Birch Run or Bust! Dirt Fest 2013!

This Saturday fans traveled from near and far to Birch Run, Michigan for Dirt Fest 2013. This independently organized festival has been going on since 1999 and is growing in popularity and size every year. Even since our visit last year, the crowds were bigger and so was the hype. The Dalton Brothers pulled through again and presented a festival that didn't disappoint. Whether you were there for the headliners or you came for the local rockers, there were plenty of amazing bands to check out and lots of fun to be had between the sets you came to see.
 



At the top of our list of bands to see at Dirt Fest this year, was Wilson. What can we say? The guys always put on an amazing show and they're hittin' the road for awhile.  We need to get our fill while we can. They put on a great show, full of their own brand of fuckery and rock 'n roll. Kyle awed the crowd while playing upside down from high above the stage, Chad screamed his lungs out, and the real deal "College Gangbang" Super Hero even made an appearance. We say it all the time, but this band is seriously fucking awesome!


We managed to catch a video of the single "College Gangbang" off Wilson's new album Full Blast Fuckery. Check it out!
 

Throughout the rest of the day we roamed from stage to stage and checked out all that Dirt Fest had to offer. As with any festival, one of the best things about Dirt Fest is that you get a chance to see all sorts of bands, many of which you wouldn't normally check out. However, unlike most other festivals, pretty much every band you come across at Dirt Fest will end up being awesome. Some of the highlights of our day included Hollywood Vampires, Asking Alexandria, Maybe Whitney, and of course we had to check out the headliners, Sevendust. All of these guys put on amazing shows.

Asking Alexandria has a crazy energy and swagger about them that makes 15 year old girls and 30 year old men both swoon over them and their music. Most everyone we came across throughout the day was looking forward to checking these guys out. Even if you just happened to stumble across this band during their set, you knew who they were by the overwhelming number of people in the crowd and also by the branding that the band wore so proudly. All joking aside, Asking Alexandria were definitely a crowd favorite for the day as well as one of ours. 

Maybe Whitney played to a smaller crowd, but nonetheless these fans were just as enthusiastic. The first time we saw this band was at Dirt Fest last year. This year things were a little different. Rather than just having vocalist Steven Kasapis along with some sweet tracks, there were 2 additional vocalists; a female singing and another guy with deep growl-ish vocals.

Different, yes. But, still pretty rad. Maybe Whitney has a new album coming out soon, featuring Mr. Matt Dalton. So make sure to keep an eye out for that.

Ending the night was Dirt Fest headliners Sevendust. It had been a while since we saw this band... quite a while. Although it may have been a while for us, there were plenty of people in the crowd that are obviously still HUGE fans of this band. Plus, there is something about seeing these bigger metal bands live that will never get old.

Dirt Fest 2013 was a ton of fun and a huge success. We commend Matt Dalton, his family, friends, and everyone else that helps put this festival together every year. Whether people are there for the bands, to see friends, or to check out the festival as a whole, everyone has a blast. This event is definitely becoming a summer staple in our books. We hope it continues and gets bigger and better every year.

~C