One of West Michigan’s fastest-rising vocal talents and her band spent an electrifying hour at a Grand Rapids studio earlier this summer, playing songs new and old and revealing their special chemistry.
River City Soul: Hannah Rose Graves and her band lit up River City Studios for the Local Spins Live session. (Photo/Anna Sink)
THE BAND: Hannah Rose & The GravesTones
THE MUSIC: Soulful rock, blues, country and funk
WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE BAND: 6 p.m. Wednesday at Garage Bar & Grill Block Party (Ottawa Ave. NW); 9:30 p.m. Thursday at Founders Brewing Co. (with Bigfoot Buffalo)
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In a few short years, singer Hannah Rose Graves has gone from an open-mic night regular with a stunning voice to “a force to be reckoned with” who’s headlining shows across West Michigan while promoting an award-winning album recorded with guitarist Justin Wierenga.
In the Studio: The GravesTones (Photo/Anna Sink)
“I’ve got dreams bigger than the sky,” concedes the 25-year-old Grand Rapids-based singer who grew up in Rockford and who has quickly cultivated a devoted fan base. “Our main goal is to sing and play for as many people as possible, so we’re kind of just hoping that those numbers just keep growing.”
With a diverse approach that oozes soulfulness, the singer and her band, The GravesTones, demonstrated just why they’ve become an in-demand live act when they played the latest session of HopCat presents Local Spins Live at River City Studios in front of a small, enthusiastic audience.
Listen to the entire hour-long podcast here – including performances of new, unreleased songs – with a video of the interview and intimate mini-concert below.
The band – Wierenga, bassist Justin Avdek, drummer Mario Copeland and keyboard player Dutcher Snedeker – jells with a rare chemistry, fronted by Graves and her dynamic vocals, which weaves its way through songs that blues, rock, R&B, funk and country.
The uniquely talented Wierenga, who played guitar with Graves for four hours the night they met during an open-mic night in Eastown several years ago, raves that the singer has an “awesome” voice and is “just enjoyable to listen to and awesome to play with. A force to be reckoned with.”
Jammie Winner: Graves at the Jammie Awards. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
Although the pair’s debut studio album, “Everything We Already Knew,” won best blues/soul album at the WYCE Jammie Awards earlier this year, Graves concedes that her music shines brightest when she’s on stage, which is why she plans to record a live album for release later this year. And Wierenga and Graves already have a bevy of new songs they want to record and release for fans.
“They have to come to a show to feel the power of it and truly understand what we do,” she says. “We’re hoping … to release a live album and try to capture that feel as much as we can.”
That live power and soulful vibe — unleashed in electrifying, rousing fashion — was more than evident for the Local Spins Live session presented by HopCat at Grand Rapids’ River City Studios. Check out the video here.
VIDEO: Hannah Rose & The GravesTones, Local Spins Live at River City Studios
Live at River City: The band and the host. (Photo/Anna Sink)
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC
