Song Fest 20222022-10-19T11:54:20-04:00

Illustration based on a photo by Glenn Cook.

2022 CDL Song Fest

October 22 , 2022
All Day | All Ages | Open to the Public

Join us for a music-filled day celebrating the art and craft of songwriting at the our fifth annual CDL Song Fest. Whether you're a music maker or a music lover, this is your day! Join us in the afternoon as local teen music acts take the stage in the Reading Garden followed by a workshop designed to hone your songwriting skills. This year, we are thrilled to feature legendary bassist of alternative rock band the Replacements, former Guns N' Roses member, and lead singer-songwriter for Bash & Pop and Cowboys in the Campfire, Tommy Stinson in performance and conversation, too! (Read Stinson's in-depth interview below.) Song Fest is family-friendly and open to the public.

Song Fest Schedule

1–3pm

Teen Song Fest Showcase

Get into the Song Fest groove with this teens-only concert!

Local bands WildChildz, Wicked Cricket, and The Jazz Project, and musicians Trilian Krug, Liam Favre, and Dahlia Berggren will perform in the Reading Garden. Cheer them on during this SongFest program debut!

Interested in being a performer next year? Email Stacey Comfort scomfort@chelseadistrictlibrary.org!

Reading Garden* | All Ages | Drop-in

*In the event of bad weather, concert will be held in the McKune Room.

3:30–4:30pm

image of girl writing a song

Introduction to Songwriting

Get advice from seasoned songwriter Judy Banker! From nailing down a bridge to fine tuning your lyrics, after this workshop, your music really sing! Stay tuned for this year's presenter announcements! Click here to register.

McKune Room | Teens & Adults | Registration required

7–7:30pm

Up Close with Tommy Stinson

Prairie House at Robin Hills Farm | 20390 M-52, Chelsea MI  | Drop-in

Martin Bandyke, morning host of ann arbor’s 107one, interviews musician Tommy Stinson about his career, influences, and craft.

7:30–8:30pm

Tommy Stinson Live!

CDL Welcomes Tommy Stinson to Song Fest
By Chris Berggren, CDL Administrative Assistant

Tommy Stinson, CDL’s 2022 Song Fest headliner, can chart his musical path directly through his brother, Bob. At 11 years old, Tommy picked up a bass guitar in Bob’s room. Bob asked if he wanted to learn how to play it and Tommy answered, “Sure.” He later attempted to change his mind, realizing the strings hurt his fingers, but Bob needed a bass player for his neighborhood band, and so he was able, through bribery and coaxing, to get Tommy to stick to it. “Which obviously was a savior of my life,” Tommy admits. “I’d already been to jail like three times… so I was really going down a bad path.”

The band that Bob Stinson started in south Minneapolis in 1979 eventually became known as the Replacements, one of the most revered bands of the 1980s. “The Replacements was just a group of dudes from the neighborhood,” Tommy recalls. “Paul (Westerberg; guitar and vocals) lived down the street from Chris, Chris (Mars; drums) lived down the street from us.” The band crammed itself into a corner of the Stinson’s basement and would stay down there for hours, making as much racket as they could. Bob was proficient on guitar, but the entire band was figuring it out as they went, particularly Tommy, who was seven years younger than the other three members. They played parties and dive bars to cut their chops and were eventually signed by a local label, Twin/Tone Records. Tommy credits the band’s chemistry, particularly that between his brother and Westerberg, for the early success. “They were grateful opposites in a way,” Tommy muses. “If you listen to that first Replacements record (Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash), my brother’s guitar against Paul’s sort of punk rock, raw-nerves thing—the juxtaposition of those was pretty astoundingly nuts.”  (more…)

Interview with Tommy Stinson

Click to read an exclusive, in depth Tommy Stinson interview with CDL Board member Gary Munce and CDL Administrative Assistant Chris Berggren

Special thanks to the Friends of Chelsea District Library for their support of this program.

Tommy Stinson Photography credit: Glenn Cook & Albert Licano

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