Metalcore, folk, indie-rock, bluegrass, psychedelic rock, pop and deliciously indescribable music captivated West Michigan audiences over the past week. Images at Local Spins.
Lighting It Up, Metalcore-Style: Bring Me the Horizon at The Orbit Room. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Tributes of all manners, shapes and forms have become an audience-engaging fad in recent years, from bands emulating classic rock icons to those covering the music of more contemporary acts.
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Doing Dylan: Nicholas James & The Bandwagon on stage at Founders Brewing on Saturday. (Photo/Cliff Frantz)
But the annual tribute to the legendary Bob Dylan organized by Nicholas James Thomasma at Founders Brewing is not some faddish spectacle: It’s a truly unique event extolling the music of this prolific and influential American hero, played by Michigan musicians who relish the opportunity to immerse audiences in his music.
On Saturday night, Seth Bernard, Big Dudee Roo, Nicholas James & The Bandwagon, Michael Beauchamp, Bill Chesney, Jen Sygit, Jake Robinson and The Northern Fires delivered their own compelling takes on Dylan tunes for an approving audience that Thomasma described as “the biggest crowd yet” in the nine-year history of the event.
Check out the photos here, courtesy of Joe Hirschmugl (who also happens to play bass in The Bandwagon) and photographer Rex D. Larsen.
PHOTO GALLERY: Bob Dylan Tribute at Founders Brewing
Photos by Joe Hirschmugl and Rex D. Larsen
On Thursday, another metalcore band — England’s Bring Me the Horizon, which mixes pop and alt-rock into its attack — fired up The Orbit Room in Grand Rapids. Local Spins contributor Jonathan Beatty described the concert this way:
British alt metal band Bring Me the Horizon brought its high-energy live show to a sold-out Orbit Room and the opening notes of “Happy Song” immediately earned an ear-piercingly loud crowd response.
Getting the Floor Moving: Bring Me the Horizon’s Oli Sykes. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
The room obliged singer Oli Sykes’ request to “Get the floor moving, no standing still” for the entirety of their set, backlit by a massive wall of LED lights that flashed song lyrics and album artwork, which added another visual dimension to the bands already frenetic show.
The band’s set leaned heavily on its most recent albums, 2013’s “Sempiternal” and 2015’s “That’s the Spirit” — recording that saw the band leave its deathcore stylings behind in favor of a more accessible sound that has earned Bring Me the Horizon mainstream success.
To end the night, “Throne” had the crowd jumping along to the chorus like a soccer crowd, while “Drown” found a sea of crowd surfers reaching out to high five Oli, while the rest of the capacity crowd sang their hearts out to the last few bars of the chorus. – Jonathan Beatty
PHOTO GALLERY: Bring Me the Horizon photos by Anthony Norkus
Kalamazoo’s The Go Rounds also played Bell’s Brewery on Thursday in their first hometown show since returning from a tour in Mexico. On Saturday, Bell’s also hosted California bluegrass outfit The Brothers Comatose. Check out all the images below.
PHOTO GALLERY: Unknown Mortal Orchestra at The Pyramid Scheme
Photos by Katy Batdorff
