From The JetBeats’ radio appearance for Local Spins Live to release of Rick Chyme & Nixon’s politically charged new track to The Accidentals unfurling a gorgeous Beatles’ cover, West Michigan’s mid-week new music debut is eclectically impressive. Only at Local Spins.
Despite ongoing transitions in the band’s lineup, The JetBeats are bound and determined to stand out as one of West Michigan’s only purveyors of early 1960s beat music and British Invasion rock.
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The band fronted by singer and guitarist Morgan May Moellemian has honed its catchy, vintage, pop-hued sound even further on its new six-song sophomore EP, “Mach ’64,” which officially gets released Friday in a CD-release show at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill. (The show begins at 9 p.m., with ska’s The Sailor Kicks also on the bill. Details online here.)
So while band members such as guitarist Pete Dunning and bassist Dave Jimenez have moved on, and drummer Justin Rutkauskas will play his final show with The JetBeats on Friday, the band (with Ben Erhart on bass) really hopes it won’t miss a beat as new drummer, Daniel “D.J.” McCoy (Delilah DeWylde & The Lost Boys), comes on board and guitarist A.J. Dunning joins the fold.
Moellemian insists The JetBeats are poised to keep rocking into the future by, yes, embracing the past. As such, a hybrid version of the band — Moellemian, McCoy, Erhart and Jimenez — rolled out a brand new tune, “Top of the Line,” on the air Wednesday for Local Spins Live on News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW).
Check out the video of their performance here.
VIDEO: The JetBeats, “Top of the Line” (Local Spins Live)
RICK CHYME & NIXON RELEASE POLITICALLY CHARGED SINGLE
The same night that Republican candidate Donald Trump was shocking the nation with an upset victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton, Grand Rapids hip hop artists Rick Chyme & Nixon chose to release a caustic commentary on the state of things and a rallying cry to take action that features singer Angela Teeple of the Grand Rapids band AOK.
The explicit track, “Know One’s Coming,” declares that “there’s not a soul coming to save you, better get up ‘stead of waiting and pay dues” and “you gotta get moving consistently if you want it; do you want it?”
It also fires this shot across the bow: “If I could hate one human, at Donald is where my aim’d be trained.”
Listen to the track here, with a link to the lyrics available at genius.com.
AUDIO: Rick Chyme & Nixon, feat. Angela Teeple, “Know One’s Coming”
THE ACCIDENTALS RECORD BEATLES SONG WITH JENNY CONLEE OF THE DECEMBERISTS
Traverse City’s The Accidentals have certainly drawn attention nationally from the record industry, and the proof may be in the high-profile cast that’s guest starring on the indie-folk trio’s new full-length album being recorded at Echo Mountain Recording Studio in Asheville, N.C.
Among them (Ben Folds, Keller Williams) is Jenny Conlee, keyboard player for The Decemberists, and producer Jason Lehning, who joined the talented young group on Election Day Tuesday for a fetching new rendition of The Beatles’ “Across the Universe.”
As The Accidentals put it today on their Facebook page: “In this historical moment, we FEEL you. We are all in this life together. When this moment happened in the studio today, there was an overwhelming feeling of peace. It changed the room, lifted the weight, opened a space for light. Music does that and sharing it is the only way we know to heal. Send it to someone who needs it. No matter where you are. No matter who you are. We are sending love to you. Peace.”
VIDEO: The Accidentals (w/ Jenny Conlee, Jason Lehning)
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