Sat 8/23 @ 2PM
When the sleepy little Lakewood bowling alley Mahall’s 20 Lanes was taken over by new owners at the beginning of 2012, things changed dramatically — and they’ve continued to change. The two sets of bowling lanes upstairs and down still exude ’50s flavor, but the occasional rockabilly band booking has given way to a full schedule of indie bands of all types, as well as such special programming as poetry readings, discussions, and jam sessions.
During that first year, the club also staged its first LKWD Music Festival which spilled out of the club onto Madison Avenue with a batch of food trucks enhancing the all-day/all-evening music schedule.
Brooklyn’s Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang were the headliners that year. They went bigger last year with hip hop artists Talib Kweli, who made his name in the alternative rap group Black Star, in the headlining slot.
For its third year, the LKWD Music Fest has gotten bigger still. Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA and Oakland punk/hip hop/R&B ensemble the Coup are the main attractions. In addition to being a founding member of the influential New York City hip hop collective, GZA has maintained a solo career for more than 20 years, with a new album called Dark Matter out this year. The Coup is known for its aggressively political but often humorous rock & soul-influenced rap.
They’re just the biggest names among the 30 acts that will perform on three stages, including an outdoor stage, the club’s regular ground floor music room, and the downstairs locker-room stage.
Regional and touring acts like Grand Rapids’ the Soil & the Sun, Maryland’s Cotton Jones, Columbus’ Brujas del Sol, and Stillwater, Oklahoma’s DEERPEOPLE will join a strong lineup of local artists, including Nights, NOMADS, Ottawa, Trepanning Trio, and the Admirables. And while the lineup is diverse, ranging from the Afrobeat of Cleveland’s Fiscal Spliff Band to the country/blues Americana of Akron’s Shivering Timbers, there’ll be a special treat for fans of psychedelic rock, when a concentration of bands in that genre plays from 10 pm-2am on the main indoor stage accompanied by a light show by Brooklyn’s Drippy Eye Projections. Vaudeville troupe Pinch & Squeal and Cleveland-based Djapo Cultural Arts Dancers & Djembe Orchestra diversified the entertainment still more.
There will again be food trucks, as well as a vendor area put together by the Cleveland Flea — and bowling, of course. The event occupies the 13200 Madison block in front of the club as well as the club itself and continues until 2am.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 day of the event. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Lakewood Community Services Center.