Huntsville Music Scene

C O M M U N I T Y! Microwave Dave Day 2022

Written by Judy Spiva Allison www.huntsvillemusicscene.com judy@huntsvillemusicscene.com | Photos by Stephanie E. Jennings

This year’s annual community festival had a buzz about it. As I was working a shift, I watched and listened to people around me, “This is so cool! Everyone is so happy!” I saw so many new faces this year and they were right, the vibe was high! It was great to see people dancing and singing along, giving to their community and having a truly relaxed good time. It felt like a fun family reunion! A chosen family.

The energy and joy from the opening performances from the Huntsville Drumline as well as Happy Days (a Merrimack group) was awe-inspiring! It was great to see such a variety in musicians and genre, from classical to jazz, southern rock and jam band to singer-songwriter. There couldn’t be a better venue than Stovehouse for a full day at this annual festival for all ages with plenty of food and seating!

It literally took a village to make this happen: a whole campus, three stages, a plethora of local music icons and upcoming young musicians along with spoken-word artists who gave performance contributions honoring the local legend, Dave Gallaher and most importantly, helped raise needed funds for the Microwave Dave Music Education Foundation.

Now, about this high-vibe…there is a reason for this joyful celebration of music and life. Since the very first Microwave Dave Day (MDD) in 2015, the tone of the festival has been set by the foundation’s President, Evan Billiter. If you know Evan, you know he puts his entire being into creating joy-filled music and art events. Evan has a way of bringing a variety of musicians together for a great cause. He is the perfect emcee for this event as well because he knows how to lift a crowd and shine the spotlight on people who give incredibly to our community. His heart bursts with love and joy! It’s contagious!

“Our 8th Annual event was an incredible success! Over 75 local musicians played for a joyful crowd of Huntsville music lovers. Our foundation is so grateful to our community!” said Evan Billiter.

Jessica Bolling has been a part of MDD since the beginning, but this was her first year to co-chair. “Our volunteers were fabulous, the vendors were on point, the music was phenomenal, and the crowd seemed to have this unspoken synergy with each other. To me, that’s what music is all about...bringing people together.”

“Let’s talk about the foundation!” I can hear those words as if Evan Billiter himself were reading this article to me. These people are the heart behind everything that is Microwave Dave Day! The Microwave Dave Music Education Foundation (MDMEF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to the integration of music with learning by bringing musicians into the classroom, called “Concerts in the Classroom.” They also partner with Valley Conservatory on the Danny Hall Memorial Scholarship. Each year, MDMEF selects two recipients to be awarded the scholarship in hopes to assist and foster talented young musicians, enabling them to progress in their craft as well as in life. The scholarship pays tuition for one year of music lessons at Valley Conservatory.

You can get to know these amazing people and get involved, read about the foundation on their website: https://microwavedavemef.org. n