From the lilting folk of Sweet Water Warblers and singer-songwriters at the Fall Flannel Folk Fest to the searing jam-band spectacle of UV Hippo, it was a week to remember, captured in images at Local Spins.
St. Cecilia Bluegrass: The Steel Wheels launched St. Cecilia Music Center’s Acoustic Cafe series on Sunday night. (Photo/Anna Sink)
SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERIES, VIDEO
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
Take your pick: This week’s theme could have been new and established acts trying new things, seasoned artists trying new collaborations or bands unveiling new music.
Standing Room Only: The UV Hippo crowd was big and very happy. (Photo/Anna Sink)
For Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, it was almost as if they never left.
After taking a hiatus, the popular Grand Rapids jam band picked up right where it left off, playing its first hometown show at The Intersection in a year on Saturday night. The pent-up fan demand for its light-enhanced, instrumentally adroit display was more than obvious: Some 900 devotees squeezed into the nightclub’s main showroom for an epic evening that started with the psych-folk-rock of Big Dudee Roo and culminated in an uber-lengthy performance by UV Hippo, complete with a three-piece horn section that put smiles on the faces of band members and fans alike. The vibe was like that of an outdoor music festival unleashed indoors.
On a day that saw West Michigan’s first snow of the season, the UV Hippo spectacle was just part of a hectic evening schedule for live music in Grand Rapids: Michigan’s Fonn Mor brought its Celtic strains — and a fresh lineup — to Quinn & Tuite’s Irish Pub in Grand Rapids for the first time in five years, the Fall Flannel Folk Fest returned to Rocky’s Bar & Grill with a long roster of singer-songwriters playing short sets throughout the evening, prog-rock’s Comments of Aether powered up everything from Genesis to Robin Trower at Eastern Avenue Hall, and Vox Vidorra pumped up Founders Brewing with its ever-soulful rock.
Check out video highlights of all of those Saturday shows below: Five different shows in five different venues soaked up in less than two hours on a single night.
Saturday also saw the finale of the International Wine, Beer & Food Festival at DeVos Place (with a smattering of musical entertainment). Here’s a special Saturday night photo gallery with images from all of the above.
PHOTO GALLERY: ONE SATURDAY NIGHT (11/21/15)
Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, Vox Vidorra photos by Anna Sink
Fonn Mor, Fall Folk Flannel Fest, Wine Festival photos by Tori Thomas
Official Sponsor of the Local Spins Weekend Photo Galleries
And there was more this week:
Ramping Up: Jennifer Bartlett led Fine Fine Titans in their performance at The Pyramid Scheme. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
• WEDNESDAY: One of Grand Rapids’ newest bands, Bigfoot Buffalo, made its SpeakEZ Lounge debut, while just down the street at The B.O.B. in downtown Grand Rapids, Hannah Rose & The GravesTones were recording a live album as part of their appearance inside H.O.M.E.
• THURSDAY: Grand Rapids’ hard-rocking Fine Fine Titans unveiled their new studio album, “Renaissance,” during a CD-release show at The Pyramid Scheme, with Anchors Calling, Blisshead and Rip VanRipper also on the bill.
• FRIDAY: An amazing indie-folk collaboration made a mini-tour stop at Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up: The Sweet Water Warblers, a Michigan super-group featuring May Erlewine, Lindsay Lou Rilko and Rachael Davis, entertained a sold-out audience in the listening room (following that with performances Saturday in Cadillac and Sunday in Leland). In Grand Rapids, meanwhile, it was a much louder affair: California heavy metal vets Machine Head pumped up The Intersection.
&bull: SUNDAY: The Steel Wheels kicked off St. Cecilia Music Center’s Acoustic Cafe Series with what may be the most beautiful display of bluegrass on tour today, with Trent Wagler leading the four-piece Virginia band through an inviting blend of upbeat tunes and ballads, many featuring razor-tight three- and four-part harmonies. They also helped St. Cecilia debut its new sound system, which certainly gave the audience crisp audio of their acoustic splendor.
View the photo gallery below, and check out a recap of country singer Darius Rucker’s Van Andel Arena show on Thursday in this Local Spins photo gallery.
WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY: Nov. 22, 2015
Fine Fine Titans photos by Anthony Norkus
Sweet Water Warblers photos by Loren Johnson
Machine Head photos by Eric Stoike
Bigfoot Buffalo, Hannah Rose Graves photos by Anna Sink
The Steel Wheels photos by Anna Sink
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
