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Community Corner

DIY's Friday Night Rocks with Music, Camaraderie, Psychotic Clowns

First night of Ferndale Street Fair mixes organic crafts with sightings of Juggalos.

After build up and anticipation of the fourth annual DIY Street Fair, it's finally here and fabulous people from all over started descending on the streets of Ferndale Friday evening.

Starting around 6 p.m., the crowd of a few dozen 20-somethings began congregating around the Metro Times stage of the DIY Street Fair on East Troy between and the , just in time for Phantasmagoria, a Psychedelic Pop group from Detroit.

And from there, the crowd grew.

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Soon after, Grand Rapids natives Stepdad took the stage to perform an indie tinged pop set, whose sound was comparable to local Detroit band Deastro, showing signs that Detroit’s ever evolving music scene is growing into a statewide phenomenon worthy of recognition and praise. 

I began to wander around the festival grounds after Stepdad’s set to check out the DIY Street Fair marketplace. I took my time, visiting many of the vendors to converse with them about their various arts and crafts... and food.

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The most striking vendor of them all tonight was Om Café, which offered samples of its vegan seitian gumbo and strawberry shortcake cupcakes.

The various vendors and customers, who seemed to interact as if they were family, praised the DIY ethic and local connections, while passionately striking a tone for all patrons of the festival to get involved in the community.

Before I could become too lost in the rows of white tents, I headed back to the main stage around 8 p.m. to take in a 50-minute set from Just Boyz, a local experimental/jam pop band often considered to be the side project of the Detroit band Lord Scrummage.

As the sun began to set and the temperature dipped, Ferndale indie-electro band Lettercamp took the stage amidst a sizeable crowd and rumblings (though in the afternoon) of a set by Detroit rap duo the Insane Clown Posse swirled about the beer garden.

Speculations continued to grow, as the crowd became dotted with the infamous ICP Juggalo fan base.

The audience began to squeeze in to the stage to hear the post-breakup ‘90s techno rockers Charm Farm. The legendary Detroit band headlined the night with their infused, high-energy set that incorporated techniques from Detroit techno pioneers such as sampling, sequencing, and synth-looping. The embraced techno sounds during an era where most local rock bands played metal and grunge.

But, the moment of (ICP) truth came at 10:43 p.m. when ICP members Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope did in fact join Charm Farm for one number.

Charm Farm played one last song after the collaboration to close out its reunion show.

After the festivities officially ended and vendors locked up before heading for home, many DIY Street Fair patrons dispersed into bars along Ferndale's Woodward corridor. Many went into where the party continued with Coyote Cleanup, an extremely popular chillwave/pop group that frequently collaborates with local buzz band Prussia, which plays Sunday at 7:05 p.m.

I expect to see large numbers out Saturday as well for a huge headlining show by Bloomfield natives Electric Six, whose last show in Detroit played to a nearly sold-out Saint Andrews Hall on Dec. 27, 2010.

For DIY Street Fair information go .

Connor Valone is a senior at Royal Oak High School and a Detroit music enthusiast.

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