Secret Friends Fest part deux - Fri/Sat (Loving Touch)

"Secretly..." says Jason Stollsteimer, "everyone who goes out to a show wants the same thing..." 

Whether they know it or not, showgoers and bands, audience and performer alike, want to tie themselves into an ineffable experience, something to be shared in a darkened environment where there isn't the scrutiny of fluorescent lights, no tacit demand for polite demeanor or the tense guard of minding P's and Q's or even a need to seem normal so that the rest of the bustling workaday rat runners don't look at you funny... 

And it's an experience, a place, a destination that's benefited by the ideal soundtrack. The best songs, the loudest songs, passionately performed by those whom you consider to be your true friends or your... "Secret Friends." The Friends you meet out here, after hours, away from work, away from the bills you pay in the morning, away from the bull shit that stresses you out in the afternoon... 

"Everyone wants to have fun," said Stollsteimer, a longtime fixture of the Detroit rock scene with bands like The Hounds Below, Von Bondies and, recently, PONYSHOW. "Everyone wants to meet new people, forget about your day, whether work or school or whatever and to discover new things together, be they another band or another person to fall in love with..." 

Jason Stollsteimer has organized the 2nd annual Secret Friends Fest after the success of last year, hosted right around this time of year at The Loving Touch. "Last year worked great, both nights sold out." The lineup for this Secret Friends Fest Part Deux, happening Friday and Saturday at the Loving Touch, is listed below. "The goal last year, besides just having fun, was to introduce out-of-state bands to Michigan bands." 

Twin Peaks comes to us from Illinois, Max Jury is from Iowa, Nox Boys from Pennsylvania and Brian Olive from Ohio... Just for starters.Then, Detroit fans will be treated by notable neighbors like Mexican Knives, Eleanora Nigel & The Dropout (pictured above,) and, from as far out as Grand Rapids, Valentiger. 
Two nights; 20 bands; secret friends. 

"It's eight bucks per night," said Stollsteimer. "That's .6666 cents / band if you go both nights!"  

It's a night to build bridges between varying scenes across state borders; a chance to remember that the tired cliche of competition, edging another band out for the glory of being the biggest band in the scene should be set aside in an era of Internet-whimsicality that finds the DIY artist as uncertain as ever and, hence, in need of as many "friends" as possible. A night, as Stollsteimer put it, to just remember why you go out to these shows in the first place...

Secret Friends Fest Part Deux 


FRIDAY
JAN 9th
Doors at 8pm

Main Stage
12:45am -Mexican knives
11:30pm - Brian olive (OH)
10:30pm - Siamese
9:30pm - Eleanora

Side Stage
12:15am - Nigel & the dropout
11pm - Blaire alise & the bombshells
10pm - Vamos (IL)
9pm - Little Animal


SATURDAY
JAN 10th
Doors at 6pm

Main Stage
12:30am - Twin peaks (IL)
11:30pm - Valley hush
10:30pm - Cold blood club (NY)
9:30pm - Maxwell jury (IA)
8:30pm - Valentiger
7:30pm - Mover//Shaker

Side Stage
12am - Moonwalks
11pm - PONYSHOW
10pm - Dead broke (CAN)
9pm - Nox boys (PA)
8pm - Darn wishes
7pm - Pines