Jeff Fest 4 at Papa Pete’s in Kalamazoo

by | Jan 30, 2025 | Music

More than a concert, Jeff Fest 4 is a hard and heavy community celebration in Kalamazoo.

Jeff Fest 4 - Jeff of Drink Their Blood

Jeff Fest 4

Jeff Fest 4 is the annual celebration of Jeff, held each year in Kalamazoo at Papa Pete’s. I made it to the very first Jeff Fest in 2022, but sadly, I couldn’t make it the last couple of years. In case you don’t know, Jeff is a fabulous sound engineer and guitarist in the progressive metal band Drink Their Blood.

While Jeff Fest is partly a birthday party for Jeff, it also serves as a community celebration. Kalamazoo has a strong and vibrant hard rock and heavy metal music community, and its members stretch across southern Michigan. Band members and enthusiasts, such as myself, who came from Detroit, Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Grand Rapids, were on hand to support Michigan music and celebrate another year of Jeff.

Jeff Fest 4
Jeff Fest 4

Hinky

Starting off Jeff Fest with a solo acoustic performance was Hinky, Slugchild guitarist Kent’s side project. Playing primarily original tunes, Kent is a deft fingerstyle guitarist. I think of these arrangements as dark progressive jazz folk. Alternatively, you could think of it as blackened Django Reinhardt. In a shout-out to Lucius Fox (whose guitarist Jeremy Cronk was in attendance), Kent did an excellent cover of “Callisto.” Cheers, Kent, on an auspicious start to the evening.

Jeff Fest 4 - Hinky

Sons of Denethor

It isn’t often that you can see Faramir and Boromir, you know, the Sons of Denethor, in real life and on stage. As you may guess from the band’s name, they play Lord of the Rings inspired music. With robust drums and Tolkien spawned keyboards, I envisioned the battle of Osgiliath, wandering in Fanghorn forest, or having a second supper with Frodo and Sam. In between songs, they shared the lore of the bastard son of Denethor, known as Jeffamir. Long live Jeffamir!

Jeff Fest 4 - Sons of Denethor
Jeff Fest 4 - Sons of Denethor

After Midnight

All I can say about After Midnight is holy shit! They came out to Jeff Fest 4 and took no prisoners. It was a hard rock leaning into heavy metal twin guitar, bass bashing, drum pummeling attack. They dedicated each and every tune to Jeff, playing an exuberant set of primarily original music. The one exception was a blistering cover of “Working Man” by Rush. These guys are superb, and they are just getting started. When they roam into your town, be prepared to see the stage burned to the ground.

Jeff Fest 4 - After Midnight
Jeff Fest 4 - After Midnight
Jeff Fest 4 - After Midnight
Jeff Fest 4 - After Midnight

The Rock and Roll Bad Guys

Filthy punk rock perfect for a satanic orgy is how I like to think of The Rock and Roll Bad Guys. Wearing masks with glowing red eyes and not much else (save the guitarist who kept his shirt and pants on), the Rock and Roll Bad Guys are rough, raw, and hard. Like a bull in a china shop, they stomped through a set of pure rock fury at Jeff Fest. Be advised that no one is safe when the Rock and Roll Bad Guys are in town.

Jeff Fest 4 - Rock and Roll Bady Guys
Jeff Fest 4 - Rock and Roll Bady Guys
Jeff Fest 4 - Rock and Roll Bady Guys

Flood The Desert

Every time I see Flood The Desert, I’m blown away. Their name is apt in that their music rushes in, consuming the landscape. The tumultuous mix of drums, guitar, and bass is like a progressive metal storm. The song “Death To Us All” is a perfect example. Performing as one, Flood The Desert built tension in the cascading arpeggios, giving way to a raging river of sound. As you hear and experience the music of Flood The Desert, you can see how their creations animate their performance, making it that much more compelling—a stunning performance from these gifted musicians.

Jeff Fest 4 - Flood The Desert
Jeff Fest 4 - Flood The Desert
Jeff Fest 4 - Flood The Desert

Recorruptor

My first encounter with Recorruptor was back in 2016 when they opened up for Battlecross. They made an impression on me, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Back then, I was stunned by the aggression and technical prowess. On this night at Jeff Fest 4, I was absolutely floored. Savage and relentless, Recorruptor tore through their set, featuring a solid dose of insane new material. Slicing with the precision of surgical steel, Recorruptor’s music cut to the bone. With this menacing show, they proved the band stands up easily with death metal masters such as Suffocation. Based on what I heard at Jeff Fest, the new Recorropter album will be a masterpiece of technical brilliance.

Jeff Fest 4 - Recorruptor
Jeff Fest 4 - Recorruptor
Jeff Fest 4 - Recorruptor
Jeff Fest 4 - Recorruptor
Jeff Fest 4 - Recorruptor

Rip VanRipper

Blasting a dark passage into the void at Jeff Fest was the bludgeoning doom of Rip VanRipper. This set featured a withering barrage of immensely heavy drums, bass, and guitars. The witchery within the vocals cast an evil chill. In addition to playing songs from their fantastic Passage album, Rip VanRipper played “Electric Seas” off their Cosmic Death Worship EP. That song is a primeval blaze within a bleak and foreboding ancient forest. I can’t help but envision travelers endlessly besieged until they are swallowed by the infinite night.

Jeff Fest 4 - Rip VanRipper
Jeff Fest 4 - Rip VanRipper
Jeff Fest 4 - Rip VanRipper

Drink Their Blood

After managing the stage for all of Jeff Fest, it was time for the man of the hour to hit it with his friends in Drink Their Blood. The room reverberated with the chants of “Jeff, Jeff, Jeff!!” just before the onslaught began. Unleashing their patented blend of maleficent technical metal and jazz, Drink Their Blood was fabulous. I liken their performance to a violent musical maelstrom, sending mountainous waves of riffs crashing into the breakers. The force of their show was palpable. They left us saturated with the intensity of their sound with the final song, “Christgrinder,” which beautifully showcases the extremes of their sound, shifting from blasting metal to an eloquent sax solo at the end. 

Jeff Fest 4 - Drink Their Blood
Jeff Fest 4 - Drink Their Blood
Jeff Fest 4 - Drink Their Blood
Jeff Fest 4 - Drink Their Blood
Jeff Fest 4 - Drink Their Blood

Once again, Jeff Fest was fantastic. A big crowd of heavy music enthusiasts came out early and stayed until the very end. It was great to see a supportive and welcoming community from around the state coming together to enjoy live music. Happy Birthday, Jeff, and thanks to you, Ben, and everyone else who helped make this event special—also, many thanks to Al from Centenary for hanging out and buying me beers. Cheers!

Jeff Fest 4

Pictures

Check out the gallery for more photos from Jeff Fest 4 at Papa Pete’s in Kalamazoo.

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