As volatile and diverse as this week’s weather, photo images of the Grand Rapids area’s live music ranged from the alt-country power of Nathan Kalish to the ribald antics of the Bimini Brothers’ 30th anniversary bash to an all-day benefit for Bruce and Becca Ling.
Heart and Soul: Grand Rapids-area singer Hannah Rose Graves unleashed a triumphant show Saturday at Founders with Groove or Die. (Photo/Anna Sinkevics)
Saturday night in Grand Rapids was a tale of two sensations — old and new.
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At The Intersection in Grand Rapids, Biff and Tadd Bimini – aka keyboard whiz Dennie Middleton and guitarist Nick Lewis, with B-Rad on drums – celebrated their remarkable 30th anniversary of musical “stupidity” (in their own words) to a packed house of several hundred revved-up Bimini Brothers diehards.
The popular West Michigan act uncorked rapid-fire parody rock tunes chock full of their signature off-color subject matter, inducing lively audience participation amid silly on-stage noises, cowbell solos (“More cowbell!”) and a beer keg full of impressive instrumental alacrity.
And as Biff joked, the capacity crowd of paying customers meant the band could cover the rental cost for the hall.
Just two blocks away at Founders Brewing, another sensation was wowing a capacity crowd in her biggest Grand Rapids show to date. Up-and-coming blues/soul/rock singer Hannah Rose Graves led Chicago’s Groove or Die through a hair-raising set of funk-flavored material that showcased the singer’s passionate, Janis Joplin-channeling vocal power. (Check out some video highlights of the Bimini and Hannah Rose shows below the Photo Gallery.) The Rockford native opened for another Chicago-based band, The Main Squeeze, which turned the area in front of the stage into a writhing dance floor for its high-energy, ultra-rhythmic funk attack.
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There was plenty more live music to embrace: Country star Jamey Johnson and pop-rock singer-songwriter Steve Moakler at The Intersection, West Michigan’s Big Boss Blues at Rockford Brewing Co., Grand Rapids’ Nathan Kalish doing double duty at Founders on Thursday, fronting the Wildfire with a muscular set of rock-driven alt-country before jumping behind the drum kit to perform with The Deadstring Brothers, River City Stew helping launch the first week of outdoor live music at The Score in Grand Rapids, Massachusetts’ Heather Maloney and her band playing two inspiring Grand Rapids-area shows in a row, first at One Trick Pony and then a Stable Studios barn concert south of Rockford, Chicago folk-rocker Michael McDermott and his wife, Heather, entertaining a near-capacity crowd at Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up with music, “wacky stories and humor.”
On Sunday, a passel of musicians from West Michigan showed their selfless support by performing a Mother’s Day benefit for Bruce and Becca Ling of Hawks & Owls, whose flooded home recently was destroyed by vandalism. The Lings themselves joined the likes of members of The Fauxgrass Quartet, Ruth & Max Bloomquist, The Oat Bran Boys and many more in a folk- and acoustic music-driven benefit organized by Mick Lane. Between donations and silent auctions, the event inside The Intersection’s The Stache raise about $3,400. “We’ve been surrounded,” Bruce Ling told the crowd at one point, “by light, love and support the whole time.” Indeed.
The Intersection closed out the evening with a rousing return performance by Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven (with West Michigan’s own Dutch Henry opening as a duo). Although fewer than 200 people turned out for the show, both bands delivered tight, powerful sets filled with crowd faves.
THE LOCAL SPINS WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY (MAY 9-12)
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Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
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