Can you tell which one's Lil' Ed? The Imperials play Blues on the Mall Wednesday.
Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials
WLAV Budweiser Blues on the Mall Series
6:30 p.m. Wednesday
Free
Rosa Parks Circle, downtown Grand Rapids
June’s final week builds nicely to quite the groovy crescendo, starting with tonight’s Jazz at the Zoo at John Ball Park in Grand Rapids, with The Tom Hagen Quartet featuring Rick Reuther delivering a host of jazzy standards starting at 6:30 p.m., so bring a blanket, lawn chairs and your dancing shoes. The week continues with another free blankets-and-picnic baskets show at 7 p.m. Tuesday, when West Michigan’s Weezil Malone Band carves out some blues at Garden Club Park in Rockford for the Huntington Rogue River Blues Series.
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And of course, the Tip Top Deluxe on the West Side keeps its one-year anniversary celebration going with Jane Rose & the Deadend Boys plus Delilah DeWylde & the Lost Boys and Chuck Whiting tonight ( followed by Chicago’s Hollows, Henry’s Funeral Shoe/Mark “Porkchop” Holder, Wayne “The Train” Hancock, Al & the Black Cats, and the Kent County String Band/Chance Jones).
Then things really heat up, and I’m not just talking the mercury in the ol’ thermometer …
Small in stature, but gigantic in heart, energy and talent, Chicago blues fireball Lil’ Ed Williams returns to Grand Rapids with the Blues Imperials for yet another edition of Blues on the Mall. Williams has become a fixture at the Wednesday night summer shows and for good reason: He told me a couple of years ago that Rosa Parks Circle has become one of his absolute favorite places to play. “People see me happy and moving around, and they know the music is moving me, and it moves them,” he told me. “Seeing all the people getting into the music and jumping up and dancing, it’s a fun thing.”
A “fun thing” also happens to describe Lil’ Ed’s brand new album, “Jump Start,” to a tee: High-energy, diverse, party-styled blues with a sense of humor, ranging from “Musical Mechanical Electrical Man” to “Jump Right In” to “No Fast Food.” He’ll jump start hump day, no doubt.
The String Cheese Incident will once again light up fans at Electric Forest.
The String Cheese Incident, Various Artists
Electric Forest
Thursday-Sunday
$242.50 (four-day pass, including on-site camping and parking), $149.50 (Saturday-Sunday pass)
Double JJ Resort, Rothbury (24 miles north of Muskegon)
Watching part of the movie “Avatar” recently, I was struck by the way the psychedelically colorful evening jungle scenes reminded me of Sherwood Forest at Rothbury. Well, Sherwood’s back again for the second year of Electric Forest, aka Rothbury Jr., so plenty of jam-band and electronic music fans will relish the art- and light-bedecked wooded retreat, complete with hammocks, bars and unusual sideshow entertainment.
The main attraction, of course, is the four days of hippie-pleasing live music, led by the String Cheese Incident (and its ultra-devoted fans from across the country), STS9, Bassnectar, Thievery Corporation, Steve Aoki, Santigold and tons more (with Grand Rapids’ own The Crane Wives making a much-deserved Sunday appearance).
I’ll run down my must-see picks for each day of the festival later this week, and post some reports from Rothbury over the weekend. Get the full lineup, directions and ticket details here. And watch video from past years below.
Gov't Mule
Gov’t Mule
7 p.m. Thursday
$37 ($35 Meijer Gardens members)
Frederik Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids Township
Speaking of jam bands and Rothbury, that’s where I first got the chance a few years ago to experience Gov’t Mule, led by Allman Brothers’ guitarist Warren Haynes. And this is a band, with its bluesy, rock vibe, that really got my attention (and it really wasn’t just because a nude couple went frolicking by during their show).
The band’s 2010 show at the Orbit Room made my best-concert-of-the-year list and I’m quite curious to see how the Mule will go over in the more pristine outdoor environment of Meijer Gardens. Read my interview with Haynes here.
Romance for Ransom
10 p.m. Thursday
$5
The Establishment, Grand Rapids
I’ve been meaning to catch this relatively new Grand Rapids band with talented singer Melissa Dylan and this watering hole on the near West Side should be the perfect place to experience this punk-fueled, pop-rock outfit.
The Drowning Men are on a co-headlining tour with River City Extension.
River City Extension, The Drowning Men
7 p.m. Thursday
$10 advance, $13 day of show
The Intersection, Grand Rapids
These co-headlining indie-rock bands – River City Extension from New Jersey and The Drowning Men from California – play an all-ages show at the ‘Section, delivering their melodic rock to the club, along with Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers and Ben Henderson. (Passafire plays the club on Friday; Sparks the Rescue hosts a CD-release show on Sunday. Also, it’s not music, but The Moth Mainstage, a production of Michigan Public Radio, presents its “true stories told live” at the ‘Section at 7 p.m. Wednesday, $35. Get ticket details here.)
Emmylou Harris returns to Grand Rapids on Friday.
Emmylou Harris, Field Report
7 p.m. Friday
$53 ($51 for Meijer Gardens members)
Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids Township
Legendary as she is, Emmylou Harris has never acted like a superstar. Always gracious and a frequent collaborator with the who’s who of music – from country to rock – the trailblazing singer has quietly established herself as one of the true gems of American music. And the opening act for the “Red Dirt Girl’s” show at Meijer Gardens, the folk-infused Field Report, led by Chris Porterfield, seems to mesh perfectlyl with Harris’ alt-country/folk approach. (The band has gotten favorable citations from Rolling Stone magazine, Pitchfork, etc.) Just hearing Harris’ stunning voice, which hasn’t seemed to age a bit, is worth the price of admission. More information and ticket links here.
(In a strange coincidence, Graham Parsons has a CD-release show at Wealthy Theatre the same night. OK, this is Kalamazoo’s Graham Parsons and The Go Rounds, not the famous Gram Parsons once affiliated with Harris. I’ll have more about that Wealthy Theater show later this week.)
Peat in the Creel
6 p.m. Friday
Free
Schuler Books & Music, Grand Rapids (downtown)
This band’s debut album is a Celtic music wonder, seriously. Led by Toby Bresnahan, the Greenville-based group — which also features flute/whistle/bodhran player Alison Myers, fiddle/mandolin player Bill Nieusma and violinist/percussionist Gail Franklin — recently released “The Barn Session,” which I described in my Spins on Music review as an expertly arranged mix of Celtic, Americana and world music-hued tracks. And you can catch them next month on my Local Spins Live radio show. But on Friday, check ’em out in person at Schuler Books & Music.
Slum Village
Slum Village, A.B., Lady Ace, Suport
9 p.m. Friday
$15
The Pyramid Scheme, Grand Rapids
Renowned Detroit rap group Slum Village makes a rare Grand Rapids appearance, delivering its Motor City hip-hop with special guests A.B., Lady Ace and Suport.
This is an 18-and-older show. Get ticket information here.
Jim Alfredson of Organissimo ripping it up at a HopCat Jazz Jam earlier this year.
HopCat Jazz Jam
7 p.m. Sunday
Free
HopCat, Grand Rapids
Another one-year anniversary that absolutely must be celebrated: Drummer Randy Marsh has kept the always-vibrant HopCat Jazz Jam at HopCat going for a year now (with a big assist from owner Mark Sellers) and it’s inspiring to see the lineup of ultra-talented regional jazz musicians who rotate in for these sessions. On Sunday, The host trio will be keyboardist Paul Lesinski and bassist Charlie Hoats, with featured artist alto saxophone player Josh Quinlan from Colorado. As Marsh puts it, if things are “really cookin’,” they’ll play till 11 p.m.
Wainwright's "Out of the Game"
Rufus Wainwright
7 p.m. Sunday
$45 ($43 for Meijer Gardens members)
Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids Township
Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright is as unique as his singer-songwriter father, Loudon. But Wainwright, with his distinctive pop approach, has also proven to be incredibly prolific and unconventional in his live performances. The guy known for an incredible rendition of “Hallelujah” is currently touring behind his latest album, “Out of the Game.” Check out a performance of “Jericho” from the new album below.
Email: jsinkevics@gmail.com
