A new festival will provide unique entertainment to several venues in Flint, but it also sprouted out of the varied experiences of Flint comedian JeCorey Hawkins.
Hawkins is planning the first-ever 810 Comedy and Music Festival for August 20-23 at venues throughout the city, including Prime 810, Churchill’s, Brush Alley Skate Shop, Queens’ Provisions, Diablo’s Lounge, Soothing Tunes, and more. Acts on stage will feature both local and touring musicians and comedians, and Hawkins said the choice to combine music and comedy in one festival was intentional.
“The idea of it is really to bring premium entertainment to Flint,” Hawkins said. “Since I’m a comedian, that’s where the comedy aspect has come from. I’ve done other comedy festivals around the state and one out in California and I wanted to be able to bring that home because I feel like those events are really cool for the community. And then also just mixing it together with the music scene because I feel like Flint already has a really vibrant music scene and being able to connect those two forms together is going to add to that growing list of summer festivals or entertainment types of events going on in Flint each year.”
Combining those artforms is nothing new for Hawkins, who has become a fixture as a performer at events like Wine & Rhymes and Porchfest, which are more known for music. That environment helps him push his craft as a comedian, particularly the ability to attract or connect with a crowd.
“One thing I like about those spaces is that even though people are there with the idea of music, they’re also there to simply listen,” Hawkins said. “They’re not always there for any particular artist, they’re just there to be a part of the festivities. So I just take the mindset that it’s just another stage. Once I have the mic in hand, people are listening or people are not, and if they aren’t listening, it’s like, ‘Hey, that’s on me to figure it out.’ And so it’s been cool because in a lot of those places, since I am the only comedian, it’s kinda like a pivot from what everybody’s been doing. I’ve grown to really enjoy that space where I could give you a little bit of something different, and it’s a true test because nobody’s here to necessarily laugh or to see me.”
The 810 Comedy and Music Festival is growing out of smaller efforts Hawkins has made over the past few years to build up a standup comedy scene in Flint. In addition to establishing his own career and performing around Michigan and the Midwest himself, he has also been passionate about running open mic nights at places like Soothing Tunes, Soggy Bottom, and Churchill’s to allow aspiring comedians the opportunity to get reps in front of live crowds close to home. Now, he thinks that momentum has grown enough to build it into a bigger annual event to continue putting Flint comedy on the map.
“I wouldn’t have been able to get to this position without doing the smaller events,” Hawkins said. “The idea of doing the big event, and even the idea of doing the small events at one point, seems huge. But now that I’m doing my own small events, this feels like a next step that’s way more possible. That’s all definitely part of the building process, creating my own little comedy scene in Flint.”
Now, the biggest thing Hawkins is hoping for is sponsorship. Planning for the series of events during the festival is underway. It will be a ticketed event, with tickets available for $20 each and going on sale soon.
“We want to keep it affordable,” Hawkins said. “If it was possible to get enough sponsorships, I would love to offer it for free in the future.”
Sponsorship packages range from low- or no-cost opportunities to help support the event all the way up to higher level amounts. That money will help with promoting the show, capturing quality imagery and video, paying talent, and other costs of the event. For information (see the flyer), those interested in sponsoring can contact 810Comedyandmusicfest@gmail.com, message the Facebook page, or call or text (810) 620-3191 or (810) 691-3674.
So far, more than 40 acts are expected to appear. Those include comedians like RJ Leery, Josh Adams, Charlie Mac, Cheesestixxs, and Big Juicy, among others. Hawkins also said musicians like Jeff Skigh and BayBro are also scheduled to perform.
“It’ll be very much a wide range show with people from a lot of different places here to perform,” Hawkins said.
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