Provided photo This year's Bridgefest music headline act is Trophy Boy. The band with roots in Houghton, will take to the Kestner Park Bandshell at 9 p.m. Friday.

HOUGHTON — With Bridgefest kicking off in less than two weeks, local music acts are gearing up for their performances. This year’s BridgeFest headliner, high-energy rock band Trophy Boy, came to be in the very city they’ll shortly be taking the stage in.

Trophy Boy was created in 2019, with the goals of “writing original music, producing an album, and touring,” according to band member Wyatt Behm. Trophy Boy began with three members: Behm, drummer Corey Koski, and guitarist Bryan Matkin. Bassist Davey Townsend joined the lineup a few practices later.

Before they were Trophy Boy, the band was known as Box 45. According to Behm, this is a nod to the area’s history. Box 45 was “the label on the fire alarm that was pulled in 1913 in Calumet, causing the Italian Hall Disaster.” It wasn’t until three days before the group’s first performance that Koski came up with the name “Trophy Boy”.

“We all agreed immediately that this was what encapsulated the group best.” Behm said.

The band’s repertoire began with covers of popular 90s and 2000s songs, before releasing their own original music after building a fanbase.

“I’d describe us as a punky, high-energy rock band reminiscent of bands like Blink-182, Gin Blossoms, and Foo Fighters,” Behm said about the band’s distinct sound. “Our music kind of sounds like a blend of all the different bands whose songs we cover.”

Throughout the years, Trophy Boy has experienced several changes in the band member roster. After hiring and re-hiring multiple musicians, the band is happy to be back to their original 2019 four-person lineup.

“We’re held together with duct tape and bubblegum, but we’ve held it together well!” Behm joked.

When asked about the band’s feelings towards headlining BrideFest 2025, Behm was eager to express how excited the group is.

“Amazing! We are so honored and fortunate to have been given a coveted spot at one of, if not the biggest, festivals of the year in Houghton County.” he said. “The fact that it’s our second year running blows me away! We are very proud of it, and consider it a shining achievement for the band. Can’t wait to knock some socks off again this year!”

Also featured in this year’s lineup is band Lupine, named after the cone-shaped pastel flowers often seen in the Keweenaw in the Summer.

Lupine formed in 2021, and their first appearance was a friend’s goodbye party in Houghton. They caught the attention of an artist from Green Bay, who asked them to open at one of their shows.

“After that, we just kind of rolled with it.” said member Mark Heinonen, who’s been playing music since he was a teenager. “We’ve shuffled some members over the last few years, but the core of the band has been myself and my partner Meg Raasakka, as well as my brother Karl Heionen.”

Lupine specializes in pop and rock covers from the 1960s up to current hits.

“We like to think of ourselves as a party band with enough variety to play something for everyone in the audience,” Mark said. “We like to make that variety obvious and get as many folks singing, dancing, and enjoying the live show as we can!”

This will be Lupine’s BridgeFest debut.

“We have not played BridgeFest before, so we’re looking forward to experiencing that atmosphere.” Mark added.

Full music lineup:

FRIDAY

• 4 p.m. Uncle Pete’s Red Hot Revue

• 7 p.m. Lupine

• 9 p.m. Trophy Boy (Headliner)

SATURDAY

• Noon Tom N Dirk

• 4 p.m. Groove Candy

9 p.m. Chad Borgan & The Collective

The full lineup of BridgeFest events can be found online at www.bridgefestfun.com.