It was a week for new albums, new bands and more in West Michigan. Check out the images and videos, including The Bootstrap Boys, Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish, The Trash Hounds, Hannah Rose and more.
Flying High: All Time Low pumped up a young, happy crowd at DeltaPlex Arena on Friday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
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‘A Moment’s Time’ EP Release: Josiah Gentry of Bennett at The Intersection. (Photo/Anna Sink)
For several West Michigan acts – and one renowned national star – it was a week of debuts:
• Grand Rapids indie-folk/pop/soul band Bennett released its long-awaited “A Moment’s Time” EP on Friday for an approving audience of more than 325 at The Intersection, with Hannah Rose & The GravesTones, The Appleseed Collective and Elroy Meltzer getting the show started. All four bands delivered entertaining sets, though Hannah Rose & The GravesTones and Bennett – performing as a full five-piece band – clearly amped things up with its pop- and rock-propelled approach and crowd-pleasing tunes. Watch some highlights from the sets by Bennett and Hannah Rose & The GravesTones here.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Bennett, Hannah Rose & The GravesTones
• The same night, The Bootstrap Boys unveiled a brand new EP, “Country Songs for Sale,” at The Pyramid Scheme as part of a special “Grand Rapids Showcase” lineup that also spotlighted fellow emerging acts Suzies, Coffin Problem and Shane Tripp. For more on The Bootstrap Boys, check out this week’s Local Spins Artist Spotlight.
• Kalamazoo singer-songwriter Megan Dooley released her new solo CD, “Made in Kalamazoo,” for a hefty throng of fans at Bell’s Brewery’s Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo on Thursday night, delighting the crowd with the performance of her vintage, throwback indie-folk and torch songs. (Dooley also played a preview party for Green Door Distilling in Kalamazoo on Friday.)
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• Grand Rapids’ Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish got the party started at Founders Brewing on Thursday – opening for the ever-lively Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band – with a new drummer, Brando Hopp, who was making his first-ever appearance in Grand Rapids, pounding it out as part of this bluesy rockabilly duo.
Big Music: Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band at Founders Brewing. (Photo/Anna Sink)
• Meanwhile, the former drummer for Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish, Josh Worsham, uncorked his new musical project – The Trash Hounds – on Saturday night at Mulligan’s Pub in Grand Rapids’ Eastown, with Ben Taber on guitar and Kevin Kitsch on bass. The group delivered a high-volume, high-energy mix of garage rock, soul, psych rock and ’60s pop during its short set. Check out a video of one of their songs here.
VIDEO: The debut of The Trash Hounds at Mulligan’s Pub
• Grand Rapids folk-rock band The Muteflutes made their SpeakEZ Lounge debut on Wednesday with opening act Max Lockwood & The Michigan Basement (or in this case, Michigan Cellar) as part of the Local Spins Wednesdays series, impressing a solid mid-week crowd with engaging songs, harmonies and a singular sound.
• Singer and harmonica virtuoso Kim Wilson, best known for his work with The Fabulous Thunderbirds, made his Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill debut in Grand Rapids on Thursday, regaling a packed house with his bracing musicianship – amid really, really blue and dim lighting. It was a blues show, after all.
New Combo: Ralston Bowles with Robby Jewett, Fred Willson and Eric Engblade. (Photo/Anna Sink)
• Grand Rapids folk/Americana artist Ralston Bowles debuted a new band on Friday night in the kickoff show of the MAJIC Concert Series at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, with Eric Engblade on banjo, Robby Jewett on bass and Fred Willson on guitar – an eclectic and talented crew which enhanced the insightful material delivered by Bowles, who also, naturally, regaled the audience with yarns and humor.
And then there were the hyped-up national tour stops: Sublime with Rome, along with The Expendables, at The Orbit Room on Thursday, and All Time Low, with Sleeping Sirens, One OK Rock and Neck Deep, at the DeltaPlex Arena on Friday. We’ll let photographer Tony Norkus’ photos of those shows speak for themselves in separate photo galleries below.
PHOTO GALLERY 1: All Time Low, Sleeping with Sirens
Photos by Anthony Norkus
PHOTO GALLERY 2:
Hannah Rose & The GravesTones, Bennett photos by Anna Sink
Grand Rapids Showcase photos by Katy Batdorff
Megan Dooley photos by Catrina K. Kauffman, Rene Elyse and Derek Ketchum
Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band photos by Anna Sink
The Trash Hounds photos by Anthony Norkus
The Muteflutes, Max Lockwood photos by Anna Sink
Kim Wilson photos by Tori Thomas
Ralston Bowles photos by Anna Sink
PHOTO GALLERY 3: Sublime with Rome, The Expendables
Photos by Anthony Norkus
