[back to events page] Chris Kempa Scholarship Fund]	detroit contemporary presents The Detroit Summer Smash -To benefit The Chris Kempa Scholarship fund The Detroit Summer Smash music festival began in 1999 when a group of Detroit-area music fans decided to organize a three-day music festival in the city of Detroit. That year's festival was at the Magic Stick on Woodward Avenue, in the legendary Majestic Theater Complex. 1999's festival showcased local legends-in-the-making Red Shirt Brigade, The Sights, Moods for Moderns, Slumber Party, and Outrageous Cherry, along with national touring bands like the Pacific Ocean, Whysall Lane, Por Avion, and Andrew Beaujon. The following year, in 2000, the festival moved to the detroit contemporary. 2000's festival expanded to a four day festival, starting on June 15th, ending with a day-long concert on Sunday, June 18th. That year's festival included performances by Michigan's Pop Project, A Thousand Times Yes, The Recital, Cornish in a Turtleneck, W-Vibe, Action Tiger, and Remainder, as well as national acts like Mascott, Elizabeth Elmore, Tourister and Vehicle Flips. A picnic, dance party and pot-luck lunch added to the festival's festivities. In 2001, the festival alternated between detroit contemporary and the Lager House, a bar in the Corktown district of Detroit. A wealth of local bands returned to the Summer Smash, including Lovesick, Adam's Castle, They Come in Threes, Scott Allen, Judah Johnson, Showshane, and Saturday Looks Good To Me. Louisville, Kentucky's My Morning Jacket and Chicago's Detachment Kit rounded out the lineup. The 2001 Summer Smash donated nearly $500 in proceeds to the detroit contemporary's "Got Art?" program, which brings art programs to inner-city children. 2002 promises to be the most exciting Summer Smash yet, with festivities planned at detroit contemporary, Magic Stick and C-Pop Art Gallery. The festival is set for August 8-10. Bands from southeastern Michigan are asked to donate their performance fee to this year's charity, the Chris Kempa Scholarship fund (http://www.chriskempa.com/about/ship.html). Press from previous years: "The Summer Smash offers a glimpse of what the world would sound like if everyone dressed sharper, smoked fewer-but-better cigarettes, danced-not-moshed and sang along with romantic melodies wrung from heartbroken heartthrobs. The three-day soiree is populated by a bevy of pop?s finest sounds from around the country." - Chris Handyside, Metro Times, 8/1999 "Whether the music's upbeat and energized or sad and sloppy, the attitude is supreme." - Rebecca Mazzei, Metro Times, 6/2000 "The organizers of the annual Summer Smash are trying to bring back that loving feeling with some good old-fashioned pop music. Admittedly, this year's festival is a little less poppy than Summer Smashes past, but the festival still follows it's original intention: a fun time for kids by kids." - Melissa Giannini, Metro Times, 8/2001 "What you will hear at detroit contemporary and Lager House could be pop-punk, jazz-fused jams, indie rock, electronic noodling or quirky avant-pop....Catch these bands while they're in town and support the continually thriving indie music scene in Detroit by checking out the Detroit Summer Smash 2001. Do it!" - Shannon McCarthy, Real Detroit, 8/2001