New Orleans, Represent!

Aug. 19, 2016

AT THE MICROBREW AND MUSIC FEST

In celebration of Porterhouse Productions’ ninth summer Microbrew and Music Festival, Porterhouse owner and big idea guy Sam Porter is swinging his focus to The Big Easy.

“This is the year I wanted to bring a real New Orleans experience to Traverse City,” Porter said.

Headlining the immersive NOLA experience is Trombone Shorty and his band Orleans Avenue. Shorty, aka Troy Andrews, hails from Louisiana and wows crowds not only on trombone but also on trumpet, organ, tuba, and drums.

His soulful sound has earned him multiple performance invites to the White House and a nationwide fan base. This summer, he and his crew have been touring around the country with Hall and Oates, and Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings.

Shorty will share the brewfest limelight with a buzz band Rolling Stone called one of the Ten New Artists You Need To Know for 2016: The Revivalists, another New Orleans act that lean more toward horn-sprinkled alt-rock along the lines of Alabama Shakes or Galactic, thanks in part to the bellowing vocals of frontman David Shaw. “Their sound is like Eddie Vedder if Eddie Vedder ever got into Louisiana music,” Porter said.

Rounding out the performer list are Chicagobased deep-pocket-funk band The Heard; Michigan twang-rock favorites The Go Rounds; Minneapolis experimental one-man band Heatbox; Las Vegas beatboxer That 1 Guy; The Change; Deep Blue Water Samba; and guerilla music outfit The Detroit Party Marching Band.

“It’s such a diverse lineup,” Porter said. “Plus, we now have over 1,500 headsets available for the Silent Disco, which has really been a hit. We’ve got 10 DJs for the disco this year.”

And of course, there is the true star of the show: microbrews — over 300 different beers, ciders, meads, and wines — all of which are getting additional focus this year via the Hop ’N’ Brew Shack, an on-site classroom that offers extra information on the beverages. “We’re rebuilding it this year and putting it on a trailer, so it will be mobile,” Porter said. “This allows microbrewers to go into this space with 15–20 people for 15 minutes or so per group, so they can really present their beverage and talk about it with people, instead of just a quick handshake and sampling. This will help the microbrewers really build fans.”

As a nod to Southern vittles, the festival’s food will focus on slow-pit barbecue, featuring offerings from Charlevoix smokehouse Pigs Eatin’ Ribs, and Detroit-, Pontiac-, and Grand Rapidsbased Slows BBQ.

“A lot of microbrew festivals are getting pretty static, just tents and beer,” Porter said. “So we’re working hard on adding in different things — first of all the music, then small rare brews, collaboration brews, the food, and other activities. Microbrew and Music is my chance to give back to my hometown, help fill hotel rooms and bring money into the city. I love that part of my work, and I love this festival.”

The 2016 summer Microbrew and Music will take place Aug. 26–27 at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons. For tickets and more information, visit microbrewandmusic.com.