New Water Hill Music Fest aims to get a whole neighborhood playing at the same time
![water-hill-festival-logo.png](http://www.annarbor.com/assets_c/2011/04/water-hill-festival-logo-thumb-200x133-74997.png)
Festival logo designed by Kate Uleman
A new event planned for next month combines several concepts Ann Arbor holds dear: live music, walkability, community, the outdoors, and doing it yourself.
Also, porches.
The simple yet powerful idea of the Water Hill Music Fest is for musicians throughout an entire neighborhood to make music, on their porches, at the same time, for the enjoyment of listeners passing by.
It’s really a new kind of music festival, and it’s coming to the area known — or soon to be known, anyway — as Water Hill, just northwest of downtown, from 2-6 p.m. May 1.
The festival springs from the mind of Paul Tinkerhess, who owns Fourth Avenue Birkenstock with his wife, Claire.
![041711_TINKERHESS.jpg](http://www.annarbor.com/assets_c/2011/04/041711_TINKERHESS-thumb-450x299-74999.jpg)
Clockwise from top right: Paul Tinkerhess holding a modified five-string guitar; his wife, Claire, holding a lap dulcimer; their sons Eric, age 19, with a viola da gamba; Martin, 22, with an alto saxophone; and Miller, age 24, with a trumpet, sit on the porch of their family home in Ann Arbor. Paul Tinkerhess is organizing the neighborhood-wide Water Hill Music Fest.
Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com
Tinkerhess appreciates the concept of community — and the Ann Arbor community in particular. He speaks with heart of the value of local businesses, neighborhoods, and “being in one place, being committed to a piece of land.” When you find out he plays a banjo signed by Pete Seeger, it doesn’t come as a surprise. (He also plays a guitar modified for five strings.)
“I’ve had this idea brewing for years,” Tinkerhess said in a recent interview. And on May 1 (rain date: May 8), it will become reality: Musicians throughout the neighborhood have agreed to hang out on their porches and play for whoever cares to listen.
The idea has drawn amazing reaction. A recent count of committed performers numbered more than 100, at more than two dozen different locations.
“The response has been great. Water Hill, as I suspected, is dripping with musicians,” Tinkerhess said in an email.
![Hanifi.jpg](http://www.annarbor.com/assets_c/2011/04/Hanifi-thumb-100x165-75078.jpg)
Khalid Hanifi
A list of participants — which seems to grow by the day — includes many well-known names like jazz master Vincent York, guitar wizards Khalid Hanifi and George Bedard, beloved Latin jazz band Los Gatos, roots musician Chris Buhalis, singer-songwriter Dick Siegel, concert pianist and composer Waleed Howrani, Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra violist John Madison, and alt-country band Corndaddy. One group’s name isn’t being announced until the day of the event.
Other performers are less well known, ranging in age from young kids on up, and anyone is welcome to participate.
As a special warm-up, nationally known singer-songwriter Vienna Teng, currently in graduate school at the University of Michigan, has agreed to do a private concert later this month for volunteers and friends of the festival.
![041711_BUHALIS.jpg](http://www.annarbor.com/assets_c/2011/04/041711_BUHALIS-thumb-100x123-75076.jpg)
Chris Buhalis
Well-known local musician Chris Buhalis lives in the neighborhood and plans to perform in the festival. "I think it's a great idea," he said. "I think it's a great way to build community ... How bad could it be? People playing music everywhere!"
The event, naturally, takes place in the neighborhood where Tinkerhess lives. Unlke many areas of Ann Arbor, it isn’t really known for a particular name, but Tinkerhess has been trying to get “Water Hill” to catch on for some time now. He came up with it because of water-related street names like Spring, Brooks and Fountain; the area’s proximity to the Huron River; and tales of small springs throughout the area, now largely underground. Basically, it’s the area just northwest of Main and Miller; for the purposes of the festival, the neighborhood boundaries are Miller on the south, Sunset on the north, Brooks on the west and the Ann Arbor Railroad tracks on the east.
Neighborhood resident Jeff Kahan has volunteered to help with the festival.
"It brings attention to what is, without question, the coolest neighborhood in the city. We’ve been long proud of the history, architectural diversity, proximity to downtown and the river, views, parks, bakery, friendliness of residents and overall coolness, but not too cool, character of the neighborhood," Kahan said in an email. "Community and neighborhood are huge values for many people in Ann Arbor. This effort will not only be delightful to witness, it’ll also be about cultivating social connection. The music will be wonderful, but connecting with friends and neighbors from all over town will make the event really special. We hope a lot of people from all over town can join us to celebrate music and community."
The logistics of the event are simple: Even in today’s world, it turns out that you don’t need permission from the city to play a guitar on your porch, so the festival doesn’t even require any special permits. (Rules against excessive noise apply, of course. Participants are being asked to be considerate of their neighbors and to fully communicate ahead of time what’s going on. And the neighborhood was recently canvassed with door hangers so everyone is aware of the plans.)
On the day of the event, a map of scheduled performances will be posted on the festival website, waterhill.org/, and available in print at locations around the neighborhood. Signs will be posted in the front yards of participating musicians. “But I also hope for some unprogrammed anarchy, with neighbors deciding at the last minute to dust off harmonicas and tambourines,” Tinkerhess said.
For those going to listen, good walking shoes and loose clothing are recommended; something easily carried to sit on might be a good idea as well. There are restrooms at Hunt Park, at the north end of the neighborhood, and the city has promised a portable restroom at Belize Park, on the corner of Summit and Fountain streets.
And that's pretty much it. A bunch of people playing music, and a bunch of other people listening. This could turn out to be big.
Keep up with the latest news on the event at the festival website, waterhill.org/, and its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/waterhillmusicfest. To perform or volunteer, email paul@waterhill.org. And watch for further coverage on AnnArbor.com.
Bob Needham is director of entertainment content for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at bobneedham@annarbor.com or 734-623-2541, and follow him on Twitter @bobneedham.
Comments
DJ
Wed, May 4, 2011 : 7:22 p.m.
I for one had a great time at this festival, this is truely the kind of community based event that Ann Arbor needs to cultivate. I even bought songs from the artists on Itunes after the event. I hope this becomes an annual event - thanks to the organizers!!!
David Briegel
Wed, Apr 13, 2011 : 1:24 p.m.
This is one of the reason I love living here in River City!! I hope traffic respects the pedestrians! Happy May Day!! How Appropo!!
Alan Goldsmith
Wed, Apr 13, 2011 : 10:35 a.m.
Great article. Thanks!
Patti Smith
Tue, Apr 12, 2011 : 9:17 p.m.
Whenever I start to not like this town (and it does happen, esp. when someone is smug towards me), I see things like this and remember that cool people like this live here and it makes me happy. This is gonna be a blast!
LiberalNIMBY
Tue, Apr 12, 2011 : 3:01 p.m.
Great event! (Wasn't this supposed to be the same weekend as Festifools, though?)
Paul Tinkerhess
Tue, Apr 12, 2011 : 6:04 p.m.
I've thought for years it should be the first Sunday in May. When I realized that this year it would be on May Day I thought, it's a sign, we have to go for it!
Ross
Tue, Apr 12, 2011 : 2:57 p.m.
I am looking forward to this - very cool idea. Thanks to Paul Tinkerhess for planning and organizing! Sure hope there are no grumpy curmudgeons who plan to complain about the music or noise level. I do hope the schedule / event map is posted a day or two beforehand though, so people can plan their routes around the neighborhood. Note to those planning to attend - please consider walking, biking, or taking the bus to this neighborhood and NOT DRIVING. The last thing we need is a clusterbleep of cars trying to drive in and around the streets while groups are trying to perform. P.S. what happened to the waterhill.org site? Seems to have lost all its graphic design and reverted to a text only site.
Paul Tinkerhess
Tue, Apr 12, 2011 : 6 p.m.
Thanks Ross. We'll have a detailed program posted a couple of days before the event and a printed version available at locations around the neighborhood on May 1st. Hopefully the website was just having a momentary hiccup, please let me know if it's not working for you. Thanks again, paul@waterhill.org
Boy Scout
Tue, Apr 12, 2011 : 2:06 p.m.
Very cool idea -- kudos to the Tinkerhess family! By the way, Eric is pictured with his cello, not a viola. He's an incredibly talented musician I've been fortunate enough to hear perform several times since he was in 9th grade.
Bob Needham
Tue, Apr 12, 2011 : 2:40 p.m.
Actually, Paul Tinkerhess says it's a viola da gamba.
Bob Needham
Tue, Apr 12, 2011 : 2:11 p.m.
thanks, that's fixed
foobar417
Tue, Apr 12, 2011 : 2:04 p.m.
Cool idea.