Musicians to compete in Battle of the Bands at Trail Tunes 2025

MADISON HEIGHTS — On the first Saturday of September, bands will set up along the loop at Civic Center Park for Trail Tunes, a strolling outdoor music festival now in its sixth year.

The free event takes place 2-7 p.m. Sept. 6 throughout the park, 360 W. 13 Mile Road in Madison Heights. It will also mark the third year for the Battle of the Bands — the grand finale where two top-rated acts perform on the bandshell for the public and a panel of judges.

Only one will be crowned champion. In 2023, the winner was The Aspersions, while the second-place finisher was Kayfabe: The Ppls Band. In 2024, Kayfabe returned and took first place.

“When we made it back to the finals in 2024 and won, we were elated and proud to have fulfilled a goal,” said Kayfabe’s leader, Antoine Davenport, in an email. “Performing on the new bandshell was an awesome experience! I love the way it was built, and it is perfect for live bands.”

Kayfabe will be back this year, along with such bands as Zosette & The Groove, Colin & The Cougars, the Scott Wrona Quartet, Paul Parente Jazz Connection, Ursa Day, Lost for Good, and Tracy Kash and the Bro Fo’s.

The acts span a variety of genres, from rock and jazz to covers of classics. Part of the appeal of Trail Tunes is that guests can wander the park loop and stop at whichever band catches their eye or ear. Visitors can roll out a blanket or pitch a lawn chair and listen for as long as they like.

Attendees can also vote for their favorite band by casting ballots at a station set up in the park, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the main stage for the Battle of the Bands.

Madison Heights Mayor Pro Team Mark Bliss and the Madison Heights Arts Board originally conceived the event in 2020 amidst the business shutdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. Being outside, it was a safe way to have socially distanced fun and enjoy live music at a time when concert venues were closed.

And in today’s inflationary economy, free events like Trail Tunes continue to meet an important need as an affordable way to enjoy live music, Bliss said.

“In the middle of the world shutting down live music, we built our first music festival,” Bliss said. “And that festival was put on by volunteers from the Arts Board, which inspired similar programming from our other boards and commissions — things like Revin’ in the Heights. Trail Tunes was a pivotal turning point for Madison Heights.”

He also noted how the festival helped the city in grant applications.

“Like with the brand new bandshell (funded by a grant from Consumers Energy), we were able to show we have multiple live music events here in Madison Heights. If we had applied for the same grant a half-decade earlier, we wouldn’t have received it. It’s amazing to think how far we’ve come,” Bliss said. “We have so many live musicians hungry to play music, and the music is so diverse with so many styles. There’s something for everybody.”

Kayfabe’s leader said he loves the festival’s format.

“Music has a great way of bringing people together,” Davenport said. “People can come from all walks of life, speak different languages and have different religious backgrounds, but once you hear the opening line of ‘My Girl’ by The Temptations, or The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army,’ we all sing together like we’ve known each other for years. Even the bands get to know one another thanks to this great festival. I love how we get breaks in between our sets and get to see other great bands perform. We’ve made friends with a few bands since then.”

Vita Palazzolo, an Arts Board member who co-founded Trail Tunes and co-chairs the event, said she still remembers planning the first festival in 2020.

“With (Bliss’s) background in theater, and myself being a percussionist, we were both biting at the bit for live music,” Palazzolo said via email. “We both wanted to bring the community together again. … We weren’t quite sure if we could pull this off, but we just knew that we had something pretty special to offer local bands, musicians and the community.”

Their efforts didn’t go unnoticed. The Michigan Municipal League nominated Trail Tunes for its Community Excellence Award, and the event has been well attended ever since.

“We are still singing and dancing to live music in the park,” Palazzolo said.

Bliss said that events like Trail Tunes elevate a city, providing experiences that give a town character and destination appeal.

“People can live in a city and come home and have safe streets and trash picked up on time, but those are table stakes. To build a community, you need events that bring everyone together, and I’m so happy and proud of the work we’ve done to make Trail Tunes a reality,” he said. “I still think it’s among the best-kept secrets in the county. We have plenty of room for brand-new attendees who’ve never been to the festival before, so I encourage everyone to check it out.”