Sat 6/16 @ 1-10PM
For the 10th year in a row, the Larchmere PorchFest will bring back the feel-good community vibe of wandering around a neighborhood to experience music, people, shops, and homes in the summertime. On Sat 6/16, 30 musical acts will jam on 30 porches. Your senses will be inundated with hip hop, rock, Americana, Latin, soul, world fusion, jazz, blues, soul, opera and classical music. Once you’re there and experiencing new genres, you won’t have a favorite type of music anymore.
For example, if you’re a rock fan, maybe you want to check out indie pop-rock band the Mason District at 1pm, pop/tock/funk band Copper Thieves INT’L at 2pm, Bewarewolves at 3:30pm, and garage rock band RADATTACK at 5pm.
World Fusion lovers may enjoy Victor Samalot at 2. Jazz and blues enthusiasts will want to find out when and where Tim Matson, Frey by Night Band, Hashtag Virgo and Austin Walkin’ Cane will be. Quieter or classically-trained souls will appreciate Ashley Close, the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society, and acoustical guitar played by Jason Patrick Meyers or folk music by Charlie Mosbrook and Wildcard Leader.
Pure Rock will be played by All is Harvest, Bro Dylan, Diana Chittester, M. Moody and Tim Moon. And, of course, there’s punk and soul and hip hop from Smoke Screen, Collin Miller & Brother Nature, and Marcus Alan Ward. Pay attention to Hello Luna’s alternative rock, the James Emmett Band, Exotic Fruit Club, Maura Rogers and the Bellows.p.stoops and discover a new sound.
The porches begin a bit south of Fairhill Road and flow into the space before you get to Shaker Square. Look to be west of Kemper and mostly east of E. 121st Street (MuAmin Collective’s 5pm performance is at is at 11810 Larchmere Boulevard). The Common Ground Food Courts will vibrate with the music of Mourning [A] BLKstar and provides the way to stay all day.
Event coordinators have also conjured up Story Walk for kids from 2–5pm, put on by Shaker Library. Local brewery Platform Beer Company will be pouring at the beer garden between 1:30 and 7:30pm. The restaurant and music after parties feature zydeco band Mo’ Mojo, Leaf Borbie & the Family Tree, Mimi Arden, Paulo Costa and Global Connections, and begin at 8 in various locations in the area.
Dawn Arrington, PorchFest president, has been involved with the organization for the past three years. She says the music committee is made up of board members and committee members who know local music and work on pulling the bands into the event. The logistics committee spends a lot of time locating porches in the community, and since it’s such a community event, people reach out to them with offers of their porches.
The lore is that one of the founding members went to Ithaca and experienced a similar event, and when she came back home, she said it would be nice to try it in Larchmere. The first year, 300-500 people turned out to hear the music. This year, they expect close to 10,000. Worried about crowds? Don’t be.
“We have more than one concert happening during each time slot and we make the choices really hard, and are cognizant of space restrictions,” Arrington said during an interview this past weekend. And there’s no trouble with the neighbors because they put out signs to note it’s going on and, as Arrington says, the community asks everyone to “be a good neighbor, with concerts going on, and not to worry about people in your grass.” Security is led by local Cleveland policeman, with councilman, who are neighbors.
“It’ll be a full neighborhood. Bring your lawn chairs,” she says.
Official parking is at 12200 Fairhill, where the entertainment begins and spreads out from. There’s also parking at Our Lady of Peace and on local streets throughout the area. But you can ride your bike, walk, take the rapid to the Shaker Square station or find the RTA bus line. Arrington suggests you bring cash for sometimes cash moves faster than credit.
Although lots of people will be at the festival, the organizers are not trying to take business away from the community but are focused on community. Because of participation of event, people walk around, they think the place is cool, and shop at local businesses. There’s no reason why partygoers can’t walk over to Shaker Square. Arrington feels PorchFest is “the premier music festival of the summer in Cleveland showcasing local, unsigned bands who are grinding it out and playing lots of music people are not familiar with.”
Love it all. All along Larchmere Boulevard with its eclectic street of indie shops, music will fill the air. All the details, the map, the schedules, and the bands, can be found at larchmereporchfest.
[Written by Claudia Taller]
Cleveland, OH 44120