A La Porte County Life in the Spotlight: Blake Vissing

Blake Vissing’s life has always had music as one of its pillars. Now, he’s sharing that passion with as many people as possible in an incredible way.

To say Vissing likes music would be an understatement. He loves music, and it flows into every facet of his life like blood gushes through veins. His psychedelic rock band, Modern Vultures, is recording a wickedly creative concept album titled “Deserts and Oceans.”

“It’s like if you read the story all the way through, the lyrics explain and emphasize certain parts of that story,” Vissing said.

Vissing does more than just show his own art to the world; he makes sure others get that same opportunity. Psychfest, a music festival created by Vissing and his childhood friend Steve Murray, lends a stage to as many bands as possible.

“Most of the music there is original,” Vissing said. “I view it as an art festival – an expression festival if you will.”

Psychfest gives musicians of all ages and backgrounds an opportunity to perform somewhere other than an old restaurant or their parents’ garage. Held at Murray’s Burn ‘Em Brewing, two stages are set up to give artists a platform and an audience ready and willing to absorb their unique creations.

This is a powerful festival with a noble goal, but it’s difficult to plan out. The posters that advertise the event, for example, need an artist to draw them up. The merch vendors, who require their own space at the event, need to be managed and coordinated. The multiple stages the bands perform on need to be set up with proper equipment. It’s a laborious and time consuming process, but to Vissing, it’s more than worth the results.

Psychfest, as an event, is an embodiment of Vissing. It seeks to platform art. Thanks to the festival, musicians get to belt out their unique and beautiful creations in person to anyone willing to listen. Two artists expressing themselves at this year’s Psychfest are Vissing’s children, Brennan and Levi.

Brennan and Levi share the same passion for music as their father. The two have been surrounded by Vissing’s equipment since they were young, and Vissing had no problems with them giving any instrument around the house a strum or a pound.

Once the twins turned around 12 years old, they started gobbling up every bit of musical influence within reach, and like a pair of runaway trains, the momentum hasn’t stopped. Now they’re 14 years old, and Vissing is in awe of what his kids are capable of.

“It’s amazing just watching them learn and excel – I get a little jealous,” Vissing said.

Brennan and Levi get plenty of practice. They play in their school’s band, their own metal band, and will even be performing at Psychfest this year on June 20th.

It’s an incredible joy for Vissing to see his kids throw themselves into his same hobby, and it has tightened the relationships between all of them.

“We’re able to have conversations about things that we wouldn’t be able to if we weren’t all immersed in the world of music,” Vissing said.

There are seldom interests in the world more commonly held than music. No matter how different two people may be, there is a strong chance of bonding over music and expression, which is why people like Vissing are the glue that keeps us all together.