A hot week got hotter with JR JR playing Kalamazoo for the first time, Coffin Problem’s album debut, South Haven’s inaugural Rhythm on the River and sizzling shows by Warren G, SuperDre, Lyle Lovett, The Outer Vibe, Bootstrap Boys, Josh Rose and The Piano Cottage Rocks. (Photo galleries)
Heavy and Mesmerizing: Coffin Problem on stage at The Pyramid Scheme on Saturday. (Photo/Katy Batdorff)
Separate photo galleries spotlighting Mo Pop Festival in Detroit, Femi Kuti at Meijer Gardens and the Grand Rapids Symphony’s tribute to Queen available at Local Spins here.
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JR JR AT DISTRICT SQUARE IN KALAMAZOO
Detroit indie-pop sensation JR JR (formerly known as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.) kicked off its national tour Thursday night by playing the band’s first-ever show in Kalamazoo, lighting up the outdoor District Square venue downtown.
And for this show, the band’s support was pure Michigan, too, with Kalamazoo’s Michigander and Detroit’s Flint Eastwood opening the show. Although they played relatively short opening sets, Michigander and Flint Eastwood set the stage for JR JR by energizing the crowd on a hot and muggy summer night. – Derek Ketchum
JR JR photo gallery by Derek Ketchum
COFFIN PROBLEM AT THE PYRAMID SCHEME
It was heavy, it was psychedelic, it was loud, it was languid and absolutely mesmerizing.
The album-release show for Grand Rapids’ Coffin Problem at The Pyramid Scheme on Saturday night didn’t draw a capacity crowd, but the solid bunch of attentive fans on hand got a wondrous earful of the psychedelically induced, drone rock unfurled by this buzzed-about band featuring guitarist-singer Sean Stearns, drummer Ben Weissenborn, guitarist Trevor Goldner and bassist Billy Bartholomew.
Starting impressively — and hauntingly — with a female trio crooning a gospel melody, Coffin Problem slowly unfurled its hypnotic wall of sound, something that also propels its self-titled debut recording released by Grand Rapids’ dizzybird records.
The night also featured bracing sets by Grand Rapids’ Glassfield, Fort Wayne’s Heaven’s Gateway Drugs and Grand Rapids’ Prudence. Check out the photo gallery here, with some video highlights of Coffin Problem below. – John Sinkevics
Coffin Problem photo gallery by Katy Batdorff
RHYTHM ON THE RIVER IN SOUTH HAVEN
This first-time festival hosted by South Haven’s Foundry Hall in Waterfront Park had a lot going for it on Saturday.
With performances by Jake Simmons & The Little Ghosts, Slim Gypsy Baggage, The Crane Wives, Cold Mountain Child, Nate Holley and more, Rhythm on the River proved to be a great showcase for regional music right on the river with the the pier and lighthouse in sight. The inaugural festival’s diverse lineup entertained the crowd on a hot and sunny 90-degree day.
Besides the music, the festival featured games and sidewalk chalk to keep families entertained between bands. Unfortunately, as the crowd settled in at the end of the day to enjoy a headlining set by folk-rock’s The Crane Wives in the comfort of the setting sun, a storm blew in just a handful of songs into the band’s set, cutting it short. – Derek Ketchum
Rhythm on the River photo gallery by Derek Ketchum
WARREN G, SUPERDRE, JOSH ROSE, THE PIANO COTTAGE ROCKS, BOOTSTRAP BOYS, LYLE LOVETT, THE OUTER VIBE
Elsewhere this week, West Coast rapper Warren G revved up a big crowd at The Intersection in Grand Rapids on Wednesday, the same night that West Michigan singer-songwriters Josh Rose and Andrew Martin engaged a rapt audience at SpeakEZ Lounge.
On Thursday, super DJ SuperDre powered up a scintillating set at the Grand Rapids Art Museum with help from the lasers of AJ Paschka as part of a special late-night GRAM on the Green concert (which had to be moved indoors to the high heat and threat of rain, which also forced postponement of Thursday night’s Celadon Summer Concert series show with Big Dudee Roo — now rescheduled to Aug. 11).
The same night, The Piano Cottage hosted its fifth annual Piano Cottage Rocks show featuring more than 100 talented young students performing dozens of rock and pop favorites at DeVos Performance Hall, an event that raised money for the Crescendo Foundation.
In Kalamazoo, meanwhile, Grand Rapids’ The Bootstrap Boys brought their outlaw country to Kalamazoo for the first time, playing Old Dog Tavern.
The weekend closed with the return of Lyle Lovett and His Large Band to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, where he plays almost every summer. Lovett walked out to a standing ovation Sunday, as crowds braved the heat and the threat of rainstorms to welcome back the fan favorite. And Lovett and his band certainly did not disappoint, delivering a range from jazzy uptempo tunes to some of favorite originals. Lovett also welcomed to the stage Detroit gospel choir Joseph Derrico and Latter Rain, as well as Phoenix vocalist Francine Lee, who had the crowd up and cheering from start to finish. – Matt Marn
And in Rockford on Sunday night, The Outer Vibe celebrated release of a new live album — and the launching of another U.S. tour — with an intimate yet stirring semi-acoustic show at Rockford Brewing. The band’s first-ever appearance at the brewpub was filled with friends and longtime fans, turning the pared-down performance into a casual, upbeat affair. Check out a video below.
WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY (July 20-24)
Warren G photos by Eric Stoike
Josh Rose, Andrew Martin photos by Anna Sink
SuperDre, The Piano Cottage Rocks photos by Hunter Gamble
The Bootstrap Boys photos by Derek Ketchum
Lyle Lovett photos by Eric Stoike
DUNESVILLE FESTIVAL IN LAKE ANN
In northern Michigan, this year’s Dunesville festival kicked off on Friday at the Harm Farm in Lake Ann with a host of regional acts performing. The festival continues through Sunday.
Nestled in Michigan’s north country, the festival fought through the scorching summer heat this weekend to once again create a small yet vibrant and communal music festival.
Now in its fourth year, the festival boasted a hefty lineup of well-known Michigan bands, including Oh Brother Big Sister, Olivia Maineville & the Aquatic Troupe, Brotha James, Soul Patch, Galactic Sherpas, Watching for Foxes, Cousin Curtiss, Dragon Wagon and many others.
Although attendance was moderate, and most festival-goers could be found hiding from the sun beneath patches of shade, Friday evening saw a number of lively sets, both on the main stage and second stage.
Acoustic indie-folk duo, Oh Brother Big Sister, beat-boxed, live-looped and belted their way through a dazzling set, which included originals and a number of summer-soaked covers. Meanwhile, at second stage, Not Quite Canada, a rollicking jam-band from the U.P., inspired onlookers to dance uncontrollably beneath the blue and white-striped circus tent.
At sunset, The Gasoline Gypsies took command of the stage and ripped through a wild and nearly perfect set of rock ‘n’ roll. The condensed crowd whistled and cheered through every solo, break-down and runaway instrumental while the band exuded an infectious energy into the night. – Ricky Olmos
Dunesville photo gallery by Ricky Olmos
