Mary Mitchener has dreamed of playing a show at a skate park since she was a child. On Saturday, she and her band Loveseat! will do just that at Slam City Skatepark.
“Even before I was in a band, I’d be at Fort Wayne Indoor (Skatepark), and always talked about it,” she said. “We talked to the (Slam City) owners (Dan Butler and Rich Hoppe), and they mentioned how they had not had music in about three years, so they were on board.”
Joined by bandmate Sam Clay as well as her friend Jaden Rice, “Shut Up and Skate” was created. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with music beginning at 7 p.m. and ending at 11 p.m. There is a $8 cover charge for the all-ages event that will feature skateboarding at the indoor venue.
Along with Loveseat!, local group Squirrel Cage will take the stage, as will Mustache Milk out of Muncie, and Sid & The Plastics out of Grand Rapids.
“Some of the bands are harder than others, but there won’t be anything too heavy,” Mitchener said. “It can get pretty loud in there, though.”
While she’s used social media to promote the event, Mitchener actually prefers the old-fashioned method of putting posters up around town. Visiting record shops, coffee shops, and tattoo parlors, she estimates about 40 posters have been put up.
“It’s just cool to go in a place and see the posters,” she said. “Online is OK, but with how algorithms are set up, some people might not see what you want them to see.”
And Loveseat! is certainly being seen.
After posting singles to streaming services in 2021, the foursome that also includes Jacki Walburn and Vic Brown played their first show Friday, March 25, at The Tiger Room. That started an avalanche as they played in Columbus, Ohio, the following night. And before “Shut Up and Skate,” they’ll be in Chicago on Friday, April 1. The following week, they have scheduled shows in Grand Rapids on Friday, April 8, and The Cretin in Fort Wayne on Saturday, April 9.