Bledfest makes its return to Livingston County

Returning for its ninth year is the all-ages, mixed genre, one-day music festival: Bledfest, which takes place in none other than Livingston County. Last year there were around 2,500 people who came to the festival, as well as 70 bands that performed on the six stages. Bledfest began in 2005 in a basement and later escalated to become what it is today.  Bledfest has recently been referred to as “the most intimate, personal concert experience of its size in the entire country.”

It is now held at the Hartland Performing Arts Center, which used to be the old Hartland High School. This is a music festival for all tastes, and it includes hardcore, metal, punk, pop, indie rock, folk, and much more. This year’s festival takes place on May 25.

Tickets are 25 dollars and are being sold by each of the bands performing as well as at the door.

The following bands are participating in Bledfest 2013: Anti-Flag, Andrew W.K., Pianos Become the Teeth, Into it. Over it., tigers Jaw, The Swellers, code Orange Kids, Hostage Calm, Make Do and Mend, Cheap Girls, Koji, Mixtapes, Diamond Youth, Hit the Lights, Masked Intruder, Sainthood Reps, Allison Weiss, Turnover, The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die, Wilson, Endeavors, Small Parks, The Shack, Hung Up, Aeris, Paths, and many more.

David Day, a junior at Howell High School is very excited to be a part of Bledfest with his band Paths, consisting of Jason Kuckuck, Brad Poppy, Sean Stice, and Neil Hazel. The melodic metal-core band played their first official show six months ago and instantly became a hit with many young people. Paths has played at the Opera House in Howell, Owosso, The American Legion, and several other venues. They’ve already headlined a show with over 150 attendees as well. Their most recent show was two weeks ago in Warren, Michigan where they opened up for a band called Berrier.

Day is still shocked by the whole experience saying, “Bledfest came as a surprise to me; I didn’t think that this would all come and go so fast. Just a year ago we were just messing around, so it’s really awesome to see how far we’ve come.”

Paths just released a new song called “Pitfalls”, and they’re currently working on an EP that will be released after Bledfest. Paths will also be around during the summer with lots of shows lined up.

Former HHS student Justin Brandt is the singer of the band Aeris consisting of him, Dallas Berry, Colin Denton, Max Klein, and Jake Osbourne. Aeris is a popcore band from Oakland County founded in 2011. They mix elements of pop, rock, and metal music to create their sound. They have already recorded a five song EP called “This Is the End of Your Life”, and they were nominated in two categories at the Detroit Music Awards this year.

Aeris likes to blend original songs and covers from alternative, metal, and post hardcore genres. One of their popular covers is “Secrets” by One Republic, which is also included in their EP. They are currently writing more music in order to write another EP.

Brandt couldn’t be happier to be playing Bledfest this year, telling the Main Four, “We’re incredibly pumped to be playing this show! We like playing in Livingston County and hope to do it a lot more in the future.”

The feedback from people all over Michigan as well as the surrounding states over Bledfest is positive and eager. Many are “stoked to hear the new bands and music at Bledfest 2013!” and think that “it’s seriously going to be amazing.” All ages are welcome. Bledfest is a fun experience for everyone so come out and support the ever-growing music scene.

Great ideas to make your summer memorable

It’s summer time which means going to the beach, staying out late with friends and making amazing memories. Summer plans don’t have to be anything extravagant to make them unforgettable; it’s the small things that count and that will stick out in your memory. With that said here are a few things that could help make your summer spectacular.

Get a bunch of your friends together, pack the cooler full of food, grab your bikinis and go camping at the Bishop Lake campground in Brighton. It’s right off of Chilson Road and only costs $19 to rent a campsite there. There is a boat rental available as well as hiking and swimming. Bring along the volley ball and start a game up on the beach, try and meet some new people by asking them to join the game. There are so many different things you could do there, and so many memories to be made.

Summertime also means family vacations. “This summer I am going up north with all of my family,” says sophomore Kimberly Foxworthy.  “It is so much fun to spend time up there, especially on the lake.”

The annual Michigan Challenge Balloonfest held at Howell High school is a very popular carnival with many fun activities. This year it will take place from June 22 – June 24. Every night from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. there will be a mass balloon launch, and on Friday night there will be fireworks.

Also, there are carnival rides and great food. There is an art festival with many interesting things to look at and buy. Some people sell jewelry and others sell paintings and other artworks. The Balloonfest is a lot of fun and a great way to spend a weekend during the summer.

“I have gone to the Balloonfest ever since I was a kid,” says junior Pete Cender. “I always have a good time and I’m planning on going again this year.”

Another fun and educational way to spend your summer is visiting colleges. Many students have begun picking out colleges that they may want to attend after high school. When visiting colleges students will be able to explore the campus as well as the city to see if it is a good fit for them.  Some people may want a bigger campus and in a big city, while others prefer a smaller school with less people. So visiting a school can give students an idea of what they will like.

“I am going to Florida to visit the University of Florida,” says junior Kenny Sell.

Although traveling is a lot of fun there are plenty of fun things to do close to home. Such as getting a group of friends together to have a bon fire and make s’mores, or layout by the pool and read magazines. The weather is usually beautiful and the opportunities for a good time are limitless.