Whether your tastes ran from the droll Garrison Keillor to the soul of The Temptations and The Soul Syndicate to the rap of ConvoTronics, summer’s music machine kept whirring this week.
Logan Street Rock: The inaugural Music for Miles festival amped up Spokes for Folks Saturday. (Photo/Anna Sink)
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Tired of heat wave jokes? You know, it’s so hot that chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs, or dogs are chasing cats and they’re both walking.
But it’s summer in Michigan, folks. Enjoy it. And this sort of humor is way preferable to icy winter yuks like: It’s so cold, lawyers have their hands in their own pockets.
Embrace the summer sun while it’s still shining and ogle just a small sampling of this past week’s fabulous lineup of live music offerings, from Grand Rapids to Grand Haven:
Hot Soul: The Soul Syndicate in Rockford on a steamy Tuesday. (Photo/Local Spins)
• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah jammed The Pyramid Scheme to kick off the week on Tuesday, rocking out impressively hard for fans who gyrated happily to the Philly indie-rock/pop band.
• To the north, Grand Rapids’ The Soul Syndicate powered up its own dance-inspiring set of vintage soul and R&B for a hefty audience in downtown Rockford for the Rogue River Blues Series, all the while clad in dashing suits on the hottest day of the year. (Later in the week, they reprised their set at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill.) Meanwhile, at The Score, local legend Jimmie Stagger led his trio through some scintillating blues as the sun set behind him.
• Garrison Keillor brought what’s being billed as his farewell tour to Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Wednesday, delivering his “Prairie Home Companion” shtick with help from singer Sarah Jarosz.
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• Grand Rapids folk/pop/soul Bennett filled SpeakEZ Lounge for the Local Spins Wednesdays series, enchanting the crowd with new material, old materials and truly innvovative covers.
• The rootsy Grand Rapids band The New Midwest — led by Chris Smit — played its first show in four years on Thursday, performing during an uplifting and upbeat celebration of the Americans With Disabilities Act in the sunshine outside the Kentwood branch of Kent District Library, an event that featured performances by singers and dance groups and more.
Beatles Tribute: Grand Haven’s Coast Guard Festival had lots of musical fireworks this week. (Photo/Steve Weideman)
• Brandi Carlile returned to Meijer Gardens later that same night for an upbeat set of her own with Anderson East opening the evening. (Check out a recap of the show and full photo gallery in this Local Spins review by Tricia Woolfenden.)
• Grand Haven’s Coast Guard Festival ramped up in earnest on Thursday (on its way to a climactic Saturday fireworks finale), with Electric Red playing the Eagles Lodge beer tent, Mr. Whooha at the VFW beer tent and the Toppermost Beatles Tribute Band at Waterfront Stadium. On Friday, Backseat Driver and POST530 revved up the Eagles beer tent, with the U.S. Coast Guard Band taking the stage at Waterfront Stadium and Rockpile at Grand Haven Brewhouse.
• The Beach Boys and The Temptations got plenty nostalgic with a bevy of classic hits at a sold-out concert on Friday at Meijer Gardens. (Read more about that show with a full photo gallery in this Local Spins review by Rich Tupica.)
• The first-ever Music for Miles festival on Saturday pulled off a successful debut in an unusual setting — a field off Logan Street SW at Spokes for Folks — with several diverse local acts performing from mid-afternoon into late evening (with an after-party at The Pyramid Scheme), including The Real Lazy Genius, ConvoTronics, The Lippies, Fast Hands Blues Band, Hollywood Makeout, The Doctors’ Wives, Trophy, Aramis and JOE. Proceeds from the all-ages event will benefit Grand Rapids Climate Ride participants.
• That same night, Fauxgrass — which has been on a hectic touring schedule this summer — came back home for a show at Founders Brewing Co., with New York’s Big Slyde opening (featuring Grand Rapids’ Joey Schultz on banjo).
LOCAL SPINS WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY: Aug. 2, 2015
The Soul Syndicate, Jimmie Stagger photos by John Sinkevics
Garrison Keillor photos by Jamie Geysbeek
The New Midwest photos by John Sinkevics
Bennett, Brandi Carlile photos by Anna Sink
Coast Guard Festival photos by Steve Weideman
Beach Boys, Temptations photos by Anthony Norkus
Music for Miles, Fauxgrass photos by Anna Sink
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
