Music Column: Spaces to sing and play, the Long Fellow Front Porch Music Festival is Sunday

Diane Platte
·2 min read
On the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 24, the Longfellow neighborhood will hold its eighth annual Front Porch Music Festival, a neighborly celebration of music-making.
On the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 24, the Longfellow neighborhood will hold its eighth annual Front Porch Music Festival, a neighborly celebration of music-making.

The Longfellow neighborhood will hold its eighth annual Front Porch Music Festival on Sunday, Sept. 24, a neighborly celebration of music-making. From 2-5:30 p.m., performers of all abilities—novice to professional, hailing from the Longfellow community broadly defined, will play from the front porches or yards of twenty homes between Clark and Dearborn. Spectators are welcome to stroll the neighborhood to listen, or join in the music-making through the Community Sing and the Open Jam.

Bring a lawn chair and come enjoy the performances of musicians ages 10–80 playing a wide range of musical styles and traditions, including jazz, blues, EDM, classical, folk, and rock. During the festival, walking or biking around the neighborhood is encouraged for all who are able. For visitors driving to the Longfellow neighborhood, please park around the perimeter or in the Longfellow Elementary School parking lot at 1130 Seymour Ave.

On Maple, rock out with The Laourens; on Longfellow Court, jam with the EastEnders; and on Dearborn, catch the 781s (ICPL House Band). On Bowery, hear jazz combo SlowMoBop. On Sheridan, Chris Dimond (guitar) will team up throughout the afternoon with Dustin Bush, Saul Lubaroff, Meghan McDonough, Brian Cooper, and Bengali folk musician Aporichta Sen. On Center, enjoy folk favorites by Sweet Cacophony.

On Rundell, hear the Big Begonias (transcendental folk), Scott Cochran (Iowa City Americana), Dave O’Connor (original pop and roll), Chad Slater-Scott (aka Spaceship Driver), Pigs and Clover (genre-bending duo), and EDM DJs Teatoes and MAAD DAWG. On Grant St., rock bands include Progynosis, Birds and Trains, and Puppy Tummy. Grant St. acoustic sets will be offered by Russ and Roxanne Schomers, Mark Hartstack, Wayne Neuzil, Marcus and Trevor, Platte Family and Friends, Rusty Patch Strings, and Prairie Piffari: Cornetti and Sackbuts.

The Longfellow Front Porch Music Festival will be held 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24.
The Longfellow Front Porch Music Festival will be held 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24.

Grant Ct. will host the Des Moines Irish Session Group and the Community Sing & Open Jam; bring whatever songbooks and instruments you have! On Oakland, hear singer/guitarist Anastasia Scholze, Irish folk musician Kellen O'Cullom, members of the Iowa City Flute Choir, Old Post Office Brass, Sisters of Song a cappella, Tempered Brass trombone quartet, and Cedar Rapids Community Orchestra Chamber Ensemble. On Clark, catch Brad and the Big Wave (indie rock), The Strangers (rock band), Wandering Wild (Irish harp), the indie-folk stylings of Stephanie Catlett, Adrian and Juli (piano and vocals), and jazz trio Charsosa.

In keeping with the free-flowing nature of this event, the following lineup is subject to change. Please check the website frontporchmusicfestival.com for the most up-to-date information.

Front Porch Music Festival organizers are Sara and Trevor Harvey and Diane and Nathan Platte. They love their neighbors.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Music Column: The 8th annual Front Porch Music Fest is Sunday