Hawks and Owls delivered a tantalizing first chapter in a new Grand Rapids concert series, while eclectic bands from across the state closed out Kalamazoo’s week-long music festival. The images at Local Spins.
Traditional Folk, Alluring Stories and Yodeling: Bruce Ling on stage with Hawks & Owls on Sunday. (Photo/Holly Holtzclaw)
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Call it a tale of two cities — and a tale of many genres.
It was also a tantalizing first chapter for one endeavor and a satisfying ending for another.
On Sunday in Grand Rapids, the Acoustic Stew Music Guild series kicked off in mid-afternoon with the fetching folk of West Michigan’s Hawks and Owls string trio, performing for a small-but-engaged crowd inside Wealthy Theatre’s Dirk Koning Theater.
“It was a flawless and entertaining show for the audience to witness while Bruce Ling’s work on both mandolin and fiddle only seems to get better with age. Kudos to Bruce, Becca (Ling) and Jerry Wenger on bass for a great traditional music experience,” said series co-organizer Bear Berends, who raved about the cozy 61-seat Koning audiorium.
“The real folk tradition of old time music and stories came alive yesterday during their Acoustic Stew performance. The Koning Theater acoustics and the work of Corrina Wenger and Omar Nadji on sound made for a listening experience where you could hear every note played and lyric sung as clear as a bell.”
Ling said the listening room had “a fantastic sound quality to it” and “it was great to play to an attentive room full of folks that are there solely to listen. Because of that energy, we brought our best.”
Festival Finale: Zion Lion at Bronson Park on Sunday night. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
That included songs from the 1890s to the early 20th century to originals, along with Ling teaching audience members how to yodel and join in on a Jimmie Rodgers classic.
The monthly series continues on Oct. 20 with Mark Swanson and Bruce Matthews presenting “The Songtellers.” Details and tickets online here.
In Kalamazoo, meanwhile, another Michigan trio launched the final day of the city’s week-long Sounds of the Zoo festival at Bronson Park.
The Dede Alder Trio — described as unfurling “seductive lounge music from Traverse City” — got the day’s multivarious musical display started, followed by the bluegrass-hued strains of Southeast Michigan’s Wilson Thicket, Ann Arbor jazz’s Lunar Octet, Detroit R&B singer Alise King and, finally, the dance-inspiring reggae of Kalamazoo’s Zion Lion.
The Sunday lineup wrapped up performances by more than 50 Michigan acts over seven days at several different Kalamazoo locations.
“It’s definitely a lot of work,” said Jennifer Hudson-Prenkert, executive director of Sounds of the Zoo, “and I hope to keep being able to grow this Michigan music scene.”
Browse photos from both Sunday events below, and check out more coverage of Sounds of the Zoo at Local Spins here.
PHOTO GALLERY: Hawks and Owls at Wealthy Theatre (Sunday)
Photos by Holly Holtzclaw
PHOTO GALLERY: Sounds of the Zoo Day 7 at Bronson Park (Sunday)
Photos by Derek Ketchum
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