and the communication was fresh and alive. The shows have been really kicking, and the new songs have been going over great.”

“You have to be smart enough to know that you don’t know what you’re doing, and so you give it your best shot by trusting your instincts,”” Popper concludes. “The great thing about knowing that you don’t know what you’re doing is that there’s more to learn. And I think that as long as we have more to learn as a band, we’ll be all right. What makes it work is honesty. As long as you mean it, you’ve got the potential to come up with something really good.”

2012 3rd Annual Traverse City Winter Microbrew & Music Festival

Abby — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:17:25 +0000

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2012
4:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
In The Village at Grand Traverse Commons
ages 21+, no exceptions please

Interested in VOLUNTEERING? Click here.

GA TICKETS | $30.00 | BUY NOW! (please read small print below)
Also available at LOCAL TICKET OUTLETS in Traverse City: Oryana, Blue Tractor, Left Foot Charley, Brew, High Five Threads | The price will raise $5 at the door (if any remain)

EARLY BIRD TICKETS are no longer available | $25.00

Proceeds will benefit Bay Area Recycling for Charities, a Traverse City, Michigan-based non-profit company providing comprehensive recycling services to residents and businesses in the Grand Traverse Bay area.

TICKET INCLUDES:
Five 7 oz. pours
Tasting cup
All entertainment
Entrance in to the Hop N’ Brew Shack – if you can get in line before the crowds!
Free shuttles between downtown and the Village (find transportation information and hotel suggestions below)

This is an outdoor festival taking place under heated tents in the middle of a northern Michigan winter – PLEASE DRESS WARMLY!

FEATURING
Over 40 breweries, wineries, cideries, and meaderies
Live polka band
Silent Disco, thanks to Silent Events
Delicious local food vendors
Beer and cuisine pairings
Heated tents, thanks to Team Bob’s Heating & Cooling
Fire dancers
Bonfires
On-site valet parking for Trattoria Stella guests and Mercato shoppers
Multiple downtown TC after-parties

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BREWERIES, WINERIES, CIDERIES & MEADERIES (more to come)
Acoustic Draft Mead
Arbor Brewing Company
Arcadia Brewing Company: Yard, Sky High Rye, London Porter, Nut Brown
Atwater Brewery
Bell’s Brewery: Hell Half No Furry, Black Note Stout, Hopslam Ale, Winter White Ale, Oarsman Ale, Amber Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Best Brown Ale
Black Star Farms
Boston Beer Company: Alpine Spring Lager, White Water IPA
Bowers Harbor Vineyards
Brewery Vivant: Kludde (Belgian Strong Dark Ale), Barrel Aged Triomphe, Amber Wheat, Farmhand (French Farmhouse Ale), Solitude (Abbey Style Ale)
Brys Estate
Chateau Chantal
Chateau Grand Traverse
Cheboygan Brewing Company: Lighthouse Amber Altbier, Winter Marzen, La Cervesa
Cold Spring Brewing Company: John Henry 3 Lick Spiker Ale
Crispin Hard Cider
Dark Horse Brewing Company: Crooked Tree IPA, Boffo Brown, Scotty Karate Scotch, Reserve Special Black
Founders Brewing Company: Porter, Imperial Stout, All Day IPA, Double Trouble
Frankenmuth Brewing Company: Munich Dunkel, Pilsner, Batch 69 IPA, Winter Bock, Red Sky Irish Style Ale
Goose Island
Great Lakes Brewing Company: Dortmunder Gold, Burning River, Commodore Perry, Edmund Fitzgerald
Higher Grounds Trading Company
Jolly Pumpkin: Calabaza Blanca, Oro de Calabaza, La Roja, Bam Biere
Keweenaw Brewing Company: Lift Bridge Brown, Red Jacket Amber, Pick Axe Blonde Ale, Widow Maker Black Ale
Lagunitas Brewing Company
Left Foot Charley
Magic Hat Brewing Company
Midland Brewing Company: Copper Harbor, Dublin Stout, Midland Pale Ale, 3 Mile Marker Hefe
Mount Pleasant Brewing Company
New Holland Brewing Company
North Peak Brewing Company
Northern Natural Winery
Northwoods Soda
Odd Side Ales
Peninsula Cellars
Schmohz Brewery
Short’s Brewing Company
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Tri City Brewing: Helles, Charity Island IPA, English Nut Brown, Scotch Ale, Giant Slayer, Belgian Tripel, Dragon Slayer
2 Lads Winery
Uncle John’s Cider Mill
Unibroue: Maudite, Tris Pistoles
Vander Mill Cider Mill & Winery

HOP N’ BREW SHACK (please be aware that schedule may change!)
This “Shack” provides attendees an opportunity to meet brewers face-to-face and sample limited-edition and select lines of brews and ales. Big enough to hold groups of 10-12 at a time, the Shack features a different brewery every half hour minutes. Tastings are open to all festival-goers on a first-come, first-served basis.
5:30 p.m. – Tri City Brewing
6:00 p.m. – Brewery Vivant
6:30 p.m. – Left Foot Charley
7:00 p.m. – Goose Island
7:30 p.m. – Mount Pleasant Brewing Company
8:00 p.m. – Schmohz Brewery
8:30 p.m. – Jolly Pumpkin
9:00 p.m. – North Peak Brewing Company

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BANDS & MUSICIANS & ENTERTAINMENT

Schedule
West Side Tent
4:00 p.m. – Grand Traverse Pipes & Drums
4:10 p.m. – Dragon Wagon
5:15 p.m. – Grand Traverse Pipes & Drums
6:30 p.m. – Laith Al-Saadi
7:40 p.m. – Heatbox
8:30 p.m. – Funktion
10:00 p.m. – Curfew
East Side Tent
4:20 p.m. – The Crane Wives
5:40 p.m. – Grand Traverse Pipes & Drums
6:55 p.m. – Rootstand
8:30 p.m. – Whitey Morgan and the 78′s
10:00 p.m. – Curfew
Polka Tent
4:00 p.m. – DJ Kiska
4:30 p.m. – Kielbasa Kings
6:00 p.m. – DJ Kiska
6:30 p.m. – Kielbasa Kings
8:00 p.m. – Grand Traverse Pipes & Drums, DJ Kiska
8:30 p.m. – Squeezebox
10:00 p.m. – Curfew
Silent Disco Tent
4:00 p.m. – DJ Dominate
6:00 p.m. – DJ Wulfpak
7:30 p.m. – DJ Dominate
9:00 p.m. – Heatbox with DJ Dominate

Funktion – Don’t show up to a live show unless you’ve come to get down; this stuff is additive-free, high-octane dance fuel. And due to the fact that Funktion’s sole mission in life is to make you shake your booty, trying to stand still might cause you a few problems.
Heatbox (this link will take you to a YouTube collection of Heatbox’s tunes) – This One Man Entertainment System creates beats and builds songs of Motown, A cappalla, R&B, Hip Hop, Soul and Funk from the ground up. He uses a Boss Loop Station RC-50 and a DigiTech Vocal 300 to create his songs. Recording each part as he goes, Heatbox’s music is live and in the moment. Using no tracks, samples, or pre-recorded music, each song and performance is distinctly unique.
Crane Wives utilizes three-part vocal harmonies, eclectic instrumentation, and a passion for songcraft to create organic music that is both accessible and innovative. Each live show features contagious energy as well as original music that ranges from whisper quiet ballads to danceable grooves.
Whitey Morgan and the 78′s are a Honky Tonk band from Flint, Michigan. They haven’t re-invented the wheel, they just picked it up and started it rolling all over again.
Dragon Wagon – With multi-instrumentalist Rich Delcamp, Michael Bustos on bass, Fritz McGirr on percussion and the amazing Diana Ladio on fiddle, Dragon Wagon’s live performance thrives with originality, humor and expert musicianship. Michigan Roots music at its finest, the band’s sound can be described as bluegrass-folk rock with a shot of Irish Whiskey. Hold on to your hats and get ready for a boot-stomping good time!
Rootstand – For over ten years, Rootstand has set course from the uplands and urban jungles of Michigan to seek their fortune on the seas and sounds of the roots of America and beyond. From fair shores to foul weather, Rootstand has remained stout-hearted; an honor that is reflected in the strength of its crew.
Laith Al-Saadi – has been a staple of the Detroit music scene for most of his adult life. His genre-defying musicianship has earned him spots opening for everyone from Buddy Guy to Taj Mahal to The Yardbirds and BB King. In 2006, Al-Saadi was crowned “King of the Blues” for the Northern Region of the United States by Guitar Center, making him one of the “Top 4 Blues Guitarists in the Country.”
Kielbasa Kings – From modern hits turned into polkas, to traditional Polish tunes, an original waltz and polka gems from the past – this is what the Kielbasa Kings are all about.
Squeezebox specializes in multiple genres of music including polkas, waltzes, fox-trots, 2-steps, big band, swing, square dances, and figure dances. With over 60 years combined experience between the core members of the band, they are able to accommodate nearly everyone’s requests at their performances, and strive to please everybody in attendance, both on and off the dance floor!
DJ Dominate – After being involved in the wedding scene and acquiring his first set of DJ equipment, DJD started his club experience inside Shimmers Nightclub in Traverse City, Michigan, in the summer of 2010 and ventured on a new music love in creating mash up tracks, taking mixed genre songs and combining them into new creations.
Grand Traverse Pipes & Drums – Founded in 1974, The Grand Traverse Pipes and Drums have entertained crowds throughout the Northern Michigan region. The haunting sound of the pipes, the crisp thunder of the drums, and the flash of the kilts is an unmistakable delight to the eyes, as well as the ears.
Silent Disco (this link will take you to a YouTube video of the Silent Disco at the 3rd Annual Traverse City Summer Microbrew & Music Festival) – “Disco isn’t dead. It just went quiet. Just walk into a Silent Disco event and see for yourself: a couple hundred people, two DJs spinning, and a dance floor filled with gyrating dancers – in total silence.” Click here to continue reading this MSNBC article.
Martha Marti Johnson

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PARKING
There will be limited available parking on-site at the festival; please look for signs directing you to the appropriate lots. Because of the size and nature of the event, however, we strongly encourage attendees to walk, bike and carpool whenever possible.

FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE (courtesy of Celtic Transportation) between the Grand Traverse Commons and the Old Town Parking Deck which is easily walkable from downtown Traverse City and in-town hotels.
The shuttle will run approximately every 15 minutes between the Old Town Parking Deck and the festival site between 3:45 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Grand Traverse Resort & Spa is offering direct shuttle service between their hotel and the festival site.

CABS
Cherry Capital Cabs – 231-941-8294
Chippewa Cab – 231-946-4688
Twin Peninsulas Shuttle – 231-564-1145 or 231-735-3334

Enjoy the festival responsibly! Please don’t drink and drive.

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HOTELS:
Grand Traverse Resort & Spa – 100 Grand Traverse Village Boulevard in Acme, Michigan, just six miles northeast of Traverse City. Offering a package starting at $97.00 per person which includes Saturday night accommodations, 1 Festival ticket (must be 21+), and Resort transportation to and from the Festival.
The Park Place Hotel – 300 East State Street in downtown Traverse City, Michigan
The Bayshore Resort – 833 East Front Street, just east of downtown Traverse City, Michigan
You can search for Traverse City area accommodations through the Traverse City CVB. Just CLICK this link!

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THE MINERVINI GROUP
The Minervini Group has been a committed partner of the summer incarnation of the festival, which has been held in the Village for the past three years, and we look forward to partnering with them again on this winter event. As with past festivals, the weekend will be a celebration of the craft microbrews, food, music, art and culture that make our region unique, as well as the natural beauty of the Village and the many wonderful merchants and residents who reside there. We thank the Traverse City community for its ongoing feedback and support, and look forward to celebrating with you this February!

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PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT 501C3 NON-PROFIT BAY AREA RECYCLING FOR CHARITIES
Bay Area Recycling for Charities (BARC) is a Traverse City, Michigan-based non-profit company providing comprehensive recycling services to residents and businesses in the Grand Traverse Bay area. BARC offers their customers the opportunity to give back to the local community on an annual basis through their Customer Shares program: each customer may designate a charity of their choice to be the recipient of the revenues resulting from their recycling partnership with BARC.

———————

THANK YOU
Bay Area Recycling for Charities
Team Bob’s Heating & Cooling
North American VASA
Blue Tractor
North Peak
Good Work Gallery
SEEDS
Michigan Brewers Guild
Grand Traverse Resort & Spa
Bayshore Resort
Park Place Hotel
The Village at Grand Traverse Commons
Michigan Hop Alliance
Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula
Cherry Capital Foods
Signs Now
GJ’s Rentals
WKLT The Rock Station
Left Foot Charley
Oryana
High Five Threads
Celtic Shuttles
The Cooks’ House
Copy Queenz
Bridgeway Cummins
The Larkin Group
Pure Water Works
Yak Trax
Little Hotties
Charter Communications
9 & 10 News
WNMC
The TC Ticker

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ABOUT US
This will be our 6th Traverse City Microbrew & Music Festival, yet another event built to celebrate the fine craft of microbrews and of music, and also to financially support non-profits, artists and musicians, brewers, and small businesses. To date, the Traverse City Microbrew & Music Festivals have raised over $30,000.00 for local nonprofits. None of this would be possible without our team or our volunteers, a group of supportive community members that has grown to over 1,000.

In the three years since we, Sam and Abby, moved back to Traverse City (we were both born and raised here), Porterhouse Productions, along with our collaborators and partners, has sold/donated/comped over 40,000 tickets to community concerts and events. When you purchase a ticket to a Porterhouse Productions event, you support and give to so much more than just the event which you are attending: every week throughout the year we volunteer time and energy to cultural activities and programs through The Good Work Collective, a space that we’ve made available to our community and its non-profits, organizations, artists, musicians, youth, and businesses. Your support means such a great deal to so many. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of you.

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THE SMALL PRINT
1. Ages 21+ only – no exceptions, please (no infants, toddlers, kids, or teens – thanks for your understanding). Please bring your ID with you and be prepared to show it at the door. Thank you!
2. Tickets include a tasting cup, five 7 oz. sample pours (about 2.5 pints), entry into the Silent Disco, and entertainment. Additional drink tokens will be available for $1.00 at the event. Your ticket purchase also includes shuttle service between The Grand Traverse Commons and the Old Town Parking Deck.
3. Please note, Porterhouse Productions is not responsible for drink ticket refunds. Last call will be at 9:30 PM. Don’t buy more drink tickets than you can use!
4. Advance ticket price does not reflect outlet or online handling fees. We encourage you to purchase your tickets in advance. Even though we advertise a “Day Of” ticket price, there is always a chance the event can sell out beforehand.
5. In addition to microbrew samples, festival attendees will have access to a full lineup of musical talent, food and beverage vendors, merchandise, festival activities and special events. For this reason, discounted tickets are not available for designated drivers or non-drinkers. Thank you for your understanding.
6. Refunds and Exchanges – ALL SALES ARE FINAL. Please review ticket ordering information carefully prior to ticket purchase. Neither Brown Paper Tickets nor Porterhouse Productions will refund or exchange tickets, unless event is canceled or rescheduled.

More details are being confirmed. Please check back here soon for updates! You can also LIKE our Facebook page to stay in the loop.

Thank you to the Village merchants:
Anthology, LLC
Avenue ISR
Bay Energy Services/Smiley Energy Service
Big Water Media
Boutique a la Vie
Capelli
Centennial Tax Advisory, LLC
Centennial Wealth Advisory, LLC
Central Park Therapy, LPC
Circle of Blue/Media Via
Common Counsel
Creation Pharm
Cuppa Joe
DES Electrical Services, Inc.
Dolce…a Sweet Little Gallery
Edible Grande Traverse
Eftaxiadis Consulting, Inc.
Fixed Gear Gallery
Fridrich Furs
Gallery Fifty
Green Canopy
Greenan and Associates, LLC
Grobbel Environmental & Planning Associates, LLC
Heron Wind Manufacturing, LLC
High Five Threads
Higher Grounds Trading Company
HumaNature School
Kate Thornhill, CPA
Katy’s Health & Massage
Keen Technical Solutions, LLC
Kristyn J Houle, Attorney and Counselor
Leelanau Communications
Left Foot Charley
MAM Contracting, Inc.
Mana
Marsha Minervini
MI Orthopedics Products
The Minervini Group LLC
Nealis Engineering, Inc.
Northern Express
Pavilion Title Agency, Inc.
Peg Dunn, CNM Nurse Midwifery Service
Peggy Anderson, DO/Village Family Practice
Petersen Productions
Pleasanton Brick Oven Bakery
Premier Floral Design
Ramona Pleva, CMT
Rock Bottom Gym
Select Fine Wine Brokers
Shoreline Distributing LLC
Silver Fox Jewelry
Sperry Van Ness/Richard S. Vida & Partners, Inc.
Spice Merchants
Stand Out Productions
Sweet Asylum
TASTES of Black Star Farms
The Underground Cheesecake Company
Trattoria Stella
Traverse Legal, PLC
Vector Computer Technologies
Watershed Church
Yoga For Health Education

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to read information regarding the scheduling conflict between TCMMF & TC Comedy Arts Festival, please visit http://www.porterhouseproductions.com/2011/12/09/tcmmf-tccaf/

ROCK THE FUTURE

Abby — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:52:50 +0000

Porterhouse Productions seeking donated instruments for
ROCK THE FUTURE

Campaign will provide donated instruments FREE to aspiring rockers in need – the first of which will be given away at the December Good Work Collective concerts with local high school bands Ratone & Seldomtone on December 16 and Seth Bernard & May Erlewine on December 17. Please join us!

Calling all lapsed and former rockers: Through a local donation campaign called “Rock the Future,” Porterhouse Productions in Traverse City is collecting used musical equipment – guitars, drums, stringed and horn instruments, amplifiers etc. – to give to budding rock musicians in need.

“There are instruments gathering dust in basements and closets all over the area, and just as many kids starting out who need them,” said Sam Porter, owner of the local production company, whose mantra is music, arts, ideas and community. “Our goal is to help youth with access to events, instruments and lessons. And, of course, we want to help them make good noise.”

Instruments in good working condition can be dropped off at the Good Work Collective & Gallery, 417 S. Union St., in Old Town Traverse City. Please be sure to contact 231.499.4968 before you head to Old Town. They can also be dropped off at Good Work Collective & Gallery’s December events, including:

• Traverse City Maker’s Market Pre-Party & Holiday Bazaar, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9 and 10. Pre-party starts at 5 p.m. on Friday; bazaar hours are 7:30-10 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Saturday. Maker’s Market is Northern Michigan’s juried art market for independent artists and their handmade goods.
• High school rock and roll bands Ratone & Seldomtone with special guest Steve Cousins, TCAPS Superintendent, Friday, Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.
• Seth Bernard & May Erlewine Family & Holiday Concerts, Saturday, Dec. 17. Doors open 5 p.m., family show at 5:30 p.m. and adult show at 8pm.

For more information and tickets, visit www.porterhouseproductions.com or send an email to info@porterhouseproductions.com.

To help kick start “Rock the Future,” Porterhouse Productions has purchased over 50 Meinl Nino Percussion instruments that they will loan FREE to public and private schools, camps, youth nonprofits, and other organizations and businesses that wish to share music with youth of all ages. Sam has studied folkloric percussion in Cuba, India, and Latin America, he has performed in jazz, rock and traditional percussive circles, and has experience teaching world percussion to young and old students. “I want to help inspire kids and adults to let loose, dig in, and fall in love with music. This is a perfect way for me to help facilitate that,” said Porter.

###

Porterhouse Productions is a family-built, independent and sustainable-focused production company dedicated to promoting music, the arts, ideas and community in Northern Michigan. Sam Porter is dedicated to youth cultural activities and allowing youth to feel confident to lead these movements. Sam currently makes Good Work Collective & Gallery available to “Hang,” a weekly student-led focus group whose goal it is to build new youth-led community events. Sam also keynoted at the launch of Central High School’s Academy of Media and Communications where he encouraged a youth-led production group to help produce large-scale concerts and events. Sam continues to help produce Central High School’s student dances that have raised over $20,000 for youth scholarships.

TC Microbrew & Music Festival & TC Comedy Arts Festival

Abby — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:25:27 +0000

We’re pleased to announce that the 2012 Third Annual Traverse City Winter Microbrew & Music Festival will be held at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons on February 11, 2012. In light of recent scheduling conflicts with the Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival, Porterhouse has determined the best compromise for all involved parties is to relocate the festival outside of downtown Traverse City. It’s our sincere hope that this will allow the Comedy Festival to return in 2013, and that both organizations will enjoy successful, cooperative events in the future. We’d like to thank Mayor Michael Estes, the City of Traverse City and the Minervini Group for working together this week to help make the venue change possible, particularly as this and other venue alternatives were previously unavailable up until now. The Minervini Group has been a committed partner of the summer incarnation of the festival, which has been held at the Village for the past three years, and we look forward to partnering with them again on the winter event. As with past festivals, the weekend will be a celebration of the craft microbrews, food, music, art and culture that make our region unique, as well as the natural beauty of the Village and the many wonderful merchants and residents who reside there. We thank the Traverse City community for its ongoing feedback and support, and look forward to celebrating with you this February!

Regarding the TC Winter Microbrew & Music Festival Dates
During last January’s DDA meeting, Porterhouse agreed to consider moving – but did not confirm it would move – to the first weekend in February 2012. We expressed clear concerns about moving weekends, as the first weekend in February is Superbowl weekend (and has been since 2004). Time was needed to conduct market research and investigate whether a date change was economically sustainable, particularly in terms of competing with the Superbowl and moving close to other regional/state beer events. The DDA sent out an email within an hour or so of the meeting with a proposed 2012 calendar, which put Porterhouse on the first weekend and Comedy Fest on the second weekend. As we’d just been told we had time to research the date change, we assumed this calendar was of the same nature as that agreed to in the meeting – a proposed, not a confirmed, one. We hope moving forward in future years that communication between all parties will improve, and that an emphasis on collaboration and mutual support will be embraced.

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Please listen to Vic McCarty’s (WMKT, 1270 AM) December 15, 2011, interview with Beth Milligan of Porterhouse Productions regarding the recent scheduling conflict between Porterhouse Productions and the Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival: http://wmktthetalkstation.com//media/podcasts/vic/12-15-11%20beth%20milligan.mp3

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We appreciate everyone’s emails, calls and feedback regarding this situation. While we disagree with the version of events as presented by TCCAF, we intend to remain positive for the sake of the organizations involved and are committed as ever to serving the community we’ve been so honored to be a part of. Everyone on our team, along with many of those businesses who are a part of our festivals, extend our heartfelt gratitude to the residents of Traverse City for your thoughtful consideration and support. Porterhouse Productions would welcome the opportunity to meet directly with Michael Moore and to collaborate with the Comedy Festival in the future.

A recent post by Beth Milligan, who’s worked both as a volunteer and as an occasional contractor managing PR, media relations and marketing for the Porterhouse’s festivals and events since it began in Traverse City in 2008:
For those looking for a different perspective on the cancellation of Comedy Festival (and Porterhouse’s role in it), here are some thoughts for consideration. This is coming from someone who volunteered for both organizations for many years, and wants nothing more than for both events to succeed. It’s a lengthy read, but touches on the points that seemed most in need of being addressed.

A Tale of Two Festivals

This is a difficult post for me to write. For the past several years, I’ve been a dedicated volunteer at two major event organizations in Traverse City – the Traverse City Film Festival (which also produces the Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival) and Porterhouse Productions. I’ve worked with both organizations since their inception. For TCFF, I’ve written the official blog for Film Fest, Comedy Fest and the State Theatre since the second year of the film festival – a job I was personally approved for by Michael Moore. I’ve interviewed countless filmmakers and comedians for the organization, covered TCFF news and events, and reviewed innumerable films. For Porterhouse Productions, I’ve worked both as a volunteer and as an occasional contractor managing PR, media relations and marketing for the company’s festivals and events since it began in Traverse City in 2008.

Last year, I had an unusually busy weekend in February when these organizations overlapped and held anchor festivals on the same weekend (the Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival and the Winter Microbrew & Music Festival). It was a challenge covering both events in one weekend, but a fun one – I got to bounce back and forth between listening to great music and sampling craft microbrews and hearing some of the country’s best stand-up acts. It was a pairing that seemed to go well together, and judging by the reports I heard from attendees and media partners and performers, many people agreed.

However, there was also a significant amount of drama that occurred behind the scenes because of the festival overlap. The Comedy Fest, which had changed weekends and was now on the same weekend as the Microbrew Fest, was unhappy about the Microbrew Fest taking place on the same dates and in the same approximate vicinity (downtown TC). The crux of Comedy Fest’s concern wasn’t about potential loss of turnout or competition for dollars; it was that “drunken” attendees from Microbrew Fest would crash or disrupt Comedy Fest events. Comments were made to the press implying that this was the modus operandi of Microbrew Fest: getting people drunk and then setting them loose on the community to potentially cause problems.

As someone who worked closely with the Microbrew Fest and with Porterhouse Productions, these implications deeply troubled me. I knew this representation was not accurate, and also that the founders of Porterhouse, Sam and Abby Porter, are compassionate, community-minded people whose focus with events has always been to raise the cultural standard and celebrate the music, food, craft beverages and art that make our region unique. As such, I emailed Michael and expressed my support for both events, and also my concern about the perceived competitiveness. Here is the email I sent:

Beth to Michael, 12/20/10

Hey Michael -

I’m working with Sam on some beer fest planning, and wanted to touch base on the comedy/beer fest overlap. I know Sam’s been working with Deb on this, and from what I can gather, it sounds like there may be some perceived competitiveness due to being on the same weekend. I plan to be involved with both events again this year, and am concerned about any conflict arising between the festivals. I can just say from talking to people my own age – who are a primary demographic for comedy and beer – there’s a lot of excitement about the possibility of both being downtown this year, and the ease of attendees being able to park in one spot for the night and jump from one to the other. It’s also made talking to downstate press and markets much easier, as they’re more interested in promoting a “package” weekend in TC with multiple events than a one-off.

I think both festivals have enough branding and following to be successful alone, but I’ve never seen a situation like this in a town this size where both parties didn’t benefit from collaborating. I’m obviously vested in seeing both events work, as I work/volunteer for both, so I hope no matter the outcome it can remain friendly and successful for everyone. I’ll let Deb and Sam continue their conversation, but since I’m involved with both events, I just wanted to connect with you personally and share my thoughts.

Hope all is well,

Beth

Michael’s response, which I’ll paraphrase here since he didn’t know he’d be publicly quoted when writing to me, was that they were considering canceling Comedy Fest because they’d already had issues in the past with drunk attendees at their events, but that he “loved the idea” of a microbrew & music festival. He ended by asking why everyone couldn’t just get along and “work together for the greater good,” and that when he first moved to Traverse City, that was something he hoped to be a leader on.

OK – so far, so good. We agree that we should all work together for the greater good, and that the concepts behind both festivals are good ones. But shortly thereafter, Comedy Fest continued to make remarks to the press implying that Microbrew Fest was only going to cause trouble and send drunk people over to interrupt Comedy Fest events. When I again voiced my concerns to Comedy Fest about the way Microbrew Fest was being characterized in the media, I got a much different response than the first time around; essentially, I was told that my blogging services wouldn’t be needed at Comedy Fest anymore. As I had several interviews with comedians already scheduled, I responded that I was disappointed in and didn’t understant that response, but that I’d be completing the interviews I scheduled regardless because it wouldn’t reflect well on either myself or Comedy Fest to suddenly cancel them without cause. This was (reluctantly) accepted by Comedy Fest. I did complete those interviews, and continued to blog last summer for the Film Fest, and everything appeared to go back to normal.

Move forward to this year. After the conflicts of last year’s events, the DDA had called a meeting with Porterhouse and TCFF to see if a solution could be found for future years to avoid the festivals being on the same weekend. Porterhouse was pressured to move to the first weekend in February, which is also Superbowl weekend, and allow Comedy Fest to keep the second weekend. Porterhouse agreed to consider this move, but did not confirm they would move dates; market research was needed to confirm if the change would be economically viable. An email was sent out shortly after the meeting by the DDA with the proposed schedule, which put Porterhouse on the first weekend in February and Comedy Fest on the second. As Porterhouse still needed to confirm whether the date move was viable, the assumption was that these were proposed and not confirmed dates, and Porterhouse (as requested) would still be granted time to conduct market research on the weekend. As it turns out, market research strongly suggested the festival would not be viable on the first weekend in February. Superbowl weekend would be a monster to compete with on a marketing level for a beer-themed festival that draws strongly on a downstate audience, and moving dates put Porterhouse in either close or direct competition with other regional and state beer festivals (this was why the second weekend in February was originally chosen in the first place). Porterhouse kept its originally planned dates, and offered to collaborate or partner with Comedy Fest if they wanted to remain on the second weekend again to help ensure both events would be a success.

If you’re reading this post, it’s because you’re interested in this story, which means you likely read Michael Moore’s letter this morning. As evidenced by the announcement Comedy Fest is canceling, the news that Porterhouse would be keeping its dates clearly was not well received. What has shocked me about this turn of events – and the behind-the-scenes process that lead up to it – is how badly the facts have been misrepresented to the public of what has taken place. This has occurred on two fronts: One, the basic details of what occurred, and two, the spirit in which they occurred. Since both organizations are so tightly woven into the fabric of the community, it seems important that the full story be fairly and accurately presented to the public.

I’d like to address the basic details of what occurred first. Here are some important things to know about this situation.

Dates – A major component of Comedy Fest’s argument is that Porterhouse moved onto or “stole” Comedy Fest’s weekend. Michael writes that he learned last year Porterhouse was going to hold its event downtown and “on the same weekend” TCCAF had “reserved for the second Comedy Fest.” He later mentions that Porterhouse was planning in 2012 to repeat what they “did last year” and “piggyback off” the Comedy Fest. The problem with this argument is that it simply isn’t true. Furthermore, the reverse is actually the case; Comedy Fest moved onto Porterhouse’s weekend. Here are the dates:

2010 – Microbrew Fest = February 12. Comedy Fest = February 19-21.
2011 – Microbrew Fest = February 11-12. Comedy Fest = February 10-12.
2012 (as originally planned) – Microbrew Fest = February 10-11. Comedy Fest = February 9-11.

My guess is that the date conflict began as an honest mistake. Microbrew Fest was on the same weekend as Winter WOW Fest in 2010, and when Winter WOW Fest moved to the third weekend in February in 2011, Comedy Fest switched to the second weekend to avoid conflicting with them. They likely assumed Microbrew Fest would be moving with Winter WOW Fest to the third weekend, and they’d have the second weekend to themselves. The Microbrew Fest had also taken place at Grand Traverse Resort & Spa its first year, so Comedy Fest may have assumed that would be the case again the second year. These are both understandable mistakes to make. What’s not understandable, however, is how those mistakes have morphed into the narrative that Microbrew Fest stole Comedy Fest’s weekend and/or has been attempting to piggyback off Comedy Fest. I was part of the planning process for the Microbrew Fest, so I know that isn’t so. Anyone entertaining the idea that Microbrew Fest stole or deliberately infringed on Comedy Fest’s weekend need only look at the dates above to realize that wasn’t the case.

Alcohol – Another factor Comedy Fest has cited as a major argument against Porterhouse is their concern that drunken attendees from Microbrew Fest will crash Comedy Fest or cause problems at their events. In his email, Michael stated that last year “a number of shows were interrupted by drunks who had been to the beer fest and decided to visit the Comedy Fest for some yucks.” He also stated that he will not ask his volunteers to act as bouncers. Some points to consider on this front:

Veracity of occurrences – I attended both the Microbrew Fest and Comedy Fest last year. I was at numerous Comedy Fests over the weekend, and while I did see many signs on the venue windows warning drinkers to stay away (some specifically mentioning microbrew drinkers), I never witnessed firsthand or even heard about secondhand any drunken incidents at Comedy Fest taking place on days the Microbrew Fest was also going on. (I did, however, witness some drunken heckling at the opening night event with Bob Saget – see below). That’s not to say that none occurred, but as someone who was writing the official blog for Comedy Fest and hearing most of the behind-the-scenes gossip from attendees, volunteers and venue managers, this was never a topic that came up or was mentioned by anyone associated with the festival. I’m checking with the TCPD to see if any official complaints were filed, but to my knowledge, none were. Furthermore, in three years and six festivals, Porterhouse has never had a reported drunken disturbance resulting from Microbrew Fest. Their track record is stellar, as their relationship with the TCPD and MLLC will attest. This accusation by Comedy Fest is one that’s easy to level, but difficult to prove.

Source of occurrences – Let’s entertain the possibility drunken revelers did in fact crash one or more Comedy Fest events last year. I’m sure this would be a terrible shock to a comedian’s system, as no one in the history of stand-up comedy has ever performed before a drunk audience member before. But let’s say this did occur. Michael’s assertion that every one of these drunken hecklers came from Microbrew Fest is dubious at best. How is this provable? Was every person asked at the door whether they were coming from Microbrew Fest? Was every restaurant, brewery, winery, bar, liquor store and grocery store in the greater Grand Traverse area closed on the second weekend in February last year? The idea that the ideal audience member for Comedy Fest is someone who doesn’t ingest a drop of alcohol before attending – not a glass of wine, not a cocktail, not a beer with friends at the pub – is a wishful, if not downright puritanical, one. Also, the idea that Microbrew Fest is the sole location in Traverse City at which people could procure alcohol is also a wishful – well no, that’s just foolish. But, if that is indeed the case, on either front, that raises another issue: On opening night last year, Comedy Fest hosted a party at the City Opera House directly before its opening night shows. At that party was a bar – and not just any bar, but an open bar. Anyone going to the Comedy Fest opening night party could knock back alcohol as fast as they could ask for it, before proceeding directly to Comedy Fest events. This was the night before Microbrew Fest began, so any incidents then would have been solely the result of drinking at Comedy Fest’s own party, and/or other locations. (Case in point: Bob Saget experienced a fair amount of drunken heckling at his event, which took place at the City Opera House on opening night…directly after the opening night party. Microbrew Fest, which was often blamed as the source of these particular drunken hecklers, did not even kick off until 24 hours after Saget performed.) Also, as Michael mentioned in his email to me, Comedy Fest had problems with drunken attendees before Microbrew Fest was even on the same weekend, so clearly there’s something inherent in the nature of comedy events that causes people to want to enjoy alcoholic beverages before attending them.

The nature of Microbrew Fest: Michael has often stated that he is not a drinker and never has been. As such, it’s probably safe to assume that he’s never attended a microbrew festival. This may account for the characterization of Microbrew Fest attendees as revelers on par with drunken college students on spring break. Admission to the Microbrew Fest includes (5) 7-oz pours – the total equivalent of two pints. The emphasis at the festival is on microbrew sampling, along with food, education and local, state and national music acts. If I were one of the average 3,000+ attendees of the Microbrew Fest – many of them older, upscale microbrew lovers, foodies and music appreciators – I would find the Comedy Fest’s characterization of attendeees highly offensive, in addition to highly inaccurate.

Non-Profit Versus For-Profit – In Michael’s letter, he makes the strong implication that Porterhouse is only interested in its bottom line, because it is a for-profit organization, unlike the non-profit Comedy Fest. He states the following: “Unlike the for-profit beer fest, the Comedy Fest is a non-profit, community-based and community-run project of the Traverse City Film Festival. Our only mission in putting on the Comedy Fest is to improve the quality of life in TC and help the local economy.” The problem is, this paradigm as described by Michael is a misnomer. Being a for-profit organization does not mean you are not a community-run or community-based organization. It also does not mean you don’t improve the quality of life in TC, or help the local economy. There are numerous for-profit organizations in TC – and I would easily count Porterhouse among them – who are community-minded, who improve the quality of life in the city, and who help the local economy. Furthermore, what this statement fails to acknowledge is that every single Microbrew Fest (both winter and summer versions) has had a non-profit partner who benefited from the festival proceeds, as has Paella in the Park (another Porterhouse festival). Thousands of dollars from each festival have gone to community organizations including Little Artshram, the Munson Regional Healthcare Foundation and the Cherry T-Ball Drop (coming up this New Year’s Eve, which collects food for local pantries). This summer at the festival, a new program was instituted whereby 10% of every food vendor’s profits was donated to the local non-profit organization of their choice.

When I go into an event planning meeting at Porterhouse, the first question Sam will often ask is: “What non-profits can we get involved? How can we support the community with this event?” He and Abby will often give to the point where they’ll break even or even take a loss on their events, simply so they can benefit the community as much as possible. Whether it’s giving away tickets to a Halloween festival to dozens of organizations that work with at-risk or disadvantaged youth, or sharing their venue space, event resources and equipment with area organizations in need (ironically, including fencing with the Traverse City Film Festival), Porterhouse Productions has been an exemplary model of what it means to be a for-profit organization that uses its resources for the benefit of the community. If I own my own business one day, I will know how to be a good community steward because of what I’ve learned watching Sam and Abby operate Porterhouse.

So these are the facts, as best I see them, and they bring up one final point worth considering. I mentioned earlier the spirit in which these events have occurred. Since the release of Michael’s email this morning, dozens of angry email messages, Facebook posts and voicemails have come streaming in. The vitriol contained in some of them has been so extreme as to feel like a physical slap in the face. I can’t help but question whether the wording Michael chose to use in his email engendered the inflammatory nature of many of these responses. The picture as painted in the email is that of a clear villain (the evil, for-profit, money-obsessed Porterhouse) and a clear victim (the virtuous, non-profit, community goodwill-obsessed Comedy Fest). Of course, the issue is far more nuanced and complex than any such simplistic reductions, many of which also suffer from being untrue.

The more moderate responses to the news all seem to have one universal theme: How hard can it be to find two different weekends in a long winter for the festivals to take place so they both are successful and everyone’s happy? Alternatively, why can’t they both take place on the same weekend? What’s so hard about sharing dates? Why couldn’t these organizations just make it work? These are all excellent questions. The short answer is that both organizations have strong cases for why they want this specific weekend, which includes not competing with similar events in the region and working under specific planning constraints (like how Michael cited Sundance and Porterhouse cited competing beer events). The long answer – and this is why this post is difficult for me to write – is a conclusion I reached after going through this process for over a year now: Because both organizations don’t want it to.

Now, I don’t mean neither organization wants it to. From where I stand, one does and one does not. As mentioned in the referenced emails earlier, I was personally invested in both events succeeding, but I was also professionally invested, and as such reached out on Porterhouse’s behalf to attempt to collaborate with Comedy Fest to make the most out of sharing the weekend. Not only were my personal attempts at reconciliation rejected (Comedy Fest revoking my blogging privileges in response to questioning their characterization of Microbrew Fest), but professional overtures were rejected as well. Every manner of collaborative and partnership opportunity was presented to Comedy Fest by Porterhouse in attempt to stave off competition. Porterhouse offered a VIP tent at the festival for comedians. Porterhouse offered to bundle ticket packages to help sales for both events. Porterhouse offered to cross-promote and market Comedy Fest. Porterhouse offered to collaborate on scheduling of events. The answer was always the same: Comedy Fest is not interested in any form of collaboration, regardless of what form it takes. The only solution Comedy Fest would accept is Porterhouse moving dates, even if it that meant a potential event failure for Porterhouse, and even when there were perfectly viable options on the table for both events to succeed on the same weekend. The stubbornness reached such an inexplicable point that Comedy Fest organizers refused to allow Porterhouse to donate Microbrew Fest tickets for the comedians’ gift baskets…a decision they reluctantly reversed when comedians heard about the Microbrew Fest and asked if they could attend.

The same cycle of stubbornness occurred again this year. Financially and logistically speaking, Porterhouse could not move its dates without risking the failure of the festival. Comedy Fest was also not interested in moving, so Porterhouse offered once again to collaborate. Once again, their overtures were refused. Instead, a threat was issued: Move the dates, or Comedy Fest will cancel. (With the more subtle implied threat being, ‘and it will look like your fault to the community’). Faced with moving dates to a weekend that would be economically unsustainable, Porterhouse apologetically held firm, offering even in its final emails to collaborate and do whatever was possible to avoid the cancellation of Comedy Festival, a move that seemed wholly and bafflingly unnecessary. In the end, Comedy Fest made good on its threat: It canceled, and Porterhouse was blamed as the cause of the cancellation.

So now here we are: Two of the city’s biggest event organizers are locked in an apparent vicious PR battle, the public is disappointed and disgusted with one or the other or both organizations, accusations are flying, and livelihoods are on the line. And all because of…what? There’s not enough room in the Traverse City sandbox for everyone to play? No. There’s more than enough room for everyone to play. What’s missing in this situation is the simple acknowledgment by all parties involved that everyone has the right to play. Everyone has the right to make a living in this town. Everyone has the right to protect their business, and to make decisions that ensure their livelihood is sustainable (as well as those of their employees, partners, vendors and performers). Comedy Fest has that right, and so does Porterhouse.

In writing this, I’ve attempted to leave my personal feelings out of it and just report the facts to the best of my ability. However, I will say this much: I care deeply about both of these organizations. I couldn’t imagine the community without them. I’m saddened and sickened by the way this process has gone down, which could result in the cancellation of not one but two of the community’s biggest winter festivals. And while I hope both organizations will succeed, and that both events will eventually go on to enjoy bright futures, I don’t doubt my intimate familiarity with the way this situation was so gravely mismanaged will permanently affect my views in some way on both organizations involved. In some cases it will be for the better, in others for the worse. But with the reputations for both organizations on the line, the public has a right to know the details, and to make up their own minds on what to believe. And the conclusions drawn could be as simple as this: Everyone has the right to play in Traverse City, and everyone also – at one time or another – is in danger of letting ego override that fact, and making mistakes accordingly. In the end, this situation could be nothing more than the perfect storm that arises when both of those narratives collide head on.

Ratone & Seldomtone

Abby — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:50:39 +0000

December 16, 2011 – 7:00 p.m.
at The Good Work Collective in Old Town Traverse City
417 South Union Street, Traverse City

with special guest Steve Cousins, TCAPS Superintendent
Read a recent TC Ticker article about the “educator-slash-guitar-hero” here.

RATONE
Ratone “The Band” formed in late 2010. It was started by Billy, Sean, and Peter, however in early 2009. Billy would play drums, Peter the guitar , and Sean would sing their own songs to kill time and have fun. That summer they played their first gig at a community picnic, and decided to get serious. On that note, they invited Aaron Mahoney to play lead guitar in early 2010. Peter took on bass, so …sean could learn rhythm guitar, and soon they began to play around town. About a year later, Maikel Ragel was invited to join a second time, after declining a previous offer, as a main vocalist with Sean, and keyboard player.

The name comes from a small town in New Mexico, “Raton” (Ruh-tone) . This was a small train station town that Billy, Sean, and Peter passed through on their way to the Philmont Scout Ranch. They all agreed on the name, but soon after learned that it was spanish for “a tiny desert mouse; a rat”. Being “rats” was not an appealing image to them. But before the name was scrapped, it was suggested to add an “e” on the end, making it “Ratone”. “Either way, it’s pronounced ‘Ratone’. But the ‘e’ makes the name look like ‘tone’, as in ‘tone-music’. ” Thus Ratone was born. Through that summer though, they struggled to adjust to having a title, and switched between various names, such as “American Standard”, “Second Nature” and others, only to finally settle back upon “Ratone”.

They are working upon expanding across the state of Michigan, and hopefully soon, the Mid West.

Visit Ratone’s Facebook page here.

SELDOMTONE
What some professionals are saying about Seldomtone:

“I would like it to be known that I find these boys to be remarkably gifted and quite capable of achieving absolutely anything!” Aaron Wolinski, Spiral Sound and Avatar Media owner and noted record producer

“This six member band is an amazingly talented group of high school freshmen who do all their own original music. Don’t let their age fool you, their sound and style is mature and marvelous.” Horizon Books

“Seldomtone was a great addition to our lineup. Original music and lyrics. Cute too!! The boys are amazing. We can now say Northport knew them when!!! So young with so much talent” Gloria Thomas, Director/Producer of Northport Follies

Visit Seldomtone’s Facebook page here.

DJ DomiNate

Abby — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 17:26:56 +0000

Nathaniel Taylor, aka DJ DomiNate, was born and still resides in his hometown of Traverse City, Michigan. Music has been a gift and came naturally since grade school for him as the strings were his first instrumental practices. DomiNate started when he was 5 years old with the introduction of the Violin and soon followed his musical education in the Viola, Stand-Up Bass and the Bass Guitar. While enjoying the rock band experience in high school, DomiNate racked up numerous awards with the Bass but soon after graduation the band went their separate ways and DomiNate joined the U.S. Marine Corps. The Marines proved to be a turning point in his life where he was introduced to the electronic music movement sweeping across the nation in 2000. The love of the crowd appeal, the emotions felt and how the music took a grip on him and turned his attention away from the rock and roll, it wasn’t until after raising an autistic child until a fitting age that he was able to seek the music field once again and DJing was his passion in cue.

In 2008, starting with his first DJ experience with Mr. Music DJs here in Traverse City is where the tables came together and a new career started. After bouncing between Grand Rapids and Traverse City, mostly involved with the wedding scene and acquiring his first set of DJ equipment, he started his club experience inside Shimmers Nightclub of Traverse in mid summer of 2010 and ventured on a new music love in creating mash up tracks, taking mixed genre songs and combining them into new creations.

Since 2009, his mash up work has quickly become a staple in his DJ work and has been recognized by artists from around the world. His track “Imagine the Day” is a creation of three distinct songs, Lennon’s “Imagine, Matiyahu’s “One Day” and the Black Eyed Peas’s hit “Where is the Love”. They all portray a sense of peace and love and was recently noted by Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Foundation. Along with his process of creating these spliced masterpieces his natural ability to deconstruct a few songs in his head, rearrange them into what he feels the track is going to portray and accurately record them as such, DomiNate continues to revitalize existing works of art or change the emotion of a track into new club hits. To be able to control any genre of music, his talent to adjust to any crowd and his keen insight of what it takes to keep a dance floor full was developing at a rapid rate where in April of 2011, DomiNate became the Resident DJ for Ground Zero and the Reserved Ultra Lounge located inside the Streeters Entertainment Center. With solo projects ongoing with Porterhouse Productions, B. Jenkins, David Wildfong along with designing special interest events at the Streeters Center, DomiNate continues to excell in every event detail he is a part of and his club oriented mash up tracks are becoming a staple in his DJ career.

“I get a physical rush that is felt from head to toe when I see the smiles, the reaction of those when they hear that one song played just for them. You know, that one song that takes any pain, sorrow or depression away and for that one moment in time, that emotion is unable to be stolen away” – DJ DomiNate

Websites:

SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/dj-dominate

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/DJ-DomiNate/252405374782617

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/djdominate0431?feature=mhee

Tony Furtado

Abby — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:15:28 +0000

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW! Sliding Scale : $15 – $40

TONY FURTADO: A PLAYER FOR EVERY TASTE
by Rick Coates for Northern Express

Multi-instrumentalist Tony Furtado is looking for three things when he comes to Traverse City this week: a full house, smelt for dinner, and a couple of good glasses of wine.

Furtado should be able to have all three when he performs Wednesday, October 12 at The Good Work Collective on Union Street.

“This will be my third visit to Traverse City and I love that place. I have some friends in the area who keep promising me a smelt dinner and now I find out they will be out of town. I love smelt but I can’t get it out here in Oregon, not even frozen,” said Furtado. “Traverse City reminds me a lot of Portland where I have been living for the past several years with all the wineries and breweries.”

Furtado enjoys performing at arts venues as he went to college to pursue an art degree. “When I am not touring and recording I spend my time creating sculptures,” he said.

A multi-instrumentalist, Furtado burst onto the scene as a teenager 25 years ago after winning two National Banjo Championships by the age of 19. His interest in the banjo started in 6th grade when he was given an assignment to write about the instrument. For the project he made a banjo out of household items. He also took up the guitar and excelled as a slide guitarist. As for determining whether a song he writes will be best for guitar or best for banjo, Furtado says he is never sure.

“Sometimes I think it is going to be a banjo song but guitar ends up being the better choice. I guess I don’t really know until a song is finished.”

ON WRITING SONGS
As for his songwriting process, he prefers to write when the moment moves him.

“I typically like to set up a specific time to write, I carry a note pad and take notes but I am not trying to write songs per se on the road. When I am touring I want to focus on the live performance. But sometimes what I will do is take a few days off between shows and just hole up in a hotel and write,” said Furtado. “Now I just released an album earlier this year and wrote the songs for that a year ago, so I am getting that itch to start writing again, so I will schedule some time to focus solely on writing for my next album. As for the process, for me it typically starts with a good glass of wine.”

Tony Furtado released his 15th album, “Golden,” earlier this year. In the past he recorded at various studios while out touring. This time he took time off to record in his hometown of Portland. In addition he found a first-time producer.

“Yeah, myself. I decided to produce this album,” he said. “I have worked with a lot of great producers in the past. I had a couple in mind for this project but they were not available. So I asked my label if I could produce this myself, I recorded a few songs, produced them to my liking, and sent them in and the label loved them and told me to go for it.”

For several years Furtado was averaging 250 shows a year; now by personal design and changes in the industry he is performs less than 200.

“I really feel that the last few years have been the hardest ever in this business of performing live,” said Furtado. “It is really tough out there and I am really committed to help in whatever way I can to fill venues. I want to look out and see a full house. Plus, one positive thing is that CD sales are way up at shows, so people get this is how we make our living.”

One thing that makes Furtado a success is he has found a way to be all things to all people at least musically.

“I don’t know about that, but certainly musically I am all over the board,” said Furtado. “I have eclectic tastes in what I listen to and certainly that reflects in the music I create.”

Tony Furtado will take the stage at The Good Work Collective in Traverse City on Wednesday, October 12, at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 and the show has a limited number of tickets remaining so consider advance purchase at www.porterhouseproductions.com where you’ll find a link to some of Furtado’s music.

“Toe The Line” from Golden

Click here to view the embedded video.

Tony Furtado Demonstrates His Banjo-Inspired Finger Picking

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bolinas

Click here to view the embedded video.

2011 Old Town Halloween Carnival & Monsters’ Ball

Abby — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:42:15 +0000

ONLINE TICKET SALES FOR THIS EVENT HAVE ENDED.
TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE GATE FOR THE FOLLOWING PRICES
MORNING EVENT : Ages 13+ = $8, Ages 3-12 = $5, Ages 2 and under = FREE
EVENING EVENT: $25, Ages 21+ Only
**Please note that the morning family-friendly carnival and the
evening Monsters’ Ball are separately ticketed events.
Thanks for your understanding!

View FACEBOOK invite and SHARE with all of your friends!

* Please note, the MAIN ENTRANCE to the event is located at S Union Street & 7th Street

OLD TOWN HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL/MONSTER PANCAKE THROWDOWN
> Saturday, October 29 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
> All ages – family-friendly!
> TICKETS: Ages 13+ = $8, Ages 3-12 = $5, Ages 2 and under = FREE | Tickets are also available at Oryana and Blue Tractor in Traverse City.
> Admission includes FOOD and ALL ENTERTAINMENT
> Local fruit, canned jams, eggs and ingredients from Cherry Capital Foods, Maxbauer Meat Market’s breakfast sausage, Higher Grounds fair trade coffee, fresh-pressed cider and real syrup from RMG Family Sugar Bush
> Kids’ costume contest featuring prizes from Crystal Mountain, City Bike Shop, Toy Harbor, and Porterhouse Productions
> Haunted bouncy castle and old-fashioned carnival games courtesy of Evernight Entertainment
> Halloween characters courtesy of Halloween Superstores
> Interactive photo booth
> Face painted by The Painted Lady
> KidzArt arts and crafts activities
> Scarecrow display from The History Center of Traverse City
> Hydraulic virtual hearse rides courtesy of Evernight Entertainment
> Live pumpkin carvings by “Lord of the Gourd” Pat Harrison
> Dance performances by Soul Step Dance Studio‘s Urban Elements Dance Crew and the Grand Traverse County Senior Center Network (who will perform Michael Jackson’s “Thriller“)
> Petrified Pumpkin Pie Chomping Contest courtesy of Grand Traverse Pie Company
> Appearances by Traverse City high school student performers Seldomtone, Ratone, and Reade Wildman (accompanied by jazz guitarist Ron Getz)
> Large-scale kids’ Silent Disco dance tent featuring family-friendly pop and Halloween dance hits
> Students of Interlochen Arts Academy “Breaks Out” performances in The Good Work Collective
> Palm reader
> Twister Joe, animal balloon twister
> Big Beautiful Life Chiropractic will be on hand to educate families on holistic health and chiropractic care
> TC Fire Department will be giving antique fire truck rides around Old Town

Schedule
10:00 a.m. : Doors open
10:00 a.m. : Monster Pancake Throwdown featuring chefs from Flap Jack Shack, Grand Traverse Pie Company, The Omelette Shoppe, The Cooks’ House, Patisserie Amie, and the Traverse City Fire Fighters Association competing for the title of Best Pancake in TC! Pancakes will be judged on creativity, taste, and people’s choice votes.
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. : fun for the entire family • kids’ costume contest • haunted bouncy castle • old-fashioned carnival games & halloween creatures • photo ops • art activities • face painting • scarecrow display • pumpkin pie eating contest • live pumpkin carvings • silent disco for kids and their families • dance performances • traverse city high school rock band performances
10:30 a.m. : Interlochen Arts Academy students host “Breaks Out” in The Good Work Collective (417 S Union)
10:30 a.m. : Reade Wildman with Ron Getz
11:30 a.m. : Ratone
11:30 a.m. : Petrified Pumpkin Pie Chomping Contest courtesy of Grand Traverse Pie Company
12 noon : “Thriller” dance by GT Senior Citizen Network
12 noon : Performances on Union Street by Soul Step Dance Studio’s Urban Elements Dance Crew
1:00 p.m. : Seldomtones
2:00 p.m. : Doors close

OLD TOWN MONSTERS’ BALL
> Saturday, October 29 from 6:00 p.m.-12:00 midnight, re-entry allowed
> Ages 21+ – no exceptions, please
> TICKETS: $20 in Advance, $25 at the Door | Tickets are also available at Oryana and Blue Tractor in Traverse City.
> Admission includes ALL ENTERTAINMENT. Food and beverages are separate.
> Roaming indoor/outdoor festival – including heated tents on Union Street (courtesy of Team Bob’s Heating and Cooling), the Blue Tractor, The Shed and The Good Work Collective, plus participating businesses’ parking lots and rooftop patio spaces
> Check out the WKLT Halloween party dance tent and lounge, featuring a tesla coil and WKLT’s boom box and much, much more
> Adult costume contest featuring $1,000 cash prize from WKLT, as well as a vacation getaway, lift tickets, and Crystal Spa passes from Crystal Mountain. Plus a chance to win a 2012 all-access pass to Porterhouse Productions events.
> $5 drink specials all night from North Peak Brewing Company (featuring Hooligan, Siren, Diabolical), Bell’s Brewery, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Budweiser, Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula, and wells.
> Full-service bar with non-alcoholic beverages also available.
> Food specials from Blue Tractor, Soul Hole, Maxbauers, and Wishbones
> The very last live performance of popular Michigan dance band Ella Riot! This will be the band’s farewell show. (www.dancethink.com)
> Live entertainment including hula hoopers, fire dancers and costumed performers
> Late-night silent disco dance party featuring DJ Body Rock and Wally Sparks (of Ella Riot) and DJ Dominate
> Dance performances by Soul Step Dance Studio’s Urban Elements Dance Crew and the Grand Traverse County Senior Center Network (who will perform Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”)
> Scarecrow display from The History Center of Traverse City
> Hydraulic virtual hearse rides courtesy of Evernight Entertainment
> Live pumpkin carvings by “Lord of the Gourd” Pat Harrison
> Palm reader
> Twister Joe, animal balloon twister

Schedule
6:00 p.m. : Doors open
6:00 p.m.-12:00 midnight : Silent Disco, WKLT Party Tent & Lounge, street performers and festival entertainment, palm reader, Lord of the Gourd, Petrified Pumpkin Pie Chomping Contest, and much more!
6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. : DJ Body Rock & Wally Sparks on Main Stage
6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. : DJ Dominate rocks the Silent Disco tent
7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. : WKLT Costume Contest judging throughout festival
7:30 p.m. : GT Senior Citizen “THRILLER” dance and Soul Step Dance Studio’s Urban Elements Dance Crew performances on South Union Street
8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. sharp (in accordance with the city’s noise curfew) : ELLA RIOT‘s farewell performance on Main Stage
10:00 p.m.-12:00 midnight : DJ Body Rock & Wally Sparks rock the Silent Disco tent
10:00 p.m.-12:00 midnight : Silent Disco, lounge DJ music, street performances, fire dancers, hula hoopers
11:00 p.m. : Costume winner announced on Main Stage
12:00 midnight : Doors close. Be freakin’ safe!

THANK YOU TO
TBA Credit Union
Crystal Mountain
Team Bob’s Heating & Cooling
Blue Tractor Cook Shop
WKLT
9&10 News
Lite 96 FM
106 KHQ
Signs Now
Grand Traverse Pie Company
Cherry Capital Foods
Oryana
Wineries of Old Mission Peninsula
North Peak Beer
Bell’s Brewing Co.
Soul Step Studios
Grand Traverse Senior Center Network
Evernight Entertainment
Halloween Superstores
KidzArt
Toy Harbor
The Cooks’ House
Flap Jack Shack
The Omelette Shoppe
Patisserie Amie
Charter
Grand Traverse Insider
North Peak Brewing Co.
City Bike Shop
Thompson Pharmacy & Medical
Big Beautiful Life Chiropractic
Bay Area Recycling for Charities
The Painted Lady
“Lord of the Gourd,” Pat Harrison

Map – 2011 3rd Annual Traverse City Summer Microbrew & Music Festival

Abby — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:45:58 +0000

CLICK HERE for information and details on the current
2012 3rd Annual Traverse City Winter Microbrew & Music Festival.

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