Things warmed up indoors, too, this week with national touring acts and local gems firing up venues from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo to the lakeshore — captured in Local Spins images.
Local Showcase: Friday’s night lineup at The Pyramid Scheme ranged from rock to hip hop. (Photo/Katy Batdorff)
It felt like spring outside in West Michigan this week, but indoor music season continued to roar ahead from Grand Rapids to Grand Haven, Kalamazoo to Spring Lake.
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THURSDAY
ROBBIE FULKS, THUNDERBOLT & LIGHTFOOT AT BELL’S BREWERY
Robbie Fulks may not be as well-known as he should be, but folks in the know recognize that this Chicago-based, alt-country singer-songwriter is one of the country’s best. He proved that at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe on Thursday night with Kalamazoo’s own Thunderbolt & Lightfoot opening the show. (On Friday, Old Dog Tavern across the street followed up with a lively set by the Heathen Daniels Band.)
PHOTO GALLERY: Photos by Derek Ketchum
FRIDAY
KILL THE NOISE AT THE INTERSECTION
It was EDM hoopla at The Intersection in Grand Rapids on Friday. California’s Kill the Noise, aka producer/DJ Jake Stanczak, got the electronic dance music machine revved up, with help from Ray Volpe, Super Future and NickyBoom.
PHOTO GALLERY: Photos by Eric Stoike
CONVOTRONICS, REAL LAZY GENIUS & MORE AT THE PYRAMID SCHEME
Local Showcase No. 11 at The Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids on Friday was an eclectic affair, featuring sets by ConvoTronics, Real Lazy Genius, Les Creatif and Shaaaark, plus spoken-word pieces courtesy of The Drunken Retort hosts Rachel Gleason, G Foster II (Autopilot) and Fable the Poet.
PHOTO GALLERY: Photos by Katy Batdorff
ROOSEVELT DIGGS, OLIVIA MAINVILLE FOR ‘MUSIC AT THE MUSEUM’
AT the Tri-Cities Historical Museum in Grand Haven, the second “Music at the Museum” concert of the season hosted by Red House Concert Series was another sell-out: a rousing, rootsy and diverse double bill featuring Americana’s Roosevelt Diggs and indie-folk/swing’s Olivia Mainville & The Aquatic Troupe.
SATURDAY
GRIFFIN HOUSE AT SEVEN STEPS UP
On Saturday, Nashville singer-songwriter Griffin House returned to Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up, making it clear that the listening room is a must-play venue along the trail of his tours. The packed crowd was very happy to benefit from his fifth visit to the intimate concert hall, with House performing favorites from his catalog, as well as newer releases from his most recent 2016 release, “So On and So Forth.” No matter the song, he had both returning fans and new guests cheering, adding humor and wit in between tunes. His powerful lyrics even moved some in the crowd to tears. “I Remember,” his commentary on war through the eyes of his late grandfather (a World War II medic), and “The Way I Was Made,” a song about being proud of who you are and where you come from, were powerful examples of storytelling with a message. – Matt Marn
BIG DUDEE ROO & MORE
The same night, Grand Rapids’ Big Dudee Roo and singer-songwriter Morgan Haner uncorked a collaborative, band-melding show at Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, with Haner celebrating release of a new album. Speaking of CD releases, mid-Michigan’s The Turnips stages another in a series of album-release shows — this one at Rockford Brewing Co. in Rockford.
PHOTO GALLERY
Griffin House photos by Matt Marn
Big Dudee Roo, Morgan Haner, Turnips photos by Anna Sink