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SOUNDS OF THE ZOO Day 3! The countdown is officially on! We are now less than a month away from the kickoff of the Sounds Of The Zoo music festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan. To celebrate, we are launching our daily announcements to share this year’s incredible lineup of scheduled venues, artists, and sponsors.

Here is what we have lined up for day three:

📍 Venue Spotlight: Old Dog Tavern
Date: Wednesday , September 23rd

Admission: Free (All festival events are entirely free all week long!)

🎵 Wednesday’s Artist Lineup

Get read for an incredible night of legendary music at Old Dog Tavern:

Abe Savas & The New Standards of Beauty
Blaine Luis
Zero Sun

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily update as we continue to reveal the rest of this year’s festival schedule!

#soundsofthezoo #kalamazoo #musicfestival #livemusic

@savasnewsobs

@actuallyblaineluis

@zero_sun_official

Full Week Schedule

Official Poster

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SOUNDS OF THE ZOO Day 2! The countdown is officially on! We are now less than a month away from the kickoff of the Sounds Of The Zoo music festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan. To celebrate, we are launching our daily announcements to share this year’s incredible lineup of scheduled venues, artists, and sponsors.

Here is what we have lined up for day two:

📍 Venue Spotlight: Bell’s Back Room
Date: Tuesday, September 22nd

Admission: Free (All festival events are entirely free all week long!)

🎵 Tuesday’s Artist Lineup

Get read for an incredible night of legendary music at Bell’s Brewery:

Grace Theisen
Kylee Phillips

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s daily update as we continue to reveal the rest of this year’s festival schedule!

#soundsofthezoo #kalamazoo #musicfestival #livemusic

gracetheisenmusic

@kyleephillipsmusic

Schedule!

Main Poster art

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🚨 THE ZOO IS WIDE OPEN! 🚨

Powerhouse acts including @erinmonroemusic are completely taking over Kalamazoo for 7 days of 100% FREE live music. Check out the Sounds of the Zoo Official Site for the full 5th-anniversary lineup across 8 venues from September 21–27. Clear your calendar!

Festival Hype & Facts:

Dates: September 21–27, 2026 (Note: adjusted from the prompt’s initial dates!)

Cost: 100% Free admissionScale: 8 venues and 40+ powerhouse bandsGenres: Jazz, indie, hip-hop, folk, blues, funk, world music, and more

Featured Acts: Including @erinmonroemusic, Mark Lavengood, Grace Theisen, Myron Elkins, and The Go Rounds

Don’t Miss: The high-energy Second Line Parade featuring Great Lakes Brass on September 26!

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Moonlight Fest | August 1st

Join us for a summer Fest filled with incredible music, local art, and the best food Kalamazoo has to offer. @bombas_foodtruck

As the sun sets, @immattgiraud will take the stage to bring in the moonlight. We’re gathering some of K-Zoo’s finest local talent @wavyawakening - @yellowhousemi - @caseyandthecatspaws - @parkstphantom

Along with @sophistafunk__ & @outdrejas

-at one of our city’s most iconic venues @olddogtavern

—and we’re giving away a @heritageguitarinc H-150 Guitar and Echo Valley passes & Artist packages throughout the day.

Every presale ticket counts as an entry to the giveaways.

Get your tickets today at moonlight-fest.com or links in the bio!

See you at moonlight fest

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Here to rock 🎤
Captured by @slickoptics

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Underrated photographers part 3! Like, comment, and give me a follow to be featured!

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#photographer #photography #fyp

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Literally me holding onto my dreams while looking at the price of used gear. 🥲📉

My camera gear isn’t going to buy itself, and neither is my peace of mind. Book your session so we can make some movie magic—and so I can keep funding the vision. Links in the bio. 🎬💸
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#MotionAfterDark #MiamiVideographer #BehindTheLens #CreativeHustle #BookNow

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Today’s feature goes to @slickoptics 📸

Go support him!!

#photography #photographer #featured #feature #photos

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Part two of my new series, who do you think won today? last time jihoon totally dominated the vote ✌️ @slickoptics @sebikam09

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Super Bowl Sunday was something special.

Over 200 people came through The Cheesesteak Bar. Families. Friends. Couples. Community. People who have supported KatchaSteak from the street pop-ups… and people experiencing us for the very first time.

And y’all showed up.

This was an impromptu pop-up. A concept we’ve been shaping, talking about, imagining. Then in a very short window of time, our team locked in and brought it to life — plated cheesesteaks, wings, fries, crafted cocktails, music, energy — our way.

The feedback? Overwhelming. Encouraging. Honest. Energizing.

Was it perfect? No.
Did we face challenges? Absolutely.
But what we proved to ourselves — and to everyone in the room — is that The Cheesesteak Bar is real. And with the right planning and execution, it deserves to be a regular thing.

I’m incredibly grateful.

To the entire KatchaSteak team — from the planning crew to our bartenders, waiters, cooks, entertainment, and cleanup team — thank you for saying yes in the days leading up to this. You showed up tired, flexible, solution-oriented, and committed.

To our venue partner City Centre Cityscape Events and Harvin Sandhu — thank you for trusting the vision and opening the doors for us to create.

And most importantly, to the visionary behind KatchaSteak and The Cheesesteak Bar — Chef Khalil. Your standard, your creativity, and your belief in doing this the right way is what sets the tone for everything.

This was the first of many.

Now we go back to the drawing board. We tighten things up. We refine. We adjust. And we run it back — regularly.

Because what happened in that room wasn’t just a pop-up.
It was proof of concept.

Thank you Kalamazoo!

📸 @slickoptics

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