Even as the Lansing JazzFest prepares to enter its 16th year – the apex of its surely adolescence – nothing can stop the Old Town staple from bringing a whole lotta soul to its legions of devotees. Commencing August 6 and 7, deep in the heart of the capital city’s favorite boho neighborhood, this year’s JazzFest looks to supply jazz enthusiasts and curious novices alike with an erratic sense of syncopation; swinging, soulful beats; and an overall urban groove guaranteed to have all 15,000 of the fest’s attendees swooning and swaying to the rhythm of a thoroughly American standard.

This year’s performance lineup features a wide range of versatile, nimble-fingered jazz men (and women), from Parliament-Funkadelic alum Orrick Ewing to the gospel-tinged Mt. Zion Soundz of Praize church performance group.

Workshops and clinics, led by contemporary icons of the jazz genre, on jazz guitar, percussion, and singing/songwriting permeate the two-day event, alongside the best in local businesses, artists, vendors, and ethnic food peddlers set to populate the streets of the festival and add a bit of visual splendor to the soaring majesty of the music.

As the only Mid-Michigan festival to increase its attendance every year (a fact proudly posted on the festival’s website), the 2010 incarnation of JazzFest has also dedicated its growing visibility to environmental responsibility, providing attendees with sources of water to refill water bottles and dotting the sidelines with recycling facilities. Coupled with a constantly running riverboat shuttle service for festival goers, a beat tent just for the kids, and a free happy hour on Friday for the parents who’ve just dropped them off, the Lansing JazzFest is an optimal way to get your weekend begun on a roll by soaking in some soul.

Pictured: Andrew Katzat (Andrew Katzat Quartet)

But it's not just the patrons of Max & Emily's who are invited to the party, the whole community can take part. The eatery shuts down the streets for the event and some people can even watch from their doorways.

Daniels said if the venue is anything like an outdoor performance he played in Scottville, Mich., he anticipates it.

"I had a ball. I plugged in and the next thing you know, 300 people showed up," he said. "If it's really that kind of thing- getting people dancing in a party atmosphere- I'm looking forward to it."

As for performing in his home state, he likes that some of his songs don't need explaining.

"They get it immediately," he said. "You don't have to explain the UP to anyone in Michigan. Anywhere else, you would have to explain it. I'm able to play songs that I wouldn't be able to play elsewhere."

But Daniels isn't just a musician, or an actor, or a playwright, he's a philanthropist too — one who believes in the power of performance.

Along with his two full-length albums, Daniels also has two live discs, Live at the Purple Rose Theatre and Jeff Daniels Live and Unplugged. When asked what he does with the money made from his albums, he laughs.

"I don't make any money from my music," he said. "It all goes to my theatre."

His theatre is the non-profit Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, which was founded in 1991 by Daniels. Named after Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo — for which Daniels was nominated a Golden Globe — It's exactly what he would have needed in his twenties, had he not caught a break in Hollywood.

"It's a place- a home- for Michigan theatre professionals young and old," he said. "It's a chance for them to do their work and still stay in Michigan and raise kids and not have to deal with the Hollywood thing."

"The Hollywood Thing" is what Daniels has been doing for nearly 30 years and has starred in movies such as Dumb and Dumber, Speed and Pleasantville.

"I think I'm just one of these guys where, to me, this is normal," he said. "[It's about] making yourself better and creating something that you haven't done before. It's a sense of truly being alive, artists know that. We are just wired that way."

Covington remembers his childhood as a powerful, positive influence on his future - it especially played a role in his future as a singer.

"I remember riding in the backseat of my mom's car when I was younger and I think she had on a pop station. I remember just sitting and listening; it was the first time I had really paid attention to music. I was usually playing with dirt bikes or punching my brother, you know (laughter). I remember listening to it, but I didn't really understand it."

It wasn't until later in his childhood that country music really played a role in his future.

"I remember when the movie Pure Country came out with George Strait. That was the first time I was like, ‘I like that.' That was the first time I said, ‘I'm a country music fan.'"

And even though he spent so much of his childhood beating up on his twin brother, years later, he just can't bring himself to separate. His brother currently plays the role of drummer in his band.

"He's my twin brother, so it's not like he's just an everyday brother that's a few years older or something. This is somebody I shared everything with. If I was going through school, and I didn't know how to handle middle school or high school, I always had someone to share it with. I was always just as nervous, but as long as one of us acted cool you'll get yourself through it. But that also means when you go to Bojangles (a Southeastern chicken franchise) you also have to share a combo (laughter)."

Bucky and his brother still prove to be kids at heart. He considers the two of them to be daredevils and expresses it through a love of motorcycles.

"I just bought 80 acres of land, I love hill climbs and stuff like that. Me and my brother have a little toy box out at the house with dirt bikes and stuff like that. I like to push the envelope a little bit."

Rasputina has been around for almost 20 years.

That's two decades of corset-wearing, cello thrashing and fairytale lyricism. In a juxtaposition of the dulcet with the grim, Rasputina founder and front woman Melora Creager has found a niche that no other band has ever seemed to oust them from.

Her skill with a typically classical instrument, combined with her unique, vibrato-laden voice makes her an unparalleled figure in a style of music most people don't even know what to call. Rasputina's latest record, Sister Kinderhook, the seventh perhaps depending on which way you count them, is a departure from the rock sound Rasputina has created in previous record, and a throwback to its debut, Thanks for the Ether.

"I've come full circle, in a way," Creager said when discussing the lack of rock on the record, and the new record's relation to Thanks for the Ether. "[Sister Kinderhook] is all pretty naturally recorded. I think with each record, I've just made what I want to hear. I try to make something that sounds good to me that I feel like hearing right now. I don't feel very rock; I wanted to make something kind of elegant and beautiful."

Sister Kinderhook is a bizarre, yet enchanting journey through the history of Creager's home of Columbia County, New York, where Creager lives. Kinderhook is a small town, the population of which being less than 10,000 at the time of 2000 Census. When it comes to writing about history, Creager is no stranger.

"That's my way," she said. "It doesn't feel right to me to write about myself directly. It's not that interesting to me. I get inspired by historical situations, but then personal things about myself and my feelings can't help but get in there."

Some examples: "My Little Shirtwaist Fire," about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, "We Stay Behind," about New Orleans residents saying during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, or "1816, The Year Without a Summer" about the Little Ice Age. Being able to keep an act sustainable for several years is a considerable feat, which Creager attributes to not needing much.

"I don't need anything fancy," Creager said. "Artistically, I've always done my best and what's most interesting to me and so my integrity isn't compromised. I could never be a one-hit wonder if I've never had a hit."

Rasputina's most popular song, according to Creager, was perhaps "Transylvanian Concubine," a song that appeared in the TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and later as a remix of Marilyn Manson, who Rasputina toured with. The song's vampiric imagery pegged Rasputina as a goth band, though several of the songs, though unconventional, would contradict the label.

"I think it's things like ["Transylvanian Concubine"] that gut us down the way to goth stereotyping," Creager said. "It's not my favorite song by any means. It got us some good things and got us some trouble."

Creager's affinity for Victorian costuming came from the idea that bands weren't wearing costumes so much in the late ‘90s, more than attempting to convey a gothic look.

"It was a pretty nutty thing to do, but it seemed right to me because I had just come out of art school and it was making a fun project," Creager said.

Creager's project has been particularly inspirational for other groups and string players, though Creager has a certain modesty about her when it comes to discussing her mark on music. She herself has trouble classifying Rasputina's unique sound.

"People think it's going to be weird-sounding if it's described in words, but there is something very normal sounding about it. It's Western music — it's not avant garde or noise or anything, but it is an unusual combination."

The group makes a stop in Michigan during the Land of NOD Experiment in Jackson, a musical festival with a diverse lineup and the promise of being a somewhat mystical experience. Occurring July 23-25, Land of NOD is truly an experiment, and the lineup contains some heavy-hitters including Of Montreal, The Eagles of Death Metal, Trombone Shortly and Dr. Octagon/Kool Keith.

"I always enjoy playing outside at some kooky festival," Creager said. "You never know what'll happen."