The Detroit Cobras, Seth Bernard, 1964 Party, Kathy LaMar, Elle Pohlman: The Weekend Photo Gallery (June 1)

It was a weekend for parties and CD-release celebrations, along with the usual musical mayhem from Grand Rapids to Kalamazoo, captured in images at Local Spins.

 

 

SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE PHOTOS BELOW

 

Welcome to June, the perfect time for some seasonal introductions.

Say hello to writer David Specht and photographer Tori Thomas, who have joined the Local Spins staff for the summer. They experienced the whirlwind that a weekend of live music in West Michigan can offer, zipping from venue to venue to capture the electric atmosphere of everything from a retro-party paying tribute to the ’60s to a trio of bracing CD-release shows by West Michigan artists.

There was more: Saturday’s “Real Oldies” concert hosted by WGVU got nostalgic at Fifth Third Ballpark with The Vogues (“Five O’Clock World”) and West Michigan’s own Westside Soul Surfers, The Trace duo (Steve Damstra and Robin Spring) played the outdoor patio on the lake at Blue Water Grill and Local Spins photographer Anthony Norkus discovered the rock ‘n’ roll power of the Motor City via The Detroit Cobras at The Pyramid Scheme.

(And check out a full photo gallery and review of Sunday night’s sold-out Santana concert at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park online here.)

Another new Local Spins contributor, photographer Eric K. Fischer, supplied images from the Eccentric Cafe at Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo with the Joe Marcinek Band (featuring guests from the Trey Anastasio Band, Family Groove Company and others, and an “ever-evolving mixture of original compositions”), followed the next night by the “funky space reincarnation” of Indiana’s The Diggity, plus Chicago-based DJ No DJ and West Michigan’s own Evan Wouters.

But back to that inaugural Specht-Thomas journey. Here’s the rundown on some of the musical marvels they sponged up:

• 1964 PARTY: Celebrating its 50th anniversary on Thursday, Grand Rapids Magazine might have thrown the most authentically groovy bash Grand Rapids has experienced since the ‘60s. Hosted on the upper level of the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, the area was filled with boldly colored furniture straight out of the target era matching appropriately attired guests. Local garage rock trio The Veloras kicked off the evening with some fitting covers, sporting white go-go boots. Chance Jones – a seven-piece rock band from Grand Rapids – quickly drew all in attendance to the stage with a set list comprised of entirely original material. Local conscious hip hop artist A.B! provided some spinning between sets, and also ended the night with a quick set of his own on the main stage. The performers drawing the most attention, however, were the Audacious Hoopers – a trio of go-go dancers accompanied by a Sgt. Pepper look-a-like who demonstrated some truly far-out hooping skills.

• KATHY LAMAR: Packing the 140-person capacity of the One Trick Pony on Thursday evening was local jazz, soul and R&B singer Kathy LaMar, equipped with a double-set. Though LaMar looked to raise funds for the completion of her upcoming album “Songs for Elsa,” off of which she performed numerous tracks, the evening was also filled with renditions of crowd favorites such as Manhattan Transfer’s “Scotch and Soda.” The intimate setting of One Trick Pony was ideal for the sassy and engaging presence of LaMar, as evidenced by the crowd response.

• ELLE POHLMAN: Emerging artist Elle Pohlman regaled fans with a full-band set on Saturday at The Stache inside The Intersection, playing songs from her brand new album, “Sea Salt Kisses.”

• THE JETBEATS AND WHITE RABBIT: Saturday night’s CD-release show by early ’60s British invasion-styled trio The JetBeats had the Tip Top packed from front to back. Kicking off the evening was White Rabbit, coming equipped with an hour-long set of classics from the ’60s and ’70s, from The Who to The Doors to The Beatles. Once the Tip Top’s dance floor was moving, The JetBeats jumped into their mix of original, fast-paced tracks, including works such as “Fortune Teller” from their new record, “Sonic Boom Boom.”

• SETH BERNARD AND FRIENDS: Late Saturday, Grand Rapids was treated to some Michigan-bred musical magic from singer-songwriter Seth Bernard, who was joined by an equally as impressive company of roots musicians for his CD-release show at Founders Brewing. Calling on old friends from as far away as New York, the crew consisted of Big Dudee Roo’s Max Lockwood, Traverse City singer-songwriter Joshua Davis and New York’s Gregory Stovetop – and for an evening-ending performance, singer DarlenYa. Working his way through his epic new album, “Reconciliation & The Musical Beyonda,” Bernard delivered a wide array of sounds and emotions from the stage. And judging by the widespread crowd participation during songs such as “Turkeys in the Rain” and “Dinosaur,” it’s clear the gregarious Bernard had made his mark and fostered a devoted following over the past decade. (Watch a Local Spins video of the band’s performance of “Turkey in the Rain” below.)

• RUSLAN SIROTA: Local Spins’ Alec Juarez immersed himself in the award-winning jazz of celebrated pianist Ruslan Sirota on Saturday in a special concert at Grand Rapids Ballet’s Wege Theatre. Here’s his report:

To a small, enthusiastic crowd hushed in the Peter Martin Wege Theatre, Ruslan Sirota played a
mesmerizing set presented by the West Michigan Jazz Society. Prior to his performance, Sirota — who’s toured regularly with Josh Groban — told Local Spins he’s “doing a bunch of one-off shows I’m gearing toward a new record, so I’m not really touring. I’m just doing a show here, maybe a few weeks later, I’ll do a show somewhere else. I’m probably going to keep doing those throughout the summer, and when the record comes out, I’ll hop into a typical tour sometime late this year or early next year.” Sirota, alone at his piano, danced his fingers along the keys to fill the silent theater with resounding chords and trills. Playing tracks ranging from his 2011 release, “Ruslan,” to new songs, Sirota left the crowd transfixed upon his figure as he effortlessly through song after song. Eventually picking up a microphone and asking audience members to hum tunes for him to riff on, Sirota demonstrated his improvisational chops and truly left the crowd spellbound.

THE LOCAL SPINS SCROLLING GALLERY

MORE SANTANA PHOTOS AND A CONCERT REVIEW ONLINE HERE.

 

SETH BERNARD & FRIENDS, “Turkeys in the Rain”

Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
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