John Bommarito: You're listening to The Song Break on 89.1 WEMU. I'm John Bommarito. Something that, well, if you live near or in Ann Arbor, no doubt you look forward to is the Ann Arbor Summer Festival every year. It just so happens that the “free” festival that costs a lot of money to put on is having the Ann Arbor Summer Festival's annual fundraiser this coming Friday, May 16th. And joining me is the Executive Director of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Michael Michelon, to discuss that and all things Top of the Park. Welcome back, Michael! Good to see you again, sir!
Michael Michelon: Thanks for having me! Good to see you!
John Bommarito: Tell me a little bit more about the event happening on Friday, please.
Michael Michelon: Yeah, Debut, our season kickoff and fundraiser at the HOMES Campus in Ann Arbor, of course is a fundraiser, but it also is centered around what we do best: performance, some surprises, great experiences, some food and drink, and so we encourage people to come on out.
John Bommarito: Where is the HOMES Campus? And can you tell me who will be there, or is that all a surprise?
Michael Michelon: No, you could find some of the performer lineup on our website, A2SF.org. The HOMES Campus is located off of Jackson Road in Ann Arbor near Wagner.
John Bommarito: It’s just not a place I've been yet as of this moment of my life, but maybe Friday.
Michael Michelon: Yeah, good spot. Dozer Coffee is there as well. And so, we look forward to welcoming a new venue and kicking off the season with our supporters.
John Bommarito: Well, there’s not too many events that I can think of that have two names that pretty much mean the same thing to people. Ann Arbor Summer Festival. Top of the Park. I've used them interchangeably. Is that incorrect in your office? If I came to your office and said Top of the Park, would you be like, “No, no, no! Ann Arbor Summer Festival.” Or does it really matter?
Michael Michelon: You know, I think we think of Top of the Park as a location. I think for those that go back many years with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, they think of it being a top of the parking structure. And so that name still means a lot. It means a lot to us, and we hold on to it.
John Bommarito: 41 years? Is that what we celebrate this year?
Michael Michelon: Yeah, we're in the 42nd season this year.
John Bommarito: Wow, that's a long time to do something like this for a community! And I know as I've been part of many of those, it's been, like I said at the beginning, something I look forward to every year. There are all sorts of great things to pick from musically speaking and entertainment wise.
Michael Michelon: A lot of big anniversaries this season and this year and we look forward to welcoming both The Ark and WEMU to the Summer Festival this year to celebrate some big milestones.
John Bommarito: Yes! We're going to talk about that maybe a little bit later on in this conversation. I think we might have done this on your last visit, talked a little about the background of you. When did you start as an Executive Director for the festival? How long have you been that position? I know you were something else before that there.
Michael Michelon: Yeah, fall of 2017 and I've been fortunate to be in Ann Arbor since school and interact with the Summer Festival as an attendee, and it was great to make it a career one day.
John Bommarito: Has it become more stressful, or is it still fun? Because it seems like the stress of planning a big event like this might kind of outweigh the fun. Like planning a wedding is fun, sort of, except it's stressful.
Michael Michelon: Yeah, I mean, live events are fun. I think that the big thing is that it's great to show up to work every day and be a part of an organization that means a lot to so many, and that I think generally brings a lot of joy and that people have positive association with. That makes our work easier and helps you get through the stressful times.
John Bommarito: Sure does bring a lot of joy to people! I've seen the smiling faces and all those great pictures that are online of what happens year after year after year. So good on you! It's good to go home and go, “I made a difference today!”
Michael Michelon: Thanks, John!
John Bommarito: Absolutely! Well, we mentioned the fundraiser, which is on the 16th. The Ann Arbor Summer Festival officially begins with music Friday, June 13th with a great bass player I've seen at the Blue LLama and other venues, mostly as a backing musician, but he's leading the music at the O & W Grove Stage. Josef Deas will be there. I don't have any music by him, but I know that I really love his bass playing. So that's kind of a new addition to your lineup. I don't think I've seen him in years past.
Michael Michelon: Yeah, we are welcoming him for the first time. And for those that are unfamiliar, the O&W Grove stage is really wonderful. I mean, there's really something about a happy hour set underneath the trees on Ingalls Mall. It’s my favorite stage and I’ve enjoyed all the great things I've been able to see there over the years. And he kicks us off at 5 PM on Friday, June 13.
John Bommarito: That is the stage I've done most of my announcing at in my past life. And it's the stage I've spent the most amount of time on. So, that's a good stage for me as well. And then in that same general vicinity, that same day, this is a…this is a baffling one for us Grammy winner. Rhiannon Giddens follows on the O&W Stage! What?!
Michael Michelon: Yeah, we've got a lot of people saying, “I think you have a typo. Are you sure that's not at the Power Center or Hill Auditorium?” We are welcoming Rhannon Giddens to Top of the Park. That is not a mistake. But in a really special format, she's not performing a traditional set, but instead inviting the community to join for a community jam. I'm sure that a lot of your listeners have seen that she's been around a lot lately as the University of Michigan's Arts initiatives, Inaugural Artists in Residence. And of course she'll be back next year in the UMS season, but we are fortunate to welcome her to Top of the Park for this “Community Jam” that will involve members that are chosen through a call for submissions process over the next month or so. It's going to be crowded, I'm sure.
John Bommarito: A lot of people are going to show up out of curiosity if nothing else, for sure. Then that same night on opening night some folky pop from the ever-popular Frontier Ruckus. And the joyful fun music of Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers also on that night.
Michael Michelon: Great to welcome them back! I think it's been over 10 years since they've played Top of the Park, and so we're really excited about that one.
John Bommarito: It's good to see their star on the rise too. They've been doing a lot more national touring and things. Joe is still based in Ann Arbor, as far as I know. He moved here from Kalamazoo, if I remember correctly as well. From that point, there's entertainment every night except on Mondays per usual, right? Through June 29th? What about you? What are some of the things you're most excited about on the lineup this year?
Michael Michelon: One thing is, we've ended up with a lot of brass bands this year. I don't think that was the intention when we started out, but we've ended up that way, and so it's kind of becoming the year of brass bands. The Chicago-based Mucca Pazza, that combines marching band traditions and rock sensibilities, are going to be at the Top of the Park parading through Ingalls Mall and then finishing with the set in the Rackham Stage.
John Bommarito: Feels kind of New Orleans, just hearing it that way!
Michael Michelon Absolutely! Then the band Brass Against, which I think is on June 14, you can correct me. Another band that plays a mix of original compositions and then really great covers by bands like Tool and Black Sabbath. These are my favorite because I think it really speaks to the street party that we put on for a few weeks each year.
John Bommarito: My guest on The Song Break today on 89.1 WEMU is Executive Director of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival Michael Michelon. Michael, I want to point out something that WEMU listeners will be excited about. They must take note: Veronica Swift will be on the main stage Wednesday. June 25th. She's an artist that we've played quite a bit here at the station. And I know Michael, our Michael, is very excited to have her coming to Ann Arbor as part of the festival. So, that's a real good one for us to be at. Hopefully we're presenting that night. I don't even know. I haven't seen the who's presenting what night things.
Michael Michelon: Yeah, we are partnering with WEMU that night, and yeah, real powerhouse. Really excited to have her!
John Bommarito: Same night, another favorite of ours, Madcat’s CARma Quartet also on the stage that night, so another one that our listeners can get excited about. That's June 25th. Reserve that date for sure on your calendar. Remember these are all free. As usual, encouraged are donations at the event. You'll have volunteers there as you normally do, I imagine, at the fronts of the entrances and throughout the festival. And our own Daniel Long will be on stage many nights reminding people, “hey, don't forget there's people with buckets. Go find the buckets. Go find volunteers.”
Michael Michelon: Yeah, and we're always grateful for that, you know, 60 percent of our operating budget is covered by philanthropic support, and you know 30 percent are people, individuals that are making that happen.
John Bommarito: What people didn't see when I was mentioning that it's a “free” event, I used air quotes. You can't see my fingers on the radio. So, free!
Michael Michelon: Yeah, free is pretty expensive, it turns out.
John Bommarito: It actually is pretty inexpensive. More music that I think WEMU listeners could be very interested in. You can catch Chris Canas, June 19th and Mr. B's B10 band on June 27th. My perception of how this year's lineup was assembled, Michael, is it seems that there is more focus on giving some new names a chance to shine in the spotlight. Many of the usual suspects aren't there. There's a few, but it seems like almost consciously the booking was, “hey, let's give some new people a chance.” Were you involved in that at all? Do you know the answer to that question?
Michael Michelon: That's always the balance. And I think in the last few years, we've been at 15 days working towards getting back to our 21-day season that people are used to pre-COVID. And so, in the shortened run, that makes it even more challenging. But it's always a balance between this really rich artistic community in Washtenaw County and making sure that we're leading with presenting people in our backyard and then also mixing in a lot of great ensembles that are touring in the summer that we are able to bring to town. That's something that we were wrestling with and hope to do right by.
John Bommarito: Well, it's a good spot for discovery. As I mentioned, I'm seeing some of the newer names on the lineup this year. I try to pay attention to what happens in our music community, Michael. It's not that easy, because there's so much to pick from. And I'm seeing a lot of names and I'm like,” I don't know who that is…wait, where's so-and-so? Where's this band? Oh, well, they're giving people a chance.” And I totally get that, giving people other opportunities like this to be heard on these stages. They're great opportunities. I mean, I had some great experiences last year that I'd like to repeat, but we'll wait till another time when those acts are on the stage again.
Michael Michelon: Yeah, and it's a great thing about a festival format, you know, coming for one thing, discovering another. And so we hope people will come out.
John Bommarito: Some of the acts that I'd personally like to recommend from the lineup are Ann Arbor's own Jess Merritt. on June 15th. Our friend Sarah D'Angelo on June 24th. That same night, June 24th, Djangophonique headlines the main stage. Of course, we mentioned a little earlier we will be out there celebrating 60 years with our friends at The Ark. That's closing night. Music that night from Ypsilanti based performer who had a fair amount of success with this previous band, the Great Lakes Myth Society, Timothy Monger will be there. Some pretty cool vibes from Cuban Canadian performer Alex Cuba that same night. And Lady Sunshine and the X band. And as usual, closing night includes George Bedard and the Kingpins. Our 60th anniversary in your big tent. We're really looking forward to that. Will you be mingling with us, I hope?
Michael Michelon: Of course! Wouldn't miss it!
John Bommarito: It's kind of fun to have two organizations that are the same age that are so important to Washtenaw County on the same night and we've been doing a lot of cross promotion with them, having Barb on our fundraisers and such and making sure that people are aware of that fantastic other thing that happens in Ann Arbor all the time. But really, it's another mighty fine looking festival. Music and movies and entertainment. all starting Friday, June 13th, running through June 29th, Mondays as usual are dark. Anything else I need to know about that I haven't asked you about?
Michael Michelon: Two big highlights for the year that I think. Schedule changes that people will be interested in starting this year. Sundays, we're beginning an hour earlier, and 4 PM with the idea of really supporting families. Sundays have been big family days, and so we're trying to move it up a bit and support more people. We encourage people to come out. We're also, I guess, reintroducing our After Dark DJ series this year. And so Friday and Saturday nights, people will be able to return to the Grove Stage beginning at 10 p.m. for a great lineup of DJs throughout the season. Those are two big highlights that we're excited about those changes to the schedule.
John Bommarito: That sounds fun, and I thought, because I wasn't sure when I saw the DJs, whether they would be on the main stage or the Grove Stage, so thank you for clarifying that. I didn't know, and now I do. Very informative. Michael, thank you for swinging by and letting us know about the upcoming festival and of course reminding people about May 16th. You want to give them a little quick pitch on that again, if you don't mind?
Michael Michelon: Yeah. Please visit A2SF.org/debut, and that is our season kickoff and fundraiser this Friday at 7 p.m. At the HOMES campus in Ann Arbor.
John Bommarito: Michael Michelon, Executive Director of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, joining me on The Song Break today. Michael, good to see you. I'll see you this summer for sure.
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