The Kalamazoo Valley Blues Association is gearing up for its annual Kalamazoo Blues Festival, running Friday and Saturday at Old Dog Tavern. KVBA president Mike Depoian and secretary Lisa Chilton, both musicians, join Cara Lieurance in the studio to preview the weekend.
Depoian explains that Friday's lineup centers on a "local spotlight" theme, with acts drawn entirely from West Michigan, while Saturday mixes local, regional, and national performers. Friday's bill at Old Dog Tavern, where doors open at 4 p.m., includes Blueback, the Lisa Chilton Band, Eddie Blue and the Ravens, Asamu Johnson and the Associates of the Blues, and headliner JR Clark. Saturday, with doors at noon, features Resurrection Blues Band, Mandalyn and the Hunters, the Out of Favor Boys, Mississippi Heat, Wayne Baker Brooks, and closes with Texas guitarist and singer Carolyn Wonderland.
Now in its third year at Old Dog Tavern, the festival traces back to 1994, with KVBA incorporating as a nonprofit the following year. The organization has since expanded into a Winter Blues Series at Shakespeare's Pub and an annual scholarship for a graduating senior pursuing music. As Depoian puts it, KVBA has "grown out of just putting on a fun festival" to also support area venues and musicians.
Asked whether blues gets the recognition it deserves, Chilton is direct: "I would say the answer is always no." Still, she says audiences often discover an affinity for the genre without realizing it: "People just don't know that they love the blues."
Depoian credits Eric Sebastian of Sebastian Sound, who has run sound for KVBA events and other major Kalamazoo festivals, as central to the production, and Chilton notes the festival will go on "rain or shine."
Day passes for Friday run $12 in advance and $15 at the door; Saturday passes are $28 in advance and $35 at the door. Weekend passes are available in advance for $35. Tickets and the full schedule are available at kvba.org.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
