The fourth annual festival and competition awards prizes to the best band and song, with attendees voting for favorites and winning merchandise, too. Get the lowdown, map and list of performances.
Back for Walk the Beat: Grand Rapids’ Melophobix hails the Grand Haven event as unique and entertaining. (Photo/Matt Marn)
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Where else could you experience performances by more than 50 different musical acts in a single afternoon?
Expect music lovers from across West Michigan to converge on Grand Haven Saturday to see 52 bands and solo artists playing sets at 26 locations for the 2017 Walk The Beat.
Home Base: Grand Haven’s Walk the Beat takes place at 26 businesses on the city’s east side with the wrap-up at Third Coast Recording. (Photo/Matt Marn)
Audience members strolling from venue to venue will choose the best band via text voting during the one-day festival. The winner will receive a grand prize package that includes recording time at Third Coast Recording Studios, a professional photography session and website design and much more. And a separate “Best Song” competition carries a cash prize, with the winner selected by a panel of judges.
The fourth edition of the unusual Walk The Beat — which helps raise money for instruments and music education — is set for 1-5 p.m. Saturday in neighborhoods and business districts east of U.S. 31 in Grand Haven. A Walk the Beat Pre-Party, with sets by Miss Atomic, Christopher C. Cordle & The Co-Conspirators and Loren Johnson, takes place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Seven Steps Up in Spring Lake, with the $10 admission helping raise money for the cause.
Walk The Beat works year-round to help get instruments and music lessons to Grand Haven-area children who otherwise would be unable to afford them. Walk The Beat also supports local musicians. The group puts on several events each year – from free community concerts and instrument collection fund drives to facilitating educational outreach programs. The Walk the Beat summer event is the group’s largest annual networking and fund-raising event.
“It’s been so awesome to have such a positive force to put my energy towards,” said Johnson, administrative director for Walk the Beat.
THE ‘PERFECT KICK-OFF’ WITH EMERGING LOCAL TALENT
“Dave Palmer and I have been working really hard to make this the best year yet, and learn ways to make 2018 even better. It’s a lot for a small group of people to organize, but we have some big plans for Walk The Beat this coming year – and I have no doubt the 2017 Walk the Beat event will be the perfect kick-off for them.”
Loren Johnson (Photo/Scott Cottle)
Johnson said Walk The Beat offers a wide variety of musical genres. “The emerging local talent is going to be evident to festival guests,” she said.
“We even have a couple bands and artists coming from as far as Canada and around the rest of the Midwest to join our Michigan music family for the day, and I think all the performers will love this chance to listen to and meet each other, and make new connections.”
Walk the Beat performer Cordle of North Muskegon — who also plays the pre-party Thursday at Seven Steps Up — offered up a preview this week for Local Spins Live on News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW), playing a couple of original songs on the air along with guitarist Chris Dragone. Watch a video of their in-studio performance of “Get It Right” here. Cordle plays Saturday at Floyd’s Tire & Auto.
VIDEO: Christopher C. Cordle, “Get It Right,” Local Spins Live
Grand Rapids band Melophobix played Walk The Beat in 2016, when a torrential downpour and nearby tornado warnings almost forced Palmer to pull the plug early.
“We had an excellent time, and you could tell those who made it out were all about the music,” said Stefan Paul, guitarist and vocalist for Melophobix.
‘LOVE AND SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS’ WITH A DIFFERENT ATMOSPHERE
“The event is fueled by wondrous amounts of love and support for the arts, and the time and monetary investments made by contributors and local businesses is an obvious testament to West Michigan’s ‘support local’ mindset.”
Christopher C. Cordle (Photo/Local Spins)
Paul said the festival has a different atmosphere than other traditional concert experiences, as everyone plays at the same time, at multiple stages across the city.
“Rather than a lineup and a schedule, it’s more like a 30-band game of ‘Red Light, Green Light,’” he said.
“There’s so much good music that comes through the town, I’m a little bummed that we all play at the same time, because there’s so much talent I would like to see myself. It’s one of those festivals where if I wasn’t playing, I would be there listening and enjoying.”
Nonetheless, Walk The Beat is a great opportunity for musicians, he added.
“They have been so open in working with us, and have provided us countless opportunities to get in front of new fans,” Paul said.
“The festival is a great place to network, as well as to build fans. Tons of musicians and onlookers pack the after-party, and overall, the day is powered by good vibes and happy faces.”
‘EXCITING, FAMILY-FRIENDLY’ AND FILLED WITH CAMARADERIE
Dave Palmer, founder and executive director of Walk The Beat, said organizers aimed to improve mobility and help attendees travel between venues, which are local businesses such as stores that normally don’t host live music.
Building Community: Walk the Beat’s Dave Palmer. (Photo/Tori Thomas)
Palmer said even after last year’s wild-weather event, Walk The Best was overwhelmed with 150 to 200 applications from performers for 2017.
Walk The Beat has even spread to a second city. Walk the Beat: Albion in south-central Michigan was such a success last fall that it will be repeated Oct. 21, this time with the help and support of Albion College.
But this Saturday, the focus is on making the Grand Haven event a success.
“We have set this up so everybody can attend, for free,” Palmer said.
“Also, with $15,000 worth of prizes, I have never heard of another event like this. It’s exciting, it’s family-friendly. You can be one or 100 and you can find some music that you love at this festival. No other festival treats their guests like us. And the camaraderie of these musicians never fails to amaze me.
“This much music, spread over so many blocks of space? It’s a gas.”
WALK THE BEAT LOCATIONS, PERFORMERS
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To warm up for Saturday’s festival, Walk The Beat, in conjunction with Seven Steps Up and Watermark Live, is presenting the Walk The Beat Pre-Party at 7 p.m. Thursday at Seven Steps Up in Spring Lake. On stage will be Miss Atomic, Christopher C. Cordle and the Co-Conspirators and Loren Johnson. Tickets are $10, with details online here.
LOCAL SPINS COVERAGE, PHOTOS, VIDEO OF WALK THE BEAT 2016: Walk the Beat saunters on through the rain in Grand Haven; Jake Kershaw Band, The Legal Immigrants win top honors
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