Middle of the Mitten, a weekendlong folk and indie-rock festival of Michigan-based bands, will take place from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday at (SCENE) Metrospace, 110 Charles St., and from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday at The Loft, 414 E. Michigan Ave., in Lansing.

“This year, we’re just expanding on the idea of past years,” Heckaman said.

Four years ago when Heckaman created this event, there were six bands who all played on one stage in the same night. This year, the show will be split into two nights and feature 17 acts from throughout the state.

“The number of bands has been growing each year,” said professional writing senior Dan Nufer, who also helped organize the event. “It has become Middle of the Mitten festival, whereas it used to be just a showcase.”

The weekend will showcase local bands as well as performers from other Michigan cities, such as Ann Arbor, Saginaw and Grand Rapids.

“In the past, we’ve relied on bands that have played with each other before and that people know and love,” Nufer said. “We’re really excited to introduce some new bands to the scene and still rely on some of the tried and true bands of this area.”

Unlike years past, this weekend’s festival will take place in two venues and will feature bands who applied to perform rather than groups Heckaman knows personally.

“It was different — but in a good way — to be able to pick from a lot of bands that I’ve never met,” he said. “I know the music, but I don’t know the people or the atmosphere they’ll bring, so I’m anxious to see that.”

John Burke, who is the drummer for Commodore Cosmos, a two-piece garage-rock group from Lansing, said he is excited to be able to perform at a larger venue such as The Loft during the festival.

Burke said he and his other band member have not performed in several months and are looking forward to introducing two new songs Saturday.

“We’ve been playing a lot of acoustic shows, and I think we need to open up a bit,” he said.

By featuring them in the festival, Heckaman said he wants to bring attention to smaller-scale bands, such as Commodore Cosmos, who are deserving of the attention.

“To find these small-town bands that were pulling in hundreds of people and just rocking out — I wanted to give them an opportunity to be on the stage,” he said.

Heckaman and Nufer both said they also hope to introduce these band to more students, who they have had difficulty getting out to the show in the past.

“We think bringing it closer to home will bring out the MSU students,” Nufer said. “They’ll come to (SCENE) Metrospace because it’s right across the street from campus.”

Although Nufer plans to graduate this semester and likely will leave the area afterward, he said he plans to return every year to help with the festival.

“I think this year could really be a breakthrough year for us to start forming us into a prominent figure (in the community),” he said.