Some of West Michigan’s most compelling concerts didn’t feature arena-sized superstars, but inventive bands in their respective genres: jazz, psych rock/garage rock, hip hop, EDM and more.
So Good: The Bad Plus at Wealthy Theatre on Friday night. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
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On Friday night, Wealthy Theatre director Erin Wilson may have put it best when describing The Bad Plus playing the Live at Wealthy series, benefiting Pets for Vets West Michigan: “Thirty service dogs in the lobby, 50 U.S. veterans being honored in micro-cinema, hundreds of jazz fans filling up the main house, and one of the best bands in America in the dressing room. We have a word for this, at Wealthy Theatre. It’s called Friday night. Let’s do this.”
Saturday Night’s Alright for Country: Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys pumped up a big crowd at The Intersection. (Photo/Eric Stoike)
They did it, indeed, with Minnesota’s highly regarded The Bad Plus delivering the sort of cutting-edge jazz that’s earned them international attention — and the adulation of about 250 fans at Grand Rapids’ Wealthy Theatre.
Across town, at the Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill, another cutting-edge national act filled the tiny stage and revved up a small, but ultra-enthusiastic crowd: Brooklyn’s PitchBlak Brass Band, uncorked funky brass spunk — including three trombones, saxophone, tuba, bass, drums and more — with various band members taking their turn at the mic to rap in impressive fashion. The band also brought some guest Grand Rapids rappers to the stage, including Rick Chyme, then followed up by heading to Detroit later in the weekend to help christen the brand new HopCat Detroit.
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Speaking of HopCat Detroit, the Motor City’s newest concert venue and brewpub — boasting 120 different beers from Short’s Brewing Co. this weekend — held a private grand opening on Friday night with invited guests (including some from Grand Rapids where the HopCat craze began) getting a sneak peek into the establishment owned by Mark Sellers, including the upstairs Huma Room where bands booked by Ted Smith will perform. Oakland Press and Billboard music writer Gary Graff called the new venue “more groovy than swanky” with “a new car smell” for the opening weekend.
Back in West Michigan, the live music parade actually began on Wednesday with intimate performances by Grand Rapids dark folk singer-songwriter Fiona Dickinson and Max Lockwood (with banjo player Joey Schultz and guitarist-trumpet player Justin Dore) at SpeakEZ Lounge, part of the Local Spins Wednesdays series. After that:
• Justin Townes Earle played the Acoustic Cafe Folk Series at St. Cecilia Music Center on Thursday (read the Local Spins review and check out the full photo gallery online here);
Yule Sellout: The Lazy Blue Tunas Christmas show at One Trick Pony. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
• New York’s The Mystery Lights and Grand Rapids’ Heaters turned up the amps, stellar guitar tones and garage-rock magic at The Pyramid Scheme the same night;
• Not far away, Canadian electronic music phenoms Keys ‘N Krates drew a huge crowd of 1,100 or so at The Intersection;
• The Moxie Strings returned to Rockford Brewing Co. in Rockford to deliver their Celtic and Americana strains for an approving audience;
• The Lazy Blue Tunas played two straight nights to a jam-packed house at One Trick Pony, uncorking their popular Christmas show for devoted fans, who stood up for the quartet’s much-beloved annual four-part-harmony endition of the “Hallelujah Chorus”;
• Grand Rapids’ A.B. led a who’s who lineup of hip hop stars on stage at Founders Brewing on Saturday night, but not before he made his first appearance on Local Spins on WYCE on Friday in the studios at 88.1 FM;
• Country’s Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys played their favorite haunt, The Intersection, on Saturday night, once again inspiring a fist-pumping reaction from ebullient fans.
THE LOCAL SPINS WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY: Dec. 10-13
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HopCat Detroit photos by Gary Graff
A.B. (WYCE) photo by John Sinkevics, A.B. (Founders) photo by Terry Johnston
The Bad Plus photos by Anthony Norkus
The Moxie Strings photo by Kristine Carpenter
Keys ‘N Krates photos by Eric Stoike
Pitchblack Brass Band, Rick Chyme photos by Anna Sink
Lazy Blue Tunas photos by Anthony Norkus
Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys photos by Eric Stoike
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music LLC
