Tuna returns to bark again

*Editor’s note, we have made several changes to this article due to several major errors made.

By Jared Field
Western Herald

Kalamazoo’s shockingly brilliant indie scene will be in full swing this weekend when the Barking Tuna Fest kicks off this Thursday night at The Strutt.

The festival will take place Oct. 8-10 and includes more than 15 bands from Michigan, Nashville, Tenn., Chicago, and Toronto.

The festival is being put on by Western Michigan University’s student-run non-commercial radio station, 89.1 WIDR, which prides itself on bringing Kalamazoo a wide variety of musical genres, and focusing on under-the-radar bands.

During past Barking Tuna Fests, WIDR was able to bring in bands such as Nirvana, R.E.M. and RJD2. With the support of such a predominant radio station, this years’ fest was able to attract bands such as the Fruit Bats from Chicago, The Legendary Shack Shakers from Nashville, and Notes to Self from Toronto.

“Since we’re bringing in bands from all over the country, we hope that Barking Tuna Fest will begin to show that Michigan, just like Chicago and Nashville, knows good music, and knows how to have a good time,” said WIDR General Manager Dave Emmert.

The bands representing Michigan include Airborne or Aquatic, Michael Beauchamp and the Barn Roughs, Small Brown Bike, and Kalamazoo’s own Matt Black and the Natural Mystics, and Who Hit John. Also being represented in the Fest is Daredevil Christopher Wright, from Wisconsin.

“We are really excited about the reuniting of Small Brown Bike, from Marshall, Mich., and this will be their first show since [reuniting],” Emmert said.

The festival won’t only be taking place at The Strutt, but also on Friday at Papa Pete’s and Saturday night at The State Theatre.

“What we tried to do differently from years in the past is, instead of making it one big concert, we decided to make it three nights with headliners each night. We really wanted to give it the traditional festival style that everyone gets excited about,” Emmert said.

The Fruit Bats, an eclectic folk group from Portland and Chicago which resembles a mix between Modest Mouse, Fleet Foxes, and Band of Horses, will be headlining the whole festival at the State Theater. Their high energy and deep lyrics are characteristics of the band that draw viewers’ attention.
Another band that will knock some socks off with their high tempo southern rock is the Legendary Shack Shakers.

Their sound is that of a modern day, southern-Americanized warp on The Clash. They are intensely catchy and enticing, and have been known to put on an incredible show.

Three day passes to “Barking Tuna” can be purchased for $25 at the WIDR offices located on the bottom floor of the Faunce Student Services building, commonly known as The Birdcage, or at the Corner Record Shop on West Main Street.

Tickets at the door range in price, costing $8 at The Strutt, $10 at Papa Pete’s, and $20 at the State Theatre.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the State Theatre for $18.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Oct 7 2009. Filed under Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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