The show really must go on: Most scheduled acts on the second day of the ArtPrize Musicians’ Showcase performed in spite of Friday’s rainy weather. It continues Saturday and Sunday at St. Cecilia Music Center in Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids blues-rock band JuxTApose impressed the audience during its performance at St. Cecilia Music Center on Friday.
Wet, chilly and riveting.
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Friday’s ArtPrize Musicians’ Showcase at St. Cecilia Music Center in downtown Grand Rapids artfully dodged rain all afternoon and evening – with some acts playing indoors – but the featured bands (with a big boost from sound engineers) nonetheless made an impressive and diverse showing of artistic merit.
Check out the video below, featuring snippets from performances by Absinthe, Pete Weatherhead, Tommy B. and The Verk, JuxTApose, Kelsey Rottiers & The Rising Tide, Theo Ndawillie and Mid-Life Crisis.
Crowds were slim but devoted considering the weather conditions, and I’m sure if skies were sunny and temps in a more normal range, the parking lot outside St. Cecilia would have been jammed with ArtPrize-goers for this festival-styled showcase, which also features concessions selling beer, wine and food.
Instead, crews were forced to sweep puddles of rain water off the stage and I came home with distinctly squishy shoes.
The four-day showcase – featuring more than 50 of the artists who submitted 79 musical entries in this year’s ArtPrize competition – continues indoors and out today and Sunday. The artists are competing for $2,000 in top prizes in five different genre categories. (Get details here.)
Here are Saturday and Sunday’s performers, though organizers caution that inclement weather could still alter the schedule or the location of some acts.
SATURDAY (St. Cecilia Parking Lot)
Noon – Elden Kelly
12:30 p.m. – AOK
1 p.m. – Brian Gerrity and Slow Log
1:30 p.m.– The Muteflutes
2 p.m. – John D. Lamb
2:30 p.m. – Lee Weemhof
3 p.m.– Dennie Middleton
3:30 p.m. – The Crane Wives
4 p.m. – Jack Lewis
4:30 p.m. – Nick Stevenson and the Crossroads
5 p.m. – Garner
5:30 p.m. – Michelle Held
6 p.m. – glendanles
6:30 p.m. – The Moonrays
7 p.m. – Karisa Wilson
7:30 p.m. – Sam Stryke
8 p.m. – Troll for Trout
8:30 p.m. – Ralston Bowles
9 p.m. – Simien the Whale
9:30 p.m. – Thirsty Perch Blues Band
The Jukejoint Handmedowns play Saturday’s ArtPrize Musicians’ Showcase.
SATURDAY (Inside Royce Auditorium)
1 p.m. – CutTime Simfonica
1:45 p.m. – Jukejoint Handmedowns
2:30 p.m. – Kayle Clements/Rockford Community Choir
3:15 p.m. – Hey Marco
4 p.m. – Chris Butler
4:45 p.m. – Dale Wicks
SUNDAY (St. Cecilia Parking Lot)
Noon – Downie
12:30 p.m. – Don Middlebrook
1 p.m. – AnDro
1:30 p.m. – Michelle Chenard
2 p.m. – Fauxgrass Quartet
2:30 p.m. – Chris Hansen and Jubal Brass
3 p.m. – Nicolas James Thomasma
3:30 p.m. – Susan Picking
4 p.m. – Neon Graffiti
4:30 p.m. – Michael Cohen Kirtan
5 p.m. – BriAnna Zwiep
5:30 p.m. – The Mines
6 p.m. – The Moxie Strings
Email: jsinkevics@gmail.com
Thanks for all you do to follow and capture the breadth of great talent in the music world for us John. I was at the performance of Pete Weatherhead’s song “G Rap City” yesterday and have to say that I haven’t been as moved by a song in a long time. It is a call to make the streets of our city safer. In the wealth of beautiful sounds and sights during ArtPrize 2012, I encourage your readers to listen to this passionate plea to “get the guns gone” or “lose our freedom”.
You captured a bit of a different song they did at St. Cecilia’s but anyone can hear “G Rap City” at http://www.artprize.org/pete-weatherhead/2012/g-rap-city. I congratulate the Weatherheads and friends for bringing this important issue out in this artistic venue. For all of the people we welcome to town each year for ArtPrize and other events, and for all our residents and neighbors, banning guns is not a violation of anyone’s freedom, it would help guarantee that our freedom to peaceably assemble is not lost.