Sturgill Simpson, Glen Phillips, Aesop Rock, Greensky Bluegrass: Weekend Photo Gallery

An under-the-radar country act drew an unusual mammoth crowd but the week boasted other gems: Elliott Brood, Lady Ace Boogie, The Main Squeeze, AGO, Big Dudee Roo, Dan Rickabus, The Moonrays.

 

WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY: Feb. 4-7

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STURGILL SIMPSON

Rare and riveting.

Friday night’s Sturgill Simpson show at The Intersection was one of those unexpected, unusual and unprecedented events that can be difficult to explain and exhilarating to experience.

With a vintage country flair that falls outside the pop-fueled Nashville mainstream, Simpson has become a true phenomenon on the music scene by leaning on his Kentucky upbringing and the outlaw country influences of artists such as Waylon Jennings to create heartfelt, powerful songs.

And judging by the huge crowd jamming The Intersection’s main showroom on Friday night, Simpson — whose latest recording, “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music,” is nominated tonight for a Grammy Award for best Americana album — clearly has struck a chord with an odd mix of fans: hippies, hipsters, musicians and, yes, diehard country, alt-country and Americana devotees.

This was a show originally booked for the nightclub’s much smaller and more intimate front lounge, aka The Stache, before brisk ticket sales — sparked by word of mouth, some unexpected radio promotion and who knows what — led The Intersection to move the concert to the main showroom where more than 1,300 people warmly embraced Sturgill and his crackerjack band: stellar guitarist Laur Joamets, bassist Kevin Black and drummer Miles Miller.

With a demeanor not unlike a young and rebellious Steve Earle early in his career, Simpson, 36, delivered songs steeped in authenticity with a drawl that can’t be invented, from “Old King Coal” to “Some Days,” with its swipe at modern country: “I’m tired of y’all playing dress-up and trying to sing them old country songs.”

As for Simpson, he sang his incisive new country songs with a potent old country charm.

GLEN PHILLIPS

While on a smaller scale than Sturgill Simpson, singer-songwriter Glen Phillips kept his weekend audience of 100-plus at Spring Lake’s Seven Steps Up riveted to the stage, too.

The frontman for alt-rock/indie-rock band Toad the Wet Sprocket is also a formidable solo artist who commands attention with his compelling musical tales, not to mention his distinctive voice and easygoing on-stage personality. And like Simpson, he also boasts a devoted, passionate fan base in West Michigan: After quickly selling out the Saturday evening show, Seven Steps Up added a 5 p.m. matinee which also sold out.

It’s easy to see why: Not only did Nashville singer-songwriter Jonathan Kingman open the shows with a truly entertaining and humor-filled approach, but Phillips quickly turned even brand new material that fans haven’t heard into instant favorites with hooks and vocals that made the most of Seven Steps Up’s impressive acoustics. Even Phillips at one point exclaimed that “this room is good enough” to play the poignant “Rise Up,” an inspiring piece of social commentary from Phillips’ Works Progress Administration project with Sean Watkins and Luke Bulla.

And yes, the room was more than good enough — as was Phillips.

GREENSKY BLUEGRASS

There’s something inexplicably communal, celebratory and hypnotic about a sold-out Greensky Bluegrass show.

With some 1,700 ultra-dedicated fans packing The Intersection’s main showroom on Saturday night like happy sardines, the now internationally acclaimed progressive bluegrass band from Kalamazoo delivered another masterful display of contemporary bluegrass in its February homecoming show — bluegrass enhanced by lasers, EDM-styled dance beats, jam-band sensibility and melancholy beauty.

As fan Brien Dews later noted, “This isn’t your grandpappy’s bluegrass.”

That is indeed true, though I’m guessing the music — powered by sensational instrumental virtuosity — still appeals to plenty of traditional bluegrass aficionados, who also cheered opening act The Last Bison.

And if Greensky Bluegrass is, indeed, “the new Grateful Dead” as at least one critic has declared, then you couldn’t find a better bunch — Michael Arlen Bont, Dave Bruzza, Paul Hoffman, Anders Beck and Mike Devol — to carry that torch.

AND MORE IMPRESSIVE SHOWS

• While on the subject of another sell-out, The Pyramid Scheme boasted that on Saturday night, too, with New York’s Aesop Rock, Rob Sonic and Homeboy Sandman delivering a night of hip hop muscle. Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic released “Bestiary” in November as part of the hip hop group Hail Mary Mallon. (That followed a Friday hip hop/dance show at The Pyramid Scheme featuring AGO, Ro Spit and SuperDre, check out a video from that courtesy of Andy Miller below.)

• Grand Rapids’ Big Dudee Roo returned to the stage after a hiatus of several months and didn’t disappoint fans during the Local Spins Wednesday at SpeakEZ Lounge show, churning out its psychedelic, jam-hued folk-rock deep into the evening — including selections from its upcoming new EP, “Heavy Dudee.” Dan Rickabus of The Crane Wives opened the night on ukulele, then brought one-third of his Dan Rickabus Nooftet to the stage for an eclectic, envelope-pushing set. Next up in the series: Bello Spark.

• Grand Rapids’ hip hop artist Lady Ace Boogie opened up a Thursday night of music at Founders Brewing Co., performing selections from her brand new, “Feel Good Music,” album. Chicago’s The Main Squeeze followed with its soul and funk attack.

• Led Zeppelin 2, a Chicago Led Zep tribute act, cranked up some heavy classic tunes at The Intersection on Thursday night for an enthused crowd featuring a surprising number of young fans who weren’t even alive when Led Zeppelin was in its heyday.

• Canada alt-country band Elliott Brood played to a small but engaged audience at The Pyramid Scheme on Thursday.

• The Moonrays went retro in vintage fashion with sets of surf rock at Rockford Brewing Co. in Rockford.

• Grand Rapids guitarist-luthier Mark Swanson and mandolinist Jim Spalink performed a song on Local Spins Live on Wednesday morning in the studios of News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW) as a preview to Saturday’s West Michigan Luthier Concert at the Dogwood Center in Fremont.

WEEKEND PHOTO GALLERY: Feb. 4-7
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Sturgill Simpson photos by Eric Stoike
Glenn Phillips, Jonathan Kingman photos by Bleu Van Dyke, John Sinkevics
Greensky Bluegrass, The Last Bison photos by Anthony Norkus
Aesop Rock, Homeboy Sandman, Rob Sonic photos by Andy Miller, Katy Batdorff
Big Dudee Roo, Dan Rickabus photos by Anthony Norkus
Elliott Brood photos by Katy Batdorff
Lady Ace Boogie, The Main Squeeze photos by Tori Thomas
Led Zeppelin 2 photos by Eric Stoike
The Moonrays photo by Local Spins
Mark Swanson, Jim Spalink photos by Anthony Norkus

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: FEB. 4-7

VIDEO: AGO Live @ The Pyramid Scheme by Andy Miller

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