Audiofeed 2026 occurred from July 2nd through July 5th, 2026 as usual in Champaign Urbana, Illinois. This year, we did not tack on another trip ahead or after Audiofeed. I worked my full day then we drove down on Wednesday July 1st, 2026 to set up and prepare for the fest to begin the next day. We were asked to move our Bare Bones tent closer to the main entrance. It had some shade and was easier to stake down however the foot traffic was lessened considerably.
Overall, we enjoyed another year of Audiofeed, though the heat was excessive the first few days then came some significant rainstorms. The music lineup was a bit less in my personal taste but I saw a good amount of artists that I enjoyed. Elphie, utilizing the access to air conditioning, captured some interesting footage in the Upper Kessler Hall space that I edited and used as well.
We were happy once again to attend, to help out where we could, and we hope to reconvene as usual again next year.
https://youtu.be/nm9zOl8QJoc
I once again utilized the artist card graphics with each live clip I captured and/or edited. This year I decided to place the artist card on the lower right corner with my own credit text on the lower left. If I knew a title for the song, I included that lower center. All of the booked artists had graphics on the Audiofeed website which made it a lot less work for me. I only had to try to make a few on my own for the acts I caught on The Front Porch and for Tobin Bawinkel who was added last minute to fill an opening. Last year I had to search to find social media posts of the cards or screenshot them from the app which sometimes had the 'back' button or other phone related graphics laying over it which I either had to live with or try to edit out.
I created the promotional/introduction video project utilizing those cards and other Audiofeed branded graphics I had acquired from the media team. I decided once again to flip through the Audiofeed program created by Katie Getz and sponsored and distributed by Tuned Up. I added a page curl effect and put the artist card graphic and short clips of the 57 artists that either Elphie or I captured footage of during the fest on the pages highlighting new and returning acts to Audiofeed. Each clip has a simple border on it that matches the color of the corresponding artist card. I transitioned between the clips with the Bad TV effect as well. The page curl gives a bit of an appearance that the page is turned to something new...or that is the intention. It's not perfect by any means, but I think I did the best that I could with this aspect...for now. There is another page that reads "between the sets" where I added a few other clips beyond the music to highlight the rest of the fest experience. I utilized the three colors from the 2026 branding of Audiofeed to border these clips as well.
After going through the program, I decided to also capture footage of going through the app this year. I used the flashback distortion for the transition to this clip. I included a speed effect on some of this.
I had wanted to find a way to take the Audiofeed circle logo and transform it into a more spherical, 3D shape. I asked Matt Decker about the movement he created for the logo on one of his reels which helped a bit in getting where I wanted with it, however it wasn't quite what I had in mind. Matt spun the circle but I wanted to create something like an orbit effect. I took to checking out some other folks work and tutorials online before settling on utilizing Motion where I could use a spherical distortion effect filter. From there I messed around a bit with the keyframes and got closer to what I wanted. While it isn't quite an orbit effect, I was able to move the image around. It looks something like a contact lens when the aspect view is from the side but I think it ultimately works out for what I intended. I was able to make it appear as though it was rolling across the screen which I then had it drop out and another graphic jump in. I utilized more of the graphics and decided to use a color phase transition with these due to the color use for this year's promotion designs. Because of my plan to fit this project into the space between our arrival and the "Welcome to Audiofeed" program, I also included the "Friends" themed graphic near the end. while at the very end, I added a very brief preview for part two of aTigerRAWknRoll Summer at J.C.H.C. Fest. I am mostly happy with how this turned out. Also, Thanks Matt Decker for the tip. It was helpful even if I went another direction (he has some footage from Audiofeed and made a lot of reels during Audiofeed that are great!).
On Tuesday evening, June 30th, 2026, I spent a good amount of the time I had after work and before bed figuring out how to get some of our things loaded up for the drive to Audiofeed. The biggest challenge, as I saw it, was getting the new frame of the Bare Bones tent into the car. The improvement of this frame, besides it seemingly more sturdy, was a wheeled cart to move it with. I got it into the car with relative ease as well. In its collapsed state, it was significantly taller or longer than the old frame. This required some maneuvering to get it in place and still be able to shut the back hatch. I was successful in doing this! I realized after that I forgot to load the table so I had to bring that out and work it under the frame. Next thing was getting the weighted bags out as well as the canopy and sides for the tent and figuring out where to put those. After working all that out, I started working out way through the rest of what we wanted to load out. We found one of the containers had become mildewed likely because we never opened it back up when we got home. In there, I found my hunting knife. I couldn't figure out what had happened to it last fall so I bought a new one. I washed it and decided to bring it again. I also packed our tape measure in hopes to have each section about the same dimensions so there might be no added strain anywhere. While loading, I had some neighborhood fireworks going on. I also captured a clip of the moon.
07.01.2026
On Wednesday July 1st, 2026, we left for Audiofeed after I got home from work. I went in early in hopes that we'd be able to start our drive south a bit earlier, however, traffic was horrible! As I drove, I captured some footage of the city. I happened to be crossing the Chicago River on Lake Shore Drive right as the Nicholas J. Melas Centennial Fountain came on shooting water in an arch into the river. I also captured the Buckingham Fountain as I passed by that.
After packing the remaining things, we stopped at 7-11 where I got a hot dog for the drive. They were apparently not yet ready so I utilized their microwave to finish the job. We also stopped in at Jewel-Osco to get a few more groceries for the trip. As we drove, Elphie captured the sunset and then an interesting effect on the sky from some shadows. We passed an Abraham Lincoln statue as we always do along I-57. Approaching Champaign Urbana, I didn't see any signs stating that the highway interchange was still closed. The first sign to indicate this was after the last exit we could have utilized to avoid the closure. We had to continue about 10 miles before we could turn around and get to the Rodeway Inn where we checked in and unloaded some things into the hotel.
During a restroom and quick charging stop, I had sent out a message to see if anyone might be available to help set up the frame for the Bare Bones tent. Our friend Doug offered to help and it was very much appreciated. Jonathan and his brother Jesse also offered some help. Their help was also very much appreciated. What we found was the old canopy didn't quite seem to stretch across the new frame, even though the dimensions are meant to be the same. We tried a variety of things to try to make it work but it just didn't seem to be able to be stretched. We eventually got it as good as we could and left it alone. Elphie had to check on the restrooms and the stock of supplies. It turned there were few supplies in the storage closet but we hoped in the morning we'd be able to find what was needed. Once back at Rodeway Inn, I took advantage of our very low battery level and the $15 flat rate at the fast charger at Rodeway Inn to get a full charge!
After going to Wal*mart to get some supplies, I bought some zip ties that I hoped would help hold the canopy to the frame better than the velcro loops, we arrived on site, got our tickets, then drove to the lower Kessler Hall to unload all that we brought for the hospitality table. From here, Elphie got back to work on the restrooms while I worked on trying to get the Bare Bones tent better secured and properly stretched over the frame. The wind was not helpful in this endeavor.
We also had been moved form our typical location to right next to the entrance gate. We found that this was due to Salvation Army bringing a truck and offering water and lemonade in our spot. We figure both could have fit in the space. The move worked nicely in one way, at least. It was a lot easier to push the spikes into the ground to secure the tent. We found that we didn't get the foot traffic as much though...most people were only passing by when coming in or leaving for the night...and only those using the main gate area.
Audiofeed had a welcome party at around 3pm. During this time some information was provided to help new folks get acclimated to Audiofeed. The presentation is available online at least in the Audiofeed Community Group page on Facebook.
After the presentation was over, I went back to the Bare Bones tent. I started to prepare for dinner as I also continued to work on the tent. I got all the signs hung up and did try to stretch the canopy some more than it had been. Dinner on this night was venison chops. I ate mine and brought Elphie her plate as she sat in the air conditioned Upper Kessler and took in the poetry night.
We also had been moved form our typical location to right next to the entrance gate. We found that this was due to Salvation Army bringing a truck and offering water and lemonade in our spot. We figure both could have fit in the space. The move worked nicely in one way, at least. It was a lot easier to push the spikes into the ground to secure the tent. We found that we didn't get the foot traffic as much though...most people were only passing by when coming in or leaving for the night...and only those using the main gate area.
Audiofeed had a welcome party at around 3pm. During this time some information was provided to help new folks get acclimated to Audiofeed. The presentation is available online at least in the Audiofeed Community Group page on Facebook.
After the presentation was over, I went back to the Bare Bones tent. I started to prepare for dinner as I also continued to work on the tent. I got all the signs hung up and did try to stretch the canopy some more than it had been. Dinner on this night was venison chops. I ate mine and brought Elphie her plate as she sat in the air conditioned Upper Kessler and took in the poetry night.
With working on the Bare Bones tent and cooking the venison, I ended up missing Rusty Shipp. That made the first band I got to watch be The Caballerials on the Bloodline Stage. I decided I would captured their entire set. Much of the programming for Thursday night was not bands or styles I am the biggest fan of. Not saying I don't want it at Audiofeed...it just didn't fall into my personal tastes. On the Bloodline Stage, Small Step Records was hosting a showcase of some of their bands. It is a mostly pop punk style of label. The Caballerials are more in the skate punk vein so this was probably the set I enjoyed the most for the night. They also came from Hawaii and this turned out to be their first show in the mainland of the U.S.A. I talked to them briefly after their set and found that they live on Oahu. I enjoyed their set.
Christopher, who is A Living Name, played a set at Subculture Stage. He's been active in Audiofeed and Furnace Fest related chats and in both Facebook community groups. It was an acoustic set in the singer songwriter vein...perhaps a bit in the emo in style. Though I didn't capture it, he did a cover of Cool Hand Luke during his set as well.
Homeplate was the next band to play on Bloodline doing their brand of 'easy core' tunes. They were fun.
https://youtu.be/8XCf9Igq2Hg
Inside Upper Kessler Hall, Elphie tried to stay cool and attended the poetry night that was happening in there. This is a clip she captured of Christy Merry sharing a poem about the events that had happened in Minneapolis earlier in the year.
https://youtu.be/gxiR5DftSxs
Rusty Vining And His Friends were playing on the Burningtown Stage and I caught a few songs from the set, capturing this one for video. I got to see half the Rusty's for the night, at least.
I got back to Bloodline Stage later than I meant to and only caught the very end of Cold Streets. I would have liked to have caught a bit more. I wasn't able to capture any video for sharing. Next up, Audiophile played on the Bloodline Stage. They invited a friend, Grace Graber, to the stage as they did a Hawk Nelson cover to end their set.
Run Kid Run was the evening's headliner and closed out the Bloodline Stage as well as Small Step Records night. I captured a song that seemed fairly popular toward the end of their set.
https://youtu.be/4eNaHm7FK64
After all was finished up for the night, I went to the Bare Bones tent. We didn't have really any visitors. I captured a moon shot over the fest as folks were leaving. We had heard a cat while setting up Bare Bones the night before. It turns out to have been hiding in the wheel well of the RV that Insomniac Folklore was using. It had begun to come out and eventually some local folks captured it and took it home with them. The next day the plan was to get it to a veterinarian to see if it was healthy or needed anything. We hung out a bit with the Insomniac Folklore crew. Marco Castro had a crew over at the Admissions Tent which was its own after party I guess. As we drove back to the Rodeway Inn, we encountered some deer at a safe distance.
On Friday July 3rd, 2026, we had to make another trip to Wal*Mart before going to the festival grounds due to lack of supplies for the restrooms to replenish them and hopefully make it through the weekend. I was hoping to get on site earlier than we did but I was able to catch the end of the seminar by Loyd Harp and Nate Allen titled "A Pastor And A Therapist" which seemed to highlight the roles of each and where there may be some overlap as well as where there should not be overlap. I felt it was informative and I captured a few moments where an important question was answered and Loyd's closing remark. While there, I was able to have some coffee as I listened.
Massasauga was the first band I saw for the day. They played on the Bloodline Stage. These were fairly young kids who played with a lot of energy...one in a Ghostbusters outfit! I captured the Limp Bizkit cover of "Break Stuff."
Christian Welch had an early set on the Burningtown Stage. I got there for the very end of his set and captured his banter and final poem.
I believe this might have been the first time I watched Saint Of Pine Hills at Audiofeed, other than the "Florida Man" pop up set by the port-o-potties a few years back. I did see them at Bloodline Fest last fall. Anyway, Saint Of Pine Hills played on the Bloodline Stage and had Tommy from Toilet Rats adding some synth to the music. I captured "Heaven With You."
The Subculture Stage was hosting a showcase for Resuscitation Records and the stage opened with a XDoulosX set. Dale, who runs the stage, started off with a little talk about respecting the stage and each other. I captured "Birth Pains." Though I didn't capture it, they followed it up with a great cover of No Innocent Victim's "My Beliefs."
This was my first chance to see Fury And Solace as they played the Bloodline Stage. They were great! It was good to reconnect with Adam and Jeremiah and have them back at Audiofeed!
Jagalchi followed on the Bloodline Stage and I felt the scheduling was pretty fitting. After the song I captured, the guy playing the brass ended up behind me and moving into the crowd while playing to start the next song.
As I was cooking venison burgers, I made my way down to Subculture for the Pipe Bomb set. As I was walking down, I was talking to Andreas Larsen near Upper Kessler as Kevin Schlereth pulled up on his golf cart to go in and play his set. It turns out he was returning from the Subculture set where he had driven the golf cart into the pit and Christian Welch leapt off into the crowd creating a fairly epic and potentially internet viral moment. I'm sure you can find "the golf cart incident" if you look. I captured the end of the set with the song "False God" and part of "I Will Kill The Worst Parts Of Myself" at the very end. I don't think I captured this as well as I could have. Partially, I may have been trying to get a decent photo with my phone at the end and neglected the camera shooting video.
https://youtu.be/4I_btSqOac8
While I was at the end of the Pipe Bomb set, Elphie was enjoying the air conditioning of Upper Kessler while Kevin Schlereth played a set as part of the Porchlight showcase night.
https://youtu.be/4I_btSqOac8
While I was at the end of the Pipe Bomb set, Elphie was enjoying the air conditioning of Upper Kessler while Kevin Schlereth played a set as part of the Porchlight showcase night.
https://youtu.be/DRPFLiWk8w8
I had gone over to the Front Porch for Jimmy Riot (Triple Stitch) but no one was there. Elphie went too. So we both ended up going back to the Bare Bones, I had the venison burgers cooking for our dinner as mentioned above. As we left Chicago, I made sure to get a few packets of condiments from the 7-11, though I had already cut some onions to grill with the burgers. I captured some footage of the fallen tree near admissions as I walked back from the car. Elphie ate one of the burgers and we offered the other one to the gentleman who had set up camp behind us under the other nearby tree. The burgers turned out great and I ate both of mine!
Elphie returned to the air conditioning in Upper Kessler and captured some footage from Ballet 5:8 as they performed as part of the Porchlight Showcase.
I went over to Bloodline to watch Sam's The Hero play and captured footage. Even though they are on Small Step Records, they played a day after the showcase.
https://youtu.be/aNzcgbHYtTA
NMDS HxC played at Subculture as the Resuscitation Records showcase continued. I captured a song that they released recently called "Liberty and Death." I am glad I was able to catch a bit of their set because I ended up missing it at J.C.H.C. Fest.
https://youtu.be/S7UdbeTDnaY
Elphie and I tried the seafood pasta from the Pastamania Truck. I was reminiscing to Elphie about the Pasta Wagon at Cornerstone and how much I enjoyed their seafood pasta. While it was good, this was a much different seafood pasta.
Plead The Widow's Cause followed up on the Subculture Stage. I noticed it was the same folks who played the Pipe Bomb set but arranged slightly differently and had a different syle.
https://youtu.be/a6cAe91xOME
Back in Upper Kessler, Elphie captured some footage of Virtuous during the Porchlight showcase while continuing to enjoy the air conditioning.
https://youtu.be/aNzcgbHYtTA
NMDS HxC played at Subculture as the Resuscitation Records showcase continued. I captured a song that they released recently called "Liberty and Death." I am glad I was able to catch a bit of their set because I ended up missing it at J.C.H.C. Fest.
https://youtu.be/S7UdbeTDnaY
Elphie and I tried the seafood pasta from the Pastamania Truck. I was reminiscing to Elphie about the Pasta Wagon at Cornerstone and how much I enjoyed their seafood pasta. While it was good, this was a much different seafood pasta.
Plead The Widow's Cause followed up on the Subculture Stage. I noticed it was the same folks who played the Pipe Bomb set but arranged slightly differently and had a different syle.
https://youtu.be/a6cAe91xOME
Back in Upper Kessler, Elphie captured some footage of Virtuous during the Porchlight showcase while continuing to enjoy the air conditioning.
I was over at Burningtown for the Glenn Kaiser Band set and captured "Everybody Understands The Blues."
Jimmy Riot (Triple Stitch) played his set at the Front Porch rescheduled from earlier in the evening. I captured a song that seemed familiar to me but I couldn't find it on any the the albums I have from Triple Stitch.
I rushed down to Subculture to try to catch some of the TAKE set. As I was getting there I heard them say it was their last song. I decided to set up as quick as I could and capture what I could anyway, even though it wasn't the entirety of the song. I am glad I did as I was able to capture footage of a guy climbing the tent pole and everyone getting on stage at the end.
https://youtu.be/BE_b76FO6zU
At this time, what appeared likely to be a professional firework show began to shoot off to the north. I captured some footage of it from a couple different places, including from behind Burningtown as Insomniac Folklore prepared for their set. In having not deactivated the automatic focus, I had some of the grand finale end up looking a bit strange. Also, at this time, the Boss Stewart Brown made his plea for more folks to come to Audiofeed. If you know, you need to do as Brown says.
Insomniac Folklore played the closing set at Burningtown. Thankfully it started early enough I could see a few songs before heading to Bloodline for the Bleach show. I captured "Piss Poor Song" from their set and seem to have done a piss poor job on the focus. Again, I think the automatic focus was still on which I typically turn off when shooting. I feel, for the most part, I find a better focus than the auto-focus.
Toilet Rats got to "open" for Bleach over on the Front Porch. I watched a few songs and I was able to capture a clip before trying to head to Subculture to catch Clear Convictions. I think I ended up seeing the last 30 seconds of their set, unfortunately and I didn't capture any video.
Bleach was the main headliner of Audiofeed this year and it was a very good show that they put on. They played the Bloodline Stage to close out Friday night. It was good to see them play again and it seems this is more than a one off reunion with the new recordings of some of the old material set to release this fall along with some tours and other festival stops.
Setlist:
1. Once Again Here We Are
2. Baseline
3. Land Of The Lost
4. Perfect Family
5. Super Good Feeling
6. Astronomy
7. Broke In The Head
8. Found You Out
9. Epidermis Girl
10. Sun Stands Still
11. Knocked Out
12. Heartbeat
13. We Are Tomorrow
https://youtu.be/2XS9cDLlW0w
1. Once Again Here We Are
2. Baseline
3. Land Of The Lost
4. Perfect Family
5. Super Good Feeling
6. Astronomy
7. Broke In The Head
8. Found You Out
9. Epidermis Girl
10. Sun Stands Still
11. Knocked Out
12. Heartbeat
13. We Are Tomorrow
https://youtu.be/2XS9cDLlW0w
As I left the Bleach set, I saw that Dittman K. Rat of Ratmos and another guy were set up jamming by the La Paloma taco truck and Burningtown Stage. I captured a few minutes of the jam. It was the first time I had caught Ratmos playing at Audiofeed and felt it was deserving of recognition! (My initial post on social medias has Ratmos misspelled and my apologies for that.)
Back at Bare Bones I captured another moon shot. Elphie captured a photo of Lee in his mullet glory in front of the tent. We chatted a bit with Lee for a while before we noticed that a storm seemed to be moving toward us. Lee informed us he doesn't like to be out in the rain because it makes his mullet droop! We drove back to the hotel and thankfully missed the worst of the rain.
On Saturday, July 4th, 2026, we got up and drove into Audiofeed. I got my coffee, unloaded at Bare Bones, and then headed into Upper Kessler for Nate Allen speaking on "Who You Are Created To Be: Moving From People Pleasing And Poor Boundaries To Purpose And Clarity." I got there just in time and struggled to set up my camera so I missed capturing the first couple of minutes. I shared just a couple clips that sort of hit both ends of the talk along with a clip of "The Circle Must Be Broken." The rest of it you can either find through the Urbana Theological Seminary or if Nate were to share it himself. I decided to keep the entirety of "The Circle Must Be Broken" with a short clip of Nate explaining what, for him, is the meaning of the song. This is shared as its own file.
Glenn Kaiser was playing solo on the Burningtown Stage. I think the clip I captured ended up being two different songs but it was cool and he played it on the cigar box.
Dead Birds was playing on Bloodline Stage and I was able to watch the last half of their set.
Harry Gore was on Burningtown and I captured a Daniel Amos cover song called "Shedding The Mortal Coil" which had once been also covered by Starflyer 59.
While I was at Burningtown as Harry Gore was playing, Elphie was in Upper Kessler listening to Dr. Matthew Green of the Urbana Theological Seminary who was speaking on "Heads Without Chests, Brains, Or Hearts: Cultivating Virtue In An Automated World."
Also while Harry Gore was playing, the first rain storm began. The Burningtown crew started battening down the hatches but putting the tent walls up and moving electronics such as lighting further inside. The storm let up some toward the end of the set but at the very end as I was planning to leave to catch Wind Words, the storm kicked up. The rain water began to make its way inside the tent slowly and while I was looking out the back of the tent before that wall was put up the rest of the way, the rain was coming down hard, the winds were whipping pretty good, and light debris was flying around. It would end up flooding those who set up merch under the grandstand as well as the Front Porch. All the stages had some water encroach on them. There was some power issues at Bloodline, apparently. Subculture had a mud puddle the rest of the weekend taking the already limited space available to them.
Also while Harry Gore was playing, the first rain storm began. The Burningtown crew started battening down the hatches but putting the tent walls up and moving electronics such as lighting further inside. The storm let up some toward the end of the set but at the very end as I was planning to leave to catch Wind Words, the storm kicked up. The rain water began to make its way inside the tent slowly and while I was looking out the back of the tent before that wall was put up the rest of the way, the rain was coming down hard, the winds were whipping pretty good, and light debris was flying around. It would end up flooding those who set up merch under the grandstand as well as the Front Porch. All the stages had some water encroach on them. There was some power issues at Bloodline, apparently. Subculture had a mud puddle the rest of the weekend taking the already limited space available to them.
I made my way through the flooded Audiofeed grounds to catch what I could of Wind Words on Bloodline. I was able to capture the last song. While over at Bloodline, Andy Pickett brought me a camera poncho to protect the camera if any more storms hit. Thank you greatly, Andy!
Jan Krist was playing at Burningtown. I hadn't ever had the opportunity to see Jan Krist and recently came to awareness her daughter did vocals for Velour100 who I enjoy and have requested for Audiofeed a number of times. It was cool to hear her.
I caught the set from Junia next at Bloodline and I captured a song by Sam Arias that they covered...and he did some guest vocals on as well.
Jeff Elbel + Ping was playing on Burningtown and the song I happened to capture was a cover of "Ocean" by The Choir.
https://youtu.be/y23QEbbnECY
Another storm rolled in as I was leaving Burningtown. I captured the skies as I waited for it to hit and then waited for it to end so I could get some dinner. I decided to get T and G's BBQ for dinner. It was during this time that I first saw Lee back on the grounds. He wasn't kidding about not liking the rain as he stayed in his hotel through most of it.
The Skies Revolt opened up the evening sets at Bloodline. I captured their newest tune that they have released called "Recreational Devastation."
I was introduced to Westlyn on Friday night by Marco Castro (of course!). They played on Burningtown and so I decided to check it out, scolding The Castros for not being in there yet along the way. I enjoyed the set.
I was unfamiliar with NRWHL so I decided to check out their set on Bloodline. It was good.
https://youtu.be/7tf_fd_-n4o
I decided next to check out Grand Motel on Burningtown and ended up capturing their Switchfoot cover of "Dare You To Move." I didn't end up sticking around long but I did enjoy what I heard.
https://youtu.be/7tf_fd_-n4o
I decided next to check out Grand Motel on Burningtown and ended up capturing their Switchfoot cover of "Dare You To Move." I didn't end up sticking around long but I did enjoy what I heard.
I wanted to see some of Twenty Something Summer on Bloodline before going to Subculture for The Bricks set. I ended up seeing about three songs as they were a bit behind on setting up. I captured "The Collapse of Millennial Hipster" before leaving.
In The meantime, Elphie captured some footage of Maggie Miles at Burningtown while I was either at Bloodline or Subculture.
https://youtu.be/hVa6Lzw7qIk
The Bricks played on Subculture. They ended up switching spots. I went down the hour before when they were scheduled but I was informed that things switched so it was all the punk to end the night. I enjoyed The Bricks oi style and it was about the only thing in that realm of punk at Audiofeed this year. I decided to capture the entire set. Before the last song, they gave away a guitar to a young kid who seemed very happy to get it. He even was trying to play along for that last song of "Punks Not Dead."
Setlist
1. We Live
2. Messed Up
3. Small Few
4. Here We Stand (Cock Sparrer cover)
5. Revolt
6. Hammers Down
7. Omaha Punks
8. Hope
9. Punks Not Dead
https://youtu.be/hVa6Lzw7qIk
The Bricks played on Subculture. They ended up switching spots. I went down the hour before when they were scheduled but I was informed that things switched so it was all the punk to end the night. I enjoyed The Bricks oi style and it was about the only thing in that realm of punk at Audiofeed this year. I decided to capture the entire set. Before the last song, they gave away a guitar to a young kid who seemed very happy to get it. He even was trying to play along for that last song of "Punks Not Dead."
Setlist
1. We Live
2. Messed Up
3. Small Few
4. Here We Stand (Cock Sparrer cover)
5. Revolt
6. Hammers Down
7. Omaha Punks
8. Hope
9. Punks Not Dead
https://youtu.be/rvF2XATaRZQ
I decided to get a chicken pie from Stango, the Zambian food tuck as I was still somewhat hungry before finishing the night over at Bloodline.
Oyarsa played on Bloodline...good and loud as they do. Jay was filling in on bass too. I'm not sure what the song was I captured but hopeful it was something that I hadn't before.
https://youtu.be/uBrrbEyiA9o
I captured some footage of fireworks going off in the surrounding areas of Champaign Urbana while waiting for the start of the Gaffer Project set.
Gaffer Project closed the night for the Bloodline Stage. They had a live painting by Ellestaire during the set. I captured the last song as well as the painting in its finished or mostly finished state.
https://youtu.be/0a71M7G9JtA
Elphie captured some footage of a pool noodle battle between Elbie and Axel as well as some of her hanging with the Allens and Larsens.
John Van Deusen was still playing at Burningtown when I left the Bloodline Stage and Gaffer Project set. I'm not sure exactly what time it was, but it seemed he was being urged to come to the end of his set, which John politely refused to do. I captured a song where he brought up some guests...who I am not recalling at the moment. As it turned out, I did not finish the night at Bloodline afterall.
https://youtu.be/j1z7ivAc3FM
John Van Deusen continued playing longer...stating from time to time he was almost done as the Burningtown stage hands looked on with their arms crossed. Who knew this would be the punk moment of Audiofeed? I captured some fireworks being set off in a nearby neighborhood as John Van Deusen ended his set with a hymn.
Elphie was hanging with folks by the restrooms so I guess that put an end to the Bare Bones hanging after hours for this year. While there, Amy Young got her car stuck in the mud on the horse track. Michael Bridgewater was equipped to help so I went along with him. It turned out the way her car was stuck and the lack of anywhere to connect the wench to her car, Michael, ended up driving her car and maneuvering it out of the mud. He then went on a quick joy ride in his own truck in the mud before parking again. Lee apparently left while we were gone. While I was gone, Elphie ended up knocking my camera in some sort of way that the microphone broke at the base again. It seemed to also now be recording only in mono rather than stereo so the rest of the footage on Sunday may have some audio issues. I suppose it is perhaps time to purchase a new one. The Bridgewaters had some super glue I was able to use to get the microphone fixed enough to mount it to the camera again for one last day. One of the new folks get into conversation with Elphie in the parking lot used for a food court...we eventually left and got back to the hotel around 3am.
07.05.2026
On Sunday July 5th, 2026, we got to Audiofeed sometime shortly after noon. I was meant to be there earlier for the Tuned-Up Content Creator's Symposium but our late night made it difficult to wake up in in time. I think I also assumed wrongly it started at noon. I decided to catch the end of the Chris Bernstorf on the Burningtown Stage before going into Upper Kessler for part of the symposium. I captured some banter an a very long poem to end his set.
In Upper Kessler, the Tuned Up Content Creator's Symposium was drawing to a close. That was all I got to experience of it. My apologies to Ryan Getz if he had anything he hoped for me to do during it. I wasn't sure what, if anything, I was meant to do anyway but I didn't intend to not honor the commitment.
I headed back out, capturing some footage of The Park along the way. I also captured some footage of Christian Welch making a sign for the Visitor Pass set at Bloodline Stage and captured some footage from the set where Christian was crowd surfing with his sign and Chris Bernstorf added his own pile-on.
Spoken Nerd popped up at Audiofeed and did a short set over on the Front Porch next. It was cool to see him there.
https://youtu.be/aGqy7KsdHUU
As I left the Front Porch and Bloodline area, I captured some footage of abandoned beach balls in the mud. Elphie had captured a water balloon fight going on over at The Park.
Tobin Bawinkel ( 6'10 / Flatfoot 56 ) filled in a slot on the Burningtown Stage due to a late cancelation. I ended up capturing a new Flatfoot 56 song done a bit differently in acoustic fashion called "The Perks."
Audiofeed hasn't been complete in recent years without capturing some video of Isaiah Bridgewater doing a set on The Front Porch. This year it was a saxophone solo again. He did a good job.
https://youtu.be/DWrxdnMHu3c
I had intended on getting Mexican food from La Paloma but they had pulled out already as did T and G BBQ. I ended up buying another chicken pie from Stango along with a ginger juice. I captured some footage of Oz-E DJ-ing to close The Park as well and since I had some down time, got some more footage at Bare Bones. Elphie went with the Bradshaws for dinner in town. They ended up at Culver's and Elphie brought me back a butter burger and frozen custard.
Chainstay opened up the evening at Bloodline. I'm not sure I know the song but it was a cover of Amor For Sleep.
smellbeforerain, little Kevin's band, played a set on The Front Porch. I think this one ended up sounding a bit better than what I captured at Everybody's Coffee a few weeks ago.
Destroy Nate Allen was on Bloodline. While I had considered it already, it was decided I needed to capture the full set of Destroy Nate Allen as a full band. And so I did. Peter Corbin was capturing a board mix from Bloodline throughout the day while using an iPad to capture video. We may end up collaborating later on with the footage but I decided to upload and post now anyway...if we work out a collaboration maybe this one will be replaced or maybe a separate video will be made. The Allen children stuck eyes and other stickers on attendees throughout the show and then got to participate as dancing bacon, laundry monsters, and leading the "Vegetables" exercises. At the end of the set, a rainbow parachute was utilized in the pit which then became a trampoline for a puppet!
Setlist
1. Destroy Nate Allen
2. I Don't Know What I Want To Do Now
3. I Fell Out A Window And I Died
4. Chick Flick
5. Pecan, Pecan
6. Don't Cook Bacon When You're Naked
7. Death In The Pot
8. The Laundry Is The Devil
9. I Bet I'll Need It One Day
10. The House That Cleaned Itself
11. Vegetables
12. Music Is My Love Language
13. White Flag
14. Jesus Keep Us Safe From The Cops
Setlist
1. Destroy Nate Allen
2. I Don't Know What I Want To Do Now
3. I Fell Out A Window And I Died
4. Chick Flick
5. Pecan, Pecan
6. Don't Cook Bacon When You're Naked
7. Death In The Pot
8. The Laundry Is The Devil
9. I Bet I'll Need It One Day
10. The House That Cleaned Itself
11. Vegetables
12. Music Is My Love Language
13. White Flag
14. Jesus Keep Us Safe From The Cops
Down at Subculture, The Castros played a set. There still was a significant mud puddle in half the tent. I captured "Pumpkin Pie" complete with a Wall of Love and pool noodle horses and a number of guests to the stage. Ellestaire was doing a live painting again and I captured the finished result.
Collective Dust was a new to me band on the Bloodline Stage. I captured a song utilizing a guest vocal. It reminded me a bit of the early days of The Devil Wears Prada on generator stages at Cornerstone.
Bloodlined Calligraphy closed down the festival. As they played, Chris Bernstorf drove through Bloodline for another lesser incident of the golf cart at a hardcore show. I captured the song "Shall We Dance" to end the set.
Somewhere in everything, I ended up missing My Brother's Keeper. I probably could have caught a couple songs but it slipped my mind until a few hours later. I'm a bit bummed on that.
After Bloodlined Calligraphy was done, I moved the car over to Bare Bones for easy loading. I also gathered all the bare bones and brought them to the Hampton's truck for the dog. The rest ended up in the trash pile.
I helped with teardown at Bloodline and later Subculture. We moved fairly quickly and got it all done. In the midst of this, I lost my wristband...but I don't necessarily participate in the game of keeping it on as long as possible. If I did, I think I lost!
At that point, I moved over to get Bare Bones taken down and packed away. I had to move the chairs back to the grandstand as well. We decided to toss out the canopy and purchase new canopy fabric parts through ABC Canopy in hopes it fits better next year on an ABC Canopy frame. I probably would have been better off buying it all together. Elphie finished up her bathroom work and I collected the leftover coffees for Cornerstone Community Outreach shelter for those we serve to drink. We then headed back to the hotel.
We woke up on Monday July 6th, 2026 and loaded out of the Rodeway Inn. We headed back to the Audiofeed grounds to see if there was any assistance we could possibly provide in cleanup and tear down. Elphie brought out the cleaning supplies that were purchased so that they can be used for next year. I helped move a few tables and roll cable spools back under the roof of the Road Dog Cafe area.
Marco Castro, as he tends to do, tried to work out a gathering at Brewlab Coffee. It didn't seem to terribly out of the way so I added in a quick visit to the The American Football House. I had been meaning to do that for the last several years. Perhaps we can hit a few other Atlas Obscura sites in the coming years. After what was a quick visit at Brewlab Coffee, the decision was to go get some lunch at Seven Saints. We got salads and sliders and those who like it, got to watch some World Cup Soccer.
Once we said our goodbyes, very slowly, we started our drive to Chicago, detouring to avoid a train crossing. We stopped again to charge. We didn't need a lot but wanted to ensure getting home and then to work.
Back at the house, I unloaded the car. We put everything away as best that we could...the current area where most things end up being stored is a bit torn up currently due to a leak in the wall. Elphie removed her bracelet dramatically...as mentioned, mine fell off during my helping with the tear down at Bloodline Stage.
It was another good year of Audiofeed. We are hopeful for another one to come! We will need to purchase new canopies for the new frame but that will come much later.
I ended the project (again) with a very brief preview looking ahead to part two of aTigerRAWknRoll Summer at J.C.H.C. Fest.
Additional soundtrack includes "Tea For Two" and "Drive" by Bleach, "Music Is My Love Language" by Destroy Nate Allen (LIVE), "The Perks" by Tobin Bawinkel (LIVE), "Drive" by Driver Eight, "Bonneville" by Sally Grayson, and "J.C.H.C" by Officer Negative.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb1fwwNJ5NFY
