National tours of note made stops, but regional acts made a splash, too: The Bangups, Nathan Kalish, Seabird, Scott Pellegrom & Kevin Kozel, performers at Jake’s Music Fest performers. (Photos, video)
Celebrating the Weekend: Fans packed The Intersection for GRiZ on Friday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
As usual, some big stars made big splashes this weekend, with country singer David Nail, The Henningsens and Sam Hunt playing the Grand Valley State University fieldhouse in Allendale; The National, with My Brightest Diamond, powering up Van Noord Arena on the Calvin College campus; GRiZ getting an EDM-ified audience revved up at The Intersection, along with Michal Menert. (Read the full Local Spins review of The National with a photo gallery.)
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David Nail at GVSU (Photo/Eric Stoike)
But there was plenty more, capped by the feel-good vibe of the 10th annual Jake’s Music Festival, held Saturday at Wealthy Theatre with a slew of West Michigan bands — new and old — performing in the benefit for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
The Scheidels and Clay Grueber lined up a bracing blend of acts for this year’s fest, including B-Side Growlers, Lynn Thompson, Otis Blueswell Jr., David Molinari, The Rhythm Aces, Elise & The Pretty Reckless, Wonders of Oregon and, of course, Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish and The Waxies, who wrapped up the evening with hyper-energetic sets for an enthused crowd. (Check out some video highlights below.) As vibrant as the 10th-year show was on Saturday, Tom Scheidel joked that next year’s festival “will go to 11.”
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Speaking of hyper-energy:
Nathan Kalish (and a photographer) at The Pyramid Scheme. (Photo/Local Spins)
• Brooklyn’s Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds made a triumphant return to Founders Brewing Co. on Saturday, delivering their unique take on R&B, rock, soul and “dirty funk,” led by singer Arleigh Kincheloe;
• Grand Rapids’ The Bangups and Nathan Kalish & The Wildfire, along with Detroit’s The Sound Logic, uncorked nonstop musical fury at The Pyramid Scheme, each with its own distinctive sheen — from Kalish’s rocked-up alt-country muscle to The Bangups’ two-man, punk-hued rock assault.
In other corners, Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up delivered concerts by singer-songwriter Teddy Geiger and Seabird (with Briar Rabbit), and Rockford Brewing hosted an appearance by ever-inventive Grand Haven drummer Scott Pellegrom and guitarist Kevin Kozel.
Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
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