The Ragbirds, Josh Garrels and Bill Kirchen might have escaped your notice but they shouldn’t. Local Spins takes a closer look at three shows flying below the radar this week.
From time to time, there are shows that soar in under the radar across West Michigan, featuring artists who likely deserve a broader audience. And from time to time, Local Spins spotlights these acts for readers who might be unfamiliar with them – but should be. Here are three writers’ takes on three compelling artists.
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THE RAGBIRDS (folk-rock, roots, world fusion)
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Lowell Showboat & Riverwalk Plaza, downtown Lowell
Admission: Free
Long before The Accidentals or The Crane Wives, there were The Ragbirds – a beloved, female-fronted Michigan folk-rock band with world music inclinations.
For a decade, The Ragbirds – Erin Zindle (violin, mandolin, accordion), T.J. Zindle (guitars), Randall Moore (congas, tabla, percussion), Dan Jones (bass, percussion) and Jon Brown (drums) – have performed extensively through the Midwest and beyond (getting attention for “eco-touring” in a van powered by recycled vegetable oil) and cultivating a diehard following for their engaging music and lively stage shows.
They even were one of only a select few Michigan bands tabbed to play this year’s Electric Forest, which teemed with national and international acts, creating “an exchange of energy and deep communication” with new audiences.
As Moore tells Local Spins, “The Ragbirds shows are always very high-energy and danceable, but it’s folk-rock at the heart of it, inspired by music from all over the world.” (Watch a video of The Ragbirds performing “Lemon Grove” at Music City Roots Live in Nashville earlier this year.)
Based in Ann Arbor, the band is set to release a brand new studio album, “The Threshold and The Hearth,” in October after the project was funded by devoted fans through a crowdfunding campaign.
“We will definitely be playing new songs, including several from the new album, at the Lowell show, a good mix of old and new material,” Moore said, adding that the band is “super excited” about the new recording produced by Jamie Candiloro (REM, Ryan Adams) and mastered by Greg Calbi (Paul Simon, My Morning Jacket). “It’s our best album to date.”
That all bodes well for folks attending the Lowell Showboat Sizzlin’ Summer Concerts Series show this week – especially those experiencing The Ragbirds for the first time. – By John Sinkevics
JOSH GARRELS
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: The Intersection, Grand Rapids
Tickets: $20 advance, $25 day of show ($35 VIP)
The vintage-tinted sounds of Josh Garrels’ most recent release are instantly familiar: It may be the electric guitar with subtle distortion and slight reverb, or the warm tremolo of a ’70s-era electric piano, or the carefully placed layers of a Hammond B3. Or perhaps, it’s the passionate voice – spanning from a soulful, gritty, lower register, to a soft, sweeping falsetto – that cuts through all instrumental familiarities and make the listener feel as though they are welcome into the space of Garrels’ album “Home.”
With five full-length albums and one EP under his belt, the Portland, Ore., artist released “Home” in April and, in a practice he’s become known for, gave away 42,000 copies for the first month of its release via the music-sharing site Noisetrade. The album also has made an appearance in five different categories of Billboard’s charts.
While “Home” retains Garrels’ eclectic influences in folk music, symphonic orchestration and sample-based sequencing, even the artist’s own promotional material concedes that a foundation of soul music sets this album apart from his previous work.
Garrels brings his new album and sound to Grand Rapids on Friday, headlining at The Intersection as part of his summer tour promoting the release. The concert will include Oklahoma indie-folk songwriter Zach Winters as a special guest. Doors open at 7 p.m.; get tickets online here.
Tracks on the new album range in mood and genre: the driving, old-school rock ’n’ roll elements of “The Arrow” showcase Garrels’ broad vocal range, in which a wailing, entirely falsetto chorus, is decorated by a backing vocal layer of “oohhs and aahhs,” horns, and swirling electric guitars, before resolving into a muscular combination of bass and drums in the verse. Listen to “The Arrow” here.
In contrast, songs such as the folk-inspired, lyrically and melodically hope-filled track “At The Table” stay closer to the melding of acoustic and R&B textures that Garrels built his career on. Watch a live acoustic performance of “At The Table.” – By Ricky Olmos
BILL KIRCHEN & REDD VOLKAERT
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Riverhouse Ada, 445 Ada Dr. SE, Ada
Tickets: $20
“My pappy said, ‘Son, you’re gonna drive me to drinkin’, if you don’t stop driving that hot rod Lincoln.’ ”
It was this line that introduced me to Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen while sitting in Crisler Arena in 1971 awaiting the arrival on stage of John Lennon for the “Free John Sinclair” rally. The Commander is a commanding presence, but it was the guitarist, Bill Kirchen, who stole the show. The Grammy-nominated guitarist returns to our area this Saturday at The River House in Ada along with the equally awe-inspiring guitarist Redd Volkaert.
Kirchen recorded seven albums with the Commander, including “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” which Rolling Stone Magazine listed as one of the “100 Best Albums of All Time.” The band essentially gave birth to what now is called “Americana.”
Known as the master of the Telecaster, Kirchen started his musical career as a trombonist. He attended Interlochen Center for the Arts in the early ’60s studying that instrument, but his attention was diverted to the guitar by his counselor Dave Siglin (founder of The Ark in Ann Arbor, where Kirchen grew up).
Not one to rest on his laurels, Kirchen continues to stretch – not only the strings of his Telecaster, but his musical repertoire. In 2010, he released “Word to the Wise,” a recording that features guest artists Paul Carrack, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Dan Hicks, Maria Muldaur and, yes, even Commander Cody himself. (Check out videos of Kirchen performing here and below.)
Kirchen plays outside at the Riverhouse Ada on Saturday evening. Opening for him is the local band Luke Warm and the Not So Hots. Tickets, $20, are available in advance at the Riverhouse and at the door. (Get details online here.)
In the event of rain, the concert will be moved inside. – By Michael Packer
(Editor’s Note: Last July, Kirchen played the same venue in a charming manner with a bunch of local musicians pitching in, and rest assured, lots of the same folks who were there in 2014 are itching to go back to see him again. Kirchen also headlines this year’s Cowpie Music Festival in southern Kent County Aug. 7-8.)
VIDEO: Bill Kirchen, “Hot Rod Lincoln”
Copyright 2015, Spins on Music LLC