KAXE and the City of Grand Rapids are pleased to announce the 4th Annual Grand Rapids Riverfest on Saturday, Sept. 7.
Spoon is this year’s Riverfest headliner, which will also feature Shakey Graves, Sarah Jarosz, S.G. Goodman and Corey Medina & Brothers.
A limited number of Early Bird tickets are now on sale until May 10 (or sold out), with additional discounts for KAXE members. General Entry tickets go on sale May 11 or once Early Bird tickets sell out.
The festival, a collaboration between KAXE and the City of Grand Rapids combines a hometown feel with national touring acts. It has seen extraordinary success with sought-after performers like Wilco and Trampled by Turtles.
Part of the beauty of this small-town festival with national appeal is the venue. Nestled on the banks of the mighty Mississippi, and in a natural landscape on a hill by the town’s public library, festival goers have said their experience has been “magical” with a “relaxed vibe.”
In 2023, a sold-out Grand Rapids Riverfest hosted an incredible lineup of Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Amanda Shires, Shemekia Copeland and Dessa. The anticipation for 2024 Grand Rapids Riverfest is palpable.
KAXE was the first rural public radio station in the country in 1976 and has seen incredible growth in recent years. With new and local management committed to community, a loyal radio and digital audience as well as much needed expanded programming to cover local and
national news, music, arts and culture, KAXE is more vibrant and relevant than ever. Through
the years, the station, based in Grand Rapids (91.7FM), has expanded by adding a tower in
Bagley (90.5FM), station in Bemidji (KBXE) and transmitter in Brainerd (89.9FM), covering much
of the north central and northern part of Minnesota.
“We’ve always been a small but mighty station. We were founded with a lot of grit and
determination,” said Sarah Bignall, General Manager and CEO of KAXE. “Over the past couple of
years, we’ve been evaluating what our role in the community is. We have the ability to bring
people together. Live music events are the perfect way to do that.”
ORIGIN STORY
The roots of Grand Rapids Riverfest come from a smaller festival KAXE put on for 15 years,
hosted outside the KAXE studios in downtown Grand Rapids, next door to the current venue.
The original festival was in a smaller amphitheater that held 400-500 people, and had acts like
Lydia Loveless, David Wax Museum, Luke Winslow-King, Mary Gauthier, Bad Bad Hats and
many more. Like everything else, the festival was put on hold when the pandemic hit.
In 2021, City Administrator for Grand Rapids, Tom Pagel, approached KAXE and other area
nonprofits with a proposal: Let’s put on a world class concert that will stimulate some of the
hardest hit industries from the pandemic—hotels, restaurants, breweries and tourism.
“The Grand Rapids City Council has a goal of creating events that provide positive economic
impact in the spring and fall when tourism tends to be lighter. Partnering with KAXE to create
Grand Rapids Riverfest fits this goal perfectly, creating a positive economic impact of over $1.2
million on a traditionally slow weekend in the city,” Pagel said.
Riverfest transformed into a still-intimate, 4,000-person capacity event.
“When we started working on this, the pandemic had drawn many divisions. Music has a way of
transcending boundaries, and live music is a shared experience that can be a tool in bridging
those divisions,” said festival coordinator and KAXE’s Music Director, Kari Hedlund. “The
community has really come together in supporting this event.”
The lineup for Grand Rapids Riverfest is a mix of rock, Americana, blues and bluegrass.
“Our goal is to create a lineup that represents the sound of KAXE, and to feature musicians that
even if you aren’t familiar with (yet), you will be blown away seeing in person,” Hedlund said.
SPOON
This year’s headliner, Spoon, has been hailed by TIME magazine as “one of the greatest
American rock bands”. Led by magnetic frontman and songwriter, Britt Daniel, Spoon has
carried the flag for guitar-based rock ‘n’ roll since their debut in 1996.
One of the most consistently excellent rock bands, Spoon has released 10 albums and has
toured the world with tight and incredible live shows. Their latest full-length release, Lucifer On
the Sofa received widespread acclaim, and was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 65th
Annual Grammy Awards. There is no filler when it comes to Spoon, just rock and roll.
SHAKEY GRAVES
Alejandro Rose-Garcia, AKA Shakey Graves, plays music that blends blues, folk, country and
rock and roll, and is known as a performer who thrills audiences with interactive and unique
live shows. Rose-Garcia said, “I’ve always been on this quest to make people feel like my own
music is a ‘choose your own adventure’.”
His latest album, Movie of the Week, came from a soundtrack he wrote for a friend’s movie that
didn’t make the cut. The album includes one of the biggest songs from 2023, ‘Ready or Not’
which features rising star, Sierra Ferrell.
SARAH JAROSZ
Multi-instrumentalist and four-time Grammy award winner, Sarah Jarosz comes from a
bluegrass background and is deeply embedded within the folk scene alongside Nickel Creek,
The Punch Brothers, Bela Fleck, Aoife O’Donovan and many more.
Releasing her debut at just 18 years old, Jarosz has recently put out her 7th album, Polaroid
Lovers, which marks the first time as a co-writer. “For a long time, it was important to me to
write for myself, so that I wouldn’t get lost in those rooms full of amazing writers. But now that
I’m more confident in my musical identity, I know I can collaborate but still stay true to my own
voice.”
S.G. GOODMAN
From Kentucky, S.G. Goodman got her start singing in church. Her debut album, Old Time
Feeling, was produced by Jim James of My Morning Jacket and was released in 2020 to wide
acclaim. ‘Space and Time’ was one of the biggest songs on the record, and was covered by Tyler
Childers for his album, Rustin’ in the Rain.
Her self-produced follow up, Teeth Marks, is rooted in rural places. Goodman challenges the
narrative of what it means to be a daughter of a crop farmer, and queer woman coming out in a
small town. Her haunting and otherworldly vocals convey resilience and vulnerability at the
same time.
COREY MEDINA & BROS.
Corey Medina is a Native American blues musician from Shiprock, New Mexico on the Navajo
Tribal Nation where he was born and raised. After moving to Northern Minnesota in 2012,
Medina has made deep ties in the Minnesota music community, including with his band, the
Bros., Gary Broste and Eric Sundeen.
From festivals, community events and regular performances, Corey Medina & Bros. are a long-
time KAXE favorite, bringing electrifying vocals and soulful blues-rock that leave audiences in
awe.
Tickets to Grand Rapids Riverfest are on sale now at www.grandrapidsriverfest.com/tickets.
Early Bird tickets are $109 for adults, $39 kids 13-17, $10 kids 5-12 and free for children 4 and
under. Adult ticket prices increase on May 11th or when Early Bird tickets are sold out.
Follow Grand Rapids Riverfest on social media for all of the latest updates.
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