An Dro guitarist Fred Willson playing final show with band in January; guitarist-singer Mark Lamm departing The Trace

Two veteran Grand Rapids bands are losing key members in coming weeks, with the acoustic groups planning to continue performing without them.

 

Guitarist Fred Willson will leave An Dro in January, turning the popular Celtic and world music quartet into a trio for the time being.

Willson told Local Spins that he just wants to take some time off and concentrate on personal matters, but remains proud of what An Dro has accomplished as one of Michigan’s pre-eminent, Celtic-infused bands.

“As to reasons, the short answer is, I don’t want to perform so much anymore,” said Willson. “The long answer involves a growing awareness that I have limited time on this planet before the mother ship comes for me, a laundry list of things in my personal life that need more attention and a persistent disillusionment with the ‘business’ of music.”

Willson said he hopes to continue playing and teaching privately on his own, with only limited performances. His final shows with An Dro will take place Dec. 6 at One Trick Pony and Jan. 10 at the Winter Wheat benefit at The Intersection.

Bandmate Jim Spalink, who plays bouzouki and Celtic harp, said the 6-year-old group will continue as a trio “with friends sitting in with us occasionally although certainly not ruling out an eventual addition to the lineup.” Michele Venegas plays fiddle and Carolyn Koebel plays percussion in the band.

“Fred has been an integral part of this band from the beginning. It will be impossible to replace him, but we remain as always open to change however it comes,” he added. “It keeps the music fresh.”

That “freshness” includes working on some of Spalink’s complex orchestral works and exploring “new ideas and approaches to our music, maybe including some experimentation with some electronic effects gadgetry. We also want to add some more traditional Celtic stuff that we’ve been wanting to get to for some time.”

Willson notes that the band “is kind of at a creative crossroads and everyone is full steam ahead. I’m proud of the work we’ve done over the past few years. We’ve had some great opportunities and great support from the local music community. The band will continue to develop and it will be very interesting to see what they come up with next.”

MARK LAMM PREPARES TO DEPART THE TRACE

Hoping to focus more on his own songs, singer-songwriter Mark Lamm will perform with The Trace for the last time on Dec. 20.

“I am leaving because I want to do more original music,” Lamm said of his impending departure from the well-known West Michigan acoustic classic rock trio which also features the couple of Steve Damstra and Robin Spring.

“I really love doing classic covers and I’ve enjoyed my time performing with The Trace. But, being a songwriter, I really want to focus more on performing my own songs. I am currently recording another CD of original material for release later this year.”

Lamm, who spent years performing in California and Arizona before returning to West Michigan, joined The Trace in 2011 after being part of the Martin and Lamm duo. He also plays a regular Friday night solo gig at Noto’s Old World Italian Dining, 6600 28th St. SE. Lamm’s final show with The Trace will take place Dec. 20 at One Trick Pony in Grand Rapids.

The roots of The Trace extend back to the Grand Rapids band Natchez Trace in the ’80s, which also featured Damstra and boasted a harmony-driven approach. Later, after longtime member Ronnie Burke left the Natchez Trace trio, it reformed as The Trace with Lamm in 2011. Damstra and Spring also often perform as a duo in venues across West Michigan.

“As far as Robin and I go, we will continue to perform as a duo. It has been going very well and actually two thirds of our gigs over the last year have been as the duo,” said Damstra, adding that he wishes Lamm “all the best.”

Damstra also has been playing some solo gigs to focus more attention on this guitar-playing and he said The Trace has “many options as far as adding a new member, a couple of which could be very exciting and surprising at the same time.”

As for Lamm, he said he enjoys his Friday night solo performances, which take place just five minutes from his home.

“The rigors of The Trace schedule made it difficult to concentrate on my personal goals,” said Lamm. “I will miss singing with Steve and Robin and the tight harmonies we created together. And I will miss the audiences that came to support us. That’s what makes it all worthwhile. I’m grateful that we had the chance to make some great music together, and now it’s just time to move on.”

Copyright 2014, Spins on Music LLC